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!
And here is another of the events of this hot September that has arrived: the SEAT Music Awards.
Il Volo participated and received a special award.
Do you remember, during the press conference that Il Volo had before the concert in Verona, the mayor had said that Il Volo would be rewarded with a specially made statue, which represents a woman with the Arena on her head as a crown.
This award was presented to them last evening.
Rehearsals for the show began in the afternoon at the Verona Arena.
Here is a short video of the singing rehearsals.
Even if very short, you have certainly recognized Your Love. Too bad there will only be one song.
They were briefly interviewed by RAI Radio 2.
Click the photo below to view the video.
NEK = Here we are guys.
PIERO = Good evening gentlemen, welcome. (Piero pretends to be the one running the program) 😁
GIANLUCA = But it’s not you …..
NEK = You can’t steal the show ….
IGNAZIO = He had also prepared the sheet !! 😁
NEK = What should you have said ???
PIERO = (pretends to read) And now we have Il Volo, Arena of Verona special award ….
WOMAN = Guys, you were really, really good, when you were conducting (the concert), because you conducted in every sense, we have to say it, really in a very nice way, this is my opinion and I wanted to tell you ….
IGNAZIO + GIAN = Thank you
PIERO = Are you sure you have watched the whole program?
WOMAN = I watched it and I did all the live coverage on RAI2.
PIERO = OK
WOMAN = I was commenting on the live broadcast, so I followed it all.
PIERO = Thanks
WOMAN = Because you have kept the freshness of your years, if I may say my opinion.
IGNAZIO = Look, if you want I can tell you a little anecdote from that evening.
WOMAN = You’re welcome
IGNAZIO = We were preparing the show and, as is done in all TV shows, the spoken words were all written. The day before, during the dress rehearsal, we eliminated everything and said “let’s go free” (he means without reading the hunchback) , because it’s not us, we are three guys who like it ….☺😉
NEK = Therefore you should have read the hunchback ….
IGNAZIO = Yes, instead we only read the institutional things, and I also got them wrong ….
WOMAN = No, that’s not true, you did well
IGNAZIO = Like the Legambiente ad with the turtle Carella, Casella …
WOMAN = Caretta Caretta, he didn’t even learn it later …
GIANLUCA = Yes, he didn’t even learn it later (laughter)
IGNAZIO = So I screwed up, but we had fun.
WOMAN = This is very nice and above all it was nice to do it in that context, when you had “a giant” to deal with. (I think she means live RAI)
NEK = Now, what do you do ?? A trip around the world, always ??
IGNAZIO = Now we start in March of next year, finally with the concerts, we start from America, then there is all of Europe, Japan, New Zealand …. we have fun.
NEK = Ohhh, good luck then.
WOMAN = Guys, then have a good trip. What can I tell you now, have a good trip and a good concert.
GIANLUCA = Good flight, because we will take so many planes.
WOMAN = It is usually better not to say it (for superstition)
IGNAZIO = No, you can say it, we go against everything.
NEK = Bring me a present.
WOMAN = Thanks guys, thanks to Il Volo.
IGNAZIO = November 5th !!!
They were interviewed by Radio Italia(for now there is only the photo).
Before the evening!
GIANLUCA = Please, don’t miss the SEAT Music Awards tonight.
I’ll show you how beautiful the Arena is.
And here we are at the evening.
What thrills this song, what poignant memories it evokes. Always beautiful the execution by Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio.
The three of them, good, beautiful, dressed with informal elegance.
The response of the audience was very nice, slowly turning on the Arena with thousands of lights, a gesture that surprised even the boys.
Only one song, unfortunately, but what a song.
Here is the interview after the song.
GIANLUCA = Good evening everyone.
CARLO CONTI = Il Volo, to start these SEAT Music Awards in the best way.
VANESSA INCONTRADA = And what an atmosphere they (the audience) created for you, 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 di 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, 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 few 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.
CONTI = 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. (of Morricone)
GIANLUCA = And we can’t wait to leave (to start the tour).
CARLO = Well a great album and therefore it will be released on November 5th.
The ARENA DI VERONA award, depicting a diva, a wonderful diva who has a crown on her head that has the shape of the Verona Arena, and was made by the sculptor Rudy Capatta, is delivered by two champions: Marco Giallini and Giorgio Panariello.
(after the greetings, Carlo Conti reads the inscription)
CARLO = I seriously read the inscription:
Arena di Verona Award at 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.
