There seemed to be a moment of calm until August 3rd, but a good interview with Il Volo was published in the weekly magazine OGGI.
A nice article written by Dea Verna, in which I appreciated some questions and beautiful photos, and the possibility for our boys to remove some “pebbles from their shoes”. I will translate for you.
They joke with each other, make fun of each other, tease each other.
“Gianluca and I always talk, Ignazio on the other hand is the one who disappears”, says Piero Barone. “I’m like this, I need to pull the plug, I’m hurt,” explains Boschetto.
The three guys from Il Volo will celebrate 15 years of their career in 2024. “We spent half a life together, think how lucky”.
It all started on 25 April 2009 when very young competitors of Ti Lascio una Canzone conducted by Antonella Clerici, were put together to sing O SOLE MIO.
Now, after conquering the world, having sold out several times at Radio City Music Hall in New York, winning the Sanremo festival in 2015, they are giving themselves a whim in Italy.
For the first time they bring their show, ALL FOR ONE, to a theater, at the Arcimboldi in Milan, on 2,3,4,6,8,9 September.
“We wanted an intimate atmosphere, to have the audience close,” they say.
“We used to sing together and it was almost impossible to tell one from the other. Now we’ve grown up, there are solo moments, we want to surprise the audience and expand it.”
What’s your life like when you’re not on tour?
PIERO= Simple, I live in Sicily, in the province of Agrigento. I wake up at 05:30AM, I go out on the boat with a friend, we go fishing. Then I run, I’m preparing for the New York Marathon, or I play tennis. After sport, a nice gin and tonic with friends.
GIANLUCA= I live in Roseto degli Abruzzi. I wake up early, work out at the gym, have lunch with my grandpa, hang out with family and friends. Of the three, I am the only boyfriend.
IGNAZIO= (He lives in Bologna) Before, I used to go to sleep very late, I did nothing except stay closed in a studio with video games. Now I wake up early and go play tennis.
Then there’s your Hollywood life. The best meeting?
PIERO= Placido Domingo, who came to do vocals in our dressing room before the New York concert, José Carreras. We met Woody Allen in a New York restaurant, and we started singing together. He told us his favorite wine is Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.
GIANLUCA= As teenagers we sang with Barbra Streisand, a privilege. I was thrilled when I met John Meyers in Malibu, who is considered the new Eric Clapton.
And Pope Francis?
GIANLUCA= We met him three times. The first time in 2014, when I was just over 18, I greeted him by saying “Hello” to the Pope……but he remained calm and replied: “Hello”.
The madness of a fan?
PIERO= One day I was in Austin, Texas, running on a treadmill. I see the woman next to me has something on her left ankle that looks familiar. She had my autograph tattooed on her.”
Has this extraordinary career that began at the age of 14 taken anything away from you?
GIANLUCA= The possibility of going to school. Ten years ago my peers read the DIVINE COMEDY, perhaps reluctantly, I regret not having done so. I’m recovering.”
IGNAZIO= I’ve missed the bullshit you do as a kid, like riding a moped with friends until four in the morning. We grew up quickly, with many responsibilities.
You challenged prejudices about your musical genre, loved by the public, less by the critics.
GIANLUCA= Every artist should be the first critic of himself. What can you expect from three 15-year-old boys? We could not have the depth of De Andrè or Guccini, who we listen to and love.
Now we want to build a repertoire that is not only based on virtuosity.
PIERO= There is a difference between criticism and offense. Why rage against three guys who love what they do?
There is nothing built in us, otherwise we wouldn’t still be here after almost 15 years.
In 2019 in Sanremo, some journalists in the press room insulted you.
IGNAZIO= As long as they take it out on us, as long as they say we make music for old men, amen.
But Sanremo was an offense to music, to those who make it and those who love it, to the public.
Meanwhile, you and the Maneskin are our export groups.
IGNAZIO= Look, let’s make two genres that were considered extinct. Rock had been forgotten in the 2000s. And no one does bel canto anymore, only Bocelli and us.
We have a female prime minister. Does it make you proud?
PIERO= Sure. There are more and more women leaders, the patriarchy is weakening.
IGNAZIO= The bad thing is being surprised, it should be normal.
What do you think of Meloni (Giorgia Meloni as our Prime Minister)
PIERO= She is a woman who is working, bringing results. Let’s hope everything goes well. We hope that those who represent us, who have been elected by the pool, do a good job.
What should the government do?
PIERO= Investing in culture, education, school. Trust young people, encourage them.
GIANLUCA= It’s a society in which television and social media give importance to wealth, to perfection, but it’s crap. Only culture can save us.
As you may have noticed, one of the photos was taken in the Vatican, exactly in the Sistine Chapel, Gianluca Ignazio and Piero with the background of Michelangelo’s “Universal Flood”, wonderful photo!!
This second shot is also very nice, which shows us our loved ones in their current maturity.
But that’s not all, there is a beautiful video, a nice surprise made to a fan of Gianluca, here is the video, it will touch your heart! ❤
This fan comes from Calabria, her dream was to meet Gianluca, a dream fulfilled, the emotion of the girl who can’tsay anything at the beginning from the emotion is palpable. Great Gianluca who allowed this dream to come true.
