On 25 September 1971, a young group of speleologists, entering a small hole on a hill in the Marche (Italian region near Abruzzo) discovered the beautiful Frasassi Caves.

In memory of this moment, after 50 years, an event took place, which involved the population of Genga (the place where the caves are) and via streaming, even those who wanted to follow the event.

Among the various activities, there was also the projection of the video by Vittorio Storaro, played by Il Volo, presented on 24 September, free of charge to all local citizens, and which took place in the museum of Genga, where beautiful photos of Il Volo within the caves, and these photos will always be visible in the museum.

Of this moment, unfortunately, there is no main video, but only some shots and short videos that we propose.

It’s a video without audio, but … my God, what a fantastic music that of Mission, of Morricone, of course.

And here is the initial cut that opens the exhibition.

Present, the Mayor, Vittorio Storaro and Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero.

Here are some shots, which will be permanently present in the museum.☺

A short but intense video, which shows the skill of our boys in the harmony of their beautiful voices.

PIERO = It is right that you know, we wanted to thank everyone for the patience and determination of Maurizio Tosoroni (head of the Frasassi Caves Consortium).

And we have reached day 25.

The event is held inside the caves, only very few are allowed, but there is the possibility of streaming.

The event, very beautiful, where all the speleologists who participated in the discovery of the caves 50 years ago were awarded, one by one, then saw a short speech by the mayor, the projection of the short film by Storaro (which, however, was not taken from the streaming) and then there is a short but very nice interview with Il Volo.

We were in connection and therefore we propose the unexpected with Il Volo.

PRESENTER = Of course there are many questions we want to ask you, but first of all I want to ask you what you felt when you staged this video clip, that is, what was the atmosphere, the attitude with which you lived this fact.

GIANLUCA = First of all it is a great pleasure to be here, and we greet everyone with great affection, thanks for the welcome (applause).

It is a magical place, then, to be able to interpret the notes of the great master Morricone, flanked by a great filmmaker, one of the greatest, the master Vittorio Storaro. At our age to be able to say that we have had these experiences that have enriched us artistically, but also personally.

PRESENTER= You have now entered the history of cinema.

GIANLUCA = Of cinema not, maybe one day, who knows.

PRESENTER = Of humanity.

GIANLUCA = But being the soundtrack of this wonderful place, 50 years after its discovery, is a great pride for us, a great privilege. Thanks again.

(and he passes the microphone to Ignazio)

PRESENTER = Then I want you to continue immediately (then seeing that Ignazio has taken the microphone) go, go ….

IGNAZIO = No, if there is a question I speak, otherwise I shut up.

PRESENTER = There are many questions, but I also want to welcome those who represent perhaps more than all of us, the teacher, and is Storaro’s daughter, Francesca where are you?

PRESENTER = Here you are Francesca. Welcome Francesca.

Why is Francesca here? Because she is a great light-designer and has worked on many things, of which I want to show you some photos. (here the video, which is very long has been cut, Francesca shows many photos of beautiful places and churches where she has put new lights, with low or almost no atmospheric impact, but which render the monuments in a beautiful light and with a lot of savings in energy consumption. Francesca will take care of the new lighting of the caves).

New lights, new caves to discover (he turns to Ignazio), perhaps new films to make.

IGNAZIO = I don’t know, this would be better to ask Vittorio Storaro, we sing, so …..

PRESENTER = As you know, there was an experiment here of people who have been in the cave for six months, maybe you could be the first tenors ……

PIERO = I’m not here for six months !!

IGNAZIO = It’s a little cold, maybe, if you bring me a small stove to warm up, I’ll think about it, however we wanted to …… can we say a few words ???

PRESENTER = Please.

IGNAZIO = We take this opportunity to thank Maurizio Tosoroni and the mayor, who made all this possible and also the Marche region……..

PRESENTER = A round of applause to Tosoroni. There it is, it is just smaller than a “giant” (the giants are the large columns of stalagmites that are in the center of the room called the Abyss, some reach up to 82 feet).

IGNAZIO = …… because in any case we are three guys with many very ambitious desires, and when the master Storaro told us this idea, we were immediately amazed and wanted to start working immediately, so without them and ours manager Michele Torpedine, who watches us from the steps, from up there.

Is there anyone???? (Ignazio raises his hand to his mouth to launch this sentence which, I believe, is the sentence that the first speleologist said when he lowered himself into the hole).

PRESENTER = Torpedine is not a nickname, he is fast, but that’s what his name is! He is also a little electric, he looks at us from above, he is there (and Michele is framed laughing and making the gesture to get off the rope), he is there, sooner or later he will come down, we do not know when, but sooner or later he will come down .

IGNAZIO = Thanks, because life is made up of thanks, and it is right to give thanks to those who have allowed us to do all this.

PRESENTER = Sure, thank you, thank you very much, (and he passes the microphone to Piero), a few more words.

PIERO = A little while ago we talked to the ex-boys (he refers to the speleologists who discovered the caves, they were in their early twenties, now they are over 70 years old), those who discovered this incredible place, they are beautiful, I had a lot of fun, they’re super cool, but where are these men? (look for them)

PRESENTER = They are there.

Here they are, a round of applause to the speleologists. (The speleologists, before the intervention of Il Volo, were called one by one and they all received commemorative plaques).

PIERO = You are number one!

They are fantastic, one of them has been living in Sicily for 40 years, we chatted, and they told us about when they went down (in the caves), how long it took …..

GIANLUCA = (to the speleologists) You have made history.

PRESENTER = (repeats) You have made history.

PIERO = Believe me, I am honored and thrilled to have talked to them and to have made us part of this incredible experience and adventure. Thanks!!