(final thanks)
Many beautiful photos:
Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio with the Arena award. ❤❤❤
But certainly and undoubtedly, this is the most beautiful photo. ❤
A gesture full of meaning, which we can all understand.
A direct line with those who are no longer there, a silent dedication.
The two friends who hold him close and a look up there.
But today, Sunday 5th, is also the day of Venice, and therefore we travel vertically in Italy and arrive in Venice yesterday with the beautiful images of Gianluca and Piero.
In St. Mark’s square, with Storaro and Torpedine.
And here they are Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca upon their arrival at the conference.
Our boys are dressed very casually.
Gianluca always stands out for elegance.
A short interview with the boys.
MAN = This is not Sanremo, this is the cinema exhibition !! 😁
PIERO = But it seems a little 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 a video of YOUR LOVE, which is shot in the Frasassi Caves, and therefore it is beautiful, it is not the first time we come, and it is always a beautiful atmosphere, Venice is a place stupendous.
And here is the short video of the conference with Tiziana Rocca as the awards presenter.
TR = With us: IL VOLO ❤
Guys, this year you made this tribute, thanks to a teacher who we will then present, so you are lucky enough to bring Morricone’s music to the world.
GIANLUCA = We are undertaking a rather ambitious project, with great responsibility, we also have the support of the Morricone family, a musical project with all the most beautiful soundtracks, sung in English and Italian, we presented it at the Arena di Verona, this recording project will be released in November with: Cinema Paradiso, Once upon a time in America, L’estasi dell’oro, sung for the first time.
PIERO = We thank the master Vittorio Storaro for choosing us for this tribute to his great friend Ennio Morricone, for this short film in the Frasassi Caves.
TR = In fact, I also want to thank the mayor of Genga (where Frasassi is) Marco Filipponi and also the presence of the Marche region. Tonight we will see this special video of yours that you brought us, this gem, this gift from the master Storaro.
PIERO = Thank you master, thank you all.
IGNAZIO = Thank you.
GIANLUCA = It is a pleasure to be here with all of you, really.
TR = Our master: Vittorio Storaro. Maestro, the two of us have known each other for many years, you are a legend.
The video with the words of the director Vittorio Storaro.
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 is an idea and it comes from Pirandello, who said: One, Nobody, One Hundred Thousand (it is the title of a novel by Pirandello), in this case it becomes a Once upon a time, as the project of Il Volo , of the music of Ennio Morricone, starts 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 Nobody, an art enters, which is Music and Singing, which is represented by Il Volo, which in a song with the music of Ennio Morricone from Your Love, it brings a new energy, energy that practically becomes: Once upon a time there was no one, – Il Volo, – Centomila.
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), 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 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, in that, certainly what is music, nevertheless carries a great message of love.
Il Volo, – Ennio Morricone, – Once upon a time …….
And here they are ready for the evening, the moment in which the short film by Vittorio Storaro, interpreted by Il Volo, shot in the Frasassi caves, in memory of Ennio Morricone, for the event Premio Filming Italy Best Movie.
And here they are on the red carpet, with Storaro and his daughter.
Very elegant Piero Ignazio and Gianluca in their Dolce and Gabbana evening dress.
Ignazio has cut his beard, bravo !!
But how beautiful and elegant are these three ??? ❤❤❤
And here is the moment of the award ceremony.
Premio Filming Italy Best Movie Awards
In this video all the winners and among them also Il Volo.
Lots of images, there was no doubt, for such a special evening.
All elegant for the evening of the screening and the award ceremony, but unfortunately we cannot have any advance for the short film.
Too bad, we would have closed a great day in style, but I think we will have to wait a little longer to see the images shot inside the Frasassi Caves.
Meanwhile, in an interview, Il Volo stated that their new CD will be released on November 5th.
Today’s story is about the guys meeting, ironing out the wrinkles, developing a friendship and becoming Brothers!
When these three young men started out, they were 15 and 16 years old. Think of being 15 or 16 years old and you have a dream, and someone tells you that that dream, needs to be shared. To fulfill that dream you have to leave your family, your friends, your home, you have to go to another country and, you have to share this journey with two people who you really know nothing about except that they had the same dream you did. You have to trust that the decision that was made by you and your family, was the right decision. If not, it’s back to square one! You’re going to be lonely and, you have to learn to survive without the people you love. So, you learn to lean on one another. That dependence turns into a friendship and that friendship into a brotherhood. It enabled them to trust enough to collaborate and perfect something truly amazing. Something that revolutionized the music industry. Let me go further by showing you a collaboration by these three amazing, very, very talented, young men that is so unreal that it boggles your mind. This is a collaboration of love. You will notice that the whole Orchestra is in awe and Giampiero Grani can’t stop smiling. Stop and listen to this performance of “Por Una Cabeza”.