At the beginning of the video, you can clearly see the alley of Montepagano where Gianluca lives, he comes out exactly from his house to greet Martina.
Thanks Gianluca, once again we could see your kind and good soul.
The friend Donatella Merlotti, florist in Roseto degli Abruzzi, acted as a bridge to be able to realize the meeting between Martina and Gianluca.
She posted the video with these words: “Martina’s dream was to meet Gianluca Ginoble. In her condition it wasn’t easy, but when love and goodwill come together, nothing is impossible. From Calabria, to Piedmont and then to Abruzzo. A heartfelt thanks to Gianluca for his availability and kindness. I am happy to have contributed to Martina’s happiness, together with her parents and my sister.”
I found the same video with the original audio and I translated the few words said:
(You must have an Instagram account to view these video stories.)
GIANLUCA= Hello, how are you, are you all right? (Gianluca embraces and squeezes Martina who is very excited and unable to speak)
DONATELLA= For her it is a historic moment.
GIANLUCA= Wait, you dropped your phone. You brought me flowers, thank you, thank you very much, are you happy?
DONATELLA= She can’t speak! (for the emotion)
GIANLUCA= Thank you, thank you!
DONATELLA= But thanks to you Gianluca for being so kind, a really great gift.
GIANLUCA= But this is the minimum, you think, for so little, thank you, thank you (Gianluca takes the flowers). Usually it’s the gentlemen who bring the flowers and you brought them to me.
DONATELLA= And you give them back to her.
GIANLUCA = Hello, how are you? (Gianluca greets Martina’s parents) ,
DONATELLA= (turning to Martina) Love, let’s put us in the shade that there is a strong sun.
MARTINA’S MOM = Good morning,….. sorry…..
GIANLUCA= Where are you from?
MARTINA’S FATHER = Calabrian.
GIANLUCA= Ah, from Calabria! Shall we go for a coffee?
MARTINA’S MOM = Thank you, we don’t want to disturb you.
GIANLUCA= It’s not a nuisance.
(now they are at the bar) …… no, here in Abruzzo.
MARTINA= Unfortunately we are leaving now.
MARTINA’ S MOM= We will arrive home tonight.
Well, I’d say there’s not much to add, words are useless, we all enjoyed this nice gesture, not just Martina. ❤
Just one last thing, I remind you that on August 3 Il Volo will sing with Placido Domingo at the REGGIA DI CASERTA.
Soon after, Piero joined Ignazio and Gianluca in Macerata for a private event/concert.
Of this event, unlike other private events, there are several mini videos, here they are.
Once the event/concert has been archived, there is still room for Piero’s celebrations, this time an intimate dinner with Ignazio, Gianluca and Torpedine.
………….and more celebrations on the beach with other friends……
We arrived in July and great news comes after a long wait, Il Volo will be in concert in September for the first time in GREECE!!!! ☺
What wonderful news, our Greek friends have been waiting for this news for a long time and it is finally here!!❤
By the way, do you remember that Il Volo is supposed to give a free concert in Ascoli Piceno on July 21st? Things are not that simple, I translated this article, published by IL CORRIERE DELL’ADRIATICO, that explains everything!
ASCOLI PICENO – The mystery linked to the reservations for the concert of the “Il Volo” trio, which will be held on July 21 in Piazza del Popolo, continues to hold thousands and thousands of fans in suspense. The event, made official by the mayor Marco Fioravanti and by the managers – the entrepreneurs Roberta Faraotti and Stefano Panichi – was announced as a city festival, with free admission reserved for the local population, to be collected at the box office in Piazza del Popolo. A gift to the city to celebrate 30 years of activity of Fainplast.
The stop
But the reservation scheduled for June 20 was suspended by the public order committee for safety. Danger of night camps and impossibility to check the origin of the ticket applicants. Requests have in fact arrived from Belgium, Germany, even Americans for the show by Gianluca Ginoble, Piero Barone and Ignazio Boschetto. The three artists do not currently have an Italian tour, it is understandable why a free entrance to Ascoli is tempting for everyone, even for those who live in Sondrio or Syracuse.
In the photo, Battista Faraotti, owner of Fainplast and promoter of the free event in Ascoli Piceno with Il Volo!
What can I say, the free concert is a wonderful idea, but it’s not as easy as it seems, I’ll keep you updated on developments.
But that’s not all, today 5 July, the Canale 5 schedule for the 2023/2024 season was announced, and Il Volo will have three events in prime time.
The new schedule was announced during an evening and introduced by Pier Silvio Berlusconi who is manager and director of the Mediaset Group, of which Canale 5 is the flagship television network.
He is the son of Silvio Berlusconi, founder of Mediaset and entrepreneur who then had important roles in Italian politics until he became Prime Minister. Silvio Berlusconi passed away about a month ago.
Pier Silvio Berlusconi has been romantically linked for 21 years (they are not married) to Silvia Toffanin, whom you know because she is the kind entertainer of Verissimo.
During the evening Il Volo performed three songs: My Way, Hallelujah and Grande Amore.
Eventually they reached Pier Silvio Berlusconi who said very nice words for them. Click below to view the video.
After the presentation of Il Volo, My Way begins immediately.
