We continue the review of small interviews, news and comments, as we approach the start of the Sanremo Festival.
In this video, Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio are asked to compare Capolavoro to a painting.
PIERO= If Capolavoro were a painting I would imagine a horizon.
GIANLUCA= ehhhhh….THE FALLEN ANGEL (painting by Cabanel), it probably could be.
IGNAZIO= He hurt himself? 😂😂
GIANLUCA= I know him, in fact, as his name is Cabanel.
IGNAZIO= A parachute (always referring to Capolavoro)
PIERO= (to Gianluca who is still looking for the painter’s name) Don’t think about it…
GIANLUCA= It is one of the most famous paintings in the world…
IGNAZIO= It was better that you said GUERNICA, okay, come on!
GIANLUCA= Ok, Capolavoro is a song that talks about how important connections are in life, and this feeling which is the engine of life itself, how suddenly, as if falling from the sky, there are people, there are situations that they can really save your life and make your existence better.
PIERO= It’s that strong feeling that comes suddenly and you realize that until the day before you experienced a great void.
IGNAZIO= Can I say something or did you say everything?😁
PIERO= Go…
GIANLUCA= It’s because there are three of us and we divide ourselves….
IGNAZIO= If I may say, it is that love that you feel for anything or anyone, therefore for a man, a woman, for a son, a father, a mother…..
GIANLUCA= A universal love…
IGNAZIO= A universal love and we compare it to the boom we hear when we feel love.
And then this announcement, which I think is satirical news, because on the video it says: “VERY UNRELIABLE NEWS ABOUT SANREMO 2024”
I really admire the fact that our kids always want to have fun. 😁😁😁
GIANLUCA= Hi guys, we are Il Volo.
PIERO= (imitating Gianluca’s manner) Hi guys, we’re Il Volo.
IGNAZIO= I don’t know if you know, let’s give a spoiler, on Sunday morning, after the final, we will do a concert together with the LA SAL group in the square…..😁
GIANLUCA= THE SAD!! 😂
PIERO= LA SAL, LA SAL, but is it possible? 😂
GIANLUCA= LA SAD, sorry, guys, Ignazio is from another era…😂
IGNAZIO= No, because Sunday morning it will be LA SAL, however we will have a concert in the central square of Sanremo at 10.30 in the morning. We are waiting for you all there.
PIERO= Ignazio will be there alone! 😁
This is the punk group LA SAD that will be competing in Sanremo, it is famous for its songs with vulgar words that talk about drugs and sex. Evidently a concert with Il Volo is unthinkable, so it’s a joke. 😁
One of the members of LA SAD, the one with the green hair, is from Brescia and is 37 years old 😩.
What I attach below, however, is a short video that was broadcast on TG1, and talked about two Sanremo singers: EMMA and IL VOLO.
(I translate what our guys say)
Emma and Il Volo, two different emotions, two great victories in the history of the Festival (Emma also won a festival). In 2015 they were even together on that stage, although in different roles (Emma was presenter that year).
GIANLUCA= It’s as if it were the first time, we’re almost thirty years old, we’re growing up too.
G+I+P= CAPOLAVORO
IGNAZIO= Everything can be a Capolavoro, you will discover it by listening to the song.
PIERO= Here, can I book? I will introduce LA SAD. (This year the singers, on the evening that they are not competing, must also present other singers)
LA SAD= We are the new Il Volo!
GIANLUCA= Or Il Volo will be the new Il Volo of itself.
And this is a nice article already published in English.
Reading the various Facebook pages, I found this comment from my friend Luce..
Luce is Sicilian, married for a couple of years and is now expecting her first child, Giosuè, whose birth is scheduled for February 7th, just the days of Sanremo, it will be her masterpiece……best wishes Luce, a hug. ❤️
“Universal Love, the one that is not only contained in a couple’s fairy tale, but expands to an infinite horizon of love towards those who suddenly arrive and change and illuminate our lives…
Poetry, not only that, hope towards something that brings good. What can I write about such depth of thought which is the essence and soul of the music of a group that always exceeds all expectations…
Yet here we are, still reading sentences that don’t describe them, that don’t reflect either their talent or their person.
And between one thought and another, a beat and a thousand in it, I follow our incomparable trio, also reading here and there the news relating to the Festival, the curiosity of listening and of this mysterious “different” or “2.0” increases who have been meditating for some time and letting us understand, regarding the beauty of the text and interpretation, I am sure they are unsurpassed, even just by reading two sentences and hearing them talk about it… many poor, confused, incompetent pen languages full only of gratuitous malice will not be able don’t recognize it… but let’s spread a quilt on this suitable for a winter night in Alaska.
I was very pleased that they have metabolised and decided to look forward, they have certainly always demonstrated their value by working, improving every day and walking with their heads held high, the best response to silence any unjust and undeserved offence. This increases in me the esteem, respect and great love I feel towards them. Chapeau! Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca! Sanremo is an opportunity, a showcase to show your artistic evolution and celebrate 15 years of career where everything started, that once upon a time that changed your lives forever… even if you don’t have any of the Festival need because your stage is now the whole world. In any case, you have already received the first truly worthwhile applause from the orchestra and the next ones will follow in flight… it cannot be otherwise… and we will be the first to jump from our seats clapping until our hands hurt.
And I, among a thousand and more thoughts, emotions that move as if on a swing that touches and caresses the sky, waiting or perhaps it would be more correct to write at the mercy of waiting for the most important and significant event of my life, of that arrival… my little one. ❤️
Here Piero and Gianluca were photographed leaving the Arcimboldi Theater on January 16th.
January 22nd was also Il Volo’s first day of rehearsals in Sanremo, where they are arriving at the Ariston Theatre, the rehearsals already done with the orchestra were not necessarily done inside the Ariston theatre.
IL Volo was welcomed with great enthusiasm.
Now the town of Sanremo is starting to see more and more the presence of singers.
But then it happens,to my great pleasure, that IMUSICFUN publishes an article with a series of questions to the well-known music critic Paolo Zaccagnini, on the topic of Sanremo and journalists’ report cards for singers.
And here’s what he said, and I will translate only the part of Il Volo.
Is everyone ready for February 6th? If the musical ship is now ready to set sail, so are the controversies, it needs certain report cards from the first listens, which almost in unison rejected the song by Il Volo and Ricchi e Poveri.
Why does some of the press snub Il Volo?
It’s the usual acrimony towards those who are truly successful abroad. I read the pre-listening report cards… Some journalists go to Sanremo to be seen and then sell themselves better. It is the mirror of an Italy adrift where Luca Dondoni’s arrogance reigns supreme. To think that he used to DJ at Armani fashion shows…
I saw their podcast – PIECES: INSIDE MUSIC (by Andrea Laffranchi, Dondoni and Paolo Giordano) and I laughed a lot.
(These three journalists all gave below passing marks to Il Volo, one of them Andrea Laffranchi in 2019 was one of the journalists shouting against Il Volo.)
I was so pleased that someone, in particular an authoritative critic and not a simple journalist, spoke out in favor of Il Volo.
For the rest there are only 15 days until the start of Sanremo and the euphoria is rising!
I also want to give space to love and to a young couple who are currently floating above a cloud: Ignazio and Michelle. Sunday 21st January was a sunny day and our two lovers went to the beautiful Lake Como, here is their wonderful shot…..but how beautiful are they???
As I promised last week, while I am researching, I will post old stories. This is the first of those stories!
This story if from 2021! Enjoy!
This has been an amazing week. How often over the last year have we said we missed the guys. Well they sure made up for it this week. One spectacular event after another.
So let’s start in the beautiful region of Apulia, Italy.
“La Notte della Taranta”, is one of the largest Festivals in Italy and one of the most significant manifestations of popular culture in Europe. The final concert of La Notte della Taranta, has had as many as one hundred and fifty thousand spectators in the past. It takes place in Salento, in the municipality of Melpignano, at the esplanade of the former Augustinian Convent specifically for the rediscovery and the enhancement of traditional Salento music. It is not limited to traditional music. It also allows for rock, jazz and symphonic music. This year’s host was Albano.
