Do you think that after the U.S. tour and the three concerts in Mantua, Il Volo enjoyed a well-deserved rest???
That’s not exactly the case.
In reality, I don’t understand where those three find the strength to do all this, but they are certainly young and have a staff behind them that works well.
Of course, after the hard work in Mantua, our guys each returned to their family home, but not much time has passed, in reality only five days and Gianluca is making people talk about him, he gave a lesson at an institute in his Abruzzo.
Everything is well described in this article from May 16 that I’ll translate for you.
IN VOLO WITH STUDENTS, GIANLUCA GINOBLE’ LESSON: “TECHNOLOGY HAS ANESTHETIZED US TODAY”
The singer was the protagonist of a meeting at the Lucatelli Institute as part of a course dedicated to the value of words.
Words are not just a means of communication, they are body, life, desire.
Words can imprison us or make us free, make us live in anxiety and fear or bring us joy and serenity.
Words unite but often, unfortunately, they are also occasions of closure and conflict.
This and other things were discussed yesterday during the meeting held in the Comprehensive Institute of Tolentino Lucatelli-Don Bosco to complete the school project “La cura delle parole”.
Special guest, singer Gianluca Ginoble from Il Volo, who gave a lesson to the kids on the value of words and the importance of reading.
“Today, technology – the famous singer observed – has anesthetized us, we have become much more fragile and dependent on the means of communication that, more often than not, distract us from our priorities or duties. Social media often represents a source of linguistic impoverishment.
Young people no longer want to read, indeed they consider reading a useless thing, of no practical value.
However, they must not be a display of knowledge, instead it is necessary to internalize what we read to find within sentences and words a meaning to what we experience.
Taking care of words means covering the depth of the language, analyzing a topic in depth and school represents the privileged place to promote itineraries and strategies aimed at arousing curiosity and love for everything that concerns verbal communication, to bring out the need and pleasure of this ability. Furthermore, it leads young people towards the knowledge of many emotions.”
“Reading Dostoevsky, for example, makes us understand – Ginoble added – what pain is without needing to feel it.
Flaubert makes us feel all the passion of love even without being in love.
Words are therefore not just a tool for communication: through conscious language, we can create images and emotional states within ourselves and also in those who listen to us.”
The project LA CURA DELLE PAROLE (The care of words) involved students from the third class and a second class from the primary school. All classes focused their attention on an aspect of the word, with individual and group work. Many were the questions that the students asked the Abruzzo member of Il Volo, interested in knowing the singer’s habits, his sources of inspiration and his favorite team, Roma.
Gianluca Ginoble finally invited the students to discover their own vocation:
“Do what you feel, don’t let yourself be influenced too much by others, there will always be those who appreciate you and those who criticize you.”
And towards the teachers:
“Respect them, they take care of you, you too take care of them as you take care of your parents.”
Finally, the students gave the singer a painting they had painted depicting a spring landscape with the words, “The voice of silence”. A word, silence, to be rediscovered, was privileged for reading.
A short video of the lesson where an interviewer asks Gianluca his opinion on “letting go – change”.
GIANLUCA = Letting go like changing, even in the old version of me I never had a hard time, in fact I can’t wait to change because there are people who say: “I’m made like this”, and that is the most wrong thing you can say, because it means that you don’t give yourself the chance to be reborn every time and I have never been afraid.
I had a hard time letting go of the people with whom I had shared time, for a question of attachment, when you recognize that it is no longer love but a habit, an attachment, it is hard (to let them go).
But in fact I also wanted to ask you a question (the students laugh because Gianluca who is being interviewed wants to ask the interviewer the question).
You know why, it is clear that you must not be a slave to your own mind, but I think it is a question that everyone asks themselves: “How important is it to learn to let go?”.
(Too bad the video ends here)
In a few days, it’s May 20th, Il Volo reunited, is in Cannes for a private event hosted by the jewelry house CHOPARD.
The private event was held during the Cannes Film Festival.
Here is what the house of Chopard published.
“ @chopard A creative twist on Cannes’s most exclusive night. Caroline’s Universe evening invited the festival’s most distinguished guests into an enchanted forest of artistic imagination without limits. A celebration of the daring vision of Chopard Co-President and Artistic Director Chopard by Caroline.”
Here is an excerpt from an article dedicated to the fashion event and published by Globestyles.
During the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Chopard organized “Universe”, an immersive gala dinner conceived by Caroline Scheufele. Hosted in a hangar transformed into a dreamlike universe, the event featured exclusive musical performances, a High Jewelry show with 78 unique creations, and the new dresses from the Caroline’s Couture collection. International guests included stars from the worlds of cinema, fashion, and music.
Guests included a lineup worthy of major film premieres: Festival juror Halle Berry, Alba Rohrwacher, Isabelle Huppert, Carla Bruni, James Franco, Patrick Schwarzenegger.
The evening opened with an aperitif at sunset, followed by a spectacular dinner in a setting inspired by a cosmic forest. Mirrored tables unfolded like luminous orbits, creating an immersive visual effect. The musical interlude was entrusted to the group Il Volo, who introduced the theme of the sensory journey, central to the evening’s imagery.
Only a couple of short videos have reached us.
But immediately after the event in Cannes, the immediate return to Italy, but this time towards Naples for another private event taking place in the Royal Palace of Naples.
This following photo of the entrance staircase was sent by Gianluca.
Nothing is known about the event, but there is a summary video of various musical moments.
So, from Italy Il Volo flies to Brazil on May 27th to record their presence at the famous ATLAS HORA show which will then be broadcast on Saturday May 31st on Brazilian TV.