PIERO= For us it is truly an honor to be here tonight, we are delighted to continue this journey together. It has been a special year for us, the two evenings ALL FOR ONE and CHRISTMAS IN JERUSALEM, a great alchemy has really been created, a great harmony as a working group and we can’t wait to do great things together next year. (Pier Silvio Berlusconi framed, thanks and sends them a kiss)
GIANLUCA= Thanks so much for everything, for allowing us to spread our music and our essence as artists and as people, which is not obvious and thanks for the affection.
The next one is a very special song, because to sing, as an art form, somehow allows you to convey emotions, to make something abstract tangible, like a feeling or an emotion. The next song represents all of this and is one of the most famous songs in the history of music and in this particular moment for you, for your big family, we want to dedicate it to all of you.
Hallelujah begins.
IGNAZIO= We wanted to sing this next song, which is our song: Grande Amore.
GERRY SCOTTI= (good and well-known Italian presenter) It’s a real pleasure, your patience has been great because you waited in the back and you were the big surprise of this evening, but I tell you what, it’s an evening dedicated not only to work , at the company, is an evening, as you will have understood, dedicated to feelings and love, and this last song of yours was the crown of everything we talked about this evening. (he refers to the recent mourning of the Berlusconi family).
IL VOLO= Thank you, thank you very much. (Piero gets off the stage and goes towards Pier Silvio Berlusconi).
IGNAZIO= Well, we’ll see each other soon.
GERRY SCOTTI= I think so.
IGNAZIO= We’ll be able to do something together, we’ve never done it.
GERRY SCOTTI= That would be the case.
(meanwhile Gianluca also goes to Pier Silvio, warm hugs with Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio)
You were announced at the press conference, so….. Pier Silvio, do you want to say something to these guys ?
PIER SILVIO= Guys, I thank you again, all of you because you fill me up and warm my heart. They, in addition to being very good and full of energy, they are fantastic, I thank you for being here. They stir up unique emotions in me, because on the two Saturdays that aired (All for one concert), my dad called me both times and said: “But how good these guys are, but how exciting they are, please, keep them close.” So, I know he called you too.
GIANLUCA= Yes, and it is also for him that we are here this evening.
PIER SILVIO= Thank you, you gave me a wonderful gift, I thank you. (kisses and hugs)
But that’s not all, yesterday evening July 7, as promised, Il Volo was a guest during the concert of POOH, the band that had played with them during ALL FOR ONE. The concert takes place in the Milano sold out stadium. It was Il Volo’s first time in a stadium.
Here are our young men in rehearsal.
In the backstage, after the rehearsals, Il Volo was interviewed.
SPEAKER= Il Volo for a great POOH concert/event, where you are the protagonists with them. It’s your first performance at San Siro (stadium name).
PIERO= We want to say, a promise kept, because they came as guests to our show in Verona and there was this invitation live and we kept our promise, you can’t give up … first you can’t give up the POOH and then you can’t give up a performance at San Siro.
GIANLUCA= Furthermore, I believe that young people should have a certain openness of mind, like studying history at school, they should learn to appreciate the music of every era. They have marked more than an era, they are the greatest (Italian) band of all time, reaching 50 years of career is the dream of many artists. I have always followed them thanks to my father. ALOHA is my favorite record, but also the record in English HURRICANE where they really looked like an international band from all points of view, so for me it’s a great honor, for all of us it’s an honor to share the stage again with such a great band .
IGNAZIO= An anecdote: to me personally he binds a guitar of Dodi (the guitarist of the Pooh) that our manager gave me. I have Dodi’s guitar at home.
PIERO= But is there Dodi’s signature?
IGNAZIO= Of course there is his signature. Well POOH has been an inspiration for everyone, from the early years of their debut to our generation and the one to come. Symbol of unity, music is one of the strongest things in the world and they have demonstrated it and as Gianluca said we are happy to be here and to share the stage with them today.
PIERO= This evening we will sing UOMINI SOLI, because it is our favorite song, we have expressly asked to sing it together and we can’t wait to share that moment with their audience who are thrilled to see them on stage.
SPEAKER= There is a lot of professional esteem between you (Pooh and Volo), but also a lot of affection, I know you love each other very much, they love you very much.
GIANLUCA= Yes, because beyond the artistic professional esteem, everything starts from a great personal esteem, this is the most important thing, the affection that is shared with these great artists, we share the same passion, we have different ages, but we know that music keeps you young, you must never lose the childish part that probably allows you to bring out all your creativity and energy.
SPEAKER= Your audience is an international audience that has been following you for many years because even if you are young you started early, and the POOH audience follows you, loves you, surely you have values together, not only musical but also human.
PIERO= We grew up with healthy values and principles transmitted by our families, I see and perceive that it is something we have in common with POOH but above all also with the public, which is a human and above all faithful public, which has always followed these great artists and we also live it with our audience, because next year we celebrate 15 years of career and for an artist, for a singer, I think it’s the most beautiful reality to have in front of a faithful audience that saw you born, he followed you and never abandoned you.
SPEAKER=FRIENDS FOREVER (it’s the title of a Pooh song) it’s not only a very famous song by the Pooh, and also the name of this tour, it’s also their life motto which I think you follow very well. What does friends forever mean to you?