Listen to the voices of our guys coming alive backstage! It’s a calling! “Who sells olives.”
Meanwhile Albano awaits their arrival on stage. He tells us about the song. It is from the region of Apulia, the region where he was born. He says, “It reminds me of the autumn song. It is the November song.”
November is the time of the olive harvest and a man would always pass with a cart of olives to sell to the people. Albano and Ignazio sing a phrase in the Apulian dialect (“Who has olives, I have to buy them.”) Albano said when Modugno sang in the Apulian dialect he was very proud of him. Ignazio said, “So let’s hope, with this next song we will sing, to make you even more proud of your land.”
Albano tells the guys, “You know that I am proud to have you here beside me…”
Gianluca responded, “and we are happy ….”
Albano (continues) “…simply because I baptized these two..”
Albano is referring to Ignazio and Piero who he performed with on Ti Lascio Una Canzone. I remember those performances and that Albano was in awe of both of them. Then Albano continues about Gianluca who he didn’t perform with at Ti Lascio una Canzone.
Albano says, “And to you, (Gianluca) you I baptize this evening.”
Gianluca responds, “One day, sooner or later, we will sing together. But it is nice, I can say, that these events make it possible to spread a musical culture like this of the Taranta, and it is right that young people are attached to the roots of these great events. We must not lose this desire to carry on traditions, we too, as young people, are proud to be here tonight.”
Ignazio elaborates on this thought in one of their interviews…
“It is certainly one of the most important cultural events in Italy, and welcome, because I always say that Italy is a nation full of different cultures and traditions and certainly these events give space to make known their own traditions and culture, and therefore we are honored to be part of it, alongside Albano, an Apulian DOC, who has never forgotten his origins and there is also Madame (she is a singer) who is a young woman, like us. Hence the importance of carrying the roots, ALWAYS, in any situation, in any place.”
When the music begins our guys sing the National Anthem of the region in Griko which is a mixture of Italian and Greek. Another language to add to their list!
Griko is unique to this region but there are other regions, in Italy, that speak languages other than Italian. In many Arberesh villages where the people are Italian, Albanian and Greek they have their own languages. My grandfathers’ town Vaccarizzo Albanese is an Aberesh town and they have retained the archaic features of both Gheg and Tosk dialects. Many of the words they spoke at the festival, I understood. It was a beautiful experience for me.
The guys performance was magnificent. From the first larilò larilò lallero to the last, the whole stage was alive with their voices and a rhythm and beat that I can’t get out of mind! You could see how much the guys were enjoying it. Their interpretation of this beautiful song was awesome! Festivals are at the heart of the Italian people. They love them! This song is so full of joy and happiness.
The dancers were wonderful! Through the dance, they told the story of the people, of their labors and, their joys. The hardship of life and the happiness of home and family! Their singing and the dancing was very uplifting. And the guys’ interaction with the dancers and musicians on stage brought the whole story together. They brought the audience into the song and together they presented the history and culture of the people. This was very unique and the guys helped us to see another culture within their Italian culture. A magnificent delivery of the beautiful Anthem of the Griko people! Truly an amazing event!
Next stop Venezia! Talk about an exciting event!
Where do I begin…
In the afternoon the guys attended the award presentations where they were presented as winners of the 78th Film Italy Movie Awards. Upon exiting the building, they were interviewed by an unknown man…
Man: This is not Sanremo, this is the cinema exhibition!
Piero: But it seems a little like Sanremo, we meet, all familiar faces.
Gianluca: We are preparing a very ambitious recording project which is a tribute to maestro Ennio Morricone. We had the opportunity to collaborate with Vittorio Storaro in a music video, so we are here in the company of a great master of cinema, Vittorio Storaro.
Ignazio: He chose our voices for a tribute of the video of “Your Love,” which is shot in the Frasassi Caves, and therefore it is beautiful, this is not the first time we come here. It is always a beautiful atmosphere. Venice is a place that is stupendous.
Later in the day, the guys appeared in their transport to Lido. What do we see here? We see three elegant young men who are on the brink of a new direction in their lives. Not leaving all that they are and all they always will be, we know they will never leave the concert stage, but taking the next step on their road to greatness!
What we’ve been watching these last few months, every time we see the video of the Frasassi Caves, is the guys embarkation on a new and wonderful experience in their lives. They are the stars of this Short Film. They are what makes this film possible. Vittorio Storaro’s genius and the presence and voice of Il Volo have made this movie an award winning production.
To help you understand this better let me tell you what Storaro had to say about this…
The idea actually comes from what we have been through all this last year, the disgrace that has happened to us from the pandemic, which has closed all the arts a little.
But then there was an idea which came from Pirandello, who said: One, Nobody, One Hundred Thousand (the title of a Pirandello novel), and in this case becomes a Once Upon a Time, as the project of Il Volo and the music of Ennio Morricone, start from Once Upon a Time in the West, directed by a great director, Sergio Leone, with the music of Morricone, the subject of Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento, so there is a whole series of characters that carry some new message.
A message that also becomes a hope, not only in the present, but also in the future, because if before, once upon a time there was Nobody, where art enters, in this case Music and Singing, which is represented by Il Volo, the song with the music of Ennio Morricone “Your Love,” brings a new energy, energy that practically becomes: Once upon a time there was no one, and now Il Volo ~ over and over!
So we will see that Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio multiply.
When they descend from that blessed rope where the first boys went down here in the caves many years ago (50 years ago), it is a little like entering a seed into mother earth and thus forming a new generation, which is the generation of the future.
Il Volo, in this case becomes a symbol, as, not only does it enter the womb of the earth, it first regenerates the energy of life, but it can do it in all the squares, in all the theaters, in all the places of the world, and that, certainly is what music is, nevertheless it carries a great message of love.
Storaro was so right that carrying their music around the world will revive the music industry through this project. Through it the music will be alive again.
So that also sums up where our guys are headed! A part of their new direction. Presenting this movie throughout the world. It is our guys bringing a message to the world. A message of hope and love for all people and all nations!
So let’s rejoin the guys on the red carpet.
Along with the Storaro family we find Storaro’s newly adopted family Il Volo.
These guys certainly lit up the red carpet. Elegant in their Dolce & Gabbana tuxedos there was no lack of interest in their presence.
How did the guys feel in this moment? Perhaps the words of Ignazio in a Rappler interview sums it up. “It was amazing working with Maestro Vittorio Storaro, remembering all the most beautiful moments that he spent with the Maestro Morricone….It is our dream. The three of us will be on the red carpet with Vittorio Storaro.”
Of course Ignazio was referring to, Vittorio Storaro, their director, the veteran director who won three Oscars, including one for Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece, Apocalypse Now, which he and the director shot in the Philippines.
The new short, dedicated by Storaro to the master composer, Morricone, who passed away in 2020. A clip of the movie was premiered at the fourth edition of Filming Italy Best Movie Award on the occasion of the 78th Venice Film Festival. And as you know Storaro won a Best Italian Film award and so did our guys for their starring role and their song “Your Love.”
Next the cocktail party…
Did you notice where all the women flocked to? Our guys! Who could resist these gorgeous guys. They grace the room with their presence. When they enter a room it lights up.
Italy what have you to say about your guys now. You have got to be so proud of them. Look at how they shine in the world! But there was never a problem in recognition. We in America have always been proud of them and called them our own. I hope this project will allow them to spend more time in the US! Maybe at the Academy Awards. Although we will only see the film for the first time on September 25th at the premier at the Frasassi Caves we already know how important this project is and how beautiful this film is.
Let them lose on the red carpet again! Our red carpet in America!!!
From this project we can see so many more projects like this on the horizon.
We are so proud of the award they won at the 78th Venice Film Festival, but that was only the beginning!
Next stop Verona…
Do you ever feel when they’re in Verona, they are home? I certainly do. To me they own the Verona Arena. Every performance there is phenomenal!
They returned to the Seat Music Awards to sing their beautiful song, “Your Love” and to pick up their second award for the week!
