Today I begin my journey to Athens and so do the guys. Even though we have different businesses, the guys bring their beautiful voices around the world, and I bring beautiful people around the world, we both conduct businesses in the same way. Our businesses require that we Tour so we are both very comfortable with traveling around the world and bringing happiness to many people.
The guys bring joy to hundreds of thousands of people worldwide each year. I too bring joy to my pilgrims but not on quite as a grand scale. Everything has its value in its own way.
Why do I say pilgrims? Because my business is pilgrimages. I bring people to religious places around the world.
So, what does this pilgrimage have to do with the guys? Some of the places we will visit along the way are places the guys are very familiar with because they did concerts there. One of those places is Assisi.
But let’s begin at the beginning….
This morning, Sunday, September 17th, the guys stepped on a plane in Milan, destination Zurich and the beginning of their European Tour!
This evening, Sunday September 17th I stepped on a plane at JFK airport in New York, destination Rome and the beginning of my pilgrimage.
Working My Way to Athens! Or should I say we are Working our way to Athens!
What’s so important about Athens? It’s the first time the guys will perform there, and the performance will be in the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus Amphitheater which is just below the Acropolis. A magnificent theater! I’ve seen performances there over the years, but I had to be at this performance because I know this will be the greatest of all performances that ever was presented in this theater! Why?
Because, Greece, you have never experienced Il Volo! You are about to pass through a new age of entertainment the likes of which you have never experienced before. Be prepared for your senses to be awakened! Greece prepare yourself to take a giant leap forward in your musical experience.
Many of the Greek fans have been asking and waiting for this performance for a long time. I will be meeting up with many of those fans and group administrators while I’m in Athens. I will also meet up with American fans who are there.
So, this is where my journey is leading me. But while I’m in flight, let me tell you about a review I read about the guys. Thanks to Daniela’s translation, I can bring you part of this beautiful review.
This review was from a Blogger ~ Cristina Rampini. Cristina is the Director of the Blog. She writes about herself, “I was born a pianist and I continue as an artist! Why? Because I break the mold and start living my days and art at 360 degrees without limits, barriers and above all leaving the ‘idiots gossip’ and ‘criticism’ for its own sake. I started a new life at the age of 40 but as they say… better late than never!!
I already like this lady!
DEJAVU by Cristina Rampini
I begin with Cristina’s description of the guys….
Piero has a lyrical range and technical precision that make him ready to take on great roles in Italian melodrama. In particular, he leaves us speechless with his interpretation of “Mamma, il vino è generous”, an aria taken from Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. (I’m sorry for those who dispute this simply because of archaic mental prototypes).
Ignazio, or ‘the voice.’ Disarming vocal extension with a tightness even in the high notes that leaves you speechless. The star of the stage with his jokes and his irony who also, doesn’t fail to make us cry with a splendid reinterpretation of ‘Almeno tu nell’universo’ (At least you in the universe) by Mia Martini.
Gianluca is always fascinating (but since super in love also very tender) he takes us into the world of the Beatles, of the legendary Elvis Presley without leaving out precious jewels of Italian song such as ‘La cura’ by Battiato of which he does an intense and highly emotional revisitation with a voice that enchants you from the first notes also for its truly enveloping timbre.
Great music, great voices, great stage performance… a show to absolutely see.
The only sadness: very few young people in the audience, and this must make us reflect a lot on the fact that it is necessary to ‘educate’ the new generations, have the critical ability to distinguish the difference between real music, real artists and pseudo artists.
Daniela’s remarks….
And finally, a truly truthful review, which leaves nothing to chance.
The writer does not report ‘hearsay,’ she was present at the concert and was impressed in a very positive sense.
The comments on the voices and personalities of Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca are very beautiful and spot on.
I had the impression, reading this review, that the writer did not have any restrictions or impediments to write what she saw at full speed.
I was very happy, even elated, it’s been a long time since we read such a beautiful and accurate review.
In recent days, after the concerts in Milan, there have been many positive comments and even good reviews, but this is certainly the best.
The final reflection of the article DEJAVU is very beautiful, it’s true, our young people are not used to listening to beautiful songs even by recent song writers, if they don’t have rap or urban rhythms, in short rhythms that are successful now here in Italy.
Our young people don’t listen to Il Volo at all, also due to the denigrating campaign that Il Volo has had from the press which has always defined them as “old”.
But people are tired of the new rhythms, which have also brought rudeness, vulgarity and inelegance.
Something is changing and our favorites are getting more and more support, and this makes me really happy.
My comment is more of an observation but not on the Milan concerts. The Milan concerts were phenomenal but building on Cristina Rampini’s review I need to say that the guys have made amazing strides in just a few months. This is evident in their appearance at the TIM Awards. On Saturday, the guys performed at the Awards. Yes, they did win an award for their amazing Tutti per uno, but my comment is more about who the guys have become in just a short period of time….
As each guy walked up to the stage last night I couldn’t help but notice how happy he was. And I couldn’t help but notice that the three men who were on this stage in June were different from these three men. They already were phenomenal entertainers, but last night they became rock stars!
Did you hear the excitement when they approached the stage. The whole Arena was acknowledging them. And their performances were met with such great excitement both individually and together! No these were not Il Volo fans; these were Italians who were there for the Awards and acknowledging our guys for their phenomenal performances. The tides have changed! Amazing what a few months can do!
Onwards to Sanremo! Italy is so ready for you! Bring home another Lion!!!
This is what they were talking about when they received their awards.
Vanessa Incontrata said: The flight is from 2015 and look where they are. So, 2 million records as well as a billion views, millions of subscribers on the YouTuber channel.
Piero tells us that they will be doing three big events here at the Arena di Verona “Tutti per uno” the “Tutti per uno” Concept for large events where every evening there will be 10 guests with us here at the Arena di Verona, so we are really happy to announce this this event.
Gianluca tells us that next year will be a year of great celebrations because we are celebrating 15 years of our career.
Ignazio gives us gossip. He tells us that Carlo Conti will be a guest and he will sing with them for the first time. He guarantee us, “I wasn’t saying that all for one can be your philosophy. Yes, absolutely not your way of being. Look, we grew up together. Now they are quinticelli, unfortunately we are together I’m not joking, we have been together for 15 years, we really know each other better than our brothers and share our music with each other but above all with all of you.
Carlo Conti said….
This the motivation for the award: For the great success they had in the events at the Arena of Verona in which they brought all genres of music: pop, rock, opera and the great songwriting, as you demonstrated tonight. Making the public experience a real journey into music that only three great artists with talent and sensitivity like Il Volo could give.
So back to the tour….
So today I arrived in Assisi. Assisi is a beautiful city where St. Francis was born, and the people of this city dedicate their lives to him.
As I was walking around the city, I couldn’t help but remember when our guys lent their beautiful voices to this beautiful city with a magnificent concert at the Basilica of St. Francis.
In 2013 the guys did a concert at the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. It was the 28th year that the classical Christmas concert was being performed and the cast was exceptional. The Rai National Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Steven Mercurio, and the chorus of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, directed by Ciro Visco, performed numerous solo voices in a typical Christmas music program. Among those who performed alongside Il Volo, was actor and singer, Paul Sorvino.
This is a preview of the event.
Backstage at the concert we have a rare interview of the parents of the guys. Below are the responses by Piero’s father, Gaetano. Gianluca’s mother Elenora. And Ignazio’s mother, Caterina.