GIANLUCA= It’s like a marriage, if there is no serenity, if there is no respect, as well as friendship, any relationship fades over time, it crumbles, this is a great teaching from them for us, we take them for example. And we too, in addition to being colleagues, must be friends forever.
PIERO= There’s only one thing I don’t agree with: why did you give Ignazio Dodi’s guitar and only the shirt belongs to me??? 😁😁😁
And now during the concert, only one song, all together: UOMINI SOLI, with this song the Pooh won Sanremo in 1990.
And today, the Poohs posted this short video and these words:
I would say that it has been a month full of news and all very beautiful.
I am very happy with the work project with Canale 5, I have no doubt that it will be three splendid evenings and they have also concluded an agreement on a special for Christmas 2024.
The words expressed for Il Volo by Pier Silvio Berlusconi are truly beautiful.
The interpretation of the song together with POOH is magical, and it will soon be repeated in the stadium of Rome on July 15th.
In short, many positive events and more to come, Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio never cease to amaze us.
How proud we are to read the interviews made to our young men, especially today it is Gianluca’s turn who was interviewed by the magazine VDossier, a magazine that deals with volunteering, but also with good gestures, with people who do good, of positive things, as a reflection of many magazines that instead write only about negative things.
A nice interview that perhaps not all of you have read, here it is!
GIANLUCA GINOBLE: HOW TO BE AN EXAMPLE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
The artist, with the Il Volo trio, is acclaimed on all continents. He never forgets his commitment and as soon as he can he takes refuge in his village and spends time with his family and grandfather.
The little boy who came to success almost by chance, for a television broadcast (“Ti lascio una canzone”, conducted by Antonella Clerici on Raiuno in 2009) today has become a mature man, despite being only 28 years old, responsible and profound.
An artist who, while treading the most prestigious stages around the world, appreciated by stars such as Barbra Streisand, Quincy Jones or Anastacia, accustomed to performing in front of the greats of the Earth or tens of thousands of people on all continents, continues to remain very attached to his village, in Montepagano di Roseto degli Abruzzi, where he continues to take refuge, to regenerate, to unwind as soon as international commitments allow him.
His name is Gianluca Ginoble and he is one of the three members of the Il Volo trio.
Baritone, as for vocal texture, unlike the other two, tenors, Ignazio Boschetto and Piero Barone, the singer from Abruzzo, has recently returned from a triumphant tour in South America.
In forty days, under the skilful direction of their historic manager Michele Torpedine (discoverer of Bocelli and Zucchero among others) they performed, among other cities, in Guatemala city, El Salvador, Bogota, Quito, Buenos Aires, San Paolo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Porto Alegre, Mexico City, Panama.
Here is what Ginoble wrote on his social networks (over 700,000 followers on Instagram) to thank the Latin American public:
“Music has given meaning to my life. The goal has never been to desire and pursue ephemeral and fleeting concepts such as fame and success, but to do what makes me happy and serene and to express my essence. But to understand who we are we need to get to know each other, dig deep into our inner self, dialogue with ourselves daily to discover what our vocation is and persevere in the search for what we were born to do, always recognizing our potential and humbly our limits and with tenacity and ambition everything else will come by itself… Thank you for the love you have shown us every day since the beginning of this wonderful journey.”
Back from the tour, after a break of a few days for Easter, the Il Volo trio recorded the program “Uno Per Tutti” for Canale 5, at the Verona Arena, broadcast on the flagship Mediaset network, at the end of May.
VDossier interviewed him during his rest period.
“I’m in Montepagano, at grandfather Ernesto’s house,” he explains on the phone, “today I spent a day with him. I’m happy because I finally have some time to dedicate to my loved ones, to my friends.”
It is no coincidence that one of the most popular photos on Instagram is the one with his grandfather and has received almost 70,000 reactions worldwide with 1,400 comments. The one with Ed Sheeran, to give just one example, received “only” 53,000 hearts. And Ginoble, as a comment on the photo with Ernesto senior, writes:
“Do not neglect your grandparents, they are the greatest treasure in life.”
This strong bond with grandfather Ernesto honors him. Some things don’t change.
You, together with her two colleagues from the Il Volo trio, is an international star. Your recent tour in South America touched twenty cities in countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, which have a population almost similar to that of the whole of Europe. And, everywhere, you were greeted by huge and cheering crowds, as usual.
It was needed, after four years, it was really needed. Seeing the affection of such a distant audience, even culturally, and that appreciates everything we do, is always a nice gift.
And this demonstrates, once again, your maturity and professionalism because maintaining success for all these years is not easy and, perhaps, it wasn’t even so obvious at the beginning.
In the great performers that I admire, I have always tried to identify their great strength, and I wanted to inspire them a little, especially in the message to send, regardless of musical tastes which can be subjective. We must always recognize the success of the artists, everyone is always unique in what they do. Because, even if we at Il Volo didn’t invent anything new, we were the first singers of our age who brought this genre of music to stages around the world, which, historically, has always been interpreted by adults. I remember the first concerts well: the aspect that struck most of all, both the public and the critics, was seeing these three kids propose a repertoire of great love songs. The second step was to demonstrate that we were able to go further. Consolidating our first success, avoiding the risk of appearing and disappearing like one of the many meteors in the entertainment world, are the goals we have achieved and exceeded. We were able to count on an artistic choice managed in detail.