Look at how they smile at one another during the performance. A smile that says yes that’s it! Their faces are ablaze! Their expressions let one another know that it works. And, finally, when it’s over, they are so excited they can hardly contain themselves. Look at how their faces are lit up! Their joy is shown in their amazing, smiles and their embraces! This says it all! They are brothers who love one another!
To help you understand this relationship better, I am including an article from October 10, 2019, which was translated by Daniela and, explains in the guys’ own words how they grew together.
The well-known Italian magazine SORRISI E CANZONI TV, dedicated the cover photo and presented a beautiful interview of Il Volo by Solange Savagnone. But before we begin, let’s see what the guys were up to!
Budapest! The stained-glass window of the room overlooks a square in the historic center. Inside, in a secluded area, a group of people are in tears from laughing. Ignazio has just hit the center, on the third attempt, throwing a cap with his thumb into a mug of beer on the opposite side of the table.
Gianluca, between a miso soup and shrimp in tempura, interrupts the jokes to greet a young Greek tourist who approaches to ask for a selfie. And while Ignazio sings the tune of a robiola commercial and Piero chats with his friend Priscilla Presley, Michele Torpedine uses his chopsticks from his Japanese dinner to present his first career in life, that of a drummer.
The scene seems crazy to us but it’s perfectly normal for the guys.
“We like to say that it is ten years of friendship! Music and loyalty are the most important thing,” explains Gianluca. “We are three leaders and sometimes it is not easy to live together, but we have grown together and, we have helped each other, both professionally and humanly. We are like brothers.” And that sums it up but it’s only the beginning of my article.
The exact day in which their partnership was born was April 25th, 2009, the third episode of Ti Lascio Una Canzone. But of course, this is the part of the story that everyone knows. So, without delay let us go to the interview.
How have you changed since then?
Ignazio: In addition to changing physically, we have grown professionally. On stage, however, we feel the same adrenaline of the early days. Singing for us is not a job, but a passion, a fun, a way to feel complete.
The first time you met, what did you think of each other?
Piero: Ignazio was unpleasant to me. I remember him on the bus he was singing, but he was also the first one I tied with. Gianluca, instead, was in the group of dudes ……
Ignazio: I never thought about this, Gianluca was on the sidelines, but then it was natural to be together.
Gianluca: When you’re small and you’re on Rai1, you do everything they tell you. The program lasted nine weeks and we were rivals, a bit of envy was created and, in those days we exchanged only a few words. But the success we received was incredible.
What’s left of those kids?
Piero: Everything. We are always us and we have fun at every concert. We have the same passion and spontaneity of those times. Before going on stage, we laugh about everything. We do not follow a script. We help each other and we get excited a little. We are not spoiled. We have certain needs, just because we need them to stay healthy and do concerts well. The responsibility we have towards those who work with us, and the public, is enormous. If one of us gets sick and misses two or three concerts, it’s a disaster. So, to avoid the risk, maybe we avoid going to the disco.
Ignazio: Also, because we always sing live. This summer, for example, after the concert in Palermo, I didn’t go out with friends, because the next day we had another concert in Taormina.
Gianluca: Musically speaking, we are always in search of perfection, and we strive to grow and make people understand who we are.
How can you grow as brothers without being brothers?
Piero: It was difficult, but lately our relationship has improved. Before, we were spiteful, now we openly say to each other, what is wrong. There is no grudge between us.
Gianluca: There is a difference between being together for work, or by choice. In the first case there is a little tension, when instead we are together to have fun, it is another thing, indeed we should do it more often.
You have very different characters. What is your way of living love, family, friendship and social media?
Ignazio: I am the least social of the three. I know it’s important to keep my private for myself. A little privacy, it takes. My character is particular, I am sensitive, but very strong and hard. I do everything, but you must respect me.
Gianluca: I am a little narcissistic because I need confirmation. In kindergarten, I always asked the teacher twice if I was good. And this insecurity, I brought it with me, until today.
