Today I would like to give you a heads up about what will be going on at Flight Crew for the next few weeks! Our dear Pat has had surgery (which went well and is on the road to recovery!) and we will not be posting for a few weeks but, we will report any new and important news to you. What will go offline are our stories which require a lot of detail in order to be posted. This will be a short silence and when we come back it will be in full force.
The date of the Morricone tribute concert is approaching and Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca were in Verona Arena, where preparations of the concert were underway.
As I had anticipated, Il Volo, live from Verona, was a guest in the transmission of DOMENICA IN, presented by Mara Venier.
Here is the video of the broadcast that I translated for you.
Click the photo below to watch the interview.
MARA = And now there is this video from Verona, where the guys from Il Volo are ready for a beautiful connection, let’s see the video. (the video of the promotion starts).
Here it is, now I will go in connection with these wonderful guys who are having crazy success abroad, now we will see some images that also make us Italians go crazy (in the sense that they make us proud).
Here they are, hello Piero, hello Ignazio, hello Gianluca, can you hear me, can you see me?
GIAN = Loud and clear.
MARA = I don’t hear today, maybe I have sudden deafness.
GIAN = We hear you loud and clear, Mara here we are!
MARA = You, but not me. I feel you are very far away.
IGNAZIO = And we are far away ….
MARA = Here, now I hear you, so guys how beautiful this image is from my Verona (Mara is from the Veneto region, where Verona is). What a beautiful Arena.
Meanwhile, I want to give you this video and then you tell me everything.
(a short video of Sanremo 2021 starts).
MARA = This is a beautiful moment of the Sanremo festival, but you, on Saturday 5th June, on RAI 1, will make a tribute to the great Ennio Morricone from the wonderful Arena of Verona, right guys?
GIAN = Yes Mara, we are here to celebrate the one who was the representation of absolute genius. From silence he could create works of art that made many generations fall in love. The maestro certainly does not need any introduction, but we humbly want to make this contribution to bring his music to the new generations of the youngest and therefore, for us it is first of all a great honor and also a great responsibility, because singing the columns sound of the great maestro Morricone, it is not easy, but it is something in which we will put “heart and soul”.
MARA = It is right what you said, you reach your audience who are young but you also have people from other generations, because your talent is immense, you are demonstrating it in recent years, taking Italy around the world . But you are also three guys, and I believe that with great emotion, as you said, you re-propose the music of the great Ennio Morricone, of the great films, which will remain in the history of cinema, wonderful soundtracks. I really think the emotion starts with you three.
Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, then a very strong emotion for you who are very young to bring the music, the compositions of the great Morricone.
PIERO = Mara, celebrating Maestro Morricone, for us, is a great honor but equally a great responsibility. From this idea a recording project was born and we would like to say that we are really anxious and excited for next Saturday evening, 5 June, because it will be our first live concert live on RAI 1. But the thing that reassures us is the support of Ennio Morricone’s family, because on stage with us there will be his son Andrea Morricone to direct the orchestra and many other guests.
But the biggest guest will be the audience, because we will finally do a concert with the audience here at the Verona Arena and finally it will be a thrill to see our audience again (applause).
MARA = Here an applause started from the few present, as you know we are always few here (due to Covid), but an applause started from the whole group, from the whole team, precisely because you somehow represent all your colleagues (singers), that is, there is a restart, we start again, we have a desire to hear singing live and I think you have a crazy desire to perform. How much have you missed all of this in this long period? Ignazio you answer me, love of aunt (Mara is usually called aunt), how are you?
IGNAZIO = I’m fine, I’m fine.
This afternoon we start rehearsals, and we can’t wait, because it’s been months, a year, a year and a half that we haven’t performed in front of an audience and surely starting from the Arena is something that makes us even happier, because like we know, the Arena is one of those places where every Italian artist aspires to perform and make our first and only concert of this year right here, with the reopening of the public, a positive message, a message of hope for all artists. For all the famous artists and for all the artists who want to resume playing, it is a message of hope that soon we will all be back again to perform in front of an audience and this will be in the near future.
MARA = Ignazio, this is a question I ask all three, how have you spent these long months?
IGNAZIO = At home with the mask, I also slept, with the mask at one point, I was so fond of the mask that I slept with it too.
GIAN = Mara, certainly for us, for all of us it was a difficult moment and we must have a spirit of adaptation in these cases, because when life, unfortunately, puts us to the test, it is in that moment that we must try not to live the passive life. For example, I learned to play the piano, I didn’t know how to play it, I started reading more, which I didn’t do before, but the important thing is to improve yourself, have a personal growth that allows you to be a better person.
MARA = Now I want to send a video, because I asked you how much you missed the live performance, but the public has never stopped following you, and in this video, I want to show these three guys, within 10 years, what they managed to do. We see it together and then I want to hear a comment from you.
(start of a short video of the successes of Il Volo)
So, various moments, what do you remember? I imagine the emotion with Pope Francis, but also with Barbra Streisand. What do you remember, come on, tell me something, some anecdotes.
IGNAZIO = We remember everything. I remember that the first time we sang with Barbra Streisand was on my birthday, October 4th two thousand and …… help me (he says to Piero and Gian).