Credit to you, your manager, Michele Torpedine, and your families who have given you that security, that armor to face the world of the star system.
I’m not a parent, maybe one day it will happen, but the mistake I won’t make is to expect my child to follow the path I like. My father, Ercole, and my mother, Eleonora, have always given me advice. They have always passed on fundamental values to me: education, responsibility, seriousness. What I appreciated the most, however, is that they always supported me because they recognized that there was something in me that I wanted and could express. Unfortunately there are parents who, taken by their own self-centeredness, totally ignore the needs of their children, especially in art and culture.
You speak, you sing, you perform in front of thousands of people who see you as myths. Do you feel the weight of responsibility?
If you live everything spontaneously and naturally you don’t feel any weight, the secret is all here. Also to convey emotions it is important to maintain a child’s candor on the playground. Every evening there is a different audience even if you sing the same repertoire, you try to concentrate on the songs to be interpreted and on the message you want to send. I focus a lot on the lyrics, on the melody, every night I try to create a connection with the audience, as if it were always the first time.
In your opinion, does your music, your success have a civic role? If so, which one? Does the question of how your songs affect the lives of your fans arise, do you pose as a trio?
I believe that every artist has a great duty to be a positive example. How many times have charismatic characters influenced fans in a negative way? Mine, our aim, has always been to represent a correct point of reference for young people who, especially in adolescence, do not know who they are or what they want. The new god, for many, for too many, is definitely money, but they have no idea how to reach that goal. If you recognize who you are, even with the help of your family, it’s easier to have a peaceful life. We sing of love, of solid, lasting values. They seem ancient, obsolete concepts. But today it is as if the new generations had focused more on the body than on the soul. The goal, however, is not to lose sight of those values.
Today one of the problems of the young generations, all over the world, is that of inclusion. Which also means solidarity with others, with people most in difficulty, not just physical ones. How do you deal with it during your tours or in your daily life?
The aim is always to do good, to develop a certain universal love towards everyone, because you don’t know what battles your audience is facing. The only way I know is to live a peaceful and quiet life. Everyone is made in his own way and I believe that the real great diseases are indifference and wickedness.
You started singing as a child. Today, looking at that little one, what do you think helped him make the leap from a small city in the middle Adriatic, Roseto degli Abruzzi, indeed, Montepagano di Roseto degli Abruzzi, to the most important movie theaters in the world, from Madison Square Garden in New York down?
Sometimes I think about the past and I believe that what has helped me the most to achieve my successes has been fighting a certain insecurity and forming a self-esteem that has allowed me to recognize my limits, but also my potential. Being aware of one’s talent does not mean being presumptuous, on the contrary. Just because you get certain recognition is because you have awareness. It is a fundamental ingredient in everything we do. Always with humility. I believe that education and knowing how to deal with others is more important than talent. And above all, it is necessary to have a vision of the future. How many people, despite having a great talent, don’t know how to exploit it? Others burn out quickly because they can’t handle personal relationships or are caught up in a thousand distractions. Or worse, they behave irresponsibly like getting lost in alcohol or drugs. So, going back to your question, it was a complex job. Since I was ten years old I have developed a strong curiosity about everything that surrounds me, I always try to understand as best as possible how this world of art, music and entertainment works, I observe other colleagues and how they manage their own art. I asked, I asked, I always wondered, and my parents helped me. I trained and probably achieved my goals for this series of reasons.
The values of his family, starting with his grandfather Ernesto – who was also important in making his love of music and singing and who he continues to have by his side when he returns to Roseto – were the fundamental ones, which allowed him to have peaceful growth.
I believe that to live with great intensity we should also contemplate the negative moments of existence. In this period, and for many years now, I have been successful but I have to contemplate failure, so I live every day as if it were my last. Even thinking about the affections: I could lose my loved ones, I could lose my own life. In this way, contemplating these possibilities, without wishing them, of course, but knowing that they can happen, I live every moment as if it were the last. I enjoy every day, I am committed to making sure that I am always at the center of a fulfilling life.
You, also with your two colleagues Barone and Boschetto, are often personally involved in causes of solidarity. You have given, you have dispensed joy, serenity, to many people. How much did those experiences give you?
What does the smile of a child, the grateful gaze of a mother add to his life, full of successes, affections, satisfactions?
They are gestures of love even if you don’t actually know the people you meet. Giving without thinking of receiving anything in return, the happiness of a child, a mother, a father, makes your existence even more beautiful. This is the concept that I would like to send to everyone, especially boys and girls. There wouldn’t be wars if we all reasoned like this, we wouldn’t argue with our neighbor, because we’d finally be able to put pride, self-centeredness, our presumption aside. Unfortunately we live with this disease that wears us out. We arrive at the end of our life with great frustration because the gestures of love that make it unique and special are few. They allow us to be better people by helping others. There is nothing more beautiful.
Dear Gianluca, looking at you everyone can notice your external beauty, but knowing you, anyone can appreciate your every word, you are such a mature, profound young man, full of great values that have been given to you by your family.