Every day I speak to my parents, my dearest ones, my girlfriend. I vent with them, as well as with Piero and Ignazio. We love each other. On social media, if I put lots of photos, the fans are happy, the haters are a little less, but I continue to be myself.
Piero: We can’t hide anything between us. If I lie, they notice it. With the people I know and choose, I am very generous, open, sunny. But I only trust my best friend, my brother and my sister. I have a big flaw: for me, either it’s white or it’s black, I give you my heart, but if you do me a wrong, you’re dead.
Gianluca: I have learned that we must try to understand why a person behaves in a certain way. I never hold a grudge. Piero instead gets angry, for the criticisms and the free offenses.
Piero: In fact, before I used social media so much, now only for work things.
The secrets of your success?
Piero: The first is that we study a lot. The second is our manager, Torpedine, who has been following us for years. The third is the music we sing.
Gianluca: But talent and work alone are not enough, sometimes timing counts. To be recognized, you have to be special, and we were the first to perform at a very young age, in bel canto: this struck people’s hearts.
Who are the hottest fans?
Gianluca: Perhaps the South Americans. (Torpedine told us that in Mexico, fans broke through the window of the hotel where they were staying.)
Piero: But even in Bulgaria, they showed us unexpected affection. And the Japanese, apparently so rigid, go wild during the concerts and come to the front of the stage.
Gianluca: Let’s say that with our performances, we help the public to free themselves. We tend to make a very engaging event, not a serious concert.
How can you not let this go to your head?
Gianluca: With intelligence you cannot get carried away by the wave of success, but the people who follow you and the support of the family matter a lot. Staying attached to the origins is the most important thing. If you let it go to your head, then people will notice it.
What are you missing when you’re on tour?
Gianluca: Normal life.
Ignazio: Waking up at home, carrying the dog around, everyday life.
Piero: After the concert at the Arena di Verona, I went home one day and enjoyed that moment, like never before. I felt an immense pleasure in going to the laundry and to the yogurt shop: it was how I did it for the first time.
Do you want to try your hand at some other musical genre?
Gianluca: If we changed genre, we would no longer be us and people would no longer recognize our music.
In ten years, how do you see yourself?
Ignazio: Ten years ago, they asked us the same thing and we didn’t know what to answer. Our way of thinking has changed: so, I would have answered married, with children, today not. Situations change.
Piero: I don’t know, new artists are born every day, the future is a question mark. We hope not to disappoint the fans.
Who do you want to thank for what you are now?
Piero: If today we celebrate ten years of career it is thanks to the fans, we have grown together and we hope to celebrate with them 50 years of career!
Gianluca: We thank the musical heritage we have, the bel canto, which has allowed us to travel around the world.
Ignazio: Words are not enough to thank all those who deserve it. I say thanks to those who believed in us, Michele Torpedine, our manager, and those who work closely with us. And thanks to life, for what he has given us: voice and luck (words that are tattooed on Ignazio’s arm).
Piero: And thanks to Sorrisi for this cover and for having always supported us.
How about when you are on tour or in your hotel rooms etc.
Piero: In the room I always ask that they cover the carpet with sheets, because I am allergic and, I must preserve the voice. I always have two suitcases, a big one with all the clothes and things I need (including Sicilian vacuum-packed almonds and natural tuna in a can) and an emergency trolley, with a second dress for the concert, for safety. And an agenda on which I record the commitments. Including this interview for Sorrisi.
Ignazio: When I’m on tour, in Italy, I always carry my guitar with me, abroad, unfortunately not. I go to the gym in fact we only choose hotels with a fitness area. In the room I relax as much as possible, maybe watching a soccer game on my mobile (I support Juventus). I also play football, as an offensive midfielder, and I’m pretty good. In fact, when I’m at home, every Wednesday, I go to play with friends. And when I can, I make two tennis matches with Piero.
Gianluca: I have no special requests and I adapt easily. I am very tidy, almost maniacal, I keep everything perfectly folded and, I even line up my slippers. I am lactose intolerant and pay attention to what I eat: rice, fish, vegetables, protein snacks and for breakfast pancakes with egg whites and peanut butter. Once a week we “go” with a pizza. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink and, I have never been drunk in my life, because I don’t like losing control. I train early in the morning and go for a run. Sport has changed my character. I have become more willing and disciplined.
In the final chapter of their book,Un’avventura straordinario, La nostra storia(An Extraordinary Adventure, Our Story)the guys sum of their life story. I can’t think of a better way to sum up my story than by having them sum up their story as they did in their book where….
