Category Archives: Piero

Editorials, Gianluca, Ignazio, Il Volo, Piero

How does music affect a generation? – Gina

October 6, 2016 mariecrider 58 Comments

Article borrowed from youthvoices.net/discussion/how-can-music-affect-generation

How does music affect a generation? Music can have a big impact on everything from society to fashion even lifestyles are effected by new and different genres.
Now I am going to jump back to the 50’s, a great example of how music is way different from today. Back then people were into many genres but not as many as today. From blues to jazz and even classical was the big top hits until a new type of music called rock and roll started to swing in. From Elvis Presley to the Beatles, rock started having people dance the night away to this new and great sound.
As music started to go into the 60’s and 70’s rock had started to become more popular to people from teens to young adults. In the 60’s rock was starting to go up the charts with people like Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, the who, the Beach Boys. Soon the rise of flower power, beach rock, peaceful r&b and hippies started to rise with the experimenting of new hallucinating drugs. Effecting people with roadside traveling, folk rock(Bob Dylan), tye dye and natural clothing and peace signs. A big example of the 60’s effect is the Beatles yellow submarine movie, stg. Pepper album and the Magical Mystery tour.
As of today most of these artist are still rocking, retired, or sadly pushing daisies. Today’s music is extremely different from back then. The music is more about partying, sex and drugs. They sound the same with the same tempo and beats. And the people singing use auto tune more than there actual voice. Taking pop and rap for example it is a great example of how this generation is effected by these terrible examples in music. But there is still good music out there from the heavy metal and alternative rock to the expressing of dj’s in dubstep and techno.
So how can music affect a generation? It can express people’s personalities and dreams. It can show who can help bring history into the world of music and who can change forever.”

youthvoices.net/discussion/how-can-music-affect-generation

WHAT DO YOU THINK? HOW IS IL VOLO DOING? PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS.

Ciao, Gina

Gianluca, Ignazio, Il Volo, Our Stories, Piero

Today is the Day ~ John From CT

October 5, 2016 mariecrider 41 Comments

Here is a comment from “John from CT” on the “Have a Magical Night” post on October 1st. Didn’t want you to miss it.

Today IS the day.

But before I comment about Il Volo, I want to tell you a bit about another of my favorite performers of all-time, Adele, the British superstar singer-songwriter. When I found out late last year that she was going to tour the U.S. this year, my heart soared with excitement and anticipation. Over 400,000 tickets were going to go on sale! But when I read that probably half the population of the United States was going to attempt to buy those tickets, my hopes faded quickly – there goes that chance of ever seeing her live in concert. Since I live in Connecticut, I had the option to drive up to Boston or down to New York City or take Amtrak to Philadelphia or Montreal. T-Day (Ticketmaster ticket sale day) finally arrived! I logged on to Ticketmaster at exactly 10:00am plus one second, selected Boston as it was the closest to my home, and to my complete surprise, I got a message that I had successfully gotten “in line” and that there would be an 11-minute wait to select and pay for my tickets! Was this for real? I had layouts of all the arenas so I could make a quick decision right away regarding the quality of the seats. As the minutes counted down, I grew nervous with anticipation and probable disappointment. And then – “Please select ticket category” !!! – Orchestra Platinum? All gone. Orchestra half-way back? All gone. Orchestra rear? All gone. Mid-range Loge towards the front? All gone. My heart was sinking fast as I could tell by now what the outcome was going to be. Mid-range Loge towards the center? TWO SEATS AVAILABLE! Checked the layouts – not bad at all! Price $145! Could this be real? Click “Buy”. Confirmed! Click “Visa”. Confirmed! Click “e-ticket via Ticketmaster” Confirmed! I WAS GOING TO SEE ADELE IN CONCERT!!! Later that day I found out that every single one of the 400,000 tickets sold out in less than an hour.

September 15. 805pm. I’m sitting at the TD Garden in Boston in my Mid-range Loge seats, half way back from the stage. Lights dim; 20,000 screaming fans with their eyes fixed on the stage – and nothing happens. Meanwhile, from the center of the orchestra floor, about 40 feet directly in front of me, a diamond shaped platform slowly rises from below the floor. Spotlights on! “Hello!” It’s Adele! She is standing about 40 feet directly in front of my face! I can see her eyelashes move! 20,000 bodies jump to their feet in ecstasy! After the first song she asked the crowd if they were there to have a good time and 20,000 fans roar “YES”! Then she announces, “well, unfortunately, most of my songs are so friggin depressing that you’re probably going to be in tears by the end of the night.” And you know what, she was right. Her heart-wrenching lyrics coupled with her genuine rapport with the audience made you feel like she was sitting at your kitchen table telling you about how devastated she was about her recent breakup. The emotions that this woman can pull out of your soul are incredible. She did a selection of her songs from that center stage giving many more fans the chance to see her up close. The rest of the songs she did from the main stage, all with great sound quality and videos and lighting effects (yes, lasers!). She would chat a bit between each song, telling the story about what it meant to her, about what she was going through at the time, about the message she was trying to convey. Her voice, her range, her talent are truly in the world-class league that her 100 million album sales reflect. Needless to say, it was an incredible concert. Adele provided me with 110% of the joy and emotion that any other artist could ever provide. Except for one. And that my friends, is a problem for me. Because no matter how much I enjoy an artist, or a performance, or ANYTHING in life, I will always be comparing the experience to you-know-who.

Which brings us to today.

I left work early, rushed home, threw the car keys on the kitchen counter, and ran to my Mac so I could purchase Notte Magica on iTunes to tide me over until my physical CD & DVD’s arrived. I have a pretty elaborate sound system which lets me send the music to almost any room in my home. The anticipation builds. Heart rate up. I’ve had this feeling many times before. Breathing heavier now. It was happening again. New music. Il Volo. Pull the shades. Kick off my shoes. Make myself comfortable. Soft lighting. Glass of wine. Eyes closed. Press play.

Immediately, I am in Florence. The first instrumental piece begins. Placido is right in front of me conducting. Dusk dissolves into night. The first strains of “Nessun Dorma”. Their voices fill my living room. Each of their notes bounce off my walls. I know this one by heart. I’ve been studying it for months. I am following along in Italian. I am thinking in Italian. I am feeling in Italian. My heart soars in Italian. Memories of my trips to Italy come flooding back. Feelings of love not meant to be race back and forth through my mind. The piece nears its end. “Vincero!” (I will win!)

For one hour and thirty-two minutes, they did it to me again. In Italian. And in Spanish. And in English. They moved me again. With a full range of emotions, both high and low that you cannot possibly imagine that any one artist could provoke. With perfect execution. With that intense love and effort and talent that only our guys can provide. Gianluca. Ignazio, Piero. You’ve done it again.

~~John