Surely your gestures, your words, can be an example for today’s young people who, unfortunately, are attracted by ephemeral values and often forget their families.
You are great Gianluca, and we are proud of you. ❤
Our beloved Piero is making great strides and is showing off, slowly, slowly, all the years of study.
The occasion was in Bologna, in a small deconsecrated church. The event was organized by Fulvio Massa, Piero’s singing teacher.
I’m translating this nice article for you, which was not published by one of the many fan pages of Il Volo, but by the blog “Toni Semitoni”, who you’ll understand right away, understands music, especially classical.
Right in the center, surrounded by the oceanic university nightlife, on the corner between via Begatto and via Armando Quadri there is a small Baroque church, no longer intended for worship, dedicated to Saints Damiano and Cosma, which would need restoration.
In it various activities take place, mostly musical, and in it, from time to time, the master Fulvio Massa organizes essays or concerts with his singing students. With a few phone calls and a few messages, the little church is easily filled with an intimate audience, at most forty people.
The climate that is created is therefore attractive, friendly, familiar, engaging due to the direct contact with the singers.
Yesterday evening Fulvio organized a beautiful concert in which the soprano Claudia Corona, the baritone Thiago Felipe Stopa and the tenor Piero Barone performed. Ohibò! Piero Barone the singer of Il Volo? A celebrity performing for friends? Yes, that’s right, it’s really him.
Before being artists, singers are athletes – singing is based, in fact, on a delicate muscular balance – who need not only a coach, but also a trusted person who carries out checks during their career, true revisions of singing technique.
The concert in question, in addition to exhibiting three beautiful voices from Fulvio’s school, was an opportunity for Thiago and Claudia to try new opera pieces and for Piero to try his hand at an exclusively lyrical environment and in front of an audience of opera aficionados, often severe, ferocious and partisan audiences.
Therefore, hush, hush, slowly, slowly, as if it were a secret sect, Fulvio gathered a small audience who attended a truly high-quality concert; the assiduous opera house goers, not only of the Teatro Comunale, but also of other theaters not only in Italy, who were present said they felt greater pleasure in this friendly concert but organized with sincere commitment and excellent results.
(a long list of sung opera pieces follow)
And now we come to the singers.
Thiago Felipe Stopa is a Brazilian baritone who has been studying for four years in Bologna with Fulvio Massa. Not only does he have a beautiful, wide, extended voice, like a true baritone, but one that is able to excite. The legato recalls that of a cello is noteworthy, so all the cantabiles are of great impact. The Italian pronunciation is excellent.
Claudia Corona has a top-quality timbre, a very generous voice not only in the high notes, sure, ringing and voluminous, but also in the low register.
The agilities are precise and it has beautiful trills as if performed on a violin. The half-voices, even in the high notes, are very suggestive, firm, so he is able to make contrasts of great effect as we heard throughout the concert.
Piero Barone live, without the intermediation of microphones, offers a voice of magnificent quality: the timbre is very rich, like that of tenors from the Spanish area (Fleta, Lazaro, Domingo and Aragall come to mind), the high notes are ringing and easy, the half-voices are sweet and enveloping, truly bewitching. Even as an interpreter he appears convincing that, when necessary, he knows how to be sweet and passionate. A voice like this is missing on the lyrical stage.
Marco Belluzzi’s piano accompaniment is excellent. Bravo to maestro Fulvio Massa who, with his teachings and experience, has handed down the teachings of Paride Venturi and Arturo Melocchi.
In short, a beautiful and enjoyable evening.
Piero, we are all very proud of your result.
Your years of hard study are paying off and your dream of one day singing an entire opera is slowly, slowly coming true.
The compliments don’t come only from us fans, but from those who are connoisseurs and this makes us even more pleased.
Come on Piero, full speed ahead, the road is still long, but a long way has already been done and successfully.
A few days ago the news was published that on 11 June, Il Volo would sing the Italian anthem at the start of the Moto GP.
“The very famous Il Volo trio will open the race on Sunday 11 June for the Mugello Grand Prix.
The group made up of Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble will perform for the first time on the Tuscan circuit, in a show crowned by the passage of the Frecce Tricolori, just before the start of the MotoGP race at 2pm.”
And here is the video of the departure with Il Volo singing the Italian national anthem.
Shortly before the performance, the presenter said: “We are Italian, Italian pride Il Voloand the Frecce Tricolori!”
A nice event, and they are always very correct!!
And what can I say, I completely approve of their men’s suits.!!!
Now, I want to offer you the translations of a couple of articles that have been published.
The first was published by IL FATTO QUOTIDIANO before the concerts broadcast on Canale 5. It’s a nice interview in which we discover interesting things.
Fifteen years of career and always around the theaters around the world and in Italy with sold outs. Il Volo is a more unique than rare case. Many have attempted a pop-opera career, without however equaling the acknowledgments of Piero Barone, Gianluca Ginoble and Ignazio Boschetto. With each TV show Il Volo grinds excellent ratings and once again they don’t want to disappoint expectations. “Il Volo – Tutti per uno”, with the participation of Federica Panicucci, will be broadcast on Saturday 27 May and 3 June in prime time on Canale 5. The show, recorded at the Arena di Verona, will see guests and friends alternating on stage : Irama, Madame, Fiorella Mannoia, Danilo Rea, Edoardo Leo, Annalisa, Antonello Venditti, Francesca Michielin, Mario Biondi, Gianna Nannini, Pooh, Aida Garifullina and Giorgio Panariello.