…. the true and only secret of the success of our three lives is told.
When they asked us to write this book, our first thought was, “Finally,” finally we can tell the truth.” In a three-minute interview you cannot tell a life, but in a book yes. And that’s what we tried to do in these pages: tell our true story.
Which is a normal story, of three guys like many who had a great passion and were lucky enough to be able to transform that passion into what today makes them live and makes them famous.
Being successful is beautiful, it would be stupid to say no after we have so dreamed and desired, but you need to quickly understand something, and that is, that it is not only our merit.
The people who follow us have a large part of that merit.
And knowing it is what gratifies us the most.
It is wonderful to know that we have shared our emotions with those who listen to us.
That’s why we work, and that’s why we try to give everything when we sing, we live in a concert or recording studio. And that’s why we do our work always with the maximum of passion, so that we can create what for us is magic, the magic of emotion that passes from our voices to people.
Fans are the reason, the only real explanation of what happened to us from 2009 till today, the records, the tours around the world, the victory at Sanremo, what we are finally living in Italy.
During a concert we would like to embrace all the people before us, one by one, we would like to be able to say: “Thank you!” with our voices to all. And we want to thank them if we are in the studio to record, if we fill the halls in concerts, if we are in the charts, if we go around the world.
Our “fans” are everything!
…. for all we have done so far, let’s say thanks to those who have followed us. And we will continue our great adventure together!
I think their interview and the book have come together to show How Strangers Became Brothers!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
Staying in Hungry, today I would like to share with you a letter from Adrienn Gyorffy who lives in Hungry.
Dear Ladies, Il Volo Flight Crew!
I have been reading your newsletter for a few months now, and first of all I would like to thank you for all the news and information you share. I am a new fan of the guys, and thanks to Il Volo Flight Crew I have learnt a lot from them.
I am not an extroverted person so, I have not commented on the articles, news. But now I have felt an urge to share my story with you and to start a little diary of my last and next couple of days, just for fun, for myself. So, I share my story with you. It might be interesting for you. A small piece from the other end of the world, from Hungary 🙂
Good to have you, hope you will enjoy my story.
Love, Adrienn
My journey to the land of Il Volo ~ Love at first sight
It happened sometime during the pandemic, when people lost their hope, and the well-known world of ours turned upside down. I was looking for something which is stable, predictable, comforting. And it was my childhood, the lovely memories of my first holiday in Italy…
I was about 8 in 1982, when for the first time, I stepped into the land of the “Poisonous WEST” over the Iron Curtain. To a child brought up in communist Hungary, it was like the Garden of Eden. The sun, the sea, oranges straight from the tree (we could get oranges and bananas only a few times of the year if my mom was lucky enough to get a few after hours of queuing, strictly for us, for the children. Even if she was yearning for a bite, she would never eat one as it was a great treasure), and of course Italian music.
So going back to my original story when I started losing my hope during the pandemic, I started listening to the music of my childhood, the music that my parents were listening to, Al Bano and Romina Power, Toto Cutugno, Ricchi e Poveri etc. It brought back all the lovely memories. I was searching on the web for all the old and new appearances of them, when I encountered this:
I was enchanted by the voice of the young guy. He was so cute, still his voice was a miracle. I could feel goose bumps all over my arms. So, I wrote a name into my browser: Ignazio Boschetto…… and I was lost or saved forever!
As I learned, he was not a little boy anymore, but a handsome young man, with two other remarkable young artists, Piero Barone, Gianluca Ginoble – Il Volo.
I have never been a fan type of girl. I learnt musical instruments and loved music and was listening to music all the time, when I was younger, but never had anybody I was rajong (crazy about). But now at the age of 47 it struck me, and specially the impact of their music on me. It brought back the energy, the hope, the love of life, the dreams one tends to lose as time goes by. It pulled me out from the egyszínű (solid) weekdays when I was operating as Mom only. I found my ego and have my dreams and desires back again. Their music has filled me up with vitality and it still does. When I am tired, feeling down or just lost, I listen to Il Volo and I am back to normal, or when I am feeling gracious for my life I also listen to the guys and, I get even closer to the One I have to say thank you for my wonderful life.