GIAN = 2012, remember everything I see !!
IGNAZIO = I don’t just remember the year, it’s not like I can remember everything !!
MARA = And how did you feel Ignazio, how were you?
IGNAZIO = I was fine, the pressure was fine !! ( Ignazio, the usual joker).😁
MARA = But you had Barbra Streisand close …
PIERO = Mara, the thing that worries me most on Saturday night, will be the conduct and presentation of the program of the three of us, but above all, that of Ignazio (laughter)😁
GIAN = You can’t hold him back, you have to expect everything from Ignazio.
IGNAZIO = You must know that it will be the first time, first of all that we do a live concert, but above all that …..
PIERO = Above all that there will be many guests, there will be: Riccardo Cocciante (Italian singer-songwriter who wrote the music for Notre Dame de Paris), Laura Chiatti (Italian actress) Stefano Bollani (composer and pianist) Andrea Griminelli (flutist), Marco Giallini (actor).
IGNAZIO = This is how it will end, that while I am speaking he (Piero) will interrupt me, because it always ends like this.
GIAN = And I look at you, always, because I let you do it.
PIERO = It will be difficult to start, but when we fuel …..
MARA = Guys, now in hand, your victory in Sanremo and then we say goodbye and we are waiting for you on Saturday 5th June RAI1, finally the live concert of Il Volo. Let’s see 2015 SANREMO. (starts the video of the victory of Sanremo 2015)
Here it is.
IGNAZIO = It’s always exciting to see this, you know?
MARA = I think it is also for the people, a good moment for you.
IGNAZIO = Yes, very much.
PIERO = Mara, I want to say something really important, this concert, it will not be the concert of Il Volo only, on RAI1 live on Saturday night, but it will be everyone’s concert, you see: orchestral, show operators, technicians , all these people working around us, is the greatest victory, and the famous “we will make it”, it means that it is happening now. (applause)
MARA = I think so too, it is for all of us, even for those who are not there, because it means that we start again, we leave again guys and we really hope to have overcome this moment, these months so bad, so terrible. Will you get the vaccine? Because now comes the turn of the young, I sponsor a lot of the vaccine, kids you have to do it, please.
I + G + P = Absolutely.
IGNAZIO = It is a very personal choice, that of the vaccine, but it is certainly what will help us to live more peacefully.
We must trust science, because we do not live in a normal era, it is not a disease that we know of, and therefore we must trust the scientists, we must trust the research that goes on and surely, personally I will trust and I will.
MARA = Bravo Ignazio, this is very important, on your part to give this message and give your opinion to all the young people who follow you and all your fans, for which it is very important, thank you very much.
IGNAZIO = An opinion remains, then everyone can do what they want.
MARA = Yes, everyone can do what they want, but better do it, can I say it?
IGNAZIO = Absolutely
GIAN = Greetings to everyone in the studio.
PIERO = Bye Mara . . . to Saturday.
MARA = Thanks to Il Volo and good work.
Click on photo below to show the concert promotion.
Meanwhile, the rehearsals for the concert continue in Verona, together with the orchestras.
Master Grani also posted this message:
WE HAVE STARTED AGAIN, HURRY !!
There is also another good news, Sony has sent Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero, a nice certification that attests that with their CD, IL VOLO Best 10 years, they have obtained the gold record. Certainly it is a nice milestone, as real sales are now extremely difficult, and the awards are now counted on the streamed listeners and not just on the actual sales made. Good, guys!!
In the photo we see the personal certification issued by Sony to Gianluca, it will be a nice trophy to add to the homes of our young men.
Another good news, I told you that Italy won Eurovision, this means that next year Italy will host Eurovision, this important European singing competition.
From the moment of victory, the candidacy for who will present Eurovision has begun. Whoever does it will need to be a skilled presenter and know several languages. Well the organization, among the various names has also listed Il Volo. In my opinion they would be perfect for this role, what do you think?
Here is ESCTODAY’s instagram message:
Would you like @ilvolomusic to host @ eurovision2022 in Italy next year?
And now a beautiful message from Gianluca to the children of the fifth grade (10/11 years).
Gianluca you are truly unbeatable.
Hello everyone, I really wanted to send a greeting to all the little fans of the classes, fifth A and fifth B, of the primary school of Pagliare (municipality of Abruzzo).
I really thank you for thinking of me as the musical excellence of our region, regarding your virtual journey “I invite you to Abruzzo”.
I hope you will really appreciate the wonders of our territory, together with your teachers who will be the tour guides.
I also invite you to always be good students, in the continuation of your school career, so that you can realize your greatest aspirations, because with passion, commitment and even a little luck, the most beautiful dreams we want can come true. in life. See you soon.
A hug.
And finally … HERE THEY ARE, my beautiful tickets for the concert in the Arena have arrived today.
Well, after all this good news, I want to finish with the words of my friend Luce Blu, after she saw Il Volo on DOMENICA IN.
See you soon: Daniela 🤗
The evening comes with such a sweet and serene rhythm, the perfect moment to stop and think for a while, and I’m thinking that as always it was a great pleasure to see and listen to you … as well as indisputable and extraordinary talents, you are beautiful thoughts and hearts.