But there is also time for humanitarian events, on May 29th Il Volo performed at the Clube Atlético Monte Libano, in Brazil, in a private event in support of the Syrian-Lebanese hospital. 😍🥰❤️
We all thought that immediately after the concerts in Mantua there would be a period of well-deserved rest for Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero, but as we saw it was not like that at all.
Congratulations guys, hats off, you have so much energy and also a heart of gold that also thinks about supporting humanitarian projects.
There is always some news and something to write about Il Volo and so I will update you with the latest news.
A nice audio interview has been published by THE NEW CLASSICAL RADIO, a station that is part of Zoomer Radio and broadcasts from Canada. Host Mark Wigmore talks to Piero, Gianluca (from Milano) and Ignazio (from Venezuela), but you can listen to everything because the interview is in English!!
At the beginning Mark immediately mispronounces the names of Gianluca and Ignazio! 😁😁
(if you are using a computer to listen to the interview, you can right click on the audio player line under the first photo and save the interview as an MP3 file to your computer 😀 see photo below)
Meanwhile Il Volo has published three concert dates in Germany and ticket sales are already active.
16 OCTOBER = DÜSSELDORF
17 OCTOBER = BERLIN
19 OCTOBER = FRANKFURT
Barbara Vitali also posted this nice announcement:
We are happy that this beautiful special can be seen in Brazil!
Another piece of good news:
ITALIAN OPERA SINGING is officially on the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity: the proclamation took place on the occasion of the 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO in Botswana.
A beautiful result that confirms how important our opera tradition is, a tradition which unfortunately is now greatly underestimated here in Italy if not even relegated to a few enthusiasts.
The most popular Italian music has nothing to do with opera nor with bel canto and little with pop.
You will surely have known that the Il Volo Christmas EP, which contains 4 Christmas songs, was put on sale in red vinyl format and signed by Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca.
I didn’t bring you the news here, because the vinyl couldn’t be ordered outside Italy. But look how beautiful it is!!
Needless to say, I ordered mine and it should arrive these days, so I’ll let you know my impression as soon as it arrives!! 😉
We finish this news with a roundup of photos of our favorites:
IL VOLO in the recording room.
Piero with two famous Italian singers: Gianni Morandi and Antonello Venditti.
And how happy is Ignazio as he hugs his new girlfriend’s little cousin? ❤️
That’s all for now, but we’ll talk to you soon!!
Daniela🤗
Credit to owners of all photos and the audio intervew by The New Classical Radio.
Here too Il Volo is much loved, in fact, there will be 7 concerts in Brazil.
TODAY BRAZIL JOINS ARGENTINA, CHILE, COLUMBIA, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA TO THE LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES WHICH RECEIVE IL VOLO WITH GREAT JOY… EACH CONCERT IS FULL OF EMOTIONS, HARMONY, ROMANCE, TALENT, CREATIVITY, GOOD HUMOR, EACH CONCERT IS DIFFERENT, BUT EQUALLY FULL OF ART AND FEELING, ALL THIS WITH THREE VOICES AND A SOUL THAT BREATHES OUT IN A GREAT LOVE, THE 2023 TOUR FOR LATIN AMERICA OF THE THREE MUSKETEERS OF LOVE CONTINUES SUCCESSFULLY, WHO GO ALWAYS SO IN LOVE FOR LIFE… GIANLUCA , PIERO AND IGNAZIO… WHO CONTINUE TO ADD GRATEFUL EXPERIENCES TOGETHER WITH PEOPLE’S AFFECTION. (Rosa Elena Urzúa Ramírez)
Let’s start right away with the two concerts in São Paulo:
YOUR LOVE + COMO VAI VOCE + FUNICULÌ FUNICULÀ + O SOLE MIO
LIBIAM DE LIETI CALICI
TAN ENAMORADOS
Once in Brazil, Ignazio wanted to pay a special tribute to the public, first of all, as we recall, he now speaks Portuguese well and therefore presented his solo with these beautiful words (I translate sparingly, but I think I interpret it correctly), I must say once more that Ignazio is a beautiful shining star!! 😘
(At the beginning of the video he is finishing a speech, then he leans on the piano and says these words).
I haven’t prepared this speech, (he has to present his solo) maestro make some music, I haven’t prepared these words, when you have a great understanding it’s difficult, I haven’t prepared words because it’s better if the words come directly from my heart, they are better than the written ones (applause).
For me being here is very special, not only because I’m coming back to Brazil but because Brazil is in my heart. Many of you know that I spent a lot of time here (with Ana Paula) and I really had the opportunity to really know Brazil, and I can say that I love Brazil and all the people of Brazil, you are simple people who love life, I learned this in Brazil and it stayed in my heart and so I wanted to dedicate this next song to all of you who are here tonight and to all the people who have been a part of my story here in Brazil, and they are many people.
I hope you can help me sing this next song, the words (of the song) I wrote here on the paper above the piano. (Ignazio sits down on the piano). Let’s begin. (He starts singing to everyone’s surprise: Ocean, a very famous song in Brazil, sung by the Brazilian Djavan) ❤
And here is a good part of the song sung by Ignazio.
On the second evening Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca wore their beautiful shiny jackets. ☺
This short video is really nice, where at the beginning Ignazio interprets in Portuguese everything Gianluca is saying. Gianluca says that their music must also be known by young people, and then he talks about a great Brazilian interpreter….at that moment Piero pretends that they are talking about him and gets up and thanks (it’s a joke).😁😁… ..but instead they are talking about Roberto Carlos who was also in Sanremo with this beautiful song:
CANZONE PER TE! (while they sing Ignazio takes a Brazilian flag on his legs)
Piero with Maestro Adriano Machado that conduced the orchestra in Brazil.
And now off, Rio de Janeiro is waiting for Il Volo!!
ABRAZAME
These excerpts of songs taken only on Piero are very beautiful.