While writing this I remembered a year ago when they were at the SMA. It was to restart the music industry.
I’m going to go back to the story I wrote about the event last year. “Turn on the Lights”
I know we will never forget the night before the performance when the guys went to the Arena to check out the lights. It was beautiful and funny at the same time. Let’s pop in to listen to the guys conversation:
Ignazio to Piero: What are you doing?
Piero: What are you looking at?
Ignazio: The light that is there.
Gianluca: It’s Beautiful.
Ignazio: The gorgeous light. Gorgeous! Gorgeous!
Of course, Piero pulled out his phone and started to video.
But what was it about the lights that got Ignazio’s attention? Well they were as Ignazio said, “La Luce Stupenda! “The lights were gorgeous,” but I think he was thinking about the last lights that he saw on stage. When they turned off the lights at their last performance in the US and went home to a country in pain from a pandemic!
When the guys arrived on stage, they had a message for the world and all people in the industry:
Ignazio: 2020 will be remembered as the year where the world would be constrained to be turned off.
Gianluca: For the music employees the verb “turn off’ means the end of the show, when the curtains close and it is the waiting moment for the next show, but this time the waiting lasted more than expected, the silence was unavoidable.
Piero: Now, the world is getting ready to start again! Now the moment has arrived to raise the curtain! Now, we will turn on the music!”
This beautiful statement was followed by the performance of the evening. Their choice of “Nessun Dorma” sent an even stronger message. It’s says we may have to perform under these new world conditions, but we don’t have to change who we are or why we’re here. In this ancient Arena we look to the past while following the path to the future.
From their first note the whole arena lit up. Their voices were clean and crisp. Their presence was illuminating. Their notes rose above the Arena into the night sky to let the world know music is back! The final note of their song sent the final statement. All three voices rose in unison and their voices sent forth a note that took our breaths away! It said We Have Returned! ”Turn on the Lights.”
Isn’t it ironic that one year later they win an award for the short film Frasassi Caves for which they are represented as regenerating the energy of life? Music is their energy!
They so deserve this award.
So let’s get back to this weeks’ performance at the Arena.
Prior to the guys performance, the stage was set up with multi color lights but when the guys arrived on stage, I think they were even surprised. The stage was lit as it was for last years performance. Very simple, very plain but what was going on in the audience was a totally different story. All phones were lit up. It was magic.
They stepped on stage in their beautiful but informal all black attire. Elegant in its simplicity!
As they come face to face with the audience, I could see the emotion in their faces.
Look at how these people love them and how they love their fans!
And then it begins. …
This song is slowly becoming a signature song! A song that reminds us of sadness but brings us to a new and exciting time in the lives of our guys! It’s as if Vito left them a final gift, a new and exciting adventure in their lives. It is the song that will lead the way in their new tour around the world. Always before them will be this song and the movie which has already and continues to make its mark in history!
At the end of the song, Vanessa Incontrada and Carlo Conti spoke with the guys about the Tribute to Ennio Morricone at the Verona Arena.
Gianluca greets everyone, “Good evening!”
Carlo: “Il Volo, to start these SEAT Music Awards in the best way.”
Vanessa: “And what an atmosphere theycreated for you (the audience), with all the mobile phones on, great emotion I saw in your faces.”
Gianluca: “We are happy to see you again.”
Vanessa: “Us too.”
Carlo: Us too, us too.
Gianluca: Finally in the Arena.
Vanessa: Finally, but it has now become your home.
Carlo: In short, I mean, you did an extraordinary event on RAI1 just dedicated as a tribute to Maestro Morricone.
Piero: We had the honor of paying homage to Maestro Morricone here at the Arena of Verona, for us, the audience, for an artist, for a singer, it is oxygen. It was an evening full of guests, but for us, the biggest guest was the audience. After a year and a half, to see them again, sing for them!
Vanessa: We understand these words well, but will you take this event to the world? I guess so.
Ignazio: Yes, we start in March 2022, we finally start with the world tour and we finish in September – October, from America, we end up in Japan and then New Zealand, so beautiful.
Vanessa: You have many things to do, let’s say.
Ignazio: Yes, but it is wonderful, after almost two years, to start singing again. I remember that a year ago, in this same program, we said …. let’s hope it starts again, the music can’t stop and meet again after a year and see that the music has never stopped, it’s beautiful!
Vanessa: Seeing them (the audience), as you said, involved with you, is nice.
Carlo: A beautiful concert, a beautiful television event, but there is a tribute album to Ennio Morricone, when will this album be released?
Gianluca: Let’s say that it is a very ambitious project, that with great responsibility, right on tiptoe and a lot of humility, we decided to undertake this path which is a musical project that is a tribute to all the most beautiful soundtracks of the maestro Morricone.
Piero: And tonight we announce the date.
Gianluca: Yes, because this record will be released on November 5th, from Cinema Paradiso, to Once Upon a Time in the West, to the Good, the Ugly, the Bad.
Vanessa: His greatest songs, let’s say.
Gianluca: And we can’t wait to start the tour.
Carlo: Well a great album and therefore it will be released on November 5th.
Then Carlo presented the guys with their DIVA award…
Carlo: I seriously read the inscription: Arena di Verona Award for Il Volo, for the tribute project to Ennio Morricone, represented with great success right here at the Verona Arena, live on RAI1, and for the over 10 years of career, which led them to be known and appreciated representatives of Italian music in the world.
And so we come to the end of the events of the last week. But….
We’ve gone from Melpignano to Verona but what about Beyond. I said the end of the events, not the end of the story. So we follow the guys no matter where they go from Melpignano to Verona and Beyond but, where beyond?
Let’s listen to what Gianluca had to say about their future….
“Our dream is to see The Ecstasy of Gold performed at the Academy Awards.”
That works for me! Onward to the Academy Awards! Hope to see you there!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
First of all I want to apologize to all of you, because I previously wrote to you that no one can listen to the Sanremo songs until the first evening of the festival.
Unfortunately I didn’t remember that accredited journalists are allowed to listen in order to give their opinions, naturally they cannot report the music outside but they can write a phrase of the melody.
I didn’t remember this rule at all, in fact, perhaps I didn’t want to remember it, given the bad treatment our journalists have always had towards Il Volo.
This time too, some of them did not contradict themselves, giving Il Volo very low marks, but there were also favorable votes. For fairness I will list them both, although I know that many fan pages have only published positive comments, but this is not the case.
I’ll start with the best comments, then I leave it to you to interpret them.
At the beginning of the comment I put the name of the newspaper, sometimes even the author who published the review. There are also some put the vote which could be given up to a maximum of 10.
IMUSICFUN
Third participation in Sanremo for Il Volo which offers a fundamentally different song compared to the previous ones brought to the competition at the Ariston. The first part of the song moves on a piano that accompanies the voice of Gianluca who casually interprets a text in which the hand of the author Edwyn Roberts can be felt, the refrain, entrusted to Ignazio in the opening, is preceded by an underlining of Piero who makes the song truly precious. The string play after the second chorus gives way to a triumphal finale. A song characterized by a pace that highlights the vocal evolution of the trio. A piece that enhances the group idea, but also the vocal peculiarities and stylistic approach of Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio. RATING 7.5
IL FATTO QUOTIDIANO
The piano introduces the return of Il Volo. In full musical transformation Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio from tenors become singers to present themselves with sounds different from those heard up to now. Each with a different nuance, they sing about love.
Verdict: They’ll make a great impression! The refrain ‘Fall from the sky like a masterpiece, before you there was nothing good’.
PANORAMA
Less lyrical and more pop than usual. A perfect piece for the style of the three who have already won the Festival once and who with this song have a good chance of finishing in the upper areas of the final ranking.
FUNWEEK
When the Il Volo song starts, you immediately understand that we are traveling on another level. Yet it seems that the three boys have opted for a less pompous, less lyrical style. That vein of pop gives Il Volo a lot: watch out for the podium.
