And the time for the Mantua concerts has arrived!!
I had tickets for Saturday, May 10, for me, my husband and my daughter-in-law’s mother, and now here I am to tell you what I saw and heard.
As you know, the concerts scheduled in Mantua in the Exedra of the beautiful Palazzo Te were 3 and exactly on May 8 – 10 – 11. I had tickets for the 10th and I was hoping for optimal weather because the week before the concerts had not been nice at all, in fact the first concert, on day 8, took place in the rain …..
This video released by our guys that day is very fun….
PIERO= Come on guys, we can do it even in the rain.
IGNAZIO= (he confirms with a gesture)
PIERO= Two drops won’t stop us.🥰
GIANLUCA= Not even the rain will stop us. 🥰
But now let’s get to the concert I attended on May 11th.
LOCATION= The Exedra of Palazzo Te looked very good, 4,000 seats and a large stage right in the conclusion of the garden and behind the stage the arches that close Exedra.
Everything was very beautiful but the Verona Arena is definitely a bigger sight, a different impact!
A large classical orchestra, with the addition of electric guitars and drums and a large choir accompany the music conducted by Maestro Rota.
The inevitable Maestro Grani on the piano!
Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero, elegant in dark suits.
Two large side screens to better see the protagonists of the evening.
A beautiful scenography flowed between the various mural arches of the end garden of Palazzo Te.
A scenography itself had also been obtained from the beautiful mural paintings of the rooms of Palazzo Te.
Every now and then on the big screen behind the singers a large time clock appears that stops on the year of the chosen song’s release.
CONCERT BEGINNING= Spectacular!!! For the opening song THE FINAL COUNTDOWN by Europe was used, a really powerful way to start, with the use of lights and a scathing rock singing, really beautiful!
I didn’t make videos because I knew that there would be a TV broadcast soon and then there were many fans in better positions than me so the videos I use here are not mine.
A selection of beautiful songs, many and of every genre. It ranges from classical opera to pop and rock. Piero Ignazio and Gianluca can interpret any genre, they are chameleons of music!!
The titles of the songs chosen are mainly for an Italian audience, I remember in fact that they will be broadcast on Canale 5 and therefore the Italian singer-songwriters have been valorized and the guests are predominantly Italian.
Naturally, all the hits from Il Volo’s musical repertoire were sung during the three evenings.
I didn’t write the list of songs, but I have to tell you that I really appreciated the memory of Raffaella Carrà.
The medley of Domenico Modugno (Volare author) songs proposed by Gianluca is very beautiful, Gianluca’s interpretations take your heart.
By the way, a detail that you won’t see on TV, when Gianluca started singing the first song: Amara Terra Mia, shortly after the beginning Gianluca stopped the song apologizing to the audience and also to the orchestra because he said he couldn’t hear his voice in the in-ear headphones and so he had the beginning repeated.
The opera aria from TROVATORE is very beautiful and much appreciated: Di Quella Pira L’orrendo Foco , sung by Piero.
Spectacular Ignazio in the interpretation of a Queen song: I Want It All.
But then there were beautiful duets between our guys and also with the guests of the evening including Giorgia, Marco Masini, Noemi, Venditti, Mario Biondi etc.
The evening was co-hosted with the good showgirl Lorella Cuccarini, elegant and nice (she is 60 years old) with whom there was also a brief but nice memory of Blues Brothers and of Grease.
The comic moments were entrusted to Enrico Brignano, who in a short moment went on stage dressed as CAESAR and then introduced the song Nelle Tue Mani from The Gladiator.
In a second, much longer moment, we all laughed with Brignano dressed as Garibaldi and our boys who played three Garibaldians who every time they heard the name “flag” in the speech waved and sang a song dedicated to the flag, truly a hilarious moment!
Another hilarious moment was when the photo of our guys in 80’s style appeared, ah ah ah!!
A very beautiful and really sweet moment was when Ignazio, before presenting his solo ISN’T SHE LOVELY by Stevie Wonder, read a short letter dedicated to Gabriele, what sweet words from the future father, Ignazio.
IGNAZIO= This year I’m going to be a dad. Now I’m going to read a letter, who knows if I’ll be able to finish it and it’s also short.
It says:
My dear son….. (he is excited and fans himself with the paper – applause)
……I don’t know what it will be like to receive the most precious gift that life will give me.
I don’t know what it will be like when I’m too far away to wake you up in the morning and tell you that I LOVE YOU.
I don’t know what it will be like when you take my hand and with your sweet eyes and your sweet voice you call me Dad!! ❤️
(applause – the duet with Alessandra Amoroso begins)
The most touching moment was when they sang Hallelujah dedicating it to Barbara Vitali who passed away a year ago.
The concert lasted 3½ hours and the voices of our Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio were always spectacular, sweet in the tender moments, but strong in the moments of power, always attentive in the duets with the guests so as not to contrast or overshadow the performers, in short always delightful!!
I don’t want to reveal too much about the concert because you will see it from the Canale 5 video.
In the meantime, it has been announced that the first concert will be broadcast on May 19, followed by May 26 and June 2.
However, in the moments preceding the concert, when you understand that you are there and the wait is over, the emotion is sky-high, because you know that you will witness something well done and well performed and then there is also the meeting with the fans that perhaps you only know through the connection with Flight Crew, a meeting between people of different ages, languages, nations but all united by a single love, that for music, or rather, beautiful music!!
And that’s how the Mantua concert was the meeting place for Kristen and her husband Steen from Denmark. ❤️❤️
Jolanta from Poland ❤️
and INA from Germany ❤️
I am very happy to have had the opportunity to meet all of you in person!! 🥰
And now a series of my photos of the concert:
Mantua warmly welcomed Il Volo who was staying right in the historic center of Mantua.
Here are some videos showing the fans waiting for Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca outside their hotel.
Expect three great concerts, there will be a lot to see and hear and we will talk about it in detail.
The concerts in the Italian sports halls are going great!!
Great response and success with the public, people love Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero!!
Very nice newspaper articles that write praise because Il Volo is entertaining and exciting with a show with beautiful and well sung songs.
Fantastic plays of light on large screens, a good orchestra and then them ….. skilled entertainers and their wonderful voices!!
In short, so far so good and another four concerts have been performed, but as always let’s go in order:
January 13: TREVISO
The concert was at the Palaverde di Villorba.
PER ASPERA – CHIARO DI LUNA – OPERA The fantastic star of the concert. 🤩
MISERERE
WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER
MUSICA CHE RESTA – with the people
This was posted by the MUNICIPALITY OF VILLORBA:
🎵 Yesterday evening, shortly before the start of the concert at the Palaverde, Francesco Soligo, Mayor of Villorba, met the young members of the “Il Volo” trio behind the scenes. The mayor gave them the volume “Venetian Villas. Art and memories in Villorba” which tells the history and artistic beauties of the 18 Venetian villas present in the municipal area. A gift much appreciated by the kids who wanted to thank the entire community of Villorba for the amazing welcome they received on the occasion of this extraordinary event.✨
💛💙 Heartfelt thanks to Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble who put on a show in a packed Palaverde full of energy and enthusiasm. 💪
Some photos of the evening:
January 15: FLORENCE
The concert was at the MANDELA FORUM.