PRESENTER = Well, great, you were right to point this out.

You have seen with the light how much can be done and how much more will probably be done, but there is one thing I have to ask you. I want to ask you something, I just put myself out here, (walks away from the boys) and stand here looking at you. I want to ask you: in your opinion, what can be done here with the voice?

Now, right now! (Piero’s face is amazed, Igna and Gian’s a little more worried, a sign that it is not an expected request)

IGNAZIO = You can talk to be heard up there, but there is a microphone, or you can thank …..

PIERO = Let’s do an experiment.

PRESENTER = Come on.

PIERO = Since this is a magical place and there is acoustics, I would remove the microphone, can we remove the microphone?

GIANLUCA = We sing without a microphone.

PRESENTER = Without microphone come on.

PIERO = A little piece.

PRESENTER = Yes, the usual 2 and a quarter hours concert!
(the boys are about to start)

Wait, while you sing, he’s coming down, he’s official, he’s ready to go, so think about him while you sing and give him strength and courage. (He refers to the fact that a speleologist is on top of the mountain and in this moment, he is descending into the hole from which they descended 50 years earlier, so he is coming down from the vault of the room called Abyss, for this reason, the boys looked up into the darkness of the cave.)

PIERO = Can you get off in 20 seconds ??

PRESENTER = Surely it will start … go.
(the boys perform a splendid piece of Your Love a cappella, wonderful, fantastic voices and intense gazes between them. Applause)

Hurray!
Successful experiment.
Successful experiment, you should know that someone preceded you in this experiment and was unable to sing.
It is true!

PIERO = Was it you?

PRESENTER = No, I can’t sing even if I’m warm.
No, no, there was someone here, I don’t think it is an urban legend (i.e. false), a great name of opera who came here, and who suddenly failed to sing, as if the cave had it. …..

GIANLUCA = Performance anxiety?

PIERO = But a little while ago, talking to the speleologists, I don’t remember the name of the man who told me … Giancarlo, he told me about the adrenaline and what it can cause, when they discovered these caves, maybe all of them they don’t know that Giancarlo, in the following days, had a fever of 40° (104° F) and it was due to adrenaline, and it is something that struck me a lot, because we, with adrenaline, live with it.

PRESENTER = Of course, those who live on stage live on adrenaline.

IGNAZIO = Before they said it was adrenaline, now they tell you it’s the corona virus! 😁

PRESENTER = Exactly!

However, it seems that the tenor who failed to sing was Katia Ricciarelli (in reality she is a woman, therefore a soprano.
Katia Ricciarelli is an Italian soprano, who became famous above all because she was engaged to Josè Carreras and then married to Pippo Baudo, a well-known Italian presenter, from whom she later divorced. Katia Ricciarelli, during various television broadcasts, has never appreciated Il Volo, on the contrary she refuses the success of the boys because she does not appreciate that they sing operas since they never went to the conservatory. )

IGNAZIO = Oh well, it can happen, because there is a lot of humidity, and then the voice ….. she is a good tenor anyway (jokes, because she knows well that she is not a tenor, laughter), you know, the voice is very subjective and the humidity does a lot, but it depends!

PRESENTER = But it was great because the largest soundbox in the world contained your voices, and amplified them, in a natural way.

IGNAZIO = We hope and wish that, over time, it will contain many voices from the world. There are so many voices this place deserves to hear.

PRESENTER = This is a great idea, you know.

PIERO = This project, the tribute to Ennio Morricone, was born from our ideas, a little exaggerated at times, so during the lockdown we thought and worked intensely on the melodies of maestro Ennio Morricone, with a lot of respect. Then the idea of collaboration with the great maestro Storaro was born and now we are starting again, with optimism, we are sure that we will succeed, we will start with a world tour, carrying around, singing the melodies of Maestro Morricone, and we started from the belly of the earth, as the master Storaro says, so there is no better start.

GIANLUCA = Above all, it is also the way to bring the beauty of these places, the Frasassi Caves, around the world. It is a way to bring, not only what is our tradition through our voices, Italian music, but also the beauties of our country. This is a UNIQUE place in the world.

PRESENTER = It’s true, it’s really true. Thank you thank you.

IGNAZIO = Thank you very much. (the presenter motions him to continue). I don’t say anything more.

PRESENTER = Maybe you want to greet us with a ….. (perhaps with an acute) (An acute is a long prolonged sound emitted with the voice, said for those who do classical opera.)

IGNAZIO = I am a singer, but I don’t always sing, I also speak ….. (laughter) or I try

PRESENTER = Because you tenors are used to expressing yourself like this too …..

IGNAZIO = No, but I wanted to say that with Maurizio Tosoroni, we will try to ensure that our colleagues (other singers) will come here, even with the mayor, to enjoy this magnificent place.

PRESENTER = Well, thank you, really thank you, I don’t know whether to call you “boys” (Ignazio makes an eloquent gesture as if to say: sure, we are) you are boys but also something more, now you belong to the history of humanity.

PIERO = Cavers are also boys.

PRESENTER = They were boys, they are boys, it’s true, by the way, then we will talk about it, it seems that there is a habit in this place, where time passes differently, it has been scientifically proven, then we will talk about it.
Thanks!!

As usual, I have no words for what they did and what they said.

Although I always expect a lot from them, I appreciate more and more their way of acting and doing.

The a cappella singing was certainly not prepared, but they were very good.

The presenter was pleasantly impressed and recalled that someone who brags as much and criticizes others as much, had failed to do so, and our boys, they only had words of support for her (Katia Ricciarelli).

Very good as always and even more: our Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca.

Daniela 

 

Credit to owners of all photos and videos.