TV BLOG
The trio returns to Sanremo 2024 with a piece consistent with their path, the voices well balanced and distributed for a potential ‘classic’ of their repertoire. Gianluca Ginoble opens up to the fusion of the three voices in the chorus, to express how much she is a masterpiece…
LA GAZZETTA DEL MEZZOGIORNO
We go out of our way, you may like the band or not, but the song is worthy of the podium. The three guys from Il Volo return with a song that reflects their amazing success: magnificent voices, a modern melodic start and a lyrical refrain but without overdoing it. They have polished off some virtuosity and worked more on the contemporary part, the result could even be a victory. Well done.
OGGI
They won in 2015 with Grande amore, but they won’t repeat it (and for this they should be praised). The three former tenors have grown up, are thirty years old, celebrating 15 years of their career, and return with majestic pop, but without exceeding the bel canto. They no longer all sing together, each one enhances his own vocality. Works. RATING 8
LA WEBSTAR
Three unique voices, which give strength to an immediate but absolutely non-trivial text. Few words, but all said and sung very well. Less lyrical, but still effective and extremely clear. The title seems pretentious, but after listening to them you change your mind. Pure talent. RATING: 7.5
“A sail on the open sea and suddenly you”
AVVENIRE
Less lyrical and more mature song that comes from the personal experiences of the three boys (already winners in 2015 with Grande Amore) who on the threshold of 30 years are looking for a leap forward. Here a love for a woman, for a parent, for someone who is no longer there sung with great skill. “And suddenly you . . .”
TGCOM24
To present yourself with a song with a title like that takes personality or unconsciousness. The three reduce the use of the voice to a minimum with a lyrical approach, but remain in the tradition. They play a sort of separate championship, but in that they have few rivals. It is difficult to imagine that they will remain outside the top five places.
SORRISI E CANZONI TV
Winners in 2015, the guys from Il Volo arrive at their third Sanremo with the very romantic “Capolavoro”, a crescendo orchestral ballad that focuses entirely on the talent of the three performers and, perhaps even more than in the past, on the difference between their vocals, who move between opera and pop. “Fall from the sky like a masterpiece, before you there was nothing good.”
LEGGO
Example of vocal crossover that meets in a pop which, although classical in nature, is contemporary. Talk about hope “Fall from the sky like a masterpiece, before you there was nothing good.”
Here the trio leaves the circuit. The song is not Grande Amore. But it is with the orchestra that they will perform best. RATING 7
IL SOLE 24ORE
For the Volo tenors, a return to the Ariston in the name of modesty. You pass through the Eighties ballad structure with the trademark set voice that emerges here and there, but how do you title a piece Masterpiece? In the Po Valley they would say: “Fly low”. RATING 4.5
LA REPUBBLICA
A song that is more pop than lyrical, it satisfies most of their audience. They are the optimists of love and she falls “from the sky like a masterpiece”. RATING 6.5
QUOTIDIANO NAZIONALE
It is a masterpiece that falls from the sky, the verse is pop, the special is more romantic than fictional even if the voices swell. Orchestral. What their audience wants in the world. RATING 7
FANPAGE
In the mean time we have avoided the Grande Amore effect (almost for the entire song), and this time Il Volo tries a more pop and less lyrical path, as many have been asking them for years and they must be given credit for having attempted a new path, at least for them. It’s not clear, however, where they want to go for now with a song that passes without leaving any major shocks, but the atmosphere of the Festival will pay, as always, so in the end they will be right.
ONDE FUNKY (Paola Gallo)
Melodic reassuring love song, perfectly in line with the interpretations of Il Volo.
“This life with you is a masterpiece” is flypaper for applause. Listening to her you can already imagine the standing ovations from the traditional audience which this year has few, very few representatives. RATING 6/7
ANSA
The three boys who are now men try to take off the vintage patina, but it’s a safe bet that the older generations will appreciate it more. From bel canto to bel pop, the Ariston will appreciate. RATING 6.5
VANITY FAIR
“I felt lost / Like a flower in the desert / And suddenly you, you”. Unfortunately the piece does not reflect the title. RATING 5
ALL MUSIC
Divisions of the parts of the song always the same and they, as always, equal to themselves. The song is powerful and draws easy applause in the room, playing with the orchestra, something that is also typical of them. It’s not a bad song, but where we were with “Grande Amore” we’re still there. Good for them because they could make the podium. RATING 6
DAVIDE MAGGIO (attenzione a come sono scritti i nomi in questa recensione)
Ignazio Barone, Piero Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble are that stuff: lyricism, love, melodrama and some banality. The chorus is there but it’s not as powerful as at the time of Grande Amore. RATING 6
CORRIERE DELLA SERA(LAFFRANCHI ANDREA, this journalist harshly attacked Il Volo in the press room in 2019)
The three try to modernize themselves, the direction is that of pop but they remain harnessed by the rhetoric of opera and bel canto. The text gets lost in the banality of clichés, from “sailing on the open sea” to “flowers in the desert”. RATING 4.5
TODAY
Il Volo failed. Il Volo in the Valerio Scanu version (Italian singer). Almost no trace of the three tenors, who put themselves to the test with a melodic pop song with a flavor of the early 2000s. Courageous but distorted. Masterpiece, only in the title. RATING 5
MESSAGGERO
“Suddenly you fall from the sky like a masterpiece, before you there was nothing good”: he likes to win easily. Shall we bet that it will be the most popular at weddings this year? It adds nothing to the trio’s style, but it will take them to the top. RATING 5
BILLBOARD
It is right that in Sanremo there is also the lyrical quota so loved abroad by those who go crazy for everything that concerns Italy (and also very loved in our country) but in the midst of all the up-tempo (fast pace) pieces of this this year they make the same impression as an older uncle at the high school party.
IL MATTINO (Federico Vacalepre, this journalist was the architect of the Anti-Volo Brigade in 2019.)
The “Masterpiece” of the title is not the song, whoever praises himself blames himself and the trio knows this well, but the sung love story.
Less romantic than usual, in search of a different repertoire, to launch the first album of unreleased songs with three voices aiming for a standing ovation at the Ariston. RATING 5.5
ELLE
They sing the great praise of love but, more than a masterpiece, the song recalls the musicality of Disney films.
ROCK.IT
A little better than one might have feared. But the misfortune remains. RATING 5.5
I think you might have an idea of what our journalists think after reading these reviews.
Some are really bad, sometimes it seems that having beautiful voices is almost a mistake, and not a merit.
The ratings are certainly very low and journalists are certainly not immune from reviewing with their personal tastes.
Have you also read the names of the authors of the song: Edwyn Roberts, Stefano Marletta and Michael Tenisci are all successful young singer-songwriters.
Here they are in this photo, from left: Michael Tenisci Edwyn Roberts Piero Barone Stefano Marletta Ernesto Ginoble
And now I offer you this article from TP24. Reading this article my arms literally fell.
I warn you that the article talks about Ignazio because it is a newspaper from the Trapani area (Sicily, near Marsala)
Sanremo 2024, critics divided for Ignazio Boschetto and IL VOLO: “They can’t win”
“They cannot and must not win.” Some comments from journalists and music critics are merciless for Ignazio Boschetto from Marsala and the trio Il Volo, who will participate in the next edition of Sanremo 2024.
Yesterday the specialized press had the opportunity to preview the songs (almost all of them are very catchy and danceable, is the general comment) giving report cards to the artists.
And, once again, Il Volo was not appreciated. “Il Volo cannot and must not win this time” writes the Huffington Post.
Il Volo is taking part in Sanremo 2024. For them, this is their third participation in the competition at the Festival after first place in 2015 with Grande amore and third in 2019 with Musica Che Resta. This year Ignazio Boschetto, Piero Barone and Gianluca Ginoble bring “Capolavoro” to the Ariston stage.
The song was written by Edwyn Roberts, Stefano Marletta and Michael Tenisci.
“Corriere della Sera” gives a score of 4.5: “The three try to modernize themselves, the direction is that of pop but they remain harnessed by the rhetoric of opera and bel canto. The text gets lost in the banality of clichés, from the “sailing on the open sea” to “flowers in the desert”.