UN AMORE COSÌ GRANDE
PER TE CI SARÒ – VICINISSIMO – (among people)MUSICA CHE RESTA
Gianluca during Musica Che Resta met his friend Eraldo
FRAMMENTI DI UNIVERSO
GRANDE AMORE
NELLE TUE MANI
During the Meet & Greet, Piero asks people where he is from and a lady replies that she is from Azerbaijan.
CAPOLAVORO
January 17: BOLOGNA
The concert is in the Unipol Arena.
Naturally this is a particularly awaited concert for Il Volo, because as you know, Bologna is the city where Ignazio, Piero, Torpedine live and where Barbara also lived.
during the afternoon rehearsals
short summary
TRA LE ONDE
SUCCEDE – the presentation is witty and I will translate it for you
PIERO= This song talks about things that only Ignazio can describe. (then Piero looks at Ignazio’s ring finger and sees the ring).
Ignazio, did you get dirty here?….Ah no, it’s the ring, I was wrong (laughter). 😂 There was a mark, I thought you got scratched.
GIANLUCA= This song talks about love and when we talk about love you have to sit down. (all three sit on the stools)
IGNAZIO= It’s a song that is part of the album, and like many songs on the album it talks about love, because it’s true that love is one of the most beautiful things that exist in the world. The beautiful thing is that it is a subjective feeling, everyone feels and feels love differently….
PIERO= Thank goodness.
IGNAZIO= Yes, thank goodness, and although love makes you experience extremely beautiful things, sensations that you have never experienced in your life, it can also make you suffer, that’s life.
The meaning is, that despite everything, even the most unlucky person like you (Piero), SUCCEDE (it happens). applause 😂
GIANLUCA= Sorry, there is a girl dressed in red, a really nice dress and she has a sign: “Piero, I’m not asking you to marry me, but only to take me running with you.” (laughter)
PIERO= Every Sunday morning….how?
IGNAZIO = (the girl answers something)…..on horseback? In what sense? Go slow, from going horse racing!! 😂 Then if you go with this dress….
GIANLUCA= This dress is very beautiful!!
PIERO= On Sunday morning you can find me there at the Margherita gardens.
GIANLUCA= I saw that there are people from all over the world, thanks!
IGNAZIO= Piero has many suitors.
PIERO= But what have I got to do with it, continue introducing the song….
IGNAZIO= I’ve already said it, that even though you’re unlucky: SUCCEDE (It happens) 😂
GIANLUCA= Let’s also dedicate it to you (to Ignazio) who recently got married. (applause)
IGNAZIO= Why me, sorry? Even my wife! ❤️
GIANLUCA= Also to your wife of course, who is here!🥰
IGNAZIO= (to Piero) Don’t worry anyway, don’t worry! (then turning to Gianluca) Don’t you know?
GIANLUCA = I don’t know….(these are the first words of the song!!)
ANGELS Gianluca
VICINISSIMO Piero embraces his family
SE TELEFONANDO
Certainly, the most exciting moment of the evening, the dedication to Barbara Vitali!! ❤️
On the large screens there are plays of light and this … these words appear:
GIANLUCA IGNAZIO PIERO TO BARBARA FOREVER WITH US.
Standing ovation from the audience.
UNIPOL ARENA published these words and these beautiful photos:
Last night Il Volo made Unipol Arena a true masterpiece 🎤💫
The voices of the three tenors, already extraordinary on their own, blend together in a perfect harmony that touches the soul. Accompanied by a majestic orchestra, they gave us a journey through their timeless songs and masterfully reinterpreted covers, capable of becoming new jewels.
For Aspera Ad Astra.
A friend of mine, Annalisa Valeriano was present at the concert and wrote these beautiful words:
“The concert in Bologna on Friday evening was fabulous and in my opinion it is the most beautiful concert I have seen by them!!! The beginning was breathtaking and it was the icing on the cake!!! The scenography was fantastic with lights and lasers! Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero were fantastic as always and they were beautiful, very elegant and very nice!!! Those 2 hours flew by, I screamed, I sang at the top of my lungs, I laughed, I got excited and I had shivers when they sang Hallelujah and when the dedication to Barbara appeared on the big screens.
Thank you for the emotions you have made me feel for almost 10 years!!! I am proud to be a Volover and I will always be!!! I don’t know when I will recover from this different concert from the others! I hope to see you again soon, but I know it will take a long time! PUPPIES, I LOVE YOU!!!”
Turin has been blessed by the great talent and professionalism of the most loved trio in the world: Il Volo.
Ignazio Boschetto, Gianluca Genoble and Piero Barone were able to excite the audience at the Inalpi Arena from the first note to the last.
A wonderful band with a professional orchestra masterfully accompanied our three Italian voices.
Great successes such as “Grande amore”, “Masterpiece”, “Tra le Onde” and great classics like “My Way” meant that the Arena became a single chorus in unison.
There was no shortage of jokes on stage (they have always joked and made fun of each other) regarding football, especially between Piero and Ignazio, one a Milan fan and the other a Juventus fan, on the same evening the two teams were also facing each other and therefore a fair enough teasing!
The moment in the audience was exciting when the 3 artists came down to sing among their fans who surrounded them with affection, selfies and hugs!
The latest album has been presented “Ad Astra” which is already their ninth studio work.
After leaving the house of music of the Inalpi Arena, Turin still sang in a tenor voice all the songs heard and experienced firsthand in memory of a concert that taught us that beautiful voices and Italian melody will never die!
Photos from the evening:
Truly so much pride and satisfaction with how the concerts in Italian sports halls are taking place, and finally it seems that even the newspapers are highlighting the success and skill of Il Volo!!!
I conclude this roundup of four concerts with a piece of news from a little while ago, Il Volo, before leaving for the tour abroad, will be present one evening in Sanremo, will duet with the singer Clara in the evening dedicated to the Covers!! So we’ll see them in Sanremo, really great news!! Il Volo will not be in the competition, he will perform a duet with Clara who is instead taking part in the competition.
I remind you that Clara sang a duet at the Verona Arena with Gianluca in May 2024.
I end with this beautiful interview done by Robert Bannon and which I don’t have to translate!!!
Good viewing.
And that’s all for now, but there will be more news and updates soon.
Barbara Vitali’s funeral took place on 15 July and on the same evening an interview with Il Volo was scheduled to be broadcast on television on theSKYTG24channel during theSTORIES program.
This interview was recorded right after returning from the tour in Japan and has only just been aired.
It’s a really nice interview conducted by Omar Schillaci, with very particular questions to which Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio responded as always with the utmost serenity, without hiding anything. You must activate the subtitles and if you don’t understand something just ask me, enjoy your viewing.
Since the YouTube video with subtitles is not visible to everyone, and since it is a nice interview, I will translate it for those who cannot see it.
SCHILLACI= Welcome to Il Volo, welcome to SKYTG24, welcome to STORIES. Gianluca, Piero, Ignazio, thanks for being here.
G+P+I= Thanks to you, hello.