Gianluca with Maestro Machado.
Not even a day off…..in fact, just the day after another concert in Belo Horizonte. The venue is much smaller and the stage is central.
A really nice thing, Piero sat at the piano and played while Ignazio and Gian sang the national anthem of Minas Gerais (the State of which Belo Horizonte is the capital)
Another important moment, when Il Volo invited Paula Fernandez on stage who sang Grande Amore with them.
Here are the words posted by Paula: “EXCITED, that’s the word that describes me! I’ve been waiting so long for this moment… Il Volo what an honor! What a privilege! Thank you guys! Shine in our Brazil!” 🇧🇷✨”
And these are the words of a fan present at the concert.
“The happiest day of my life! Today I made my dream of meeting Il Volo come true! And even more I managed to hug Piero Barone, I still can’t describe in words what I felt at that moment. Thanks to God, to Piero for being so thoughtful and loving to me! Thank you, thank you my God! I fell even more in love! The best day of my life!”❤️ 🔥
I think Maestro Machado is having a good time with our boys.
Maestro Machado with Ignazio.
And now Brasilia.
Here’s what Metropoles Music, organizer of the event, wrote.
“Il Volo enchanted the Brazilians in a breathtaking show at the Ulisse Guimaraes Convention Center this Tuesday (14/3). The unforgettable evening was marked by photos with gifts, declarations of love to Brazil and much more. Between music and the other, the Italian tenor trio was ovated by the audience, which crowded the room.
Throughout the presentation, the audience extended their show into their seats and did their part. Amid emotional screams and standing ovations, the audience went into tears and returned all their love and affection to the singers.
Entitled to an apotheotic finale, with the audience standing in front of the stage in communion with the audience, the Italian trio is back again for an encore.
And it wasn’t just the fans with more emotions. On stage, the musicians also clarified the happiness of returning to Brasilia and hugging each other. During an interaction with fans, Il Volo joked about the language they were going to speak and they remembered that Ignazio speaks Portuguese.
Il Volo continued to surprise and excite the public that crowded the Ulisse Guimaraes Convention Center. In addition to the onstage presentation, the Italian trio of tenors put on a show by reciprocating the love of fans offstage and walking through the crowd.
In addition to circulating through the corridors of the room, the musicians took the opportunity to take a photo with those present. Several people who were seated moved around the Congress Center and met the singers.
Shortly after the moment of pampering, the tenors invited the audience to sing Come Vai by Roberto Carlos. With full lungs, the fans responded to the invitation and accompanied the trio in the Brazilian song.
IL MONDO
HALLELUJA
Among the fans present at the concert, there were also Ana Paula and her parents. Ana Paula sang “Como vai voce” loudly, it is clear that Ignazio has maintained great friendships with her and her parents.😉
Ignazio also met Ana Paula’s parents, in his dressing room, who were really very affectionate with him and he with them. 😊
And how can you not love Ignazio when he embraces the security officer who helps him like this? 💓
Or when, at the end of a song, he kisses Gianluca? 😘
Or when he makes an admirer dance. ☺
Then Il Volo participated in the television program THE NOITE hosted by Danilo Gentili.
Here are some videos.
In the videos, after the presentation of Il Volo, Piero asks Danilo if he has Italian origins and he says that his grandfather was Italian and came to Brazil by himself and was a painter, and painted many churches.
The rest of the interview is joking, Danilo asks the meaning of some Sicilian gestures and Piero performs the gestures and Ignazio translates. Danilo asks if a tenor or a baritone earns more and Ignazio says it depends. The direction shows some stages of Il Volo’s career (several videos cannot be seen due to the agreements with YouTube). Then they also talk about the pandemic and the moments lived with the family and also the video of Grande Amore made remotely with Paula Fernandez, with whom they had the pleasure of singing together for the first time in Belo Horizonte. Then Il Volo sings Como vai Voce in Portuguese.
We are at the last two concerts in Brazil, Porto Alegre and Curitiba.
Here is Porto Alegre, the Il Volo concert is opened by an Italian-Brazilian artist Fabiano Lafalce, and he was playing a song by Eros Ramazzotti, and surprisingly, Piero and Ignazio took the stage, in casual clothes and sang two verses from the song.
The video is not beautiful but it was really a surprise.
Fabian wrote this: “What an honor guys.”
And now Piero and Ignazio immediately change clothes, it’s time for your concert!
I would say that all the Brazilian concerts went very well, and despite the effort being really great, I don’t think I see Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca particularly tired, but certainly happy.
Now Mexico awaits them!!
Daniela 🤗
But before concluding, enjoy this nice interview with the translation below.😁😁😁
“Il Volo members accepted Caracol tv.com‘s challenge to show how well they know each other with a few questions about their tastes and personalities.”
INTERVIEW TRANSLATION
(At the beginning there are two pieces that we find later, the interview begins with the photo of Il Volo, CULTURA CARACOL is the title of the TV program.
The nice thing is that everyone has to answer for the other, to understand if they really know each other well.)
The question written under the photo is: “How well do the three of Il Volo know each other?”
GIANLUCA= Hi everyone, I’m Gianluca.
PIERO= I’m Piero.
IGNAZIO= And I’m Ignazio.
PIERO= And together we are Il Volo.
QUESTION= When are your birthdays?
IGNAZIO= 11 February (he indicates Gianluca) and 24 June (he points Piero)
PIERO= 4 October (he points to Ignazio)
QUESTION = What is your favorite dish?
GIANLUCA= Pasta with tomato and basil (for Piero)
PIERO= Beans with oil and guacamole (for Ignazio)
GIANLUCA=….no, no, I know what Ignazio likes, Ignazio likes pizza…
IGNAZIO= With….