Just a few minutes and we feel between clouds and stars thanks to our wonderful trio.
I started the translation of this radio interview with Gianluca, immediately after it happened, but then, the events with the postponement of the tour and the sale of tickets to Verona, I never finished the translation.
Now I have finally finished it, I’m sorry you had to wait a long time. This is an interview made by Radio Roma by the spouses “Perrollas”, Federico Perrotta and Valentina Olla.
Woman = The adrenaline has risen a little, we feel we are on an international stage, because detonating, was the news that we have hosted Gianluca Ginoble of Il Volo, who very courteously lent himself ……
Man = Yes, but make a fair presentation ….
Woman = I try …. Ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honor for us to be able to chat ….
Man = No, no this is not good, something more international is needed: “Cummare e cumpare (ladies and gentlemen in Abruzzo dialect) we are really pleased to have here, on Radio Roma International, Gianluca Ginoble, nu cumpare (meant as a friend, in Abruzzo dialect) from Abruzzo”.
And here he is, hello Gianluca !!
GIAN = Good morning, good morning everyone. I see you speak Abruzzo, we have this thing in common (Federico is from Abruzzo).
Man = Sure, indeed In your honor, I put on a shirt, let’s see if we can frame it, can you read? Look here.
GIAN = So … wait, wait, I can’t see it, wait for the shot …. SUN CAP REAL (laughter…the inscription could be translated about so “I am a real goat” in the sense of blockhead, one who understands little. It is a shirt that students wear when there are 100 days to go to the final exams and they go to S. Gabriel to make gatherings of students where they pray and have propitious parties for the exam.)
Read in this way, it looks like an English word, but NO.
Man = Exactly but this t-shirt is based on fake English, which instead means something else for us.
Were there the 100 days of St. Gabriel for you too, the 100 days before the exam?
GIAN = No, I kept it out. But in S. Gabriele (it is a place with a sanctuary) I went there with my grandfather. Every now and then we go there, take a day in the mountains and then we stop to eat there. I am very attached to my grandfather, so we go together every now and then.
Man = Meanwhile, social networks are going crazy, there are greetings from Argentina, France. There are those from Argentina who are unleashed.
Woman= There is a very young 91 year old fan of yours
Man = A groupie
Woman= 91 years old, Mrs. Lia loves you with all of herself, a very young fan of yours.
GIAN = I greet you, but I also greet another die-hard fan who is Grandma Maura, that’s what I call her, and I greet her, since she is in Rome and is listening and watching me right now.
Man = How nice !! Meanwhile, I wanted to thank your dad, Ercole, who acted as a hook for this live phone call.
Listen, let’s talk about lightness, we are both actors and live artists, is there something you miss, with contact with people?
GIAN = It is our life, that of being in contact with the audience, that of transmitting emotions, and also our audience, in a certain sense it helps us to bring out better what we feel inside and then it is clear we can play or singing at home too, but it’s certainly not the same thing, it’s not like looking people in the face, but we’ll be back soon. I would like to say that we are preparing a concert at the Verona Arena, on June 5th, and it will go live on RAI 1 and will be a tribute to Maestro Morricone. It is a new project, the CD will be released soon and then we will leave for the tour in 2022, we hope, bringing the great melodies of the master.
Woman = Listen, international stages, you have lived them from an early age, the big stages have seen you grow and mature. In the meantime, congratulations for being able to support all this, it is not easy, it is not easy to do it in a group, and we are truly honored by the talent you have and the prestige you bring to Italianness.
We would like to know if you have any anecdotes to share, funny, something that happens behind the scenes, we are crazy about these things.
GIAN = The incredible thing, when we went around the world, from Los Angeles to New York, I come from Montepagano, from Roseto degli Abruzzi, I didn’t speak English and neither did my colleagues, so you can imagine that to be able to have the hair dryer, we said “Phon” and rightly at the reception they gave us the phone, then with our hands we made the gesture of combing and they gave us the comb, and then we blew them on the hair to make them understand !!!
Man = Surely it was also difficult to be understood on tour, by the technicians who spoke another language, at the beginning anything will have happened.
GIAN = Yes, but these are the things that give you the strength to improve, because you can’t always make yourself understood with gestures, you have to learn the language, otherwise it’s hard !!
Woman= Can I ask you if you have been aware of success from the start?
GIAN = Let’s say that little by little you realize that what was initially a game becomes your life, but the memory of when I was a child must remain, because it is what gives you the strength to be truly yourself, without success you change, in fact it doesn’t have to be that something that changes you, and if you can keep the enthusiasm of the child, it makes a difference and people notice it, when you are on stage, when you talk to someone, this is the most important thing, never lose that authenticity, which somehow makes you unique.
I’m talking about the whole group, of course. It is a way to always be yourself.
Man = It’s an important thing, because, as you say, the audience feels it. There are some questions, someone writes to ask Gianluca how he can bear all the tension in cheering on Roma (football team).
GIAN = Look, I have to be honest, since Totti (captain of the team) left, I am no longer able to follow Roma as before.
Man = Have you seen the TV series about Totti?