What is your balance of these two evenings?
We are very happy for these events despite the persistent downpour, which was suggestive, but made us understand the love and affection of our audience who never got up for three and a half hours of recording. It was magical.
How did you choose the guests, in some cases distant from your world?
We were inspired by the great experience of Pavarotti and Friends with the great teaching of going beyond the barriers of music to demonstrate to the public all three aspects of our artistic expression. This is how the duets on ‘Meravigliosa creatura’ with a rock artist like Gianna Nannini or the beautiful “Ovunque sarai” by Irama were born. But there will also be room for the classical repertoire with one of the most popular sopranos in the world like Aida Garifullina.
What was the result that will be seen on TV?
Very nice especially for the enthusiasm of the guests who came to visit us and immediately accepted our invitation. Our performances took place in a completely natural way.
“All for one” returns to the theater on 2-3-4 September at the Arcimboldi in Milan. What concert will it be?
“The best of” of the two evenings. Obviously it won’t be the 60 songs chosen for Verona, otherwise people will hit us! But we will make sure that people can appreciate three different singers, giving space to our different musical inclinations and tastes.
Fifteen years together, is there still tolerance between you?
There is more resignation. Seriously, we are more mature and respect our spaces, giving weight to the most important things in our lives. This is also the result of events in the personal sphere that have changed us and made us understand what is important in life. And another characteristic of ours is the maximum transparency between the three of us.
In recent years, some have tried your lyrical-pop path, but not with the same result. What are the difficulties?
The music has changed and also a lot compared to when we started. There is an audience of very young people who listen to a totally different musical genre. Furthermore, one is much more ‘influenced’ by social networks and by the fashions and trends of TikTok. These are all elements that can affect the success of a genre or a song. We have been making crazy experiences for fifteen years, proposing a precise musical genre.
The world also seems to have changed since your third place at Eurovision 2015. Mengoni waved the rainbow flag to send a precise message…
And Mengoni did very well to do it. Words can hurt or destroy a person’s life. Raising awareness on certain topics is very important. Absurd that you should always judge a person. Just like Mengoni, all of us artists also have a duty to launch precise messages. We need laws for rights, but also against homophobia, and then much more should be invested in education. Education is fundamental to society. If, on the other hand, we continue to invest in totally useless things, change will be difficult.
Is there hope for the future?
Yes. The new generations are different from ours and from the previous one. They are much more open minded and have a different approach.
Would you go back to Sanremo?
The idea of going to the competition does not scare us at all, but if we have a valid song. For us, Sanremo, but also doing events on TV, represent an excellent promotional showcase, since there is a lot of snobbery towards us and around us from the radio stations (which don’t play our pieces, not even with a gun at their temple) to certain press (especially at the beginning of our career). We are, however, working on an unreleased disc with the hope that the radios will support us.
Now it’s not just my words, the guys themselves have admitted that the radio stations never play their songs and that a certain type of press has always hindered them.
Well, what can I say, very harsh words, but it’s the pure truth.
I am very angry about this!!!
And now also this interview of QUOTIDIANO NAZIONALE always published before the concerts.
From Bethlehem to Verona, from the Basilica of the Nativity to the Arena. After the Christmas concert in the Holy Land last December, Il Volo returns to the Canale Cinque screens in prime time with Tutti per uno, a double appointment with the participation of Federica Panicucci broadcast tomorrow and on 3 June. In fact, with that musketeer motto, Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble consolidate a friendship that sees them once again confront each other in the millenary setting of the hemicycle in Piazza Bra with a crowd of friends and colleagues including Gianna Nannini, the Poohs, Francesca Michielin, Annalisa, Irama, the Russian soprano Aida Garifullina, Madame, Fiorella Mannoia, Danilo Rea, Edoardo Leo, Giorgio Panariello, Mario Biondi, Antonello Venditti.
Where does this new show come from?
Ginoble: “We were born as child prodigies who brought bel canto to the world, then, after the victory in Sanremo, we concentrated on prestigious projects more oriented towards that classical music which certainly represents the soul of the group, but minus ours. All for one tries to tell us both ways, varying from opera to great songwriting, also passing through pop, to reiterate that we are three singers in the round”.
Barone: “We have three different personalities and three vocal styles which, when we harmonize, become one thing. Also focusing on our differences, this project is structured in such a way as to give a 360-degree idea of what Il Volo is”.
Let’s talk about the guests.
Ginoble: “It was interesting to mix voices and genres with others. Piero singing Marvelous creature with Nannini, Ignazio confronting Michielin (in a love monologue written by him, ed.) or me with Madame, these are moments very special. We have taken ourselves a little out of our comfort zone and we are proud of it; Piero is the most theatrical, Ignazio the most televised and I the most social. Three different images, three different communications that become one. The repertoire has been chosen keeping in mind take this into account too”.