However, there are those who recognize that this is a style they like in Sanremo, and therefore it is likely that they will finish in the top three.
For Rock.it the song is “a little better than what one might have feared. But the disaster remains”.
For Oggi “they return with a majestic pop, but without exceeding the bel canto. They no longer sing all together, each one enhances his own vocality. It works”.
I remind you that the journalists of the Sanremo Press Room have to vote on the songs during an evening and their vote can be really heavy for the ranking.
I also remind you that in 2019 Il Volo suffered this vote which was absolutely exploited by the journalists so as not to let Il Volo win (which still came third even after their negative vote).
To help you remember better, watch this video, which has English subtitles. 😩
🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
For my part, I think exactly like my friend Mara who yesterday, after reading the report cards of the songs, published this comment:
“The journalists listened to the 30 songs competing at the next Sanremo festival, and reading several of these reviews I remain firmly convinced of one thing: the press room should not vote!
Among several reviews there is not one that is coherent, because on the same artist and related song there are those who exalt it and those who undermine it… the majority are not technical judgments but personal opinions evidently based on one’s own tastes musical (or perhaps based on the artist who is the most popular at the moment or the team that has “pushed” the most… who knows)…
I could easily have written those reviews even if I who am not in the profession because they don’t have anything objective or technical… which is why, I repeat, the press room should limit itself to making reviews or giving report cards at most but not voting… they are not capable of being objective and not biased, but unfortunately they are also given too much importance in this area…
I hope at least that this year they avoid unworthy sideshows, that they have the decency not to shamelessly express their preferences… because then if someone comes out who doesn’t mince his words and defines them for what they are, they get offended, poor things… !”
P.S: The orchestra, which is made up of people who understand a little about music (certainly something more than the newsagent vendors), doesn’t really applaud anyone after the rehearsals… the pen sellers must understand it.😉
My dear friend grandmother Maura, on the other hand, gives great advice to Italian fans: VOTE, VOTE, VOTE as much as possible (max 5 votes per person).
However, they must be the most voted by the PEOPLE. This will however be a moral slap for the juries, and a title of pride for them, who will thus “measure” our Great Love.
For those who want to know in depth the jury system that will be able to vote for Sanremo, I attach this very exhaustive article.
Unfortunately, as you will read, the first evening will be worth the vote of the Press Room (therefore Il Volo will certainly be penalized)
On the second and third evening they can vote from home and it is worth 50%, the other 50% comes from the radio vote (another penalty for Il Volo).
On the fourth and fifth evening all three juries vote, Press Office, Home and Radio with 33.5% each. I see the very tough competition for our beloved boys.
Click on the article below to read the Sanremo rules:
And here’s my opinion, Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio, certainly don’t start with an advantage, but I have a lot of trust in their fan base.
Italian journalists and radio stations must understand that there is not only rap or trap or urban, we are really tired of these repetitive songs, spoken more than sung because so many people have no voice and really don’t know how to sing. But why do we have to listen to these bad songs whose words we don’t understand or listen to vulgar and rude words?
Why is it fashionable?
But we are the ones who can decree fashion, let’s stop following what is shown to us as good if it isn’t.
We must accustom our children and grandchildren to objectivity, you can listen to a song because it has a nice rhythm, also because it is new, sometimes even a catchphrase, but then there is also room for those who know how to sing, for beautiful melodies. Not all of us have the same tastes, but every taste must be respected.
Il Volo doesn’t expect to win Sanremo, otherwise they wouldn’t have scheduled the concert in Verona on the same day as Eurovision, not even the bookmakers say they are winners, but for us, for the courage they show in showing up again at Sanremo, they have already won!!!
Daniela 🤗
P:S: = If you’re feeling down, I want to lift your spirits with this little video clip that just arrived in which Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero talk about the new song : “Capolavoro” .
I admire their way of being calm and playful in this situation. ☺️
Enjoy it.😉
PIERO= We will return to the Sanremo Festival to celebrate this great milestone with music, 15 years of career, 15 incredible years of friendship, of pure esteem and of this common passion for music.
IGNAZIO= Pure esteem you say, though!
GIANLUCA= (To Piero) Don’t exaggerate, he always exaggerates, I don’t know why he does this.
PIERO= I also wanted to be a little serious.
GIANLUCA= How romantic is this boy here. (Piero)
Let’s say it’s emotional pop, at times…how can I say…
PIERO= Not very emotional…not very emotional…
GIANLUCA= Yes, very emotional, where our voices in harmony, reach that epic quality but with some contemporary features that we needed.
IGNAZIO= We worked alongside some authors with whom we shared our ideas, and this song, ironically, was born two years ago. It’s been two years of work looking for the right message, because we wanted to come back “in a big way” making it clear that even within our group there has been an evolution, there has been personal and also artistic growth.
GIANLUCA= How important it is in our career to work on ourselves, and how important connections are, how important feelings are, and people arrive who out of the blue, as if falling from the sky, can really enrich your life and make it better.
PIERO= And maybe you didn’t realize until the day before that you had experienced a great void.
The auditions and rehearsals are over and finally, we have the guys together at the Ariston Theater and they are about to meet but before they meet, I want to tell you a little more about the journey they took to get here and what this new adventure will be for them but, even more so for their parents.
For Piero and Ignazio, great sacrifices were made.
We know Ignazio’s parents worked hard and gave up all they had to make Ignazio have the opportunity to have singing lessons. In the end, thanks to someone dear to them, Ignazio finds himself on the stage of Ti Lascio Una Canzone.
From a very young age, Piero worked endlessly for a classical education which would lead him to the stage of an opera house. Thanks first to his grandfather, who paid for the piano lessons, and the sacrifices of his parents, Piero found his way to the stage of Ti Lascio Una Canzone.
As we know, Gianluca never had singing lessons and never competed in any singing competition. He was discovered while singing with his choir and that led him to the stage of Ti Lasio Una Canzone. So, there was no sacrifice by his parents but don’t think this is where the story of sacrifice ends.
No, the story just begins on the stage of Ti Lascio Una Canzone. The Big Sacrifice follows.
But let’s begin with the fourth night of Ti Lascio Una Canzone.
With O Sole Mio in hand, the boys set out for night four of Ti Lascio una Canzone.
It’s April 25th, 2009, and these three teenage boys who only met a short time before are getting ready to turn their world upside down. They are one step from stardom!
The first time they sing together everyone is amazed. Who wasn’t amazed, Roberto Cenci! He knew exactly what he was doing. He realized by putting these three voices together he would create an amazing sound! How right he was!
So, let’s turn to Piero who will tell us how the guys first sang together….
I remember Roberto Cenci calling us all three to the center of the stage during the rehearsals.
‘Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio, come here.’
They start ‘O Sole Mio’ and we sing as we had divided the parts. Gianluca begins with the first verse and then it’s my turn, I attack with ‘Ma n’ato sole,’ (but another sun). This ‘Ma n’naaaato’ with the note kept so long and vibrated, as we still sing it today, was born in that first test because I learned, ‘O Sole Mio,’ by listening to the Three Tenors, that is Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Josè Carreras. And Pavarotti made those three words of refrain with a very, fast, but difficult beat. I did not have that technique, so I did it slowly. Then I asked: ‘Roberto, sorry, can I do it my way the ‘ma n’ato sole?’ He answers ‘Yes.’ And I say, ‘Unplug the orchestra when it’s time and come behind me.’
Ignazio tells us about the reaction to their singing it on that Saturday night….
That Saturday night there was a great standing ovation for us, with ‘O Sole Mio.’ I think that that performance marked the real starting point of our career.
When I had agreed to do the auditions, I was aware that it would be a great experience and would last only two months. But I never expected that we could get all this great success.
Gianluca puts the event in the history books…
The theater came down.
Piero on my left, me in the middle, Ignazio on my right. In the history of music no one had ever seen three children of thirteen or fourteen sing these kinds of songs. So, we must also thank Roberto Cenci because, if it wasn’t for him maybe today, we would not be here. It was nice, it was something…. How can I tell you? It was natural. I immediately enjoyed singing together, there was no problem.