GIAN = Yes of course, I saw him with my father. Since Totti left, I can no longer have that passion, I follow football, but it was he (Totti) who tied me to the team, more than anything else, by the way I greet him, maybe he is listening to the radio.
Woman= What a sincere statement of admiration ….
GIAN = Of love …
Woman= Yes, of love, even if in my opinion, there is an undisputed queen, Ilary (wife of Totti), a great woman.
GIAN = Of course, they are a beautiful couple.
Man = Beyond the declarations of love, we are flooded with declarations of love for you, and seeing you so beautiful, in the early morning, I love you too, (laughter), I too make this declaration to you.
Woman= Yes, because here in chat they arrive: I love you, I dedicate my life to you, I greet you, it seems they are for us , but they are all for you.
Man = We went to a concert in Civitella di Chieti, we were between 8000-9000 people that evening and there was a beautiful dedication to your family and your land, which is always present in your stories, Abruzzo and then the grandfather, if I’m not mistaken, with whom you have a special relationship.
GIAN = I am proud to be Abruzzese, I love my land, by the way my two colleagues always make fun of me, because wherever we go, I always put Abruzzo in the foreground, and they tell me, but the region (Abruzzo) pays you?? We are strong and kind (the people of Abruzzo) there is nothing to do. It is clear that I am very attached to my roots, to Montepagano, Roseto, the sea, my family, especially my grandfather. Grandfather is the love of my life, grandfather Ernesto is my great inspiration.
Woman = I want to ask: to go up on such prestigious stages, with Barbra Streisand, was there any time when your legs trembled?
GIAN = These are sensations that help you express your best, without those, you can’t give your all on a stage. Even when your voice trembles while you sing, it is that natural emotion that you feel.
Woman= It is wonderful to talk to you, your availability, your normality, denotes that if you are a great artist.
Man = Is it because we are people of the country, do you want to understand it?
Woman= He carries on the theory of Abruzzo, you are great because you are Abruzzese, my husband is really terrible.
Man = I want to know something, when you get angry, because things are not going well, do you shout in English, in Italian or in your mother tongue?
GIAN = (He speaks in Abruzzo) What are you saying? In Abruzzese, when you get angry you speak in Abruzzo tongue.
Getting angry in English makes no sense. (laughs)
Man = It doesn’t even have the same strength.
GIAN = No, no.
Man = Well, we are very happy and to thank you for your availability towards us, I read the greetings from “I am Carmen and I write from Spain”.
Woman = It must be said that the affection of fans from all over the world has arrived. They can’t wait to see you live again, I think the part of contact with the fans during a concert, is missing a lot, but on June 5th it starts again.
Man = Back on stage at the Arena with a concert which will then be live on RAI1.
Well, Gianluca, what to say a greeting from everyone, it was a great pleasure, a very strong hug and we hope to see you soon.
GIAN = I hope to see you soon, maybe …. let’s eat two rustelli (he says it in Abruzzo, it’s about roast meat)
Man = But the good ones, the ones on the coals.
GIAN = Well done, well done.
Woman = Thanks Gianluca, and happy Sunday.
GIAN = Goodbye !!
Gianluca, always available, on May 19th, also made another connection with the fifth grade classes of Cologna Spiaggia (town of Abruzzo). Here’s what the school’s Press Office published after the connection with Gianluca.
“Never stop believing in your dreams, pursue your goals with commitment and everything will be possible” 🤩
This morning a really exciting interview: GIANLUCA GINOBLE Il Volo meets the pupils of the fifth class of Cologna Spiaggia. When a dream comes true …
It was an exciting meeting, GIANLUCA in his naturalness told about himself and, aware of being a model for the boys, he sent them important messages based on values such as love for grandparents, the care of true friendship, pleasure. of reading, the tenacity and determination in achieving one’s dreams.
A heartfelt thanks from the students and teachers of the fifth class of Cologna Spiaggia! ❤️❤️❤️
Bravo Gianluca for these beautiful messages given to children, who in this period of pandemic have really had to endure restrictions and prohibitions.
Meanwhile, the Paris concert has also been canceled.
There is news on other concerts but honestly it is nothing official.
Here is the newspaper article that I translate for you.
The entourage of the trio of most famous tenors in the world has announced the new dates of the concerts of the Best of Tour of “Il Volo”, initially postponed from 2020 to 2021: the new calendar is being updated, but the live shows are already scheduled. Germany, Croatia, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania. The concert in Opatija (Opatija) which was to be organized on July 1st 2020 will take place on July 4, 2021. The hope is that the health situation is such as to guarantee a show in the name of normality, including tourists.
Lovers of opera, Neapolitan music and cross over with Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble will have the opportunity to spend a memorable evening at the Open Air Abbaziano. The flight will later perform at the Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland on July 10th – tickets are already available online. Finally, the Best of Tour, which originally was to pass through Bulgaria and Romania in July 2020, will now touch Plovdiv on 6 July 2021 and Bucharest on 8 July, again this year.
Now I want to cheer you up a little with this beautiful clip of Gianluca singing in the car, together with his friend Giuseppe Di Stefano.
And finally, enjoy this nice video on the Il Volo alphabet !!