SCHILLACI= This is a MASTERPIECE that you also brought to Sanremo, it is a single that anticipates the album which is the first album of unreleased AD ASTRA songs. Since we have to divide (the interview) everything by three, because usually here there is only one person in front of me….
GIANLUCA= Is this the first one-on-three interview you’ve done?
SCHILLACI= One against three is the very first, I tried one against two…
GIANLUCA= How did it go?
SCHILLACI= No, quite good, like with I SOLITI IDIOTI (it’s a comedian duo), ok, but the one against three is new, so let’s do this, let’s start with Gianluca.
GIANLUCA= Yes.
SCHILLACI= Album description.
GIANLUCA= We decided to build a repertoire of unreleased songs for the first time, because our repertoire is based 80% on the history of Italian tradition and beyond and is therefore based on covers, but we also have a lot to say, we have content, well, we are not just interpreters. So for the first time we wanted to show our great artistic and personal growth with this album and with CAPOLAVORO this new journey, this new musical adventure began.
SCHILLACI= Piero, how long, let’s say, have you been harboring this growth for a while?
PIERO= Over the years from 2015 onwards, it comes alone, it is a natural way of expressing one’s idea.
In this album we somehow expressed our three thoughts which are completely different, we always sing together but we are three different identities and this album is a bit of a summary of what we are today.
SCHILLACI= These three different identities, Ignazio, how do you make them go, so to speak, in unison, because then they are three identities which then have to give birth to one…..
IGNAZIO= After 15 years we are still working on it, but I think it is also normal.
SCHILLACI= But as in all couples…..
IGNAZIO= But then it is also a strong point, we must not see it as a negative point to have three different ideas and three different personalities, on the contrary, we have made it one of our strong points on stage, from the serious moment to the more playful one, jokingly, to that moment of total fooling around. So for us it is our strong point.
SCHILLACI= You are actually very young, but in this format (Stories) we start from the very beginning, that is, from the house.
Casa Ginoble, where are we, who is there? How is the house?
GIANLUCA= I was born in Atri, but I live in Montepagano Roseto degli Abruzzi in the province of Teramo.
SCHILLACI= OK
IGNAZIO= But is the name all that long?….
GIANLUCA= Yes, it’s all so long. And so let’s say that I have strong Abruzzo roots and I am very proud to be from Abruzzo, being between two Sicilians is not easy.
I have always lived in an environment, if I may say so, of purity, a very affectionate family, so I was loved a lot, there was a strong presence from my parents, my grandfather, my brother, so we are a very close family.
SCHILLACI= What kind of child were you?
GIANLUCA= So, I have always been a curious child and I have asked a thousand questions and I always continue to ask myself questions and create answers, a very restless child, I felt I had such a great mystery that to unhinge this thing I have inside I always need to cultivate doubt, knowledge and curiosity, which I believe is the main thing.
SCHILLACI= Instead, what was little Piero like at the Barone house? Where are we even?
PIERO= I was born in Naro, in a town in the province of Agrigento.
IGNAZIO= From one extreme to the other, with a book-length name in Naro…..
PIERO= My childhood could easily be described as a Tornatore film accompanied by Morricone’s melodies, in Sicily, these arid landscapes. I lived a wonderful childhood where I never lacked love from my family, an older brother, a younger sister. I have experienced my grandparents so much that they are the greatest privilege one can receive in life, it is a great luxury to experience grandparents and I believe that childhood taught me that problems are born to be solved and one must never be demoralized but be optimistic in this. I will always try, for the rest of my life, to bring this Sicilian character which I believe is a great strength.
SCHILLACI= Casa Boschetto, what kind of child were you at home?
IGNAZIO= Ok, so I grew up like the usual families who leave their land to seek their fortune. My parents are Sicilian, my sister was born in Sicily and then they moved to the north and then I was born in Bologna. As a child I experienced my mother’s illness, cancer, she had a tumor, so I grew up a lot with my sister because my father went to work, my mother was facing the illness, so I spent a lot of time with my sister and we they both grew up quickly. She acted as a mother to me a bit and I couldn’t be a naughty little child, so from an early age I had to grow up quickly.
I was a mess because I did something every step of the way….
PIERO= Why do you only speak in the past tense?…..
IGNAZIO= As a child, I’m saying, then comes the aftermath….I wasn’t bad, I was a disaster because I was lively and got up to all sorts of things. As a child, I remember, we went down to Sicily and got together with the family, because you know it was an event that relatives from the north who come to Sicily in the summer and we organized a dinner at my grandparents’ house and I was there in front of 40 people listening me who entertained them by telling jokes and stories, but I was little.
PIERO= Do you know what you’re reminding me of? One evening it was Christmas time, at my grandmother and my grandmother’s house, the whole family gathered. I arrived last, I was so happy to knock hard on the door, there was that ancient door with glass and I was such an idiot that to knock I punched the glass and my arm remained inside the glass and it broke all.
IGNAZIO= But did they at least hear you knocking?
SCHILLACI = Let’s hope they’ve opened! Let’s see another clip. (begins O Sole Mio)
IGNAZIO= Years have passed.
SCHILLACI= Exactly because here you are three children.
IGNAZIO = 15 years old, 16 years old you. (to Piero)
PIERO= Do you know why we wore those headphones around our neck? We didn’t know what we were doing, we did everything they told us to do. Those are the “beats” created by Jimmy Iovine. Jimmy Iovine was the head of Interscope Records Universal Music, the record company. In 2010 we signed this contract with Universal and Dr. Dre with Jimmy Iovine produced these headphones and gave them to Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas and they also sent these headphones to us and we had to put them in the video.
SCHILLACI= Which isn’t bad at all!
IGNAZIO= No!
GIANLUCA= No, but in fact the creation of O Sole Mio, which then O Sole Mio was also sung by Elvis Presley in the English version in the 70s if I’m not mistaken: “It’s now or never”. So we were inspired by that arrangement, then we also made a version in English and Spanish and they went crazy, especially in the United States, because after Andrea Bocelli, there had never been any other artist who brought “bel canto” around the world. Let’s say that we try to follow in the footsteps of the great artists who brought our music to the world, especially from Japan to the United States and overcome the barriers of language.
SCHILLACI= I’ll keep you there at the beginning, you started with a talent show, in short with TI LASCIO UNA CANZONE, you had arrived as singles, I ask you exactly the moment in which they told you: “But why……”
PIERO= On Monday afternoon the lyrics of the song arrived with the folder of songs that you had to sing live on Saturday evening.
I remember that on Sunday evening we returned home, because the program lasted 9 weeks, it was a sunny day and there were relatives at home because every Monday afternoon we returned and they came to the house to compliment the previous episode. That Monday afternoon, a sunny day, I received this folder with the division of O Sole Mio between Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero, I didn’t understand why, then on Wednesday they told us for the first time “sing together”, without telling us why.
GIANLUCA= At the fourth episode, because the program was initially five episodes and therefore we didn’t sing together straight away. We were lucky enough to find ourselves in the same edition of this television program….
PIERO= It was the second.
GIANLUCA= ….and it was the second edition and we found ourselves in that moment and we were the only children who sang the same musical genre unconsciously.