Gaetano says they hoped Piero would be successful and that for them it was a dream to be there.
Leonora says she is very proud and very happy.
Caterina says that the success didn’t go to their heads, absolutely, that they are playful, especially her son who was holding back because they were in a very serious moment.
Below is the full concert which was produced by Rai. It was a very beautiful concert. The guys were honored and moved by the invitation to perform at this amazing Basilica. For the guys, this was a step closer to Italy accepting them.
Today my group left Assisi and went to Manopello stopping enroute at the beautiful city of Orvieto. After some Wine Tasting, we leave Umbria and continue to Abruzzo.
Next stop Manopello….
Now you might say Manopello, I never heard of that city. And if you looked it up on a map you would have a hard time finding it, so, why would I go there and more importantly why would the guys go there. They never did a concert there. That’s correct but Gianluca certainly made a stop there.
Manopello, particularly the municipality of Lettomanoppello, is in the Abruzzo region.
Now that I said Abruzzo let me begin with Gianluca’s reason for going there.
In an article in a local newspaper, it was stated that a young artist from Abruzzo famous all over the world has been made a Honorary Citizen of Lettomanopello.
The Abruzzo region does not waste a moment to celebrate merits and express gratitude to Gianluca. The beautiful baritone was awarded honorary citizenship of the municipality of Lettomanoppello.
During the extraordinary city council an urgent session was held by the mayor Giuseppe Esposito and the college of municipal councilors of the village of Letta, the immediate request for the conferral of honorary citizenship to Gianluca Ginoble was accepted.
The award ceremony took place inside the council chamber of the municipality of Pescara, in the presence of Dr. Luciano D’Alfonso, president of the Abruzzo region and other local authorities. Following the municipal call, in Piazza Umberto I, a festive welcome was held with an open buffet and greeting by the member of Il Volo.
Words of pride were spoken in favor of Ginoble who was classified as an artist having the simplicity and sweetness of a true gentleman.”
What remains of this umpteenth event dedicated to an important presence for the good artistic-value image of Abruzzo, the testimony provided by a representative of Pro Loco Tholos, a voluntary association for the promotion of tourism in Lettomanoppello, among other things the promoter of the evening:
“We hope that this small community of 3,000 inhabitants in the province of Pescara will always remain in his heart and that he continues to bring up the ‘Great love’ for Abruzzo and in particular for Lettomanoppello in the world.”
If the nickname of “Prince of Abruzzo” attributed to Gianluca by fans, were not enough to embody the character qualities of the artist, the municipality of Lettomanoppello thinks that from today they officially crown him as “Gentlemen of Abruzzo.”
Luciano Monticelli wrote….
GIANLUCA GINOBLE AMBASSADOR AND PRIDE OF ABRUZZO
Yesterday Gianluca Ginoble was named honorary citizen of Lettomanoppello: it is just the last of an impressive series of awards, especially at his young age. In fact, I’m sure that any Abruzzo municipality would be proud to be able to name Gianluca among its citizens, even if only as an honorary title.
I was present at the ceremony as well, and I thank Mayor Giuseppe Esposito and President Luciano D’Alfonso for the invitation. Not only that: I made the car trip from Pineto to Lettomanoppello with the Ginoble family, and in particular the father and inseparable grandfather. Two ideal car-sharing companions: we talked about music, culture and many beautiful things that our Abruzzo has and can put on the field to be appreciated in the world.
How Gianluca, ambassador of Abruzzo in the world and genuine pride of our territory, teaches us.
A COUNTRY FOR YOUTH
In December 2015 Luciano again wrote about Gianluca.
Forgive me if I come back one more time about the exceptional day yesterday, but I am pleased to publish this video, which is a wonderful testimony to the great affection of the citizens of Castilenti and the whole Val Fino City towards Gianluca Ginoble.
Luciano D’Alfonso has called him an Abruzzo Ambassador, but I would add that he is also a great example of perseverance and courage for all our young people: courage to be themselves, aim for excellence and look at the globalized world not as a threat, but as an extraordinary opportunity.
Gianluca is the living proof that when young Italians decide to put into fruition the extraordinary cultural heritage passed down from previous generations, to do it and to reinvent it for the new times, there is no one else. Even for this we thank him from the bottom of our hearts for having agreed to be a witness to the Project “Val Fino City”!
So why am I in Manopello?
This tiny hamlet in Abruzzo holds one of the greatest treasures in the Catholic Church.
Volto Santo di Manopello (Holy Face of Manoppello)
This is believed to be the veil that was placed over Jesus’ face when he was buried. Not to be confused with Veronicas Veil.
The image, according to a tradition, would be “acheropita” that is “not drawn or painted by human hand” and has the particular characteristic of being clearly visible from both sides, as with elaborate photographic techniques of digital magnification it is possible to ascertain.
According to Professor Donato Vittore of the University of Bari, who performed an examination with ultraviolet rays in 1997, this test shows that the fibers of the Veil do not have any type of color, which is consistent with the tradition that states that this relic is neither painted nor woven with colored fibers.
The next few days we will travel to San Giovanni Rotondo where you find the body of Padre Pio. Many of you have read my book about Padre Pio. I thank you for following me and reading my Il Volo stories and my books and thank you for following me on a part of this pilgrimage. I enjoyed having you along as I was Working My Way to Athens. I will remain with the group for two more days and then on September 23rd, I go back to Rome to catch my flight to Athens. And I enjoyed sharing my Tour with the guys Tour. It was fun traveling together.
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
Thank you all for all your help with the videos and translations this week.
Christmas with the Three Tenors – Porta a Porta del 17/12/2013. There are some very beautiful memories in this video.
When you start to read this story you’re going to say, “Susan lost her mind. Shouldn’t she have written this story before the last story?”
No, I haven’t lost my mind, I held the story because this week on February 7th, is the beginning of Sanremo Festival 2023.
Now I know this is an old story and everyone knows it but, no, not everyone! The new fans, and there are many, know the guys won Sanremo but they don’t know how it came to be. So, for you old fans out there, I ask for your patience while the new fans hear the amazing story of Sanremo.
When I read Un’avventura Straordinaria, the guy’s biography, the story that I loved the most was the story of Sanremo. The decision by the guys to take on the Sanremo Festival. This story brought out their personalities, their differences and how they are so bound to one another that they could make the decision of a lifetime together even if it meant they could lose what was most important to them, their country and their people!
We know 2014 started out as a bad year, but suddenly things were happening. They were invited to sing at the Italian Senate. This was an event of immense importance for them. It said Italy was finally noticing them so, it only made sense that it was time to take a giant step!
So now I will flash back to Sanremo 2015 and Bringing the Lion Home
The lion for those who don’t know it is the Lion of Sanremo which is the award that the winner receives.
The Festival of Sanremo is a singing event held annually in Sanremo, Italy during the winter season. It is the most famous pop music event in Italy and a major media event on Italian television.
It currently takes place at the Teatro Ariston between late February and early March. The festival is essentially a singing competition among performers presenting original songs in premiere, never performed publicly before, composed by Italian authors, and voted by juries and/or by popular vote.
The winner of the 2015 Sanremo festival was Il Volo with the song, Grande Amore!
But this story doesn’t start with Sanremo, nor does it end there! Sanremo was the door opener!
They will tell you that the decision to go to Sanremo was a good one but, in contrast going to Eurovision may not have been their best decision. My reply, going to Eurovision was an excellent decision!
Let’s see how these decisions were made and what path they chose….