Is anyone missing from the guest park?
Boschetto: “We had contacted Sam Ryder, who I consider one of the best singers around today, but he was busy with Eurovision. The others were all there”.
Starting the show with the Straussian Also sprach Zarathustra means winking a little at Elvis who used it as an introduction to his concerts.
Ginoble: “It seemed like a perfect union. An iconic beginning that we wanted to appropriate. Love and theft, as Dylan says”.
What effect does it make for you to come back with your show?
Barone: “The awareness that a television network is entrusting you with two Saturday evenings in prime time charges you with responsibility. On the evening of the broadcast we sing in Krakow, but we won’t sleep from the anxiety of knowing the audience figures. On the best of these television evenings we will build, with guests, the only two live Italian dates we have on the agenda this year, on September 2 and 4 at the Arcimboldi in Milan”.
What’s after the TV show and the concerts?
Barone: “Next year we are therefore celebrating years of career and we are preparing for an album of unreleased songs; we are working with a team of authors on songs conceived especially for our vocality”.
Surprising to discover on the web three young Korean tenors singing Splash! by Colapesce and Dimartino ( Italian singer) as if they were Il Volo.
Barone: “The fact that three people with that vocality arouse in people a comparison with us, it means that we have made ourselves known. And if those three Korean boys ask us for a collaboration, we are ready to say yes”.
Wow, yes you read that right, they’re working on a CD of unreleased tracks written especially for them, I can’t wait to hear it.
And the monologue read by Ignazio and Francesca Michielin before the duet was written by Ignazio and not by Francesca, as I had supposed.
And now this beautiful interview was released by Michele Torpedine immediately after the concerts.
IL VOLO: THE ITALY THAT MAKES YOU DREAM
Among the cheering crowds who welcomed their songs in Mexico City, where twelve thousand listened to them, and in Zagreb, to mention just two of the many recent international dates, and the success of their concert at the Verona Arena broadcast on Canale 5, the three singers of Il Volo are certainly the symbol of a singing made in Italy that brings the tradition of ‘bel canto’ to a vast audience. Thanks, of course, to a unique and extraordinary talent and a lot of daily study, but also to the work of Michele Torpedine, their manager who, from Bologna, the city where he lives, launched, before them, to name just a few names, Andrea Bocelli and Sugar. The second part of the show will air tonight.
Torpedine, the fame of Il Volo, Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble, confirmed by the concert on Canale 5, has an increasingly planetary dimension.
“Yes, because they are the perfect representation of how our traditional repertoire, interpreted by three extraordinary soloists, has no equal in the world. Abroad listeners identify their music with the beauty, the joy and even the pride of being. I am particularly happy with the concert in Verona because perhaps, finally, even in our country, we will stop giving the word ‘national-popular’ a negative meaning”.
You mentioned three soloists.
“The characteristic of the three singers is that they are great artistic individuals, each with their own identity, capable, if they wanted, of a brilliant solo career and with the same level of notoriety as the group. Just to prove it, the TV program was called Tutti per one, because it focused attention on the creative value of individuals, as well as that of the group. Thanks also to the many duets, Il Volo has confirmed that it is a symbol of the best made in Italy, that of good feelings, which makes you dream”.
You were born as an orchestra player, played the drums, before starting your career as a manager. Who were the protagonists of that season?
“It was an unrepeatable season, wonderfully told in the latest book by my friend Andrea Mingardi, Thus we played in Paradise which he recently presented in Bologna and, for work reasons, I was not there. Andrea was the greatest of all, his orchestra was the most beautiful, technically the best, and also the most expensive. All of us orchestral players considered him someone from another planet. A musician unattainable for us. Read the book if you want to rediscover the atmosphere of true musical Bologna . Nothing comparable to today”.
What plans do you have with Il Volo?
“From 2 to 4 September, we will bring Tutti per Uno to the Teatro degli Arcimboldi in Milan. It will be an opportunity to admire Il Volo in a more intimate dimension. Many insiders, journalists, managers, from every corner of the world will come to visit us. we exclude a possible participation in the Sanremo Festival. With the direction of Amadeus, even among the most famous singers the desire to participate in the competition has returned. Obviously everything is linked to having the perfect song. For now there is no decision, but just an interest”.
So could we see Il Volo again in Sanremo? Nothing would make me happier, but I certainly hope that the jury is really objective and the press room is educated and correct, certainly not like Sanremo 2019.
And now let’s take a peek at a beautiful wedding that took place on Saturday 10 June, the wedding of Giuseppe di Stefano, one of the twins, a friend of Gianluca.
If I’m not mistaken Gianluca was also a witness, here’s a shot and a couple of short videos …… What a dream !!!❤
…………and finally, a nice photo of Gianluca and Eleonora❤❤
….one of Ignazio at the hairdresser ❤
……and one beautiful Piero’s photo ❤
Latest news, Il Volo will give a concert on July 21 in the square of Ascoli Piceno, a town in central Italy. It is completely free and is an initiative of two entrepreneurs of the area, but tickets are needed which will be given by the municipality of Ascoli Piceno only to residents and no more than two to head.
Still, it’s a great initiative.
………..to you the comments on all topics!!
Daniela🤗
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.
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