IGNAZIO= I remember that we did Sanremo numbers (audience).
GIANLUCA= It was 41% share that year.
PIERO=Roberto Cenci, the director, arrived at the last episode with a black shirt with the writing 41% here. (on the chest).
GIANLUCA= And then Omar, (Schillaci)’s life changed radically, from school to Los Angeles, because Tony Renis and Michele Torpedine, manager who discovered Andrea Bocelli, Zucchero and many others, decided to contact the program and our families and the first meeting was in Rome and so we were there with the man who was Andrea Bocelli’s manager, one of the greatest artistic producers in history.
IGNAZIO= But I wasn’t there, weren’t you there either? (to Piero)
PIERO= No, I wasn’t there.
IGNAZIO= Our parents had the first meeting.
GIANLUCA= And so for us it was a sudden but anomalous change of life, we lived a childhood, an adolescence that was totally out of the ordinary.
SCHILLACI= But before we get to this incredible Boom, I like this passage from the school desks suddenly….
GIANLUCA= But it really was like that.
PIERO= But it was also years…..
IGNAZIO= Sorry, I think it’s important to have a detail that we haven’t talked about much in recent years, a bit as an example for all the parents who are watching us at the moment and also for all the kids. For us it was very important that our parents have this meeting with the lawyers and everything. I remember that my mother returned to Sicily and told me: “Listen to me, here is a nice proposal that could change your life or not, but it will most likely change it for you, but know that you have to give up playing with friends, going around on a scooter, going to play football, because your life will be very busy, so forget about adolescence. And I remember that my mother made me make the decision by putting everything in front of me. It was a very important moment.
PIERO= And in a few weeks, from school, we found ourselves at WE ARE THE WORLD for Haiti and in Los Angeles with Quincy Jones, Lionel Ritchie, all these great artists.
SCHILLACI= Now we’re getting there. Which students were you though?
PIERO= Very bad, very bad. So I was a good classmate, always sitting in the first desk because I liked to distract the teacher, so I always skipped first period because you know what I did? I always watched the news before going to school, I kept informed, the teacher, we had three of them, she was very curious, I love her with all my heart, so what did I do: “Professor, did you see what happened in America? Did you see what happened there?”
Then she would start talking and the first hour would already be over and then the second would begin.
SCHILLACI= What students were you?
IGNAZIO= I was the classic student who listened to his classmates’ questions and then repeated. I didn’t study much, I listened more but I memorized immediately. The problem was when they called me first, being Boschetto I was one of the first.
PIERO= I was the second. (Barone)
GIANLUCA= I was very lazy, very lazy, and therefore I didn’t study much. But I remember one thing that stuck in my mind, I had studied the life and works of Foscolo (Italian writer) for 10 days, for once I study, I go there and get a nine, instead the teacher gave me a six (just enough), so I never studied again from there.
SCHILLACI= Okay, so then came the tours.
GIANLUCA= Exactly, but then we are catching up now, because we didn’t go to high school, we didn’t go to university and therefore we dedicated 15 years of our lives to music and to the band and therefore perhaps we left behind….
PIERO= But we also went to high school privately in the United States, in Los Angeles, because we were forced to learn English immediately, because we couldn’t do television in America with simultaneous translation.
GIANLUCA= Of course not, but we missed a part, we experienced something else. This is our life, there is no normality, everyone lives their own life and let’s say normality does not exist…..
PIERO= I graduated.
GIANLUCA= …..everyone follows their own life path, but we certainly missed that part of attending school, university, being together with other peers, growing from that point of view, but we did another school of life.
IGNAZIO= You know when someone asks how you went to school and as a joke you reply that the only subject I did very well in was physical education?
I couldn’t even say it, because I was 120 kg. (264 lb.) I wasn’t doing well there either. (laugh)
SCHILLACI = Let’s see another clip. (the duet with Barbra Streisand begins)
This is SMILE with a little-known artist in the world (ironic), Barbra Streisand who you actually met at We Are the World for Haiti in 2010, so how does it work? He calls you on the phone, speaks to you: “Hi guys, I’m Barbra…..”
IGNAZIO= We received the proposal, our manager Michele Torpedine received the proposal that they wanted us to go on tour with her, not to open, we were an integral part of the show, so we sang with her and then she left the stage for us to sing two or three songs and at the end we returned with all the guests of the evening.
GIANLUCA= All this three years after the start of our career, we were 16-17 years old.
PIERO= Imagine that when our American co-manager arrived to get us to sign for the tour with Barbra Streisand we were in Atlantic City, he came to the room, Giordan knocked and said: “Piero has to sign” and since I was in a hurry to go to the gym I signed without looking at what it was, without anything. This makes you understand the recklessness that was in us.
SCHILLACI= If you hadn’t had this career, how?…
PIERO= What a good question…
SCHILLACI= …that is, sometimes you may have said to yourself, I imagine myself or I would have imagined myself doing…
IGNAZIO= I don’t know, maybe I would have continued the family business we had down in Sicily, so most likely I would be a pizza chef and I would sing out of pure passion and fun.
SCHILLACI= (To Piero) What would you have done?
PIERO= It was in my plans to finish high school and enroll in the conservatory, then live off music, be a tenor or be part of a choir in some theater, try to do some opera, but I wouldn’t be able to imagine my life without music.
SCHILLACI= Gianluca…
GIANLUCA= Today, if I think about it, I can only express myself when we talk about art from all points of view, from writing something, to singing to painting anything, I probably don’t see an alternative, there was nothing else other than music really, so we were also lucky, all the people around us, who helped us express ourselves in the best way.
PIERO= Also encouraged.
SCHILLACI= What fear are you?
IGNAZIO= What fear are we?
SCHILLACI= A fear.
IGNAZIO= I often talk about it with my partner and I say that sometimes what we are experiencing (Il Volo) and what I experience with my partner is so beautiful, that I am almost afraid of waking up from this life that seems almost magical.
SCHILLACI= Greatest fear (To Piero)
PIERO= More than fear is fear. In the end it’s the stimulus that keeps you going, but if I had to describe a fear, maybe it’s losing curiosity or maybe getting used to the surprises that life holds for us.
GIANLUCA= There are many fears. As a child I was afraid of death, I constantly dreamed when the light went out that I would see everything black, I had a great fear, then philosophy, you know, helped me, even surrounding myself with the right people. I fought this fear, also because life is about learning to die from this point of view.
SCHILLACI= Let’s see another clip. (Grande Amore begins)
This is Grande Amore, come to Sanremo and win Sanremo, easy!
IGNAZIO= Easy… oh god, actually it was easy because we didn’t expect it so we didn’t make a huge effort. This song arrived, I didn’t like it, the only one who liked it was Piero who went crazy…” we have to do it, we have to do it”…
PIERO= Because I liked that refrain, it stuck in my head.
IGNAZIO= The audition arrived sung by a tenor and a soprano and I said: “What should we do with this song?”
Then in the end with Celso Valli who produced it, we worked in the studio together with Michele our manager and what became Grande Amore came out.