The Decision
So where do you begin to make the decision. Well, you have to start with….
Who’s in and who’s out!
Who’s in?
From day one, Gianluca wanted to go. He was so convinced that they would win that he never backed down from it. He had no doubt in his mind that they would win.
Who’s out?
Always the pessimist, Ignazio. He said “No, we can’t win. It’s too hard.”
So that leaves Piero! Piero at first was not on board but Gianluca persuaded him. Gianluca said, “No one trusted, no one believed it. It was I who persuaded Piero to persuade Ignazio to go to Sanremo. Because I told them: ‘Guys, if we go, we’ll win it, I’m sure, I’m sure’”.
Piero said, “We said to ourselves: ‘Guys, make it or break it, in the end, we were not anyone here in Italy, at most we would not be anyone even afterwards.’”
Decision made! It’s official the guys go to Sanremo!
Then there’s the second problem, the song!
At Sanremo you must perform an unpublished song. How do you begin to find such a song?
Now this is the part of the story that’s really interesting and sometimes funny! Oddly enough, the one who wanted this the most was the one who did not agree to the song. I so enjoyed listening to this dialogue between the guys. This is where we begin to hear the guys make important decisions together. They’re really good. When they begin, they’re not agreeing but as time goes by…. well, why don’t I let them tell you how they finally got to Sanremo….
The Song
Gianluca:I did not agree to go with that piece. If I think about it now, I’ll say that the next time I must reflect better before judging, try to sing a song and then judge because our voices change the songs. We arrange them by cutting them on our voice, and I did not take this fact into consideration. The song when we first listened to it was not very ugly!
Ignazio:It’s not that we’ve heard only that, no. Do you think it is easy to choose a piece for Sanremo? We started to do a search and a selection of unpublished tracks. Our policy was: either we go with something strong, or we do not go, right?
One day this song comes to us through Michele: Grande Amore by Francesco Boccia and Ciro Esposito, two Neapolitan authors. As usual, I am pessimistic. I listen to it, and it does not make me crazy. Not even Gianluca was convinced. The only enthusiast was Pie …
Piero (interrupts):I loved ‘Grande Amore!’ I did not believe that we would have won, but I was the one who pushed, I and Michele pushed for ‘Grande Amore’ because the audition that we heard was not beautiful, but we imagined it if it was made by Celso Valli and, I must say that we had guessed right.
Ignazio (interrupts):And I said it too if you let me talk. I was saying, in fact, that ‘Grande Amore’ was not as we hear it today. It was always called ‘Grande Amore,’ but it was totally different. So, we start to think: who can produce the piece? And Michele calls the great Celso Valli. After several weeks of work in the studio, we manage to churn out a song that could leave its mark at the Sanremo Festival.
Gianluca (interrupts): That’s why when we left for Sanremo I was very convinced we had the piece, the right project.
Piero:He wanted to influence us, but we are superstitious ….
Gianluca:Every day at lunch and dinner with Michele and the president of Sony, I say: ‘Guys, we will win Sanremo.’
Piero (interrupts):Do you know what a week like this means?
Ignazio:Piero and I were all day touching iron and the low parts. Gianluca was convinced that the little lion would be ours? And the two of us tried to keep the situation under control.
Gianluca (interrupts):What should I tell you? I am an optimist. They took it something like ‘he makes fun of us,’ but I felt it inside. I do not know why.
So many interruptions! Ignazio, before he was interrupted, was about to tell us about the first night they sang.
Ignazio:The 65th edition of the Festival begins on Tuesday, February 10th. We sing the second night, Wednesday the 11th. The strange thing is that normally my legs tremble before the performance, but mine trembled even after the performance! Perhaps too much adrenaline, it never happened before.
Piero (interrupts):Or maybe it was because we came back to the Ariston stage after going around the world. It was like coming home, because we experienced the beginning of our career here with Ti Lascio una Canzone. One thing that cannot be described: in Sanremo, in Italy, to sing and receive the applause of the Italian public. It cannot be explained.
The Wardrobe
Gianluca:Can you imagine for me this was also my birthday? I turned twenty on the Ariston stage! Of course, I was moved in the end, and it was too much emotion to my sensibility to play bad jokes at times. And then, we felt the pressure in the air. Even though I was optimistic, the tension was there.
Although we had taken care of the smallest details of the song, we had tried and tried again, and we had taken care of even the smallest details of the clothing. First evening look more rock: total black with leather jacket. Because when we do our work the image matters, too.
I really wanted to use the video of “Ancora” at Sanremo but I couldn’t get it to work so, instead I chose the one from Verona. Amazing no matter where they sing it!
Piero (interrupts):Count, of course that counts. But do you remember how we were dressed before? I remember that time at Una Notte per Caruso, in July 2009, it was the second time we saw Torpedine. Michele arrives with another white Range Rover, not that of Jesolo, and as soon as he arrives, we do not even say hello and we go to see the car. Let’s run, let’s open the car. Ignazio immediately goes up to the car. We went crazy for cars, one like that, we did not see every day. The day after we go for a ride in downtown Sorrento, a shopping trip, and we enter Gucci’s. Michele spent almost two thousand euros and we with that written number at the counter, we exclaimed: “Mizziga! (Damn!) Two thousand euro” with wide eyes. And we still have those clothes, at least I personally still have them.
He had bought us a jacket, but above all the need for us to dress all in white and blue. I had the blue jacket and the white shirt, Gianluca had blue trousers and white shirt, Ignazio the blue shoes and everything else white, Michele the blue jacket. And we took a picture in front of the hotel.
Gianluca (interrupts):We were just dressed badly to be singers by trade, we were children, we came from families of workers. What could I buy? There was not even the need.
Piero (interrupts):And then you remember the restaurant? Afterwards we went to a restaurant near the sea. When we finished eating, the three of us took off our shoes and ran to the beach. Michele ran behind us telling us: ‘Guys, calm down. Guys, slow down.’
At this point Ignazio loses his patience.
Ignazio: YES, but what does that have to do with it, Pie? We were talking about Sanremo. What has Sorrento got to do with it?
The Performance
Ignazio gets the conversation back on track!
Sanremo 2015, from the 10th to 14th of February, we sang on the second evening, legs shaking, Gianluca’s birthday.
(This video has English subtitles.)
Among the many interviews, the diary that we kept every day for TV Sorrisi e Canzoni … We had fun with the diary!
It was a sort of ‘pill.’ A very few minutes, in which we recorded from the 9th to 14th of February. We talked about some of the emotions we felt. For example, the time that Gianluca almost stumbles on stage or the happiness of seeing the audience get up and applaud the first night we sang ‘Grande Amore.’ The recording, then, went online on the site of the magazine.
What was I saying? Ah, yes, among the many interviews, the diary that we kept every day for TV Sorrisi e Canzoni, meetings and press conferences …
Piero (interrupts):And the criticisms we felt in those days? People at home voted for us, appreciated us, and journalists gave us votes that we thought were postponed until September, I also said this at the press conference after the victory. Five that flew (bad votes given by critics). But we see that the criticisms have done us good.
Ignazio:Can I do a criticism of you?
Piero:Ah, tell me…
Ignazio:You interrupted me. I was about to tell the final. I can continue?
The Win
Ignazio:In short, the final evening arrives, February 14th. I realize from my shirt that in a week we have eaten more than we sang. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I’m a boy who does not say cat if I do not have it in the bag, then until Carlo Conti said….