There is one last piece of news, Sunday 30 May, Il Volo will be the guest of the television broadcast DOMENICA IN, where they will advertise the Verona event and on 2 June, for us a national holiday, Festa della Repubblica, they will sing the national anthem, from Verona.
That’s all for now.
I can’t believe that in a week I’ll be in Verona and I’ll be able to see our young men live again.
I will also see some dear friends again.
Hope the staff will let us film.
I cannot wait.
I think you all know that Italy won Eurovision 2021. I’m happy with that, but hard rock is certainly not my genre, but all music is beautiful and must be respected. Il Volo also nicely sent its “good luck” to the Maneskin in the race.
Things here in Italy continue to improve, we hope to continue like this. I too had my first vaccine.
Let me tell you about the day I fell in Love. Not with one guy but with three. I turned on my TV and there they were three handsome teenagers stepping on the stage at the Detroit Opera House. I had seen them before on American Idol and Good Morning America but, on this day, I would lose my heart to them.
Every note they sang went straight to my heart! Just amazing! Ever song they sang was wonderful but when they sang El Reloj something happened to me! I knew no other group would ever take their place in my life or my heart. They totally reached me with that song! For me I wanted the CLOCK to stop at that moment in time!
Why this song? They sing so many beautiful songs. What was it that captured me that night? It wasn’t so much about the song as it was about the voices. It was how natural the delivery was. Teenagers with such maturity! Such strength in their voices. Voices that flowed through the air! It was the simplicity of this song and how they delivered it that captured me.
Their voices form a symphony. Gianluca’s voice vibrates and expands to realms I’ve never heard before. Ignazio’s voice makes your heart stop as you journey along his notes that lead to absolute ecstasy. Piero’s voice fills all your sense and brings you to such heights that you have to stop and breathe.
If you want to present a voice, in this case three voices, this is the way you do it. They were together such a short period of time and yet they were perfect! And it went beyond the voices. It was their personalities, their presentation, their interaction with the audience. They were young but they had it all. They won the people with their voices but, they totally captured them with their charm and personality.
A few months ago, I wrote a story “On the Road to PBS” about how the guys got to where they were. So, I’m going to revisit some of that story so you can see how they came to the PBS stage.
Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca grew up on PBS. From their first concert on October 27, 2011 at the Detroit Opera House, they won the admiration of the American people and stole their hearts. They have done six concerts with PBS over the past 10 years. And now for their 10th Anniversary, PBS will televise the Tribute to Ennio Morricone in America! Great news for America especially since we not only love our guys but also love the music of Morricone. A marriage made in heaven.
When they began, they introduced America to a new style of music. Operatic pop! A very different kind of music for teenagers. Their aim was to show young people how good this music is. They won over the children, parents and grandparents. They were an immediate sensation. America fell in love with them. But where did it all begin for them. Let’s listen to what the guys had to say about how they were discovered.
Piero will take us back to his grandfather, Pietro Ognibene’s, back yard where he is swinging on a swing that hung from a mulberry tree. His grandfather was sitting on the veranda, as he usually did, at this time of day. His grandfather has been blind for many years and so he always had a tape recorder with him which he used to record music and poetry. Piero’s grandfather is also a singer. On this day he was recording a little Sicilian song which Piero said his grandfather wrote. So, let’s listen to what Piero had to say…
“I was swinging on the swing, I was about four or five years old, I was really, very small. I listened to him a little and at a certain point, when he stopped singing, I started: E lu suli, talia, talia, talia. Sopra ‘sta pedra luci ci duna. What can I tell you? It just came out like that.”
His grandfather turned off the recorder and called his wife. Rina came out on the terrace and he asked her, “Unni è Piero?” (Where is Piero?)
She replied, “In Altalena” (He is on the swing)
Pietro asked, “Ma cu cantava? Iddu?” (But who was singing? He?)
She replied, “Eh, si.” (yes)
He told Rina to call him.
So, Piero got up and went to his grandfather. Pietro lifted him up and put him on the table next to the recorder and told him to “sing the song again.” Piero sang the song exactly as his grandfather sang it. And so it begins….
Ignazio’s discovery would come about because of Nina’s pianola.
Ignazio remembers, “When I was three or four years old – I played with the piano my parents had given my sister, Nina. My mother says I was one years old when I played. Nina taught me to play Happy Birthday with one finger.”
Nina’s famous pianola gave Ignazio an passion for music.
Ignazio continues, “I do not remember the first day of school, but I certainly did not take long to get noticed. If you’re thinking of scenes of me being put in the middle of the class to sing, forget it. I had a passion for music but, I had an even greater passion for pranks. I tell you, since I started talking and walking, mine was an escalation of agitation.”
But as Ignazio explains, this agitation passed and the most important event in his life began to take shape…
“With the passage of time, I found something good to do at school, that is, an activity that was able to hold my interest enough to prevent me from slipping into some disaster. I joined the school choir. I always liked to sing, to be ‘in the middle’ of the music. And more and more passionately I began to understand how to make better use of Nina’s famous pianola. I learned how to start the musical bases and flip through them. And that’s when I discovered La Donna È Mobile. I liked it so much that I sang with the base and invented words. I don’t remember the words but, it certainly was a song about Pavarotti. Having seen Pavarotti on TV, I knew he always had a big handkerchief so I would invent text and sing on the air La Donna È Mobile.”