GIANLUCA= …with tuna and you like grated lemon (obviously Gianluca is right because Ignazio confirms it by giving him a kiss)
PIERO= And he (Gianluca) likes the pizza his mom makes for him with tuna. QUESTION= What would you have done if you hadn’t been singers?
GIANLUCA= Technical composer of sounds (for Ignazio)
IGNAZIO= Chef! (He doesn’t confirm what Gianluca said about him and says he would have been a chef) and Piero would have been an opera singer or piano teacher, and Gianluca an interior designer.
QUESTION= Your favorite movie.
GIANLUCA = (for Ignazio) The Truman Show, (and then Gianluca says) all Robin Williams’ films are my favorite films.
QUESTION = What is the emoji you use the most in chat?
GIANLUCA= I’m using…..
PIERO= I say it, and he joins his hands making a heart
GIANLUCA= Yes, always, I like the new one (emoji), the heart with the hands.😘
PIERO= And he (Ignazio) replies this when I send him a message (the emoji is obscured) 😁
IGNAZIO= But he knows what I mean by this…
GIANLUCA= Or the one who laughs.
PIERO= He, (Ignazio) never answers.
IGNAZIO= I use laughter or the little monkey that closes its eyes. 😁
QUESTION= What do you dislike about each one?
GIANLUCA= He, (Ignazio) is touchy, easily sensitive.
PIERO= What I don’t like about him (Gianluca) is that when lunch arrives on the table…. (he makes a quick gesture)
GIANLUCA= I eat everything, even the dishes.
PIERO= If you go to dinner with him (Gianluca) you don’t have to share … (Piero and Ignazio laugh)
GIANLUCA= But between friends we do…😁
IGNAZIO= But how….. is it done???
QUESTION= What are you addicted to?
GIANLUCA= Ignazio is addicted to videogames.
PIERO= I do the news, I like reading the news in the morning.
GIANLUCA= You don’t have to say it, we are the ones who need to know about you….
PIERO= Ah, it’s true!!!
IGNAZIO= Gianluca likes photos.
QUESTION = Who is the most jealous?
GIANLUCA= Ignazio is not the most jealous of the three of us, he is the most jealous of the world….
IGNAZIO= No, you don’t know me….
GIANLUCA= …..of the world…..yes, I know you……he’s the most jealous in the world, of the whole universe…..
IGNAZIO= It’s not true, but what are you saying???
GIANLUCA= (Asks Piero for confirmation) Come on, is he jealous?
PIERO= No, no (but Piero says no with his mouth, but yes with his head, he and Gianluca laugh). 😁😁
IGNAZIO= What do you say??
GIANLUCA= Don’t be touchy!! We just said it (that Ignazio is susceptible)
PIERO= (to Ignazio) Don’t get angry ….
IGNAZIO= But I’m not jealous!!
GIANLUCA= Of course, look!!
QUESTION = What shoe size do you have?
PIERO= (for Ignazio, laughing) 50 .
GIANLUCA= (for Ignazio) 46
IGNAZIO= 45/46
GIANLUCA= (for Piero) 42
IGNAZIO= (for Piero) no, 42 and a half
PIERO= (for Gianluca) 40 he is Cinderella
GIANLUCA= no, 41
IGNAZIO= 40 and one (confirm)
GIANLUCA= I have a small hand but a bigfoot.
IGNAZIO= Why is 41 big?? 😁
GIANLUCA= 41 is big compared to the man I am (he means his body)😁
Then they talk about the CD TRES VOCES UN ALMA, the musical culture of Latin America, and how many South American songs they know, the homage to Josè Josè, why they included a song with the Mariachis. In the end everyone says goodbye.
I’d say it was fun watching them answer, and I can tell they know each other really well, good and bad!! 😉
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!!Listen carefully to what Ignazio says in this video.
We understood why Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero chose the name Il Volo, (The Flight) because they are always traveling by plane, they move here and there, from one continent to another, who knows how many hours of travel they will have accumulated, really a lot.
And in fact, the photo posted on Instagram by Gianluca tells us that they are flying to Brazil.
But what are they going to do in Brazil? There has been talk of a private event, but surely they also participated in a TV show: São Paulo with Patricia Poeta where they promoted the new dates of the 2023 South American tour.
In the first video, Patricia presents Il Volo and they perform a song from Il Mondo a capella.
In this second video, Patricia tells the story of Il Volo, how they met in a talent show, she says they are two tenors and a baritone and they sing pop-opera.
It is almost always Ignazio who replies in Portuguese, he says that it is a great responsibility for them to sing their musical genre because they want to make it known to the new generations who may not know it, and Ignazio explains that they try not to lose the music of the tradition that is part of Italian culture.
Patricia compliments Ignazio who speaks Portuguese.
Gianluca greets Paula Fernandes, with whom they recorded GRANDE AMORE, then they talk about the 4 tour dates that will be done in Brazil in 2023 and at the end they sing GRANDE AMORE.
In this video Il Volo and Paula Fernandes :GRANDE AMORE.
And here are the four dates announced during the show:
March 8 and 9 – Sao Paulo
March 11 – Rio De Janeiro
March 17 – Porte Alegre
March 18 – Curitiba
A couple of photos taken in Brazil.
In the meantime, the dates of the book signing events have been confirmed here in Italy, here they are:
A book to read and listen… with the heart 🎵
🚀 The guys from Il Volo meet the fans for the presentation of the book “Il Volo. What I Carry in my Heart”, published by #RaiLibri
⏰ December 14 Feltrinelli Turin, Piazza CLN, 5.30 pm, Turin ⏰ 16 December Mondadori Megastore, 5.30 pm, Milan ⏰ 21 December Librerie.coop, 7.30 pm, Bologna ⏰ December 22 New Europe Library I Granai, 5 pm, Rome
………..and I will be in Milan!!!!☺☺☺
In addition, this nice and fun interview has been published which I translate for you.