Piero (interrupts):And indeed, whoever wins does not know it until the end! Sorry, Igna’. Speak you!!!
Ignazio:Until Carlo Conti said: ‘The winner of the Sanremo Festival 2015 is … Il Volo!’ I said to the boys: ‘No, guys, we do not win, it’s difficult.’ And on the one hand I had Piero with shining eyes and on the other Gianluca with a smug smile as if to say: ‘Do not worry.’
Gianluca:The truth is that I was right from the beginning, and no one had ever listened to me, ever. I believed it so much that, if you notice, maybe I’m the one with the least surprised look on my face when Carlo Conti announces the winner. Then, of those moments, one remembers little, there is great confusion, emotion. It was a dream to be able to shout, ‘Thank you, Italy!’ from that stage. I look at Sanremo as a child, when there was Pippo Baudo, and I was there and have won because people were on our side and it was a dream, I repeat even if I have already said. The emotion was only when my grandfather told me almost in tears: “Who would have told me that in life I saw Modugno win at the Festival and then I saw you win?”
Taking the conversation back, I have to say, to me this was the best conversation we could listen to. They disagree, they find middle ground, and they agree but, most importantly they listen to one another and that’s what makes the bond so great!
In the end Gianluca said:In short, Sanremo was just a dream that brought us many different emotions.
This story was so important because the guys started on the Ariston stage as three teenagers, on Ti Lasc io Una Canzone, went around the world gaining success everywhere along the way, only to come back to the Ariston Theater to win not only Sanremo but the hearts of the Italian people; the one thing they wanted from the beginning!
Over those six years between Ti lascio Una Canzone and Sanremo, the guys sang in concerts hall around the world. Their songs went gold and platinum. They won many awards including the Latin American Music Award’s Latin Pop Albums Artist of the Year for a duo or group. They sang with people like Barbara Streisand and joined some of the best singers in the music industry for “We Are the World Haiti” but what they wanted more than anything was to be accepted in their own country and they did that by coming back to their beginnings! Going full circle and taking a big chance paid off on the Ariston Stage for the second time.
As the winners of Sanremo, the guys went on to Eurovision. They came in third. They saw it as a loss but, I saw it as a win because here the press came out for them awarding them the Marcel Bezencon Press Award. The press has spoken!
As Italy is a member of the Big Five, the guys went straight into the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which was held in Vienna on May 23rd, 2015. “Grande Amore” came in 3rd with 292 points but, they won the televote with 366 points and the Marcel Bezencon Press Award, as best song according to the collective voting of the accredited press.
And, the extended play “Sanremo Grande Amore” was released in Italy on February 20th, 2015, and it was certified triple platinum by FIMI.
When the guys won Sanremo 2015 they felt they had finally achieved their dream to be number one in the hearts of the Italian people!
Against all odds they pulled it off. The part of the story the guys missed was about the Italian people. They were always on their side. Even when they were traveling around the world and hoping to perform concerts in Italy, the Italian people were always waiting for them. The press was against them but never the people. They wanted them home as much as they wanted to go home.
How does Michele Torpedine sum up our guys….
These three guys have very clear ideas and I have never seen them impressed in front of audiences that many would shake their legs. I never heard a wrong attack, and if some inconsistency arose that made something happen professionally, they knew how to handle the problem at the origin. They are always extraordinary, their voices grow with them, they mature in body and soul. There is no other team or artistic team so complete.
I couldn’t have said it better myself!
So, we find the guys on February 14, 2015, Bringing the Lion Home.
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
For your listening pleasure – Il Volo Concert Verona 2015
If you would like to share a story with me, please e.mail: susan.flightcrew@yahoo.com
To read more Il Volo stories visit us at www.ilvoloflightcrw.com
My plan this week was to talk about the opening of the World Tour. It turns out it’s that and so much more. Over the past week many things have happened that need to be mentioned here. All that’s important in the lives of these three young men, Family, Country & Music, are up front and present in my story today.
We know that the Holy Father, Pope Francis has great love and respect for these young men. He sees them as an example of how young people should live their lives. They have respect for their families and for life in general. Always putting family first. And always trying to please everyone!
So, I will start my story today with an event at the Vatican which the guys will, at the request of Pope Francis, participate in! The World Meeting of Families ~ The Festival of Families
Family
If there is one thing I can tell you for certain about these young men it is that they truly love His Holiness, Pope Francis. And I can tell you for certain that the Holy Father truly loves them. They have shared many wonderful moments together, but none greater than singing the Ave Maria Mater Misericordiae at World Youth Day in Panama in 2019.
This event is entitled “The Beauty of the Family.” The Press Office explained, “rather than giving speeches and theories on families, people will give voice to witness. The choice of presenters, artists and those who will speak is designed to promote their experience as Christian families. For this reason, the presentation is entrusted to Amadeus and his wife Giovanna Civitillo. As for the artistic presence, the young artists ‘Il Volo’ together with some of their relatives, will participate by recounting their own family experience and proposing some musical pieces.”
The Holy Father recognized that the families of Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca made many sacrifices so that these young men could go out into the world and present their beautiful Bel Canto.
In the beginning the boys were 15 and 16 years old and so it was necessary for a member of their family to travel with them. These families found themselves in a very difficult situation having to choose which parent would travel and which would stay home with the other children. These were very difficult times for them, and they made great sacrifices to do this. While they were with their sons, they left the other children behind. And when the boys were old enough to travel on their own another sacrifice had to be made; not seeing their sons for long periods of time.
The parents of Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca realized that the gift that each of these boys was given was a gift from God and through the presence of God in their lives they were able to deal with the situation and share their amazing sons with the world.
This truly is what this conference is about. Families sharing their love and supporting each other. The result of their story is these families gave to the world three truly amazing men who appreciate the value of family and put their families first above all else in life.
Congratulations to the families of Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca!
Country
Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca had the honor of singing the Mameli, the National Anthem of Italy, on June 2nd Republic Day before Sergio Mattarella the President of the Republic of Italy.
Also, in the Grandstand was Pietro Grasso former President of the Senate. He was very pleased to see the guys again. You will recall Mr. Grasso was the man who sang every song along with the guys when they did their Christmas Concert for the Senate in December 2014.
Mr. Grasso left the Senate to become the Acting President of Italy when Giorgio Napolitano resigned as President. He was the president from January 4, 2015, to February 3, 2015 when Sergio Mattarella the present President was sworn in.
For these young men, singing the National Anthem was a very proud moment in their lives because they are proud to be Italian and they are proud to be Ambassadors representing their country through song around the world
Music
Anyone who knows Il Volo knows one of their signature songs is “Caruso.”
Lucio Dalla was the composer of “Caruso” (1986), a song dedicated to the last days of Italian opera tenor Enrico Caruso. The song, dedicated to the tenor became an Italian national anthem abroad. It was the identifying song for the world of Dalla’s entire career. Nine million copies were sold. It was reinterpreted by among others Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli. And most recently and most importantly it was reinterpreted by our guys, Il Volo and it became one of those songs we look forward to hearing in their concerts.
A Concert tribute to Lucio Dalla was held at the Verona Arena on June 3rd with many stars singing Dalla songs, including Il Volo. This thrilling event was prerecorded at the Arena di Verona on June 2nd and presented on Raiuno on June 3rd. The presenters of the evening were Carlo Conti and Fiorella Mannoia.
The Concert in tribute to Lucio Dalla at the Verona Arena was a great party in the name of the music of one of the most loved songwriters of all time.