So here I was the new fan of Il Volo, reading all the news I could find about them, especially Il Volo Flight Crew, where I learnt their history as well. I was listening to all the interviews. Luckily the English ones were not a problem, but the Italian interviews shows their real personalities, so I decided to start learning Italian to understand them J And I also started to look for the concert venues to be able to see them live. You can imagine how furious I was when I found out at the spring of 2021 that they were in Hungary in 2019. But as a real fan (sometimes I feel like a teenager, they should be fans, not Moms with two children) I didn’t give up. Then the next obstacle was, that during Covid you cannot travel and besides all the concerts were cancelled, but miracles DO happen…
I was at Lake Balaton with my 10-year-old when scrolling the social media, I read somewhere that the only European concert which is not postponed is the one in Croatia. It is 5 hours driving from here…
I am not a spontaneous woman, especially not since I have had my children, but it struck me. I called my husband, saying that I have to go, sorted out the children with the help of my mom and bought the ticket 2 days before the concert. And YES, here I am, I am going to Il Volo concert to Opatija tomorrow!!! Whish me luck and will come back with the details of the concert soon.
We’ve recently had so many intriguing posts about the Verona concert, the latest Il Volo TV interview, and the history of Il Volo, that I took a short break from writing and translating (while I worked at my day job)! In any case, Flight Crew still wanted you to get the translation of an Il Volo interview article that appeared in Famiglia Cristiana magazine right before the Verona concert.
The Famiglia Cristiana article pursued some of the things many other interviewers have already asked the guys: their memories, their feelings about returning to the stage, upcoming recordings. But this article touched on one or two things that most of the media don’t usually get Il Volo to talk about: supporting each other during crises, their faith, prayer, marriage, starting a family. See if you agree with me that overall, Ignazio said the least, but revealed the most.
The Cover Story Title is “Exclusive: Il Volo at the Arena of Verona in Concert for Morricone. Once Again in Front of the Public.”The cover quote from the guys is“Our Strength? It’s Our Friendship and Our Faith.”
This posting will be a little different than my previous ones, because I am giving you the actual magazine pages, so we can enjoy the whole thing together. I put the translation of the call-out boxes into our own call-out boxes. In case some of the magazine pages aren’t super sharp, we have also embedded some of the original shots here and there for you to enjoy.
(Each image in this post can be clicked on to view a larger version.)
As you can see below, the inside headline, besides repeating the cover, adds: “The Three Singers of Il Volo are the Stars of a Concert in Honor of Ennio Morricone, Whom We Lost One Year Ago.
When I first saw this article, it added to my impression that the Verona concert was dedicated to more different people than any other show I’ve ever heard. Daniela’s and my translations of the stage talk from the concert over the past month showed that in addition to the show being dedicated to the memory of Maestro Ennio Morricone, Ignazio dedicated the concert to those we lost during the pandemic, and Piero dedicated it to Ignazio’s late father Vito. Now, at the bottom of this magazine article, we see Gianluca’s statement “I’m dedicating this show to my grandfather Ernesto who recovered from the [Corona] virus. It’s he who helped me discover the westerns of Sergio Leone.”
Sergio Leone, as you probably know is the Italian film director whose “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” featured Maestro Morricone’s music, and like the other two films in that trilogy, A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More, added up to help make Clint Eastwood a star. Leone also directed the “Once Upon a Time” series of western films. Given Leone’s Italia origins, he is the founder of the style that came to be called “Spaghetti Westerns.”
So, without further ado, here’s the translation of the article by Eugenio Arcidiacono. [Based on his name, he may actually be an archdeacon].
“The interview takes place remotely, with the three Il Volo guys linked by video from their homes. But on June 5 will put them back together again for the first big concert in Italy with the public (a live audience) since the start of the pandemic: 6 thousand people will listen to them in the Arena di Verona during their tribute to Ennio Morricone one year after his loss (and the lucky ticketholders will be allowed to return home later than the curfew hour). Many more are those who will follow them on TV, live on RAI1 and in other countries of the world, from the United States to Japan. A great challenge after a year and a half of inactivity for Piero Barone, Gianluca Ginoble and Ignazio Boschetto.“
“We’re only thinking about one thing: finally, we get to sing. We couldn’t stand it anymore!” exclaims Piero. “We prepared for months, partly because for us it’s a totally new repertoire, with the exception of Il Più Ti Penso, a song that was constructed by blending themes from Once Upon a Time in America and from Malèna, which we included in our first album.
EA: Did any of the other tracks have lyrics written purposely for you?
Ignazio: “No, they’ve already been performed with lyrics. The only “gem” is Ecstasy of Gold from the Good the Bad and the Ugly: the Morricone family gave it lyrics, so it was a debut performance.