Il Volo: Our selfies with Lady Gaga. Sharon Stone a true friend. The fans who try? Many
Who is it of the three who said “Hello!” to the Pope? Name out.
Piero:Who do you think did it? Huh?”
Gianluca:Okay, I confess it. But in 2014 I had just come of age, emotion betrayed me. However, His Holiness answered me “Hello”, as if nothing had happened. At the third meeting, in Panama, in 2019, I even asked him for a photo together. Done”.
Piero:I swear that in a few years I will write a book about our embarrassing moments .There are also those who, at the hearing in St. Peter’s Square, fell asleep behind sunglasses, next to Lewis Hamilton… right Ignazio?
Ignazio:“I woke up at 3 and a half in the morning to arrive in Rome at 7, I was destroyed, and my eyelids closed.”
A chat for four voices with Piero Barone (29), Ignazio Boschetto (28) and Gianluca Ginoble (27), or the three tenors (better, two tenors and a baritone) of Il Volo, a group born in 2009 in a talent show for children (Ti Lascio una canzone ). After that, with a victory at Sanremo 2015 in his curriculum vitae — adored or snubbed, with no middle ground — quickly enrolled in the “international star” category with guaranteed sold outs, in perpetual travel around the world: only in the last few months a frenetic tour between Canada, USA, Japan and Australia. To close with a trio of Italian dates (December 15th in Turin, 17th in Milan, 23rd in Rome) and with the Christmas concert from Jerusalem (Magical place), on the 24th in prime time on Canale 5.
On your phone you have a barrage of selfies with Lady Gaga.
Piero:Here we are, see? It must have happened five years ago, in the kitchens of a hotel in Washington.
And how did you end up in the kitchen?
Piero:There was a charity event with the Italian-American community. Outside people were going crazy, to be safe we hid in there with her. Gianluca and I, because Ignazio was sleeping as usual. Lady Gaga was very nice.”
And you’re very, very good friends with…
Piero: The great Placido Domingo, just met in New York. We always keep in touch with Laura Pausini.
Ignazio:And Sharon Stone. We met her in Montecarlo, we feel it all the time.
And one day in 2012, at the hair salon on Canyon Drive, Los Angeles…
Piero:We were on tour with Barbra Streisand. While they fixed my hair, I made conversation with a beautiful lady next to me. “You know, we sing at the Hollywood Bowl tomorrow.” “Congratulations, you are very good”. The hairdresser leaned over and whispered in my ear: “You know who it is, don’t you? Did you recognize her? It’s Priscilla Presley!” I returned the compliments immediately. And we invited her to the concert. From that moment, whenever she can, Priscilla comes to listen to us, a great friendship was born.
Do you like Elvis?
Piero: What questions: yessss.
Quick self-portrait of you as a child.
Piero: Very lively, too good, I hated solfeggio (voice practice) but now I thank those lessons. I deafened my brother who was trying to study.
Ignazio: I sang pretending that the curtain knob was a microphone.
Gianluca: At the age of 10 I was already asking myself existential questions. Who I am? Why was I born? What meaning will my life have? I found an answer to the latter: the meaning was given to him by music.
Three teenagers who meet overnight in America, under contract with Universal Music. Imagine if you had disliked each other.
Piero: Ignazio and I bonded immediately, between Sicilians. Then with Gianluca, it came naturally.
Gianluca:Everything went very fast, we didn’t even realize it so much. On the plane to Miami I looked out the window and I couldn’t believe it, total euphoria”.
Ignazio:The next day I had them take me to Mel’s Diner for an American breakfast.
Piero: I lived two parallel lives. There the parties with Beyoncé and Quincy Jones. Back in Italy, I didn’t tell anyone anything, for fear of sounding crazy, but I was terrified it would end.
In 2013 sold out Radio City Music Hall.
Ignazio: Only a year and a half before, standing in front of the entrance to the theatre, we dreamed, one day, of going up on that stage.
Gianluca: The important thing is to always go forward, to keep up with the times, otherwise it’s easy to end up like Nikka Costa. (famous child singer which was never heard from again)
Victory in Sanremo with “Grande Amore”.
Gianluca: Until then we were only well known abroad, not here in Italy, difficult to accept. It was the perfect opportunity, the revenge of bel canto which hadn’t had success at the Festival since the days of Bocelli.
Piero: An absolute joy. In Catania, many were waiting for me with placards, it was a beautiful party. Going home every now and then helps me find balance, makes me feel like the most normal person on the planet. In the summer I always go fishing with my friend Enzo, we go out by boat at five in the morning, I love to see the sunrise. Last time I caught a 5 kilo sea bass.
The Volovers, i.e. your wildest admirers, how far of madness have they reached?
Gianluca: There is someone who tattoos our names and surnames on his skin. Who follows us in every stage of the tour around the world. And who is waiting for us at home for hours.
Piero: One day, in the gym in Phoenix, I was running on the treadmill. Next to me was a girl who was training. Half past seven in the morning, I was still sleepy. Suddenly I focus on an inscription on her ankle. “It looks just like my autograph.” It was,” (if I’m not mistaken he’s talking about Marie)
Do they try?
Ignazio: “Avoglia…. (certainly..).” Who of the three hooks up the most?
Gianluca: We can’t say it ourselves.
Do they knock on the door in the hotel?
Ignazio: If I don’t know her I won’t open. And then I took a vow of chastity. (laughs)
Quarrels between you have we collected?
Gianluca: It happens in times of stress. But we have learned to control ourselves, before it happened more often.