The World Tour Begins
Go out into the world and share the voice God gave you!
The new World Tour is about the old and the new and the two years in-between. It’s the best picture of what the guys have been doing these last two years when they were separated from us.
The big thing, they worked on new songs. Thus ~ Il Volo Sings Morricone!
They came on Instagram and Facebook and sang for us! One memorable moment from those songs is included in this concert.
They expanded their own horizons! Read what I have to say about Piero.
And they chose a set list that is very different from the past. All very beautiful songs. Something for everyone’s taste. Different…
The Ecstasy of Gold ~ Nessun Dorma ~ Un Amore Cosi Grande ~ Se Telefonando ~ Se ~ Your Love ~ Your Song ~ All By Myself ~ La Donna è Mobile ~ No Puede Ser ~ E Lucevan le Stelle ~ Hallelujah ~ My Way ~ Here’s to You ~ Delilah ~ Can’t help Falling in Love ~ Musica che Resta ~ L’amore si Muove ~ Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu ~ O Sole Mio/ Surrender ~ Granada ~ Libiamo Ne’ Lieti Calici ~ Caruso ~ Io Che Non Vivo Senza Te ~ Il Mondo ~ Grande Amore
There is so much to say about the production, but I will save that for another day. Instead, I will talk about the songs and the guys!
A good place to start is with the duets….
The duets in this concert were phenomenal! I will start with the duet between Ignazio and Gianluca. It is their prayer for those who were not as lucky as we were.
It’s very appropriate that Gianluca and Ignazio chose to present a prayer in this concert. Recognizing all that was, all that is and all that still remains, it is in the end, an expression of hope. The song Ignazio and Gianluca chose was the song Ignazio sang to us during COVID. You will recall each of the guys sang a prayer for us. Piero sang the “Ave Maria,” Ignazio sang “Hallelujah,” and Gianluca sang “You Raise Me up.” I remember this was at the high point in the pandemic and we were all very sad and very sensitive and they calmed our fears with their beautiful voices. We were all touched by this, and I wrote a column for each guy and his song.
This is what Ignazio had to say about the song they chose….
When we had to decide what to sing … We sang many songs together but this year we wanted something very special. So, one day I called Gianluca, and I said, ‘Why don’t we sing a prayer?’ We are living through a period of … I say it in Gianluca’s way… Bad time… We all have been through a very bad time and … We decided to sing a very significant song, it was in the pandemic, and it still is today. Let’s pretend it is a prayer, a prayer for everything that is happening and that has happened in the past months and unfortunately continues to happen. Let’s think about Covid…. now in Ukraine and Russia…. So, we want to address this prayer to those who are not making it, to those who are suffering, to those who are not as fortunate as us…
Their rendition of Hallelujah was very touching and very expressive. Ignazio articulates very well, and he has such beautiful diction, his words just flow on the air. Ignazio’s beautiful voice expresses the beauty of this song which leads us to a supreme experience. It brought me to tears. A truly beautiful delivery by both our tenor and baritone.
Next, I want to talk about the duet between Piero and Ignazio ~ “La Donna è Mobile.”
How did Piero feel about this duet…? Piero said when Ignazio proposed they do this duet, he replied that he was crazy, but then they tried to do it by themselves and they had fun, so they called the management and proposed singing this duet from Rigoletto.
This is a song everyone knows. For me, in this concert, it brought back memories of Ignazio’s childhood. You will recall in their book, Un’avventura Straordinaria, Ignazio said….
I always liked to sing, to be ‘in the middle’ of the music. And more and more passionately I began to understand how to use Nina’s famous pianola. I learned how to start the musical bases and flipping through them I discovered ‘La Donna è Mobile.’
In short, I began to like it so much that I sang with that base, inventing words. Now the exact words that I invented, I do not remember, but for sure my song was about Luciano Pavarotti. Why? Because as a child I always saw him on television and he always had a huge handkerchief in his hand, so I invented a text with Pavarotti and his handkerchief.
And so, I sang on the air of ‘La Donna è Mobile’not knowing what was on the horizon and what we would have to deal with in those years.
Was Ignazio thinking of his childhood, his first performance when they chose this song?
Beyond my memories of Ignazio’s childhood, I have to say their presentation was absolutely phenomenal! The tenor and the spinto tenor showed their true colors! They could have been singing on the stage of the MET! True opera singers in their delivery and expression! Absolutely phenomenal! Yes, Ignazio you do sing opera!
While I’m talking about Piero, I want to give you some of my thoughts about our spinto tenor. Piero’s voice which always was amazing, always was powerful, and his presentation which always produced phenomenal climaxes in the concerts, has now become such a vibrant sound in our ears! His voice has expanded so much in the last two years. Over this period, Piero has had the opportunity to spend unlimited time on his opera lessons. This is something that is not possible in his normal schedule. The intense opera lessons of the last two years have paid off with Piero standing at the door of the MET! The intensity of his voice sends shivers up and down my spine! A truly amazing voice that has become even more powerful than it was! Phenomenal! Bravo Piero!
My Way is the one song of the duets that has been presented before. And now as then it is amazing! Gianluca’s love of Frank Sinatra is something that brings joy to him and grace to their concerts. I know that Gianluca aspires to be like Sinatra, but I have to honestly say, if Sinatra was alive, he would aspire to be like Gianluca. Sinatra was and still is greatly loved and admired by his fans but Sinatra although a baritone like Gianluca could never achieve what Gianluca has achieved. Yes, he had great fame and was admired worldwide but he didn’t have the range that Gianluca has. Sinatra could not sing the full range of a baritone like Gianluca does. Gianluca, you have it all wrapped up.
Let’s turn to the solos….
Before he begins his solo, Ignazio tells us about his solo….
We meet again year after year, and I wonder what I am doing this year because what I tried to do in recent years was too ambitious. I sing what some men have never sung but at least if I make a fool of myself this year it is over a very famous person, a great artist who I hope sooner or later to have the honor of singing with. This is taken from the album of Celine Dion. ~ ‘All By Myself’
Before beginning his song, “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” Gianluca spoke about his choice of this solo and why he chose it….
Tonight, I will sing a song that was part of my adolescence of my musical inspiration. I grew up with many singers starting from Andrea Bocelli, definitely a great one! All the Great Americans Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin and the greatest of all Elvis Presley. I have been singing this song for years I have also grown a little with her because tonight I want to dedicate it to a person who is here (pointing to Elenora Venturini Storaro in the audience) and I will sing it for her.
Before beginning his solo, No puede ser, Piero said….
I am accompanied by a great musician. I always watched his videos and tonight I invited him to accompany me ~ Maestro Andrea Grinelli
A beautiful interpretation Piero! This aria is about a man’s love for a woman who everyone says is wicked but he doesn’t believe it. Piero’s expression shows his trust for the woman he loves and that he believes that she is good! Magnificent!
So where do we go from here?
Before they sang, Ignazio takes a moment to thank the fans….
I have to thank the fans, not only for their great affection, but also because coming to these concerts doesn’t just mean spending money on tickets, but for many people, also spending on travel and hotel expenses …. and therefore, we thank you for always being with us and we dedicate to you: ‘Un Amore Cosi Grande’
After the song Piero says some beautiful words as to why he gets excited when he sings this song. It’s about being Sicilian and who he is….
Piero:To pursue his dream as a director, Toto leaves his homeland. He is forced to leave his homeland. Every time I leave for a tour, fortunately I am a privileged guy, when we leave our homes, our cities, we leave them for good things, for what we are doing tonight, but there is always that….