Gianluca: “There have been so many tributes to Morricone, but this will be the very first time for a tribute done by a male group. A tribute that will be translated to a CD that will come out after the summer. Andrea Morricone came to us in the recording studio and will be a guest on the stage to conduct some of his father’s music.”
EA: You’ve been conducted by Ennio Morricone in concert in the Piazza Del Popolo in Rome in 2011. You weren’t even 20 years old. What memories do you have?
Gianluca: “It’s true, we return to being children when we think of him. We were really naïve. I remember that during the general rehearsals with a one-hundred-piece orchestra he gave me the cue to start singing, but I didn’t start. Morricone turned to me [for not starting], and then I said to him, “So you give me the start cue?’ I saw the first violinist turn white [with shock] because I addressed the maestro as “tu” [the familiar/intimate form of you, which is not supposed to be used to conductors and music directors]. But he just smiled at me and said to me ‘Guys, don’t worry about it. I’ll deal with it.’”
EA: What is the first film with his music that you saw?
Piero: “Nuovo Cinema Paradiso. As a real Sicilian I recognized myself in that little boy who wanted to get away from his homeland to find his own way, and who listened to the adult he was most attached to, who counseled him to not get trapped by nostalgia. I’ve only cried a few times in my life, but when I saw it and heard that poignant music, I melted like a popsicle.”
Piero stops, and begins to hum the theme song from Nuovo Cinema Paradiso. “Who knows these notes? With our concert we want to make our audience take a dip into their past, rediscovering the emotions they experienced the first time they saw these films.”
Gianluca: “I, on the other hand, am fond of westerns, because I watched them with my Grandfather Ernesto, whom I’m extremely attached to. When I let him hear The Good, the Bad and the Ugly sung by us, he got very excited. I dedicate the concert and the CD to him, because at 87 years old he became sick with COVID and took a month in the hospital to recover. We were very scared, but in the end, he made it.”
EA: The concert was originally expected to be in St. Peter’s Square, but instead became the season opener in the Arena of Verona.
Piero: “We thought of St. Peter’s Square because Morricone was from Rome, but they didn’t have the conditions to guarantee [everyone’s] safety there. At the Arena of Verona, on the other hand, these conditions were present and it’s as magical a place as any, and recognized all over the world. But we still want to return to St. Peter’s Square as soon as possible.”
EA: Morricone has also composed musical scores thick with spirituality. Will you also perform one of those?
Gianluca: “In Fantasy, a track based on the theme of Gabriel’s Oboe, from the film Mission, one of the most mystical melodies ever composed by the master, accompanied by words like “In fantasy exists a warm wind which blows over the cities, like a friend. I dream of souls that are forever free.”
EA: As ambassadors of Italian music to the world, what do you think about Maneskin’s victory at the Eurofestival?
Piero: “We’re very happy. They are young people with great personality who present an “unpublished” side of Italian music to the outside: rock.”
Gianluca: “They do a completely different genre than ours, but we like them. We don’t listen to lyric music from morning to night. I grew up with David Bowie and Elton John.”
EA: In these months of forced inactivity, how has the relationship among you been, especially as friends?
Piero: “We got to know each other better. We talked a great deal, not just about music; and above all, we learned how to listen to each other.”
EA: How do you feel about those three child prodigies who in 2009 appeared on Ti Lascio Una Canzone?
Piero: Much tenderness, but also pride. We have been fortunate but also good at not getting sucked into the most ephemeral, fleeting parts of show business. We have managed not to lose contact with reality, because we have always remained anchored to our families.
EA: All three of you are believers and practicing [Catholics]. What reflections have sustained you in these times we’re living in?
Ignazio: “Like Piero said, this pandemic has made us grow as persons, because we have held each other up in difficult times, like the death of my father and the illness of Gianluca’s grandfather. But our faith has been fundamental in helping us. Prayer, in particular, has proven its power.”
EA: After the Arena of Verona, you won’t be doing concerts [in Italy] for the rest of the year. You can take advantage of this to start having your families.
Gianluca: “I’m still such a kid, that I can’t imagine myself as a father.”
Piero: “For sure, the first of us to get married will be Ignazio.”
Ignazio: “Yes, it’s true that I have always dreamed of a wife and children. With the job I do it’s not easy. But I’ve been working on it…”
Credit to Famiglia Cristiana and owners of all photos.
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