But it was also all unexpected.
I thought there were three hundred thousand boys singing like me, and instead that night I discovered that there are only two: Ignazio and Piero.
Before the big night of O Sole Mio, the guys were already being praised by some very famous singers. These singers were in total awe of our guys. It seemed obvious that they were taking over the show! No one else could come close to them.
Piero did a duet with Al Bano.
Ignazio did a duet with Massimo Ranieri.
Gianluca did a duet with Riccardo Cocciante.
Ignazio did a duet with Fausto Leali.
Gianluca did a duet with Sara Pischedda.
Piero did a duet with Simona Collura.
In his book Ricomincio Dai Tre (I Start Again from Three) Michele Torpedine, their manager tells us what happened that night.
Alone in his apartment, Michele Torpedine was sitting on his sofa with the volume off on his TV. The show he was watching was Ti Lascio Una Canzone. He keeps looking at the screen and he suddenly thinks Ignazio reminds him of Luciano Pavaroti, Gianluca seemed similar to Jose Carreras and Piero is similar to Placido Domingo. He still had not heard them sing. Out of curiosity, he raised the volume and Michele says, “Here I am aware of another element, that is even more important than the first. The three casually put together to sing a song of the program possess an incredible vocality for their age.”
At this point Michele’s head is spinning. He’s thinking these guys are good and again repeats it to himself, they’re good! He thinks, “What if I try to put them together seriously? A trio he tells himself. Here’s what I could do….”
Michele says, “The next day I am a volcano. I want to talk to everyone: producers, managers, families.”
They all performed exceptionally well. They all came in first one night during the performance.
Gianluca won the first night with the song “Il Mare Calmo della Sera.”
Ignazio won the second night with “Quando l’amore Diventa Poseia”
Piero won the fourth night with “Un Amore Così Grande.”
And Gianluca won the final episode.
Piero and Ignazio showed great respect for Gianluca who won the final episode. They may have been disappointed, but you would never know it to look at their faces. Their reaction to Gianluca winning was beautiful! Look at the video….
And the biggest win of the night, they walked off the stage, Il Volo! Well maybe they didn’t have the name yet, but they were certainly on the road to stardom!
But this is just the beginning of the story!
We know that the guys got a phenomenal contract with Universal and began an amazing career. They went to America and all the rest is history!
In the beginning I told you that great sacrifices would be made not only by the guys but also by their families.
When I write about the guys I always think about the sacrifice they made when they became Il Volo. They left behind the best years of their lives. Their teenage years. They left their families and there were times when they weren’t home for months.
In the beginning they had a parent with them because they were underage but once they turned eighteen, they were on their own. We all realized that this happened to them, and we all thought this was a great opportunity but what a sacrifice they made. True but what about the sacrifice their families made. When one parent traveled, the other was left at home to care for the other children.
I can’t even imagine how the parent who was left home with the other children felt. Of course, you feel joy for your child but to say goodbye I’ll see you in a few months. That’s got to hurt. And the parent who went with him had to leave his other children at home. That had to hurt too.
This was a big sacrifice that was made by the parents but there were others who probably hurt even more. How about their brothers and sisters? I’m sure some of them didn’t even understand why their brother had to go away!
All around tremendous sacrifices. I remember Ignazio saying in his story that he didn’t see his sister for five months and it really hurt.
Yes, they went around the world and became super stars, but they paid a high price for it. The Big Sacrifice they made is now in the past. But I’m sure that the guys wished they could have back some of those years to spent time with their families. And I’m sure the families wished they had an opportunity to spend more time with them.
On the bright side of the story, they got to spend a year with their families during the pandemic. The Lord certainly had a plan with that pandemic!
One last note before I leave you today. I just started writing a new book and I need to take some time off to do my research. So, for the next few weeks I will post old stories on Wednesdays about the guys.
In the meantime, you can also read some of the old stories in the archives. Just go to www.ilvoloflightcrw.com and you can either go into the search bar and ask for a particular story or a story about a particular guy. Or go into Galleries on the top of the main page and pull up stories by the year.
I promise I will work as fast as I can to get back to you. In the meantime, Daniela will be keeping you up to date with all the latest news including all that is going on in Sanremo. The guys start rehearsals for Sanremo this week!
Be back in a few weeks!
Let me leave you with the first video of O Sole Mio!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and find some really great old story for you!
*What I have written here are excerpts from the book the guys wrote about their lives. “Il Volo, Un’avventura Straordinario, La Nostra Storia.” (An Extraordinary Adventure, Our Story) This is just a small piece of each mans’ story. The book is written in Italian. If you can read Italian, I would highly recommend that you read it. It’s wonderful! If not, I can only hope that someday it will be translated into English. Or you can use Google Translate to translate it.
I also recommend you read their second book “IL Volo: Quello Che Porto Nel Cuore” (What I Carry in My Heart)
If you would like to share a story with me, please email: susan.flightcrew@yahoo.com
January 12th, as already announced several times, the Il Volo concert which was held in the beautiful Kyoto temple was screened in various Japanese cinemas.
Il Volo itself sent a video message for this event, here it is..
IGNAZIO= Hello friends from Japan, we are Il Volo.
GIANLUCA= The film of the live concert at the UNESCO world heritage site, the Kiyomizu Dera temple in Kyoto, will be released soon.
PIERO= On this occasion we sang for peace in the world. Go to the cinema to see it.
GIANLUCA= We are waiting for you.
PIERO= Bye.
The video was thus commented on by Weekend-Cinema magazine.
“IL VOLO”, a new generation vocal unit inheriting the three lead tenors, performed a live dedication at Kiyomizu-dera, a world heritage site for the first time in Asia as part of the World Heritage Series, and has been praised nationally as “IL VOLO to Kiyomizu-dera ~Kyoto World Heritage Live~” Now open. A video message has arrived from Il Volo to the Japanese fans.
Il Volo formed a vocal unit on a popular Italian audition show and surprised many people with his rich singing voice at the young age of 14 or 15. Their one-night-only live performance at Kiyomizu-dera Temple, the Mount Otowa World Heritage Site, will be shown on screen, making them the first foreign artists to do so. Using 13 cameras, including a drone, the video captures footage that normally can’t be seen, such as a blend of the night view of the city where Kyoto Tower sits and the main temple towering over a cliff.
In commemoration of such a precious version of the live theater, a message came from Il Volo to Japanese fans. With the expectations of the live video of the theater, they said: “We sang with hope for world peace.”
The three wear pure white clothes live, but in the video of the message, we will also see them in a black dress!
“IL VOLO in Kiyomizu-dera ~Kyoto World Heritage Live~” will be held for the first time in the Asian area, and it will be the first time in Kiyomizu-dera’s 1250-year history that a foreign artist will be able to enjoy a – Live show premium evening only on a big screen. It will be held in Shinjuku Piccadilly and other locations nationwide. Now available to the public.
IL VOLO: Today our 2022 show at the Kiyomizu Temple will be screened in 15 Japanese cinemas.
In this photo another article published in a Japanese newspaper.
This is another interview published in Japanese. It is also very beautiful and I’ll give you the translation of it.
“The most intense experience in 15 years of activity” Il Volo’s interview arrives to commemorate the release of “IL VOLO in Kiyomizu-dera ~Kyoto World Heritage Live~”
“IL VOLO”, a new generation vocal group inheriting the three major tenors, held a dedicated live performance at Kiyomizu-dera, a world heritage site for the first time in Asia as part of the World Heritage Series, on January 12 as “IL VOLO in Kiyomizu-dera ~Kyoto World Heritage Live~ “Released nationwide from Sunday (Friday). An interview with Il Volo has arrived. Additionally, additional scene photos have been released, (I’ll share the photos separately -donalee) and special gifts for attendees have been decided.