Ignazio: Melancholy ….
Gianluca: That basic nostalgia ….
Piero: That incurable nostalgia and therefore I cried a lot, (watching that movie) because I see myself in that child. When I sing this song, those who know me well, see me quite moved by it.
And we end with a song you are all familiar with in Italian and English….
This is just a small part of the concert. I couldn’t fit all 27 songs into this article but over the next few weeks and as we continue the concerts, I will include all of them.
The importance of today’s story was to show you that the guys love what they do but they don’t forget who they are and where they came from. For them it’s about Family, Country & Music not always in that order. It’s called stepping up to the plate and that is something they do well!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
Daniela, Ale and Stefi at the Concert! Wish I was with them.
Today I want to thank three ladies who help me with photos and translations: Daniela, Ale and Stefi. I also want to thank my proof readers. Thanks for catching the errors! Pat in English and Daniela in Italian
If you would like to share a story with me, please email: susan.flightcrew@yahoo.com
Now we have arrived at the part of the story which is the main event ~ Ti Lascio una Canzone! I’m going to say a few words about it for all the new fans out there and then I am a going to skip to The Night the Lion Roared. Why? Because everyone who knows Il Volo knows their amazing story! But I will share a few important facts and some videos of that amazing night.
Their amazing 1,2,3 win, as important as it was, was not the most important part to this story. The the biggest win of all was ~ Il Volo!
Let’s begin with Episode Four…
It is the fourth episode of Ti Lascio Una Canzone and the boys are given the music for “O Sole Mio” but in three parts. They thought it was strange because until then they were singing alone or doing duets.
They walked out on the stage, sang “O Sole Mio” and it was like they had been performing together for years. Flawless!
But before the trio came together, there were some amazing performances….
Let’s talk about some of the people they performed with on the show. Really great names in the Italian music industry. Massimo Ranieri, Fausto Leali, Al Bano, Adamo, Piero Mazzoccheti.
What I witnessed in those performances were great performers who were in awe of these three teenage boys who were singing, in some cases, their songs and they were totally amazed. It was written all over their faces. They could not believe what they were hearing.
What was going on behind the scenes? Well, we certainly know that the idea to put the three together was the genius of Roberto Cenci the artistic director and director of the program. But there was so much more happening!
We know when Michele Torpedine heard them sing for the first time, he thought the three possessed an incredible vocality for their age.
He instinctively knew signing these kids would be for him the find of a lifetime!
Michele says, “The next day I am a volcano. I want to talk to everyone: producers, managers, families.”
Michele continues, “Another great story started, a new story at a time when it seemed to me that there was no future for me, for my profession: a breath of oxygen in my environment.”
After years of disappointment, loss of trust and gratitude, missing or denied, with Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca, Michele rediscovers the values of gratitude. Michele says, “The boys allowed me to really go back to my job.”
And the results….
They were the first Italian artists in history to sign a contract with a major American music label.
Universal Music signed them immediately. Michele said, “It is important to give due recognition to the man who made all this possible, the great record manager Peter Lopez. Peter immediately sensed the enormous potential of our artistic project. To him we owe an incredible international contract signed simply trusting that the boys would have audiences all over the world.”
But what did they bring to the table to win over the kids, the parents, and the grandparents? They had an idea and it worked….
Their music was Operatic pop or Pop-Opera. What was this new movement? It’s singing Opera in a more modern style. While opera is very strict and regimented, Pop-Opera is more ethereal it has a lighter feeling, and it moves freely. It takes away the hard edges of opera and replaces it with a more ethereal feel while still presenting the drama and the high notes of the opera. This along with the classical Neapolitan songs became a big draw. Why did it work? One reason is three amazing voices! If the voice wasn’t there, the song wasn’t going to sell.
They started their career in America and immediately went around the world! There was no stopping them. Everyone everywhere loved them and their music. There are some great memories along the way but that’s a story for another day….
So now I will flash forward six years and tell you about The Night the Lion Roared….
When I read Un’avventura Straordinaria, the story that I loved the most was the story of Sanremo. The decision by the guys to take on the Sanremo Festival. This story brought out their personalities, their differences and how they are so bound to one another that they could make the decision of a lifetime together even if it meant they could lose what was so important to them, their country and their people!
We know 2014 started out as a bad year, but suddenly things were happening. They were invited to sing at the Italian Senate. This was an event of immense importance for them. It said Italy was finally noticing them so, it only made sense that it was time to take a giant step!
But this story doesn’t start with Sanremo, nor does it end there! Sanremo was the door opener!
They will tell you that the decision to go to Sanremo was a good one but, in contrast going to Eurovision may not have been their best decision. My reply, going to Eurovision was an excellent decision!
Let’s see how these decisions were made and what path they chose….
Sanremo 2015
The Decision
So where do you begin to make the decision. Well, you have to start with….
Who’s in and who’s out!
Who’s in?
From day one, Gianluca wanted to go. He was so convinced that they would win that he never backed down from it. He had no doubt in his mind that they would win.
Who’s out?
Always the pessimist, Ignazio. He said “No, we can’t win. It’s too hard.”
So that leaves Piero! Piero at first was not on board but Gianluca persuaded him. Gianluca said, “No one trusted, no one believed it. It was I who persuaded Piero to persuade Ignazio to go to Sanremo. Because I told them: ‘Guys, if we go, we’ll win it, I’m sure, I’m sure’”.
Piero said, “We said to ourselves: ‘Guys, make it or break it, in the end, we were not anyone here in Italy, at most we would not be anyone even afterwards.’”
Decision made! It’s official the guys go to Sanremo!
Then there’s the second problem, the song!
At Sanremo you must perform an unpublished song. How do you begin to find such a song?
Now this is the part of the story that’s really interesting and sometimes funny! Oddly enough, the one who wanted this the most was the one who did not agree to the song. I so enjoyed listening to this dialogue between the guys. This is where we begin to hear the guys make important decisions together. They’re really good. When they begin, they’re not agreeing but as time goes by…. well, why don’t I let them tell you how they finally got to Sanremo….
The Song
Gianluca:I did not agree to go with that piece. If I think about it now, I’ll say that the next time I must reflect better before judging, try to sing a song and then judge because our voices change the songs. We arrange them by cutting them on our voice, and I did not take this fact into consideration. The song when we first listened to it was not very ugly!
Ignazio:It’s not that we’ve heard only that, no. Do you think it is easy to choose a piece for Sanremo? We started to do a search and a selection of unpublished tracks. Our policy was: either we go with something strong, or we do not go, right?
One day this song comes to us through Michele: Grande Amore by Francesco Boccia and Ciro Esposito, two Neapolitan authors. As usual, I am pessimistic. I listen to it and it does not make me crazy. Not even Gianluca was convinced. The only enthusiast was Pie …
Piero (interrupts):I loved ‘Grande Amore!’ I did not believe that we would have won, but I was the one who pushed, I and Michele pushed for ‘Grande Amore’ because the audition that we heard was not beautiful, but we imagined it if it was made by Celso Valli and, I must say that we had guessed right.
Ignazio (interrupts): And I said it too if you let me talk. I was saying, in fact, that ‘Grande Amore’ was not as we hear it today. It was always called ‘Grande Amore,’ but it was totally different. So, we start to think: who can produce the piece? And Michele calls the great Celso Valli. After several weeks of work in the studio, we manage to churn out a song that could leave its mark at the Sanremo Festival.