It seems at three years old Ignazio was already composing wonderful music!
Gianluca tells us that his life was different from Ignazio but, in many ways like Piero’s.
“My life as a child seems so far away. I remember very little of my childhood! I’m not like Ignazio I was born and raised in Montepagano. I was traveling only with dreams. What made me dream? Music naturally. Dad and mom realized that I had something special in my voice when I started to sing at the age of three or four years.
My parents tell me when I was three years old, I sang ’O Sole Mio in the town square in front of all the elderly gentlemen friends of my grandfather who, sitting around the bar table, were listening to this little boy with such a particular voice.”
Each boy has now been set on the road to PBS so where did they go from here?
Over the years, each boy approached his musical education in a different way.
After his discovery in the garden, Piero embarked on a classical music education. He began piano lessons at the age of 8. At 10 years old he joined the Little Singers of the Philharmonic Association – Santa Cecilia of Agrigento. And then he began the competitions around Sicily.
In Marsala, Ignazio sang with his first singing teacher Lilliana Andreanò. He continued his singing lessons moving on to other teachers as he progressed. He took three years of piano lessons. He also participated in competitions around Sicily. Even after moving on to other teachers, Ignazio continued his relationship with Lilliana Andreanò. She advised him every step of the way right up to his audition at Ti Lascio Una Canzone which she convinced him to do.
Gianluca, unlike Piero and Ignazio, never had a singing lesson or piano lesson. He joined the Piccolo Choir of Roses. At one of their events, he was discovered.
As you know they came in first, second and third on Ti Lascio una Canzone. But their biggest win was becoming Il Volo.
After American Idol, they did many shows but the one show that really set them “in flight” in America, was the PBS special “Il Volo Takes Flight.”
Click photo below to view the LAaRT interview.
Their concert was shown on PBS stations across the US and Canada.
After they performed on PBS, things really started moving. They were now bringing their bel canto around the world. One of the most memorable moments of their lives was touring with Barbara Streisand.
After seeing the guys on the PBS special, Barbra Streisand invited them to join the “Back to Brooklyn” tour. They were an integral part of the tour. They performed with Barbara Streisand in 12 of her shows in the United States and Canada.
Their first ever live album titled “Il Volo Takes Flight” was released in 2012.
The hit “Il Volo” rose to first and second place in the Billboard Classical Crossover charts.
In 2013, ”Más Que Amor” was certified “Gold” in Mexico and Argentina and, this catapulted the guys into the Latin market. From that day on they took the Latin market by storm.
In February 2014, they receive two nominations at the 2014 Latin Billboard Music Awards, as “Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year, Duo or Group” and “Latin Pop Albums Artist of the Year, Duo or Group.” At the awards show they were awarded as ”Best Group of the Year in the Latin Pop Album” category and they also won the “El Pulso Social Award,” as the artist who dominated interactions on social networking sites during the Billboard Awards. This is unheard of! Three Italian kids taking over the Latin market! What a win!
But for the guys, the close of 2014 was the highlight of it all!
The Christmas Concert at the Italian Senate on December 21, 2014 gave them new hope for their presence in Italy. Ignazio wrote in their book: “We want to talk about the thrill of singing in front of the highest offices of state! What twenty year old boy has something like that happen to him? It happened to us, and it seems to me a beautiful result, an honor. You cannot imagine the emotional feeling to be called ‘guests of honor’ inside the Senate. We were accompanied by the, fantastic, Filarmonia Orchestra Veneta conducted by Diego Basso. Half the beauty of the song is in the orchestra.
The most exciting moments? Every one! But the hymn of Mameli was the heart-pounding one, the first song, singing in that place, with everyone singing along with us, includingGiorgio Napolitano, (President) andPietro Grasso (President of the Senate). It is one thing that I cannot explain.
And then, of course, the pleasure of shaking hands with the President of the Republic and of feeling that he knows Marsala, he has been there.”
What a way to close out 2014 but, what would happen in 2015 would set them on a new path, one which they hoped for from day one.
Next week we follow the guys as they make a big decision which will determine their future! This is a journey that will lead them back home. We follow the guys along a very bumpy path with many twists and turns that lead Through the Fields of My Mind….
Last week I received and email from Sharon Bear in Detroit. Sharon wrote:
I had received a clip of Il Volo from a 90+ year old man in Marco Island. A dear friend. That promotional clip was maddening in that I could not play it enough – dancing with my Rottweiler who was deaf but learned to feel the music, his front paws bouncing up and down as I held them up and danced. He enjoyed my playing the song. Same song. Oh about 1000 times more or less.
It became part of my being. (The song. The guys’ voices. The air is different when you listen). I wondered where they were going to perform. Then it hit me – hey! Detroit is a major music market! Duh! “Maybe” they’ll perform here!!! Clicked a few links and voila!!! They were coming to the Fox Theater for a concert in a couple weeks. “Donation” to PBS was $40 for a ticket. I ordered my ticket as quickly as I could dial the phone.