Il Volo formed a vocal group on a popular Italian TV show, and surprised many people with their rich singing voices at the young age of 14 or 15. Their one-night-only live performance at Kiyomizu-dera Temple, the world heritage site of Mount Otowa, will be shown on the screen, making them the first foreign artists to do so. Utilizing 13 cameras, including a drone, the video captures footage that cannot normally be seen, such as the fusion of the night view of the city where Kyoto Tower stands and the main temple towering over a cliff.
Interviews have arrived from the three members of Il Volo. Regarding the concert at Kiyomizu-dera, they said, “What impressed us the most was the solemnity of Kiyomizu-dera. Also, the warm welcome we received from all the monks left a strong impression on us. It was the most powerful experience in our 15 years of activities to be able to perform bel canto (beautiful resonant voice), which is a musical culture of Japan, at a sacred temple that is a World Heritage Site.” They talked about the warm hospitality of the monks of Kiyomizu-dera Temple, a national treasure, and the solemnity they felt standing on stage.
Also, this Kiyomizudera live performance will be Il Volo’s third visit to Japan since their first visit in 2017. Regarding their impressions of Japanese fans, they said, “We often do various interviews, and we always talk about our Japanese fans. Japanese fans are a role model for fans in terms of how carefully and enthusiastically they listen during concerts. The spring 2024 concert in Japan will be full of wonderful surprises.But before that… We hope that everyone in Japan will enjoy our concert filmed at Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto last year at the movie theater.’’ We express our gratitude to our enthusiastic Japanese fans and expressed our hopes for our fourth concert in Japan in the spring.
At the end, they addressed the Japanese fans and said, “We talked about the strong impressions we received, but we hope that we can share with the audience the impressions we received during our live performances. I hope that you will be able to experience the feeling of excitement,” they said in the message, wanting to share the excitement they felt on stage.
The newly released photos show various scenes from the live performance, including the scene where the three members of Il Volo perform in beautiful harmony, the way the camera captures them, and Kiyomizu-dera Temple illuminated with colorful lighting.
In addition, special benefits for visitors have been decided. You will receive an original ticket holder with a print of a scene in which the three members of Il Volo are smiling with relief after successfully completing a concert as the first overseas artists in Kiyomizu-dera’s 1250-year history. It’s a useful size that can fit not only live concert tickets, but also movie and stage tickets, travel tickets, etc. Limited quantity.
And this one was published byThe Hollywood Reporter Roma.
You absolutely must read it, it was published in Italian on Christmas day and perhaps you missed it. It was written by Pino Gagliardi who asked very interesting questions about Japan, but also about Sanremo and the habits of Il Volo.
As always, the answers from Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio denote great maturity and also humility.
Il Volo: We will be in cinemas in Japan (and with an exclusive clip on THR Rome) before arriving in Sanremo with Capolavoro.
On January 12 and February 9, the 2022 concert in Kyoto will be broadcast in the cinemas of the Rising Sun, in the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, one of the most famous and evocative monuments in the country. They are the first to do so in 1250 years. “If we are successful in that country we owe it to a skating champion, their Carolina Kostner”
Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble will celebrate 15 years of long friendship and music together on the Ariston stage, where they return to the competition for the third time after triumphing at the Festival in 2015 with Grande Amore – a song that won Il Volo the podium at the Eurovision Song Contest – and after having achieved third place in 2019 with Musica che resta. “The first time we won it, the second time we celebrated ten years and now we celebrate fifteen years” says the trio who will be competing at the 74th edition of the Sanremo Festival with the song Capolavoro.
However, the new year will open for Il Volo with another extraordinary and international event. On January 12 and February 9, the 2022 concert in Kyoto will be broadcast in cinemas across Japan, in the marvelous Kiyomizu-dera Temple, one of the most famous and evocative temples in all of Japan with a history of 1,250 years. It was a unique event in the world as no foreign artist had ever performed before on the stage built in the main hall. The Japanese public was so enthusiastic about the show of the three Italian artists that it decided to propose the experience of the show again in the cinemas of the main cities of Japan, from Tokyo to Osaka via Kyoto.
After Sanremo the trio will return to the Land of the Rising Sun with a series of new concerts in April before embarking on their World Tour around the world. In Italy, however, after the success of the two-evening event on Canale 5 last May at the Verona Arena, with many great guests belonging to different artistic worlds on the Italian and international scene, Il Volo will return to the Scaliger amphitheater with Tutti Per Uno (a project by Michele Torpedine) with three dates in May.
Where are you right now?
Gianluca Ginoble: I’m in Abruzzo.
Ignazio Boschetto: I’m in Bologna.
Piero Barone: I’m also in Bologna.
How did you end up singing at the oldest temple in Kyoto?
Piero Barone: You must know that in Japan everything was born a few years ago, compared to the United States and Latin America where we have been doing concerts since 2009. Five years ago this strong request arrived, because one of their ice skaters, their champion Yuzuru Hanyu – if we had to make a comparison we could say their Carolino Kostner – he won the ice skating Olympics to the tune of Notte stellata, a song sung by us, recorded in 2011 on our first album.
A piece that we have perhaps never sung live, except in the first concerts. We suddenly received many requests for live performances in Japan and also to be hosted on various television programs. From there our journey in Japan was born.
Haven’t you even been there on holiday?
Piero Barone: No, never! A whole new world for us because we didn’t know that culture. It had been described to us in different ways, but if you don’t go and experience it you can never understand what they are like and above all what their way of living life is – respect for everything and everyone.
Do you remember your first time?
Piero Barone: If I’m not mistaken in 2017. We did our first tour and our first guest appearances on Japanese television programs. In August two years ago we received this beautiful request from those who deal with the protection of the temples of the city of Kyoto. the city of a thousand temples.
They renovated and inaugurated, after a year, the oldest temple in the city: the Kiyomizu-dera. To inaugurate it they expressed the desire to have Il Volo singing inside the columns of that temple, but the characteristic of this sanctuary, which differentiates it from all others, is that it is located overlooking a forest. It was very humid. We arrived dressed in white to sing for no one, in the sense that we had no audience in front of us. It was also difficult to take it back, a particular experience.
Have you felt the spirituality of that place? Gianluca Ginoble: Each of us experiences spirituality in a very personal way. We define ourselves as spiritual people, certainly not just children of our culture. Japan is such a different place, totally distant, Buddhism and Shinto are strong there. We have adapted to this culture and made it our own, trying to transmit what are also our musical and cultural traditions.
Because it is paradoxical to interpret a musical genre that is linked to our culture in a Buddhist temple. And that’s where the great contrast was successful. This shows that what we do overcomes the cultural barriers of language and music.
The practice of opera singing officially entered the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity a few days ago. Is it your credit too?
Gianluca Ginoble: We are very proud to bring a piece of our culture. Because then we have seen over time that this type of music is truly what is considered the true Italian spirit, the true tradition, like pizza, spaghetti, Ferrari. It is certainly opera singing that allows us to interpret a certain type of music in such a prestigious place.
What type of repertoire did you choose for the occasion?
Ignazio Boschetto: In Japan we have always sung the most classical repertoire as a tribute to the three tenors. From there we continued in the wake of the most beautiful classic areas. The nice thing though is that at the end of the concert the last songs are Grande amore and L’amore si move and all the Japanese are there singing with us. And it’s great to see how our repertoire can vary from classical to even something more pop even in Japan.
Every year many opera singing students come to our conservatories from those countries.
Piero Barone: There is a strong attraction from the Asian world towards us and I believe it has always been there. Perhaps today many more young people are approaching this world. Clearly they come to study in Italy because perhaps we have one of the best methods for teaching this art and this way of singing.
There are also many of our compatriots who love this musical genre, opera, and who know what it requires and what studying an opera entails. That is, studying every day. Personally, I frequent opera circles, because in parallel with all this, for a personal thing, I am also preparing an opera journey, studying the arias of the operas.
In this musical genre you are the only ones to have broken into the mainstream.
Piero Barone: Perhaps we are one of the few cases in the musical panorama who sing this genre. For this reason we had many difficulties in the first years, from 2009 to 2015, until we arrived at the Sanremo Festival with Grande Amore. At that point we also managed to conquer the Italian market, because before obviously we were seen as those who sing songs like ‘O sole mio’, those of the Italian tradition abroad. Italy required something new from us, and thanks to Grande Amore the Italian market also opened up for us.