Piero: In Santo Domingo, we were in the car, I didn’t feel well, I was sweaty. “Gianluca, come on, close that window, the draft is hitting me”. And he did, but then, a minute later he lowered it again, I would have killed him.
Gianluca: Yes, but it was 40 degrees outside and we didn’t have air conditioning.
Ignazio: I always eat last, these two often leave me nothing, not even rice. They are thin, but they eat anything.”
You have lost 34 kilos. How?
Ignazio: I closed my mouth.
Piero: We were at the breakfast buffet in New Zealand and… “
Ignazio: “No, in Kuala Lumpur».
Piero: Oh well, in any case Ignazio suddenly said to me: “I want to lose weight”. “Bravo, then come with me to the gym, train, work hard. And from that day on he became a sex symbol….
Ignazio: Now I’ve started training again after two years, I’ve put on 13 kilos again. Waivers? No. We eat healthy. Piero is intolerant to pork, so we don’t eat it either. And all three of us can’t stand dairy products.
It takes a beastly physique.
Piero: Travelling a lot, discovering the world is a privilege. I love running, wherever I go I ask the concierge and get advice on the best routes. Once Ignazio also came and I almost had to carry him back on my back».
Ignazio: In Matera, it was terribly hot, 7 and a half km of ups and downs.
Gianluca: I train in the gym and walk, I don’t run.
The worst flaw of the other two.
Gianluca: Piero is too rational, Ignazio too instinctive. Both touchy.”
Ignazio: Me? It is not true! Gianluca is too perfectionist, Piero stubborn.
Piero: Gianluca is long-winded, when he gets fixated on something he doesn’t stop talking until he’s convinced you, the next day I’m terrified of meeting him at breakfast and that he’ll start over.
Ignazio, on the other hand, keeps everything inside and at the last moment he explodes and says things in your face. It would be better if he spoke clearly from the start. And then he is late, forgets his appointments, falls asleep.
Ignazio: No, you’re a big pain in the ass.”
Mishaps on stage?
Gianluca: Ignazio fell and so did I, tripping over a folding chair.
Ignazio: It happened to me to go out on stage holding a cell phone instead of a microphone.
Piero: In Budapest, the twelfth piece Ave Maria, I start to sing but my voice does not come out. Ignazio looks at me wrong. He thought you were joking. I had caught a cold snap from a big fan that shot freezing air. We had to interrupt for about twenty minutes, the time to take some Bentelan. (medicinal)
Neither rapper nor trapper. Critics say that you make “old men’s music”.
Gianluca: It’s right to respect every opinion, criticism is good. But we go on doing what we like most, which makes us and millions of people happy.
Piero: Before, negative comments made us nervous, they were hard to digest, now they’re good for us. But there is a subtle difference between criticism and offense.
Fear that one of the three decides to break away and continue his career alone?
Gianluca: We are not a classic band with a frontman. But three singers, three leaders.
Piero: We know very well that our strength is the group. People want to hear all three together. And even if, during the concerts, everyone has their own space, we too know that united we are something else.
BREAKING NEWS:
Il Volo will be a guest on the TV show VERISSIMO with the sweet Silvia Toffanin, Sunday on Canale 5 at 4 pm. It will certainly be a nice and kind interview.
And finally, enjoy this promo video, which advertises the “Christmas in Jerusalem” event, it will be fantastic!!
Here I am with the second part of this beautiful interview.
I assure you that you will not be bored.
Enjoy the reading!!
MARA = Come back here. (long applause) You are guys, but you have a great responsibility, because you have immense talent …
GIAN = With this song we also had the opportunity to show the beauties of our country with the Frasassi Caves.
MARA = Yes, there was the video.
GIAN = I also want to say this thing, because for us it was a great honor, to be able to work with maestro Vittorio Storaro, who is a “cinematographer” and not a “director of photography”, which is a small detail.
MARA = What’s the difference, for those who don’t know?
GIAN = There is a big difference. In America they say cinematographer …
MARA = …. three Oscars, he made all the films of Bertolucci (another Italian director who won the Oscar for The Last Emperor), Vittorio Storaro …
GIAN = … exactly three Oscars …. because every time it is a life lesson, not only artistic, but his wisdom has given us wonderful moments …
MARA = Sorry if I interrupt you, Gianluca, but I have a backstage video and I would like to send it and then you all can comment on it.
Let’s watch it together.
(the video of the Frasassi Caves backstage starts)
In the video: Gianluca’s voice = The melodies of the great master Ennio Morricone are the protagonists in this wonderful setting that are the Frasassi Caves.
Ignazio’s voice = Sharing this fantastic place also with maestro Vittorio Storaro was a great emotion. (applause)
MARA = It is so beautiful that it seems unreal, it seems magical.
PIERO = Have you ever been there?
MARA = No, never been.
PIERO = Look, time stops there.
MARA = But where is this place, exactly?
GIAN = Near Genga, in the Marche region.
MARA = Ah, in the Marche.
GIAN = Yes, this place is one hour from my house, I’m near Roseto degli Abruzzi.
MARA = So did you know this place?
GIAN = Yes, I had already been there, because schools often organize trips with pupils to make excursions.
MARA = It’s a magical place, I want to go there.
PIERO = We had the privilege of having the caves just for us and Vittorio Storaro, to shoot the video.
MARA = Illuminated by Vittorio Storaro.
GIAN = Think about the power of Bel Canto, associated with a wonderful place, it is the perfect soundtrack, but then it allows us to join idols, like Vittorio Storaro, or as before, you saw us joking with Woody Allen, it is the prestige of Bel Canto. As you know it all started with Pavarotti, then with Bocelli, so we, humbly, always try to follow in their footsteps, to bring this kind of music higher and higher.
