Francesco Boccia, the one who wrote GRANDE AMORE, was interviewed.
Francesco is also a singer and in this period he has joined his voice to three other people and they have created a group that is having a lot of success in the X Factor program in Romania.
During the interview, two questions relating to IL VOLO were asked to Francesco, which I am now translating to you.
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Perhaps not everyone knows that you are the author of Grande Amore, the success with which the Il Volo group won Sanremo. How was the song born?
“Do you think Grande Amore has been in the drawer for 12 years. I wrote it in 2003, but it came out in 2015. I left it in the drawer until the right opportunity arose. I always knew this song would be liked, but I had to wait for the right moment. When you create it, inside you, you already know if something is strong or not. In my heart, I knew that if Grande Amore had gone to Sanremo, I would have made the numbers. I tried at least 5 or 6 times to present it, then I changed direction and I said to myself that, perhaps, this song could not reach, with my voice. So I started looking for interpreters. I am very fond of Queen and Freddy Mercury, there was the Barcelona song he sang with Montserrat Caballé. I had an intuition and I said that perhaps Grande Amore should be sung by a more important lyrical voice. Trying it with two lyrical voices, more set, I realized that the piece could have a more international take.”
In the photo Il Volo with Boccia and Esposito, writer and composer of Grande Amore.
And why, in the end, was the song sung by the Il Volo trio?
“At the selections, I presented the song with the two tenors with whom I had recorded this sort of demo. Carlo Conti, who at the time was in charge of the artistic direction of Sanremo, however, saw the potential of the song and told me:
‘Francesco, this song is too important, we cannot put it in young people ( the songs in Sanremo can be presented by the YOUNG, who are unknown, or by the BIG who are already famous).’
Also because one of the two boys I had introduced was over the age to be a candidate and therefore Carlo asked me for permission to let someone else hear the song. In the end, he introduced it to Il Volo. Initially Il Volo did not want to do it, especially because they had presented themselves with their own songs, but after various insistences they auditioned and, once sung, they were convinced and fell in love. And what happened happened, with more than 100 million views, including the win. It had been more than twenty years that an Italian song hadn’t been around the world. This made me realize that you have to believe in things. Because when you really believe it, things happen.”
Really beautiful are the words of Francesco Boccia, and of course we give him our best compliments for having had the intuition to write this beautiful song and we thank him for having always insisted and waited patiently on presenting Grande Amore!
Il Volo arrived and everything seemed perfect, this song had been waiting in the drawer for many years, for Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca to arrive, three guys with wonderful voices who would have given the right emphasis to the notes of this beautiful song. ❤️
One thing, continuing to read Francesco’s interview, bothered me a little, when they asked him why he presented his band in Romania, he replied:
“Because our Italian music is much more appreciated there than here in Italy. So much so that we tried to participate in these talents which took place abroad.”
It really hurts to hear this statement, but it hurts because it’s true.
In reality it is not true that this music is more appreciated abroad than in Italy, because we know very well that there are many supporters, we have confirmed this from the concerts always full of fans.
But this beautiful music is not at all supported by radios, TVs, and Italian newspapers, which instead offer very often “junk music” thus accustoming the tastes of our young people to this music and this way of singing, sometimes really horrible.
Reflecting, I think that Il Volo, in the people of Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, are to be admired even more, for having had the courage to insist on presenting in their country, Italy, a certain type of song, considered by many “passé”.
The results proved Il Volo and those who have always supported them right.
Daniela
Credit to owners of all photos and article.