But we arrived there without any presumption and we didn’t expect it, that is, we hoped to win, also because then we knew that it could change our lives in Italy, that in any case we were almost unknown in Italy, and therefore we hoped but we didn’t think, and then it was what happened and completely changed our history here in Italy.
SCHILLACI= (To Piero) You were right!
PIERO= But somehow we are a team and especially in this period we know that if we work as a team we win. Over the years we have also learned to listen to each of us, to listen to our ideas and above all to respect our own ideas.
IGNAZIO= You know what, in meetings before, when we proposed something, we said an idea and it was immediately nooooo.
PIERO= An immediate no. “Let’s try to do this song: NO”. We were like that, it’s part of growing up…
IGNAZIO= We were in the studio, we were listening to a song: “No, this is not good,” but 30 seconds had passed.
PIERO= But it was a stance, you couldn’t go on like this, then over the years you fortunately mature, you are no longer the same as before, then over the years you always think of the good of the group.
IGNAZIO= We need an earthquake, you know that then there are aftershocks, we have settled.
SCHILLACI= Was there an earthquake Gianluca at some point?
GIANLUCA= Think of three people, consider that we are three leaders, they put us together, we didn’t know each other, we didn’t choose each other. From the beginning there has always been that healthy competition, then we understood over time that unity is strength from all points of view, also because 15 years is a long time.
SCHILLACI= Let’s try to play a little game and see how well all three of you know each other.
I ask you : “Who is the most positive of the three of you?”
G+P= Ignazio,
GIANLUCA= NO, oh god…
IGNAZIO= Now much more…
GIANLUCA= Yes, much more now.
PIERO= Before he was pessimistic.
GIANLUCA= Cosmic pessimism.
IGNAZIO= Before he (Piero) was positive. Now I’m just…
SCHILLACI=… you are positive and good. The most pessimistic instead? (Piero and Ignazio point to Gianluca)
GIANLUCA= No, no, I’m a realist.
SCHILLACI= Realist.
PIERO= No, you are pessimistic!
IGNAZIO= Let’s say that until a few months ago it was me, now it’s Gianluca.
GIANLUCA= No, it’s not true.
IGNAZIO= Rightly to counterbalance.
SCHILLACI= Who is the one who loses patience first?
IGNAZIO= (At first he raises his hand but then thinks better of it) No, oh God, we’ll play it (and Gianluca scores)
SCHILLACI= But you raised your hand!
IGNAZIO= I’m more touchy, he…..(he means that Gianluca loses his temper more than him)
PIERO= It’s the fourth question you’re asking, have you understood who is the perfect one in the group?
SCHILLACI= So, who’s the one to apologize first?
PIERO= Maybe…..(he looks at Ignazio and at that moment Ignazio marks himself)....you??? But whenever.
IGNAZIO= Ok you. But no, not you.
PIERO= I like to apologize if I admit that I’m wrong.
IGNAZIO= Me too.
PIERO= Wait, let’s do something, who never says sorry? (Piero and Ignazio look at Gianluca)
GIANLUCA= See how they paint me…
PIERO= He is like cats, he always has to land on his feet.
SCHILLACI= So, who is most moved?
IGNAZIO= Gianluca, but lately I’ve been getting very close. Gianluca has always been the most sensitive one.
SCHILLACI= Who makes the most jokes of the three?
IGNAZIO= Do you even ask?
GIANLUCA= Oh God, Ignazio!
SCHILLACI= Let’s see another clip. (Nessun Dorma da Notte Magica begins)
This is Nessun Dorma, you are in Florence Piazza Santa Croce and there is a certain Placido Domingo conducting.
PIERO= Do you know what the best memory is, at least for me, the day before we sang at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid with Placido Domingo and immediately after the concert we got on a plane and on this flight Madrid-Florence Domingo told us all about period of the three tenors, how the idea of the three tenors was born, the most difficult moments, the most beautiful moments, strengths and weaknesses of each of the three. That journey was incredible and I will never forget those words again.
SCHILLACI= Gianluca, from Florence to Panama sing in front of Pope Francis during World Youth Day.
GIANLUCA= Yes, this is the great fortune we have, to sing this genre which allows us to travel the world, also because bel canto has become an intangible heritage of humanity since last November, and therefore, in short, it allows us to sing not only in Panama in front of the Pope, but also at the Kiyomizu-dera (Japanese temple) which is a UNESCO heritage site, this temple in the middle of Kioto, in the middle of a forest and this thing is incredible, it is a great fortune, we discovered the power of this music that overcomes the barriers of language.
SCHILLACI= Of the many meetings you have had, really many, I ask you to choose one, the one that perhaps in some way was not the most important, ok, but which touched you for some reason.
IGNAZIO= It’s difficult!! That is, I would tell you on my birthday with Barbra Streisand.
SCHILLACI= Oh well, that’s not too bad!! (Ironic)
IGNAZIO= No, but it’s really difficult, because then I really admired films and as a child I watched Cast Away which left a strong impression on me and seeing Tom Hanks, you understand, it was another beautiful moment to share with him, a moment very nice.
PIERO= I would definitely tell you Pope Francis, they are indescribable energies, believer or non-believer they are unique moments. Then after a few months you find yourself in Kyoto where maybe they make you….
(he turns to Gianluca): “What did the monk do before the concert?” He said a prayer just for us, where perhaps in the midst of those words you occasionally heard “IL Volo” and they are things you never forget, behold, they remain indelible.
GIANLUCA= I may have had an encounter, a recent one by the way.
I was little in the car with dad, dad was driving and he made me listen to the songs of De André di Battiato of the great Italian singer-songwriter and there was one in particular, I remember when I listened to the notes of LUCI A SAN SIRO I got excited and I cried, I had my father explain the meaning of the lyrics and I had the great honor of being able to share the stage with Vecchioni last May at the Verona Arena and I read him a letter where I wrote this thought in which I shared the importance that he had in my adolescence.
SCHILLACI= Let’s see another clip (Ecstasy Of Gold begins) Sand, lots of sand.
IGNAZIO= We were in Sardinia there.
SCHILLACI= Ah, were you in Sardinia?
IGNAZIO= Yes we filmed in Sardinia.
GIANLUCA= Scenarios a bit like Sergio Leone (famous Italian western director).
SCHILLACI= Beautiful, splendid scenery: This is naturally a great tribute to the master Morricone to whom you dedicated an album.
IGNAZIO= We dedicated an album, yes yes we did a Tribute to Ennio Morricone, that’s the name of the album, but why did we allow ourselves to do it, because in any case we had an experience with master Morricone, we were still young and he called us guests in Piazza del Popolo and we have this beautiful anecdote of Gianluca who misses the entrance and tells him:
“Ah, will you give me the attack?”
And there were the bleached orchestral musicians…
PIERO= The first violin was pale.
GIANLUCA= We were 15 years old, the first times with 100 orchestra members, maestro Morricone, we were in the rehearsal room, not even on a stage, so I get closer, the piece starts and I don’t, so silence and I tell him:
“Ah but will you give me the attack?” and he: “Don’t worry kid, I’ll take care of it.”