Gianluca (interrupts): That’s why when we left for Sanremo I was very convinced we had the piece, the right project.
Piero:He wanted to influence us, but we are superstitious ….
Gianluca:Every day at lunch and dinner with Michele and the president of Sony, I say: ‘Guys, we will win Sanremo.’
Piero (interrupts):Do you know what a week like this means?
Ignazio:Piero and I were all day touching iron and the low parts. Gianluca was convinced that the little lion (the Sanremo award is represented by a lion) would be ours? And the two of us tried to keep the situation under control.
Gianluca (interrupts):What should I tell you? I am an optimist. They took it something like ‘he makes fun of us,’ but I felt it inside. I do not know why.
So many interruptions! Ignazio, before he was interrupted, was about to tell us about the first night they sang.
Ignazio:The 65th edition of the Festival begins on Tuesday, February 10th. We sing the second night, Wednesday the 11th. The strange thing is that normally my legs tremble before the performance, but mine trembled even after the performance! Perhaps too much adrenaline, it never happened before.
Piero (interrupts):Or maybe it was because we came back to the Ariston stage after going around the world. It was like coming home, because we experienced the beginning of our career here with Ti Lascio una Canzone. One thing that cannot be described: in Sanremo, in Italy, to sing and receive the applause of the Italian public. It cannot be explained.
The Wardrobe
Gianluca:Can you imagine for me this was also my birthday? I turned twenty on the Ariston stage! Of course, I was moved in the end, and it was too much emotion to my sensibility to play bad jokes at times. And then, we felt the pressure in the air. Even though I was optimistic, the tension was there.
Although we had taken care of the smallest details of the song, we had tried and tried again, and we had taken care of even the smallest details of the clothing. First evening look more rock: total black with leather jacket. Because when we do our work the image matters, too.
I really wanted to use the video of “Ancora” at Sanremo but I couldn’t get it to work so, instead I chose the one from Verona. Amazing no matter where they sing it!
Piero (interrupts):Count, of course that counts. But do you remember how we were dressed before? I remember that time at Una Notte per Caruso, in July 2009, it was the second time we saw Torpedine. Michele arrives with another white Range Rover, not that of Jesolo, and as soon as he arrives, we do not even say hello and we go to see the car. Let’s run, let’s open the car. Ignazio immediately goes up to the car. We went crazy for cars, one like that, we did not see every day. The day after we go for a ride in downtown Sorrento, a shopping trip, and we enter Gucci’s. Michele spent almost two thousand euros and we with that written number at the counter, we exclaimed: “Mizziga! (Damn!) Two thousand euro” with wide eyes. And we still have those clothes, at least I personally still have them.
He had bought us a jacket, but above all the need for us to dress all in white and blue. I had the blue jacket and the white shirt, Gianluca had blue trousers and white shirt, Ignazio the blue shoes and everything else white, Michele the blue jacket. And we took a picture in front of the hotel.
Gianluca (interrupts):We were just dressed badly to be singers by trade, we were children, we came from families of workers. What could I buy? There was not even the need.
Piero (interrupts):And then you remember the restaurant? Afterwards we went to a restaurant near the sea. When we finished eating, the three of us took off our shoes and ran to the beach. Michele ran behind us telling us: ‘Guys, calm down. Guys, slow down.’
At this point Ignazio loses his patience. YES, but, what does that have to do with it, Pie? We were talking about Sanremo. What has Sorrento got to do with it?
The Performance
Ignazio gets the conversation back on track!
Sanremo 2015, from the 10th to 14th of February, we sang on the second evening, legs shaking, Gianluca’s birthday.
This video has English subtitles
Among the many interviews, the diary that we kept every day for TV Sorrisi e Canzoni … We had fun with the diary!
It was a sort of ‘pill.’ A very few minutes, in which we recorded from the 9th to 14th of February. We talked about some of the emotions we felt. For example, the time that Gianluca almost stumbles on stage or the happiness of seeing the audience get up and applaud the first night we sang ‘Grande Amore.’ The recording, then, went online on the site of the magazine.
What was I saying? Ah, yes, among the many interviews, the diary that we kept every day for TV Sorrisi e Canzoni, meetings and press conferences …
Piero (interrupts):And the criticisms we felt in those days? People at home voted for us, appreciated us, and journalists gave us votes that we thought were postponed until September, I also said this at the press conference after the victory. Five that flew (bad votes given by critics). But we see that the criticisms have done us good.
Ignazio:Can I do a criticism of you?
Piero:Ah, tell me…
Ignazio:You interrupted me. I was about to tell the final. I can continue?
The Win
Ignazio:In short, the final evening arrives, February 14th. I realize from my shirt that in a week we have eaten more than we sang. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I’m a boy who does not say cat if I do not have it in the bag, then until Carlo Conti said….
Piero (interrupts):And indeed, whoever wins does not know it until the end! Sorry, Igna’. Speak you!!!
Ignazio:Until Carlo Conti said: ‘The winner of the Sanremo Festival 2015 is … Il Volo!’ I said to the boys: ‘No, guys, we do not win, it’s difficult.’ And on the one hand I had Piero with shining eyes and on the other Gianluca with a smug smile as if to say: ‘Do not worry.’
Gianluca:The truth is that I was right from the beginning, and no one had ever listened to me, ever. I believed it so much that, if you notice, maybe I’m the one with the least surprised look on my face when Carlo Conti announces the winner. Then, of those moments, one remembers little, there is great confusion, emotion. It was a dream to be able to shout, ‘Thank you, Italy!’ from that stage. I look at Sanremo as a child, when there was Pippo Baudo, and I was there and have won because people were on our side and it was a dream, I repeat even if I have already said. The emotion was only when my grandfather told me almost in tears: “Who would have told me that in life I saw Modugno win at the Festival and then I saw you win?”
Taking the conversation back, I have to say, to me this was the best conversation we could listen to. They disagree, they find middle ground, and they agree but, most importantly they listen to one another and that’s what makes the bond so great!
In the end Gianluca said: In short, Sanremo was just a dream that brought us many different emotions.
You might ask why did I put these two stories together? I wanted you to see what six years in their lives did for them. They started on the Ariston stage as three teenagers, went around the world gaining success everywhere along the way, only to come back to the Ariston Theater to win not only Sanremo but the hearts of the Italian people; the one thing they wanted from the beginning!
Over those six years they sang in concerts hall around the world. Their songs went gold and platinum. They won many awards including the Latin American Music Award’s Latin Pop Albums Artist of the Year for a duo or group. They sang with people like Barbara Streisand and joined some of the best singers in the music industry for “We Are the Whole Haiti” but what they wanted more than anything was to be accepted in their own country and they did that by coming back to their beginnings! Going full circle and taking a big chance paid off on the Ariston Stage for the second time.
As the winners of Sanremo, the guys went on to Eurovision. They came in third. They saw it as a loss but, I saw it as a win because here the press came out for them awarding them the Marcel Bezencon Press Award. The press has spoken!
As Italy is a member of the Big Five, the guys went straight into the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which was held in Vienna on May 23rd, 2015. “Grande Amore” came in 3rd with 292 points but, they won the televote with 366 points and the Marcel Bezencon Press Award, as best song according to the collective voting of the accredited press.
And, the extended play “Sanremo Grande Amore” was released in Italy on February 20th, 2015, and it was certified triple platinum by FIMI.