At that concert it finished. The Capture of me. I’d try to explain it but why try. You know what I’m talking about so no need to “Preach to the choir”.
Then at the end of that concert they announced that in 10 days the guys are coming back to film a DVD at the Opera House. You can buy a seat in the audience for $40. They would pass out seats in the order the calls came in for tickets. Oooookkaayyyy. How should I time my call? Not too early to be staring straight up at the lights and not too late and be sitting in the rafters. I called an hour or two after it opened. Not everyone is going to know these guys so, seats won’t be sold out too early I figured. I was right. And it was a God-thing as we say. My seat was right on the end of the third row, front and center. It was the families first row. Music producers, labels, financiers’, directors second row. Then me! Third row!! Yessss.
I woozy with the thrill of these voices. Their boyishness yet adult focus and performance. I’ll remember this forever I realized. Then came The Song – the song everyone knows, ‘O Sole Mio. People applauded, yelled when they recognized it. In mid-song Piero and Ignazio entered the audience from side doors singing their solos. Women young and old reached to touch them as they passed in the aisles singing.
Piero walked directly toward my row, casually stopped beside me, reached down and took my hand. Huh??? What? Is this real? I’m having a serenade of this song by Piero??? Yes. It is true. And, sadly, to say all the muscle memory in my arms and hands reverted back to those 1003 times I had taken my Rottweiler’s paws and bounced up and down with him to the beat of the song. Yes. Like a muscular stuck in a rut moment, I started to bounce Piero’s hand up and down as he sang. But I did “get a grip” and cherished the happening. Sometimes looking back at the video, I want to yell at myself – “that’s not the dog! It’s not dancing with the dog! It’s the ‘real Piero’ singing it! Ok. Whew. You quickly realized it was real and enjoyed it.” Too funny. How we can react when amazed and shocked. The brief goofiness didn’t count. The stirring reality of being part of this Birth of these guys coming into the world as a force of goodness, music and unity which will change lives and enrich in ways beyond music That evening was a thrilling episode in life I always will hold close – and now I’ll remember it’s Piero’s hands and how the world felt being serenaded that incredible memory.
What makes this letter so absolutely wonderful is I found the video to go with it! Enjoy!
Over the last seven months I’ve been writing about the lives of Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca from the day they were born to the present day. As I wrote each story, there were certain highlights in some stories that I thought should be put aside and revisited in another article. These were, what I consider, Moments to Remember.
If I asked you “What would you consider to be a memorable moment in the career of Il Volo?” I’m sure you could come up with at least 10 if not 50 moments. So, I needed to take these moments and decide what I thought were the most memorable and I actually got it down to 13 memorable events.
So where do we begin? Well you might say the night the three won first, second and third place (Gianluca, Ignazio, Piero) of Ti Lascio Una Canzone. Yes, that certainly was a memorable moment but, I think there was a moment before then that was more memorable. Gianluca points to that moment, “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.” Of course, Gianluca was referring to the night they sang together for the first time on Ti Lascio Una Canzone. So, let’s begin there!
Ti Lascio Una Canzone, Night 4 and Michele Torpedine – I have to put these two together because one wouldn’t happen without the other!
It is the fourth episode of Ti Lascio Una Canzone and the boys are given the music for “O Sole Mio.” They walked out on the stage, sang “O Sole Mio” and walked off stars!
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.”
The rest is history!
“We Are The World for Haiti” – In 2010 shortly after arriving in America, the guys were invited by Quincy Jones to join “We Are The World for Haiti,” together with 80 international artists such as Celine Dion, Bono, Lady Gaga, Carlos Santana, Barbra Streisand, Enrique Iglesias, Usher, Natalie Cole. Il Volo were the only Italian artists to be invited. The three voices from the background caused such a sensation. “Who was that?” Everyone present couldn’t believe what they were hearing but, “Who were they?” Soon they would find out!
Barbara Streisand’s Back to Brooklyn Tour – In 2012 Barbra Streisand invited the guys to be an integral part of her “Back to Brooklyn” tour. They performed with her in America and Canada. They were not an opening act, no, they shared the stage with Barbara. To the guys this was a dream come true!
2014 Latin Billboard Music Awards– In 2013, “Más Que Amor” was certified “Gold” in Mexico and Argentina. And this catapulted the guys into the Latin market. From that day on they took the Latin market by storm. In February 2014, they receive two nominations at the 2014 Latin Billboard Music Awards, as “Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year, Duo or Group” and “Latin Pop Albums Artist of the Year, Duo or Group.” At the awards show they were awarded as “Best Group of the Year in the Latin Pop Album” category and they also won the “El Pulso Social Award,” as the artist who dominated interactions on social networking sites during the Billboard Awards. This is unheard of! Three Italian kids taking over the Latin market! What a win!
The Christmas Concert at the Italian Senate, December 21, 2014. Ignazio wrote in their book: “We want to talk about the thrill of singing in front of the highest offices of state! What twenty-year-old boy has something like that happen? It happened to us, and it seems to me a beautiful result, an honor. You cannot imagine the emotional feeling to be called “guests of honor” inside the Senate. We were accompanied by the, fantastic, Filarmonia Orchestra Veneta conducted by Diego Basso. Half the beauty of the song is in the orchestra.