SCHILLACI= You have mentioned Kyoto several times and this incredible concert in Japan, but there was another particularly significant place because you had a Christmas in the Holy Land in Jerusalem.
PIERO= But Jerusalem was one of the strongest trips in these 15 years, perhaps that is one of the most ambitious projects…..
IGNAZIO= …..and courageous…
PIERO= …and courageous…
IGNAZIO= …if you remember the week before there was a bombing….
PIERO= ….in the morning, in the bus station. That project was really ambitious and then we succeeded because in the end with our team, people really only see the three of us on stage with the orchestra, but behind it there is an incredible team of great professionals who dedicate their lives to this project, to us, and singing inside the Tower of David doesn’t happen every day, we did this Christmas concert, we went to Bethlehem, inside the Grotto of the Nativity, singing down there was magical.
SCHILLACI= You can go back in time and erase a mistake you made, which one do you erase?
IGNAZIO= I don’t know, the first thought that comes to mind, if you tell me so, is….I lost my father in 2021, so maybe one of the biggest mistakes is having taken for granted that I would have seen him one hour later and I never saw him again, so I didn’t say that word that maybe I could have said thinking that I had time but instead I didn’t.
PIERO= Dedicate more time to grandparents, because in the end, over time, I would challenge anyone, we realize perhaps too late the luxury and privilege.
GIANLUCA= I have to tell you that I wouldn’t change anything at all, because even mistakes made me become the person I am today.
SCHILLACI= But by the way, since you mentioned pain, it’s true that you were about to go to Rigopiano when there was the tragedy of the avalanche that caused death…
GIANLUCA= Yes, Roberto del Rosso was a dear friend of mine from Abruzzo, I had already known him for a couple of years and I took refuge there every now and then to get away from various trips. The tragedy was on Wednesday when it happened, shortly after 4:00 in the afternoon and on Monday I heard it and had to go there, then my father stopped me (Ercole didn’t let him go because it was snowing heavily). My father stopped me at the last moment, because he (Roberto) had also offered to pick me up, because no one expected something like this, no one.
Yes, in some way I escaped death from that point of view, but I put myself in the shoes of all the parents who lost their children, of the very young kids, of the families who were there in that truly enchanting place. (29 people died including Roberto del Rosso) And you realize how precious life is, how much in a moment everything can change, it’s really the transience of life, so we must enjoy every moment.
Let’s see another clip. (Who Wants To Live Forever begins). This is Freddie Mercury’s testament, it is one of Queen’s most beautiful songs, you took great care to include it in this roundup of clips that we have seen. Why this song?
PIERO= We brought Who Wants To Live Forever this year to the covers evening at the Sanremo Festival, it is a song that we have always kept on our wish list and we took the opportunity of the Sanremo Festival to sing it, produce this song, then we needed a guitarist and we somehow asked Vasco’s permission because we stole his guitarist Stef Burns for those 4 minutes and we thank Stef for accepting our invitation, we thank Vasco for his trust and it was a magical experience to be able share and make people understand this marriage that took place on stage between classical music and rock music.
SCHILLACI= You have truly achieved so many dreams, more than any person can probably achieve in two or three lifetimes, but what if I asked you now what dream do you have? But it must be strange, I mean, I don’t know… I would have liked to play Gladiator… that is, a dream of this kind that you think about every now and then and tell me you’d like it.
IGNAZIO= I would like to have been able to study and perhaps have had the opportunity to make a film with Massimo Troisi (Italian actor who died young).
SCHILLACI= Nice, this is nice!
PIERO= I have a dream, but it will always remain a dream…
SCHILLACI= What do you know, let’s hear it!
PIERO=….is to stay for a few days on the aerospace station with Luca Parmitano (Italian astronaut), that’s a dream I would like.
SCHILLACI = Nice, nice!
GIANLUCA= Oh God, to be part of a film with Nolan, something like that.
SCHILLACI= Nice, nice too.
The disgusting thing you’ve eaten anywhere in the world.
PIERO= Spicy jellyfish, I find it hard to tell.
IGNAZIO= I’m disgusting to say it, but it was delicious, the alligator curry.
GIANLUCA= I have to say Igna’s pizza….no joke!!
IGNAZIO= But once in Japan they made me eat…
GIANLUCA= The head of a fish.
IGNAZIO=….but I didn’t eat it, basically it was typical in Japan at that time, it was a sardine that they served in broth and you had to eat it all, even the head.
PIERO= But will you come and visit us at some concert?
SCHILLACI= So, you’re on tour right now, okay, and you’ll be on tour for basically months.
IGNAZIO= We are on tour for the whole summer, then…
PIERO= The tour started on April 25th from Japan, we will spend the whole summer on tour in Italy, 30 dates more or less…
GIANLUCA= In October all over Europe…
PIERO= ….in October throughout Europe and then in January in the sports halls in Italy and then America, South America and Australia.
IGNAZIO= Yes because we make the distinction between Italy and Europe, understand? That is, for us, Italy is not Europe at the moment, when we do the tours, understand? (ironic).
GIANLUCA= But we will be free for two weeks in August, we have holidays…
SCHILLACI= You have holidays, you gave them to each other.
GIANLUCA= We gave them to each other, exactly. Then Ignazio gets married and so….
SCHILLACI= Ignazio, best wishes!!
IGNAZIO= Thank you (but he signals to speak softly)
SCHILLACI= We can say it, right? Does the bride know?
IGNAZIO= Yes, she know…..maybe!!
PIERO= Do you know where he gets married? At Campo Franco. (way of saying)
SCHILLACI= Guys, I thank you, thanks for being on SKYTG24, thanks for being on STORIES, we’ll see you at one of the next stops and then with all those who decide to see you.
IGNAZIO= However, we are SKY customers too (he means that they are SKY subscribers)
SCHILLACI= Let’s face it, it’s always nice.
IGNAZIO= Sky thank you for purchasing tennis, I love you! Thank you!
(Sky is a private pay television network. At the end Ignazio says that all three are Sky subscribers and thanks the network for having purchased the rights to show the tennis matches.)
Also, in these days, Giacomo Rossi, the young Italian vocal coach, gave a wonderful review of IGNAZIO who sings WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER in Arena.
Beautiful words for him from a connoisseur who analyzes technically but who also makes us understand the beauty of a voice that we admire “from the gut”.
He promised that he will also review Gianluca and Piero soon, we will look forward to them with joy!!
Turn on subtitles.
And then this good news arrived, in this period Mediaset, which also owns Canale 5, disclosed the program schedules from September to August 2025 and Il Volo was confirmed, but here is the ANSA article of which I translate the interested parties.
Pier Silvio Berlusconi (Mediaset manager) announced, during the presentation of the schedules, the renewal of the relationship with Il Volo for another two years.
“They will be part of the Canale 5 team – he said -, with three prime time shows in the spring of 2025, three in the spring of 2026 and another Christmas concert. I am really happy with this relationship, I believe that Il Volo has great artistic value but not only that, we have an excellent relationship.”
So there will soon be other concerts in the Arena filmed and broadcast by Canale 5, furthermore this year’s Christmas concert will be done by them and also the one in 2025.