IGNAZIO = I’ll tell you an anecdote. In the caves, we were collaborating with the master Storaro, and he was still trying to get an extra emotion out of us. So when there were our solos, he would say to Piero: “Piero concentrate you, try not to think about anything, as if there were no one, the caves, the emotion …”
GIAN = He (Storaro)was also a director on that occasion, just for us.
IGNAZIO = …. “let the emotion out” …. ok, Piero, does his (solo), Gian does his, it’s up to me and I ask: “Give me some more advice, master …”
MARA = You are giving HIM to the master. (in Italy it is a sign of respect)
IGNAZIO = Absolutely … and he tells me: “Ignazio, forget where you are, it’s just you, the camera and nothing else around.” I followed his advice.
PIERO = He added “…and think of a person dear to you ….”
MARA = Think of a person dear to you?
IGNAZIO = Yes. The playback of the song was over and I cried and I cried for 15 minutes …
PIERO = He burst into tears.
MARA = Who were you thinking of?
IGNAZIO = Your Love is a song that means a lot to us, also because we performed in Sanremo three days after my father’s death, so it means a lot to us.
MARA = The memory!
IGNAZIO = By now, I associate that song with that moment and therefore I was in tears for 15 minutes.
GIAN = The whole album is dedicated to Vito ….
PIERO = … to Ignazio’s father.
On this occasion Ignazio proved to be a great man, because three days before our performance in Sanremo, we received this terrible news by phone, and we all expected a NO, from Ignazio, we thought we would stay at home. Instead he, as a great professional, arrived in Sanremo, sang, did his duty. He has my highest esteem. ❤(appaluse)
MARA = Who knows how you were inside, love.
IGNAZIO = I think that the greatest happiness of a parent is to see their children happy.
GIAN = There was a backstage part that I would like to tell and that moved us all.
During the rehearsals Fiorello (co-host of Sanremo), approached Ignazio and hugged him for three minutes, they hugged tightly, I’m telling you, because unfortunately he also experienced the same situation ….. and by the way we say goodbye to the great Fiorello, hello Fiore !!
MARA = (turning to Ignazio) Were you far away, when your dad passed?
IGNAZIO = I was in Bologna, we were, there. Before, we talked about the pandemic, and the lockdown, there are positive sides, I was lucky enough to spend a year and a half with my whole family, and that’s what we hope all the young people, all the boys of our age, have done – have the opportunity to spend time with their families, and to understand how important their support is.
MARA = I think so.
PIERO = But in these years…. we have been together for 13 years …
IGNAZIO = We are together, that is, we work together ….
MARA = But there would be nothing wrong, Ignazio ... (being together can be meant sentimentally)
PIERO = No, no, we are together
IGNAZIO = Of bad, nothing, but Piero, it’s not that I like him so much. 😁
MARA = Are the two of them engaged? (Piero and Gianluca). About you (Ignazio) we learned that you have a girlfriend in Brazil …
GIAN = The two of them who ??
MARA = Not the two of you together, although there would be nothing wrong with that.
GIAN = No but imagine, there would be nothing wrong …
MARA = Do you, your fiancée, have it?
GIAN = Yes, yes, I do.
MARA = You have her! And you Piero?
PIERO = No, I …
GIAN = Piero no.
MARA = Is he single?
GIAN = Piero is single, the only single, that’s right.
MARA = He is in love with Bellucci, he is waiting for Bellucci.
IGNAZIO = Morricone was one of the most beautiful projects we have ever thought …
MARA = Do you want to change the subject?
IGNAZIO = Is it understood ?? 😁
MARA = You are smart, eh !!! But when you can, with aunt !!! (she means that the aunt, that is Mara, discovers the smart ones)
IGNAZIO = (He gets up and sings to Mara, hugging her) “I’ll take you and I’ll take you away.” (applause)
MARA = Come on, another film I loved is Sacco and Vanzetti, directed by the great Giuliano Montaldo, starring Riccardo Cucciolla and GianMaria Volontè.
PIERO = For this piece, we studied a lot, because we didn’t know so many things ….
MARA = Wonderful movie.
PIERO = The story is truly poignant, because unfortunately there is injustice.
MARA = Exactly. Great movie.
GIAN = We are here, eh !!
PIERO = I was telling her about Sacco and Vanzetti …
IGNAZIO = We felt a little lonely.
MARA = Here he is (Piero), I brought him to you.
PIERO = This song is called: HERE’S TO YOU. (applause, here’s to you begins)
(applause and standing ovation at the end)
MARA = Well, you wonderful ones! I just want to say that this is an important film, an important theme, it is the story of two Italians, two emigrants who were unjustly condemned, and we at this moment want to greet all our compatriots who cannot be here.
I + P = Absolutely.
GIAN = And it is also nice to remember that soon we will be on tour, from March in the United States, we start in RCMH on March 4th, and then we will reach many people who have been waiting for us for two years since the last tour that unfortunately we had to stop due to the Covid.
MARA = So you will reach our compatriots, and not only !! But then I will also say all the dates.
Let’s move on because there is another beautiful song.
PIERO = There are many (dates)
MARA = Yes, a lot.
PIERO = More than 100 concerts in six months.
MARA = But when are you leaving?
PIERO = March 4th …
MARA = And are you coming back?
PIERO = In December
MARA = Next year (2022)
PIERO = Yes, and we will sing in Italy, we will do concerts in the summer and concerts in the winter.
MARA = How long are you away?
PIERO = From March to December no stop, only 7-8 days in July
MARA = Are you going back to Italy?
PIERO = Yes, at home.
MARA = Love !!
GIAN = At least, a little sun, a tan, otherwise we will be pale, tired, with travel …..
MARA = Let’s go on, now they make you listen to another beautiful song, music ….