The most exciting moments? Everyone! But the hymn of Mameli was the heart-pounding one, the first song, singing in that place, with everyone singing along with us, including Giorgio Napolitano, (President) and Pietro Grasso (President of the Senate). It is one thing that I cannot explain.
And then, of course, the pleasure of shaking hands with the President of the Republic and of feeling that he knows Marsala, he has been there.
Sanremo Music Festival 2015– On February 14, 2015, the guys participated in and won the Sanremo Music Festival with “Grande Amore.” This is the top award in the Music Industry in Italy. With this win the guys really came home. They were finally recognized by the Italian people. This win also gave them the opportunity to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015.
Eurovision 2015– As Italy is a member of the Big Five, Il Volo went straight into the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which was held in Vienna on May 23, 2015. Grande Amore came in 3rd with 292 points but, they won the televote with 366 points and won the Marcel Bezencon Press Award, as best song according to the collective voting of the accredited press. The extended play Sanremo Grande Amore was released in Italy on February 20, 2015 and it was certified triple platinum by FIMI. At the Latin Billboard Awards, they dominated the social networking sites and now, they win the televote and the best song according to collective voting by the accredited press. The people speak!
Ignazio’s Accident in Tampa March 7, 2016– While they were singing in concert in Tampa, Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca brought 3 children on to the stage. The stage was narrow and, Ignazio picked up a child and carried him in his arms to take him to the center of the stage. There were electric cables on the ground and Ignazio tried to avoid them, but he tripped, and fell on the stage with the baby in his arms. To defend the child, who in addition to the fall would also have Ignazio on top of him, Ignazio twisted his body, so that his shoulder hit the ground and the child was protected. The two of them immediately got up and Ignazio finished the song.
When Ignazio began the next song, it was clear he had a problem with his arm but, he managed to finish the concert. He did not stay for the final greetings instead Barbara immediately took him to the hospital. At the next concert he had a splint on his arm and for the next two concert his arm remained in the splint. It was also recommended that he rest. Fabio Ingrassia, Ignazio’s dear friend, was in Miami, and he immediately came to help Ignazio. Ignazio was disheartened by the experience and Fabio remained with him to help him through it. Fabio made a nice drawing to dedicate to the fans with two hands that clasped. What a Friend!!!
Piazza Santa Croce in Florence, July 1, 2016 “Notte Magica”– 2016-2017 were the years dedicated to the “Notte Magica” project, the tribute to the 1990 event where the Three Tenors, Josè Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, enchanted the whole world from the stage of the Baths of Caracalla. On July 1st in Piazza Santa Croce in Florence Il Volo presented on stage “Notte Magica – A Tribute to the Three Tenors,” which was broadcast in prime time on Canale 5. The guys were joined by Placido Domingo who conducted the orchestra. This marks the beginning of the world tour of “Notte Magica – A Tribute to The Three Tenors” which debuted on March 4, 2017 at the Radio City Music Hall in New York. The show was sold out. After 15 stops in the United States, all sold out, the tour is extended to Europe from May 5, 2017 for 29 performances and from September it extended to Latin America. The concert “Notte Magica – Tribute to the Three Tenors” was filmed and broadcast in the United States by the national television network PBS, and in Italy by Canale 5 and, starting in June, it was broadcast in over 500 cinemas in Italy and around the world.
Ignazio Conducts the Asti Symphony Orchestra while the guys sing with Marcello Rota Jul 5, 2017 – During the rehearsals of the last date of the Notte Magica Tour in Naples, Ignazio steps in as conductor of the Symphonic Orchestra of Asti while Maestro Marcello Rota sings Ignazio’s tenor part! They sang “Libiam ne lieti calici.” Ignazio had everyone in awe of his performance as a conductor. The guys enjoyed singing with Marcello who usually conducts for their Concerts. Gianluca enjoyed it so much that he hugged Marcella in the middle of the song! All good sports! They all had lots of fun! A unique performance!
Mexico Earthquake September 8, 2017– On Thursday evening September 8th, at 11:49 PM Mexico City time, (in Italy it was 6.49 on Friday) an earthquake of 8.2 on the Richter scale sowed panic in the country. The earthquake, defined by Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto as “the strongest since 1932”, had its epicenter off the south west coast of Mexico, but its strength reached the capital where the guys had just finished their concert at the Theater Metropolitan. Gianluca gave Facebook a short message shortly after the earthquake: “Thank you all for the messages, we are fine despite the strong shock that hit Mexico a little while ago.” Read the full story here!
World Youth Day Jan 27, 2019– If you ask the guys after winning Sanremo, which truly brought them home, “What was your greatest performance,” they would probably answer, there were two. Singing for the Holy Father at World Youth Day was one of the most amazing events in their life!
Por Una Cabeza, Il Volo at Luna Park Buenos Aires October 30, 2019– So I will end by going back to the beginning. This last moment tells me how far the guys have come and how the strangers became 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 their smiles, their faces are lit up in joy and their embrace says it all! They are brothers who love one another! This is truly a Moment to Remember!
Credit to owners of photo and videos.
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