What great news, it is clear from the words of Pier Silvio Berlusconi (Silvia Toffanin’s partner) there is a lot of respect for Il Volo.
Another piece of good news, the Il Volo concert in London is already sold out!! 👏👏👏
And finally, look at how beautiful this fan art is, congratulations to whoever made it.
Luckily some good news comes to lift the spirits of these sad days.
I am happy that Il Volo has had its contract renewed for another two years with Mediaset and I really liked Pier Silvio Berlusconi’s words of esteem.
I’m also happy with the sold-out in London and also with the nice review from vocal coach Giacomo Rossi, and what about the nice interview?
Come on guys, there are still many commitments for you.
See you very soon: Daniela🤗
Credit to owners of all photos, videos and artwork.
It is the first time that Il Volo held a concert in Val d’Aosta which is a small region in the north, on the border with France and Switzerland.
The concert was held in the Bard Fort which is a beautiful fortified complex in the middle of the Alps, a typical example of a barrier fortress from the early 19th century.
The concert took place in the internal courtyard which has been used for the event. The performance of Il Volo opened the concert series.
Unique emotions. A great evening of music with Il Volo which opened the 2024 summer of Forte di Bard. A musical journey that celebrates 15 years of activity of the famous trio.
And here are some moments from the concert. (turn on subtitles)
I remind you that after this concert, on July 9th, unfortunately and with immense pain, Barbara Vitali died.
On July 11th there was a concert in Catania and we talked about it in the post previous to this one.
July 9th, a very sad date, Barbara Vitali is no longer with us, with her beloved boys.
“The show must go on” and we’ll continue with the chronology of the concerts.
July 13, concert in Palermo, the beautiful city full of wonderful monuments and the capital of Sicily.
The concert was held in the Falcone-Borsellino velodrome, the two magistrates killed by the mafia.
I immediately propose this beautiful video which contains many clips of the songs of the evening.
Before singing Hallelujah the boys made a beautiful dedication to Barbara and then sang for her with emotion.
I thank our friends Yukio and Kumico Kobayashi who were present at the concert in Palermo and recorded the video of the dedication to Barbara which I translate for all of you.
IGNAZIO= This is a special song and it is even more special for us, because in life the beautiful thing is to create relationships, friendships, real relationships, human relationships, and we had created one of these relationships with a wonderful person, a wonderful person who was our shadow for 15 years.
(applause). She was perhaps one of the five most important people in our lives outside of our family, who helped us grow, helped us become the men we are today.
PIERO= Her name was Barbara (applause) she traveled with us to every part of the world, without her we wouldn’t go anywhere. (applause) We ask you to turn on the flashes of your cell phones one at a time to create an atmosphere and perhaps go up there.
At the end of the song all the people stood up and gave a very long warm applause.
LA CURA (Gianluca) On a special note, before starting the song Gianluca spoke about the love and care that a person must have for the person they love. At the end of the speech he said that he is in love and that she was there.
So Gianluca is in love again! 😍
AMOR VIDA DE MI VIDA (Piero)
SHOW MUST GO ON (Ignazio)
MISERERE
CAPOLAVORO
A sweet moment during the concert.
This little girl who sings CAPOLAVORO is truly beautiful and this comment was written by her mother, Tsvetelina Rizzuto:
My wonderful daughter is a super fan of, as she calls them, “our boys”. Going on stage yesterday was a dream of hers and she was very emotional! We came from Bulgaria to see the concert in Palermo! It will remain a beautiful memory for both of us. 🥰
Ignazio asks the little girl who her favorite is and suggests he say Piero, the little girl nods.
Piero greets the little girl and tells her to go back to Santa Claus (Torpedine). 😂
But the performances in Palermo are not over yet because on July 15th in Palermo Santa Rosalia, patron saint of Palermo, is celebrated.
This festival is deeply felt by the people of Palermo and this year marks the 400th celebration.
The story goes that the plague and the dark ages had invaded Palermo, there was pain, disease and famine.
Rosalia, a very young girl from Palermo who was martyred, will free Palermo from the plague.
It is a very long ceremony that takes place in several stages.
The statue of Santa Rosalia is carried along the main avenue starting from the Palazzo dei Normanni (Royal Palace) and reaches the Cathedral where Il Volo will perform singing two songs from the roof of the Cathedral.
They will sing NESSUN DORMA and CAPOLAVORO, but only Nessun Dorma will be filmed on local TV because, due to copyright issues, Il Volo cannot be recorded for more than three minutes. So we will only be able to see Capolavoro recorded from fan videos.
The procession will then continue to the Quattro Canti and then arrive on the seafront where there will be splendid fireworks.
300 thousand people were expected, it is a truly very special event.
The Sicilian moment of Il Volo with the concerts in Catania, Palermo and the Santa Rosalia party ends here.
Our boys quickly return to Bologna, on July 15th there will be the funeral ceremony dedicated to Barbara 🙏❤️, Il Volo communicated it with these words:
For those who wish to say a final farewell to Barbara Vitali, the funeral will take place on Monday 15 July with a Holy Mass which will be celebrated at 11.30 am at the Basilica of Santa Maria dei Servi – Strada Maggiore 43 Bologna, and at 4.00 pm with a Holy Mass. Mass at the Parish of Santa Maria Villiana hamlet. Gaggio Montano.
The Bologna newspaper IL RESTO DEL CARLINO published this article.
Il Volo at Barbara Vitali’s funeral: “You were our second mother”
The funeral of the 54-year-old manager who died in an accident in Gaggio Montano: the Basilica of Santa Maria dei Servi in Bologna was packed. The coffin was carried by relatives and friends united in grief. The singers also spoke to remember their collaborator and friend.
Bologna, 15 July 2024 – A day of condolence for the numerous people who gathered this morning at 11.30 to say a final sad farewell to Barbara Vitali, inside the Basilica of Santa Maria dei Servi, in Strada Maggiore.
The coffin is surrounded by family and friends of the 54-year-old, historic collaborator of the tenor trio Il Volo, who died on Tuesday 9 July at Sant’Orsola due to serious injuries sustained in a car accident that occurred two days earlier in the Gaggio Montano area.
Inside the Basilica the coffin was carried by relatives and friends united in grief over the passing of their loved one. The tears of the emotional eyes of those who came to the commemoration are hidden inside the dark sunglasses and the hugs are more of pain than anything else. And so the Basilica became the frame and mourning box for those present at the funeral.
The arrival of the coffin inside the small square was followed by that of the guys from Il Volo and Michele Torpedine, the manager of the three singers and friend of Barbara.
The singer Nina Zilli also brought her greetings to Vitali.
During the ceremony, we were moved by the memory of Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero, the three tenors of Il Volo, who paid tribute to Barbara with their voices, singing during the ceremony and then speaking. “Our second mother and she made us the men we are today. Events that remind us how ephemeral and precious life is. There are no words to describe our pain”, says Gianluca Ginoble, tenor of Il Volo, during the funeral. Even more moved was Ignazio Boschetto, part of the trio, who told some anecdotes about Barbara and remembered “her contagious smile”.