Gianluca Ginoble: This is the right interpretation, in the sense that it is a great truth that we have observed over time. If you sing Nessun Dorma, you won’t attract young people. If, however, you acquire prestige before singing Nessun Dorma, then you capture their attention, because you can convey that type of music first through the credibility of an unreleased song, and with that you arrive at the modernization of Bel Canto.
Thanks to an unreleased song you can attract young people and then you also make them listen to the more classic things. But if you don’t get there first with that, the young people unfortunately don’t arrive, and we see it in the audience who comes to see us, singing only the classical repertoire, which obviously only attracts the older audience.
Will you still use the Festival for this purpose?
Ignazio Boschetto: We already did it in 2017. Having won Sanremo with Grande Amore has brought us a lot of young people who find themselves at our concerts to listen, often for the first time, to Nessun Dorma.
Gianluca Ginoble: Exactly, and it’s really the only way, because opera anyway, and Piero can confirm this, requires a lot of sacrifice. How to learn to play an instrument, the piano, the guitar. Opera is the one that uses the instrument of the voice to the maximum. Surely you can’t get better results with little effort, unfortunately people no longer approach sacrifice. But we also want to be an example from this point of view.
Your Japanese concert will soon be broadcast in cinemas in the Land of the Rising Sun, will you go and promote it?
Piero Barone: No, we won’t go because we have already done a lot of promotion in the past few days with interviews via Zoom, we have been very busy here in Europe. We will go on a ten-day tour in April because we have four concerts as well as several hosted on television.
How are you preparing to face these concerts?
Piero Barone: The Japanese tour set is different from all the other concerts we usually do because we will have a significantly superior orchestra. The orchestral staff will be made up of many more musicians who will be trained by our great conductor, Marcello Rota, who knows what our requests are and knows us well.
Ignazio Boschetto: We will arrive two days early to rehearse our repertoire. Clearly the set list changes in each tour, but usually they are all songs that we rehearse in Italy.
Will you also include the new Sanremo song?
Piero Barone: Hoping it gets there too.
Ignazio Boschetto: Maybe we’ll do the symphonic version.
Ready for the Festival?
Gianluca Ginoble: We were born on that stage which for us on an emotional level is home. Coming back there nine years after the victory, five years after third place, doing it now as thirty-year-olds, is like showing a different version of us. A maturity that we want to show to the public, to our fans, and not only that, perhaps to an even wider audience. We will try to give our best, to truly convey a more mature Il Volo.
Piero Barone: We are going with a different spirit this year to Sanremo, with much more awareness, but we are also much more serene, because before we were always anxious. We are going in the spirit of celebrating these fifteen years, because for us it is a huge achievement. Being still here is already an achievement, few realize that being a single artist is different from being a group, where there are different ideas, there are always moments of tension, because the ideas perhaps don’t match one another. ‘other. So even demonstrating this esteem that exists between all three is a good result.
Maturity will also involve a change of look, given that you have been dressed like adults practically since you were born.
Gianluca Ginoble: Do you mean that when we were sixteen we dressed like sixty-year-olds?
Ignazio Boschetto: We dressed like adults because it was Bel Canto that necessarily led us to be elegant and dress in a certain way.
Will you be classic this time too?
Gianluca Ginoble: It’s normal that our strength was initially seeing three kids our age with adult voices. That was the key that allowed us to reach so many people. Today we are thirty years old and there will certainly be an evolution, because always being the same, remaining in a comfort zone, does not lead to growth. A little risk is part of progress.
Ignazio Boschetto: I don’t know if others agree with me, but I think that when we were younger we had to maintain a certain distinction in what we did. Now there won’t necessarily be a change of look other than just showing what our three true personalities are.
Piero Barone: A bit like we did with Tutti Per Uno, which was a forerunner of a work that will lead to a new wave next year. We will always be Il Volo and we will never change. Because when we tried to do something too different it went very badly, because we lost our authenticity. So that will always remain, but we must always try to overcome ourselves.
You are the only ones who have been successful among those who emerged from Ti Lascio Una Canzone, the talent that launched you.
Piero Barone: We wish all people to live by and with music. Clearly this is a demanding job. And the most important thing, perhaps our greatest fortune, I believe was to meet people who still collaborate with us, good people, great professionals, like our manager Michele Torpedine, who work 24 hours a day on this project from first day.
We too have had quite particular, turbulent periods, but with seriousness and dedication, we have always overcome everything. There are those who are luckier and those who are less fortunate in meeting people who really care about your project. We also kept in touch with other contestants, we don’t talk much, but we see that other guys continue to sing too. This is really the most important thing, cultivating your passion. We wish everyone to live with music.
Gianluca Ginoble: We succeeded because there are three of us, because maybe if they hadn’t put us together we would never have made it, or maybe the process towards success would have been much slower.
You have to thank Roberto Cenci who invented the trio (Roberto Cenci was the director of TI LASCIO UNA CANZONE, he had the idea of uniting Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, who had presented themselves individually for the programme)
Piero Barone: It was he who put us together. He was the producer of TI LASCIO UNA CANZONE. We made the auditions individually with him in November 2008 and chose us. Then we reminded him of the three small tenors and joined us.
Gianluca Ginoble: Let’s say that Roberto Cenci is the one who took the three matches and Michele Torpedine lit them. So they were both important and it is right to thank all the people who precisely made us what we are today.
You took part in the soundtrack of the film Hidden Moon composed by Luis Bacalov with the song Hidden Moon, would you like to continue with cinema?
Gianluca Ginoble: A beautiful memory. We recorded the song in 2013 on the second album where there were many unreleased songs. In Mexico it was a great success, where among other things there is a very beautiful Spanish version. Having one of our songs in a successful Italian film, why not? There are many artists like Laura Pausini who have already won the Golden Globe or Davide Donatello. We are very ambitious and will work hard to make these things happen one day.
Piero Barone: Also because today Italian cinema is highly esteemed abroad and is producing great results.
Do you have any cinematographic preferences?
Gianluca Ginoble: Paola Cortellesi’s latest film is very interesting. I really like Christopher Nolan. I loved Oppenheimer very much but also Interstellar, in short all his films.
Piero Barone: There is always tomorrow. Beautiful! It reminded me a lot of Roberto Benigni’s Life is Beautiful. I am a fan of Quentin Tarantino.
Ignazio Boschetto: I don’t go to the cinema often, I really like Italian cinema. I have a great passion for Edoardo Leo, who I like a lot as an actor. I like cult films like The Green Mile or The Truman Show, for me they are brilliant.
You sing in different languages, Italian aside, which was the easiest and which was the most difficult?
Piero Barone: Perhaps the one we did best is Spanish, we often sing it when we go on tour in South America or Spain. We always record the version of each recording project in Spanish. However, the one that has failed so far is French because during a concert we forgot the lyrics of a song.
Ignazio Barone: But it’s not that it turned out badly, it’s where we had a little more difficulty remembering the words of a French song. German was difficult for me. We recorded Silent Night in German. And for me that was the most difficult, especially for the pronunciation.
Gianluca Ginoble: I like singing in English more than in Italian.
Is it better to sing in Pompeii where you gave a concert in 2015 or in Kyoto?
Gianluca Ginoble: Sorry Italy, but definitely better in Kyoto. I would go and live in Japan. The culture is wonderful.
Ignazio Barone: I remain neutral.
Piero Barone: Pompeii for me! See this is the nice thing about being three.
This last interview was really very long, but I hope you enjoyed it, as I did.
I won’t go on too long, I just want to point out to you in the first video, dedicated to the Japanese public, our young men have a completely different look from what we saw for the communication of the Sanremo song. I want to say and underline that Il Volo will absolutely not lose its identity, but will adapt to the moment and the type of fans. They are multi-faceted chameleon singers, so they can allow this.
Daniela 🤗
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.
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