PIERO = What is it?
MARA = SE TELEFONANDO
IGNAZIO = Another of my favorites.
MARA = I like it a lot too.
PIERO = Do you know how it was born?
MARA = Maurizio Costanzo (he wrote the words)
PIERO = Yes, but Ennio Morricone was at the post office paying a fine, a bill, I don’t know what it was, he heard the sound of the ambulance, the siren of the ambulance “ta-ta …. se telefonando” and from there makes you understand the genius of the master Morricone.
MARA = What a beautiful song.
PIERO = Magnificent.
MARA = Why him, great musician, great author, but then this is a song that everyone can sing, in truth.
IGNAZIO = Absolutely. But then the genius of the master Morricone was that he was inspired by silence, for him silence in his works was fundamental …
PIERO = Determinant
IGNAZIO = I like to compose, and sometimes, removing is more difficult than adding.
MARA = It’s true.
IGNAZIO = The essential is something difficult to achieve. It can only be reached by those who are geniuses, like the maestro Morricone.
MARA = How wise have you become, aunt’s love. (she hugs Ignazio)
IGNAZIO = Mamma mia, I’m getting emotional!
MARA = Come on, come on, come on, SE TELEFONANDO, Il Volo!! (starts Se Telefonando)
(applause and standing ovation at the end)
MARA = IL Volo, on Domenica IN, which makes us spend the wonderful Boxing Day !!
Good, good guys, good, good guys (she applauds the guys).
Now I’m sending something with you, from here, from this position. Last year was December 25, 2020, exactly one year ago, and where were you? In St. Peter’s Square ..
P + G + I = Yes, St. Peter’s Square.
MARA = With ???
PIERO = Nobody, there was nobody. Ours is a dream job, we are dreamers and we saw that surreal situation, lockdown, at home at ten, and we wanted to wish the whole country a Merry Christmas from there. We got organized, with the director of RAI1.
MARA = Stefano Coletta.
IGNAZIO = Let us wish him well for Santo Stefano.
G + P + I + M = Greetings director !!
PIERO = And so from there, we made these four songs, to wish a Merry Christmas, with St. Peter’s Square completely empty.
MARA = Let’s see it then. (start the video of Merry Christmas from San Pietro 2020)
In the video: Gian = On this very special day, in which, even if we are close, we are forced to stay away, we wanted to find a way to wish you a Merry Christmas.
Ignazio = With music, in this extraordinary square.
PIERO = The hope is that Christmas, with its magic, can bring a smile to your homes, and warm your hearts.
MARA = How beautiful !! It’s beautiful, I think you have performed everywhere, but I think this was an emotion …… (addressed to Piero) at one in the morning did you tell me?
IGNAZIO = In fact there was still a curfew, so thanks to the Municipality of Rome, and the Vatican who gave us permission to be able to register it. So as not to create a crowd, we did it after curfew, we finished at 1am.
I want take this opportunity to reiterate that the mind that thinks these things is Michele Torpedine, who has all these fantastic ideas.
MARA = That we say hello to Michele (she blows a kiss), where is Michele? It should be around here!
PIERO = Do you think that Luciano Pavarotti called him (Torpedine) Great Boss, and he too (Ignazio), jokingly also called him Great Boss.
I’ve never done, it but I told him: “The day you make us sing in front of Pope Francis, I’ll call you Big Boss”, and now I have to!
GIAN = Behind every singer, there are people who allow them to be able to fully express their art, surely he is the person …..
PIERO = Can you turn the camera? He is there, behind …(Michele is nearby)
MARA = No look, let’s do one thing: “Come here, Michele, we’re talking about you” (applause)
PIERO = Great Michele.
MARA = (drags Torpedine on stage). Sorry, they were talking about you.
MT = You know that these things embarrass me, I’m not used to it.
MARA = Come on. Listen, we are almost at the end of this beautiful segment, I don’t know how to thank you.
How do you handle these boys, Torpedine?
MT = How do you manage three dynamites like this, they go it alone, just say yes or no to things.
MARA = Now you all go, go around the world for months …
MT = Around the world, we hope that everything goes well with Covid.
MARA = We hope, we hope so.
IGNAZIO = We thought we would leave you with a Christmas song, since they told us that Christmas songs are sung until the Epiphany.
MARA = Come on, the witch is here. (herself)
PIERO = White Christmas.
MARA = White Christmas, Il Volo, and I take Michele away. (White Christmas song begins)
Thanks guys, (applause), thanks, thanks. Happy New Year!
IGNAZIO = We want to thank you.
MARA = Thanks to you.
IGNAZIO = We wanted to congratulate you for the new year.
PIERO = We never had the opportunity to spend all this time together, you are really human !!
GIAN = Thanks for believing in us.
MARA = You gave me a great gift, guys.
IGNAZIO = And you gave us a great gift, because talking about each other, is not always easy.
GIAN = Best wishes to you too who are following us, hoping that it will be a 2022 of normality.
IGNAZIO = We wish you to collect all the most beautiful, unthinkable and imaginary fruits, because “nothing is impossible”.
MARA = And it’s true !!
GIAN = He is also international, him.
PIERO = Only optimism !!
MARA = Come on guys, but see you, you go around the world …
PIERO = See you in concert in Italy …
MARA = At the Arena ??
PIERO = In June at the Verona Arena and Taormina …
MARA = And so, see you in March. They go and then they come back: Il Volo !!!
I have no words after this beautiful interview, it was long, but not boring at all.
I believe that when our young men open their hearts, we only know of good feelings.
This is also what we like about them, their way of being, unites us and brings us closer and closer to their human side, they are not only excellent artists, there is much more.
What do you think?
Daniela
Credit to owners of all photos and video.
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