Piero Barone, of the trio, also described Vitali from the microphone: “Barbara is the only person who could have written a book about us perfectly. She demonstrated to us the seriousness of the work and what it means to dedicate yourself to your passion. Thanks to your father Gianni for making her the woman she was.” The head-on collision last Tuesday also caused the death of the driver of the other car, 49-year-old Pietro Bervicato from Cremona. Vitali, on the other hand, who turned 54 last June 13th, had been at Sant’Orsola since the late evening of Sunday July 7th when his Fiat 500x was involved in a dramatic accident on the ss64 Porrettana in Gaggio Montano. Following this, at 4pm, there will be a second mass in his area of origin, the Apennines, in the church of Santa Maria Villiana in Gaggio.
IL RESTO DEL CARLINO also filmed the moment in which Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio said some words in memory of Barbara.
PIERO= How she met us, how she loved us, no one.
Barbara showed us the seriousness in work, what it means to dedicate your life 360 degrees to what you do, with passion.
A little while ago the priest was reading the questions that are asked at the end of life: have you loved? She knew how to love.❤️
GIANLUCA= How ephemeral life is and how precious it is to enjoy every moment with the people we love, and that’s what we did with Barbara in 15 years of our life, she was our second mother, she accompanied us in all the moments our travels, made us grow artistically, personally, made us, I can say, the men we have become today.
Maybe it’s a natural process, you have to accept it, but it’s the hardest thing especially when you know the pain at such a young age. There are no words to describe the pain. ❤️
IGNAZIO= I don’t want to say that this loss is the worst, but I can tell you that I feel the same way. Because as Gianluca said in those 15 years I spent more time with Barbara than with my family. We shared joys and sorrows and unfortunately, due to my personality, I can’t remember Barbara without a smile, I don’t know, I imagine her now telling me:
“When you go to drink a spritz, get one for me too”.
I want to remember her so.❤️
Il Volo sung Panis Angelicus during the mass for their Barbara.
The man who hugs Ignazio outside the church is Barbara’s elderly father, her mother was not present, she is not well.
On July 6th there was the Il Volo concert in Bard, forgive us if this time, given the sad events that have occurred, we will give priority to talking about the concert in Catania.
After the terrible news of the death of dear Barbara, we were all waiting to know if the concert in Catania would be suspended, even though in our hearts we knew that it would take place.
In fact it was like this, Il Volo honored its commitment with heartbreak.
Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio went on stage and began their concert, then the moment of Hallelujah arrived and at this point it was a unique emotion.
Sitting on their stools, Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero made a long dedication to Barbara, the sweet Barbara who always followed them and who was always backstage waiting for them.
I cried while I watched the video and I think you will cry too seeing these three boys hold each other in mutual comfort and in the memory of their “angel”.
I translate for you.
PIERO= We started this profession when we were 15 years old and we traveled the world and with us there has always been a person who traveled all over the world with us, every day. (applause)
She was a mother when we were younger, she was the person, the most important figure for us in our travels and we would like to publicly say that we, but above all our families, will be eternally grateful to her, because our parents when they knew that she was with us and we were with Barbara, they slept soundly. (applause)
It’s very difficult (applause) and this evening, this concert will be the first of all those we will dedicate to it throughout our lives. (applause)
GIANLUCA= We are all united, everyone, everyone, everyone for our Barbara, everyone, from the crew, from the technicians, from the musicians, from Michele Torpedine, all for her, because she was a special person who will continue to live inside us and will give us strength to continue doing this work, because we will sing for her, Barbara we will sing for you, for a lifetime, for a lifetime, we love you. (endless applause, and the guys and the people all standing)
IGNAZIO= And as I said before, we would like to make this moment even more special if you help us with the flashes of your cell phones to illuminate the whole square, so for those who believe in it, someone from up there is watching us.
A beautiful photograph of a happy moment with Barbara, Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca is projected on the screens.
Gianluca’s voice trembles, the emotion makes its way, heartbreaking to see Piero turning his gaze towards the orchestra so as not to show his emotion and perhaps his tears and see Ignazio continuing to dry his face.
Gianluca Ignazio and Piero bring the stools closer together to gain more strength , like in a consoling embrace, each touches the other’s leg in a message of support, the tears flow.
A friend of mine was present at the concert and said these words to me: “I was in the second row. Ignazio and Gianluca were devastated, they both cried a lot, the one who contained himself a little more was Piero, but the suffering could be seen on his face. Ignazio, who is usually irrepressible, didn’t speak almost not at all. I must say that the audience was very involved, everyone was on their feet during the dedication.”
In fact, everyone stood up for a very long final applause, the boys’ emotion took over.
Another touching moment of the evening, Gianluca singing ANGELS visibly moved.
Ignazio sang ALMENO TU NELL’UNIVERSO presenting it with these beautiful words:
This is one of those songs that, thanks to the lyrics and thanks to the melody, has reached the hearts of many people, because it is one of those songs that help you feel close to the people who unfortunately you can no longer have close to you. I’ve been singing this song for four years now because it’s one of those songs that really gives me emotions that are hard to feel. I hope that you too, together with me, can feel closer to the people you would like to be close to at this moment.
Definitely the sweetest and most affectionate photo of the whole evening.
The GIORNALE DI SICILIA published this article: The first time of Il Volo in Catania, sold out at Villa Bellini and fans in raptures
The first time of the three boys of “Il Volo” in Catania, led to a sold out, in the new version of the Piazzale delle Carrozze at Villa Bellini. The works carried out have transformed the area into a beautiful arena, which will allow many fans to comfortably enjoy the music of their favorites. Works that have brought the most important tours right to Catania, with related activities that will produce great benefits for the local economy. Last night the first act, with the concert of the three “young people” on tour to celebrate their first 15 years of career, which began in 2009 in the show “Ti lascio una canzone”.
Among other things, Ignazio Boschetto and Piero Barone are two Sicilians flanked by Gianluca Ginoble from Abruzzo. A career spent between television and major world tours to bring the most loved Italian songs around the world, and participation in a Barbra Streisand tour in North America in 2012 as a special guest. Great applause last night, especially when they remembered their collaborator Barbara Vitali, who died on July 9th following an accident on July 7th, to the tune of “Hallelujah”. The 54-year-old woman had been following the three boys for years who projected a photo with her during the song, to remember her. Long applause and the audience standing, even, at the end of the concert which closed with “Grande Amore”, the song with which they won the 2015 edition of the Sanremo festival. A great evening of music, organized by Puntoeacapo di Nuccio La Ferlita, which opens the many musical events planned in the next few days at Villa Bellini.
My goodness, what a great emotion, as I have already written to you, I cried seeing the video of Hallelujah, too touching and too evident that Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio were suffering.
There were other such sad moments, such as the death of Vito and grandfather Pietro, but these events were expected, illnesses had accustomed us, if possible, to the final absence. But Barbara was in full health, she had gone to visit her parents and upon returning her life was unfairly and prematurely taken away.
The rest of the concert took place with great professionalism and for this I appreciate even more Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero who faced this event with a broken heart.
Once again you have shown us, without any filter, your sincere affection. Thank you guys!!