The Night the Lion Roared, the guys felt they had finally achieved their dream to be number one in the hearts of the Italian people!
Against all odds they pulled it off. The part of the story they missed was about the Italian people. They were always on their side. Even when they were traveling around the world and hoping to perform concerts in Italy, the Italian people were always waiting for them. The press was against them but never the people. They wanted them home as much as they wanted to go home.
How does Michele Torpedine sum up our guys….
These three guys have very clear ideas and I have never seen them impressed in front of audiences that many would shake their legs. I never heard a wrong attack, and if some inconsistency arose that made something happen professionally, they knew how to handle the problem at the origin. They are always extraordinary, their voices grow with them, they mature in body and soul. There is no other team or artistic team so complete.
I couldn’t have said it better myself!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
And here is another of the events of this hot September that has arrived: the SEAT Music Awards.
Il Volo participated and received a special award.
Do you remember, during the press conference that Il Volo had before the concert in Verona, the mayor had said that Il Volo would be rewarded with a specially made statue, which represents a woman with the Arena on her head as a crown.
This award was presented to them last evening.
Rehearsals for the show began in the afternoon at the Verona Arena.
Here is a short video of the singing rehearsals.
Even if very short, you have certainly recognized Your Love. Too bad there will only be one song.
They were briefly interviewed by RAI Radio 2.
Click the photo below to view the video.
NEK = Here we are guys.
PIERO = Good evening gentlemen, welcome. (Piero pretends to be the one running the program) 😁
GIANLUCA = But it’s not you …..
NEK = You can’t steal the show ….
IGNAZIO = He had also prepared the sheet !! 😁
NEK = What should you have said ???
PIERO = (pretends to read) And now we have Il Volo, Arena of Verona special award ….
WOMAN = Guys, you were really, really good, when you were conducting (the concert), because you conducted in every sense, we have to say it, really in a very nice way, this is my opinion and I wanted to tell you ….
IGNAZIO + GIAN = Thank you
PIERO = Are you sure you have watched the whole program?
WOMAN = I watched it and I did all the live coverage on RAI2.
PIERO = OK
WOMAN = I was commenting on the live broadcast, so I followed it all.
PIERO = Thanks
WOMAN = Because you have kept the freshness of your years, if I may say my opinion.
IGNAZIO = Look, if you want I can tell you a little anecdote from that evening.
WOMAN = You’re welcome
IGNAZIO = We were preparing the show and, as is done in all TV shows, the spoken words were all written. The day before, during the dress rehearsal, we eliminated everything and said “let’s go free” (he means without reading the hunchback) , because it’s not us, we are three guys who like it ….☺😉
NEK = Therefore you should have read the hunchback ….
IGNAZIO = Yes, instead we only read the institutional things, and I also got them wrong ….
WOMAN = No, that’s not true, you did well
IGNAZIO = Like the Legambiente ad with the turtle Carella, Casella …
WOMAN = Caretta Caretta, he didn’t even learn it later …
GIANLUCA = Yes, he didn’t even learn it later (laughter)
IGNAZIO = So I screwed up, but we had fun.
WOMAN = This is very nice and above all it was nice to do it in that context, when you had “a giant” to deal with. (I think she means live RAI)
NEK = Now, what do you do ?? A trip around the world, always ??
IGNAZIO = Now we start in March of next year, finally with the concerts, we start from America, then there is all of Europe, Japan, New Zealand …. we have fun.
NEK = Ohhh, good luck then.
WOMAN = Guys, then have a good trip. What can I tell you now, have a good trip and a good concert.
GIANLUCA = Good flight, because we will take so many planes.
WOMAN = It is usually better not to say it (for superstition)
IGNAZIO = No, you can say it, we go against everything.
NEK = Bring me a present.
WOMAN = Thanks guys, thanks to Il Volo.
IGNAZIO = November 5th !!!
They were interviewed by Radio Italia(for now there is only the photo).
Before the evening!
GIANLUCA = Please, don’t miss the SEAT Music Awards tonight.
I’ll show you how beautiful the Arena is.
And here we are at the evening.
What thrills this song, what poignant memories it evokes. Always beautiful the execution by Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio.
The three of them, good, beautiful, dressed with informal elegance.
The response of the audience was very nice, slowly turning on the Arena with thousands of lights, a gesture that surprised even the boys.
Only one song, unfortunately, but what a song.
Here is the interview after the song.
GIANLUCA = Good evening everyone.
CARLO CONTI = Il Volo, to start these SEAT Music Awards in the best way.
VANESSA INCONTRADA = And what an atmosphere they (the audience) created for you, with all the mobile phones on, great emotion I saw in your faces.
GIANLUCA = We are happy to see you again.
VANESSA = Us too
CARLO = Us too, us too.
GIANLUCA = Finally in the Arena.
VANESSA = Finally, but it has now become your home.
CARLO = In short, I mean, you did an extraordinary event on RAI1 just dedicated as a tribute to Maestro Morricone.
PIERO = We had the honor of paying homage to Maestro Morricone here at the Arena di Verona, for us, the audience, for an artist, for a singer, it is oxygen.
It was an evening full of guests, but for us, the biggest guest was the audience.
After a year and a half, see them again, sing for them!
VANESSA = We understand these words well, but will you take this event to the world? I guess so.
IGNAZIO = Yes, we start in March 2022, we finally start with the world tour and we finish in September – October, from America, we end up in Japan and then New Zealand, so beautiful.
VANESSA = You have few things to do, let’s say. 😉
IGNAZIO = Yes, but it is wonderful, after almost two years, to start singing again.
I remember that a year ago, in this same program, we said …. let’s hope it starts again, the music can’t stop …. and meet again after a year and see that the music has never stopped, it’s beautiful! 😘❤
VANESSA = Seeing them (the audience), as you said, involved with you, is nice.
CONTI = A beautiful concert, a beautiful television event, but there is a tribute album to Ennio Morricone, when will this album be released?
GIANLUCA = Let’s say that it is a very ambitious project, that with great responsibility, right on tiptoe and a lot of humility, we decided to undertake this path which is a musical project that is a tribute to all the most beautiful soundtracks of the maestro Morricone.
PIERO = And tonight we announce the date.
GIANLUCA = Yes, because this record will be released on November 5th, from Cinema Paradiso, to Once Upon a Time in the West, to the Good, the Ugly, the Bad.
VANESSA = His greatest songs, let’s say. (of Morricone)
GIANLUCA = And we can’t wait to leave (to start the tour).
CARLO = Well a great album and therefore it will be released on November 5th.
The ARENA DI VERONA award, depicting a diva, a wonderful diva who has a crown on her head that has the shape of the Verona Arena, and was made by the sculptor Rudy Capatta, is delivered by two champions: Marco Giallini and Giorgio Panariello.
(after the greetings, Carlo Conti reads the inscription)
CARLO = I seriously read the inscription:
Arena di Verona Award at Il Volo, for the tribute project to Ennio Morricone, represented with great success right here at the Verona Arena, live on RAI1, and for the over 10 years of career, which led them to be known and appreciated representatives of Italian music in the world.
(final thanks)
Many beautiful photos:
Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio with the Arena award. ❤❤❤
But certainly and undoubtedly, this is the most beautiful photo. ❤
A gesture full of meaning, which we can all understand.
A direct line with those who are no longer there, a silent dedication.
The two friends who hold him close and a look up there.
Also this time a well deserved prize !!
Daniela
Other beautiful images:
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
