Today I would like to give you a heads up about what will be going on at Flight Crew for the next few weeks! Our dear Pat has had surgery (which went well and is on the road to recovery!) and we will not be posting for a few weeks but, we will report any new and important news to you. What will go offline are our stories which require a lot of detail in order to be posted. This will be a short silence and when we come back it will be in full force.
After six years the guys returned to the Ariston stage. They traveled around the world and stole the hearts of the people of the United States, South America, every corner of the earth. All the fame that any one person could want they had achieved. In six years, they did what most people cannot do in a lifetime! But all of this, which meant so much to them, at times, seemed lost because of what was missing. The joy was always lost in the pain which they felt in their hearts. They wanted to share it with their people, the Italian people. So, they decided to do something about it!
Off to Sanremo!
The pressure was tremendous. The doubts were there. Always there! Ignazio says, “No, we can’t win!” Gianluca says, “We win!” And Piero trying to keep the balance, “We were not anyone here in Italy, at most we would not be anyone even afterwards.”
So how do you begin to approach Sanremo when there is so much on the line! How do you get past the stress and the pressure?
The Video Diary!
TV Sorrisi e Canzoni asked the guys to do a diary of their days at Sanremo.
Since some people were having problems viewing all the separate videos below so we are posting the entire video here.
Day 1: February 9th, 2015
As Ignazio explains in the video, it was just a few minutes a day but, it was a “sort of pill.” It was the thing that kept them going when the pressure was on. “It was fun!” So much so that the guys said they would do it again! And it gave them the opportunity to talk directly to the Italian people and let them know how they felt about being home, experiencing Sanremo and sharing it with them!
So, let’s join the guys on their Sanremo journey.
Before General Soundcheck!
(The videos have English subtitles!) (Please click on each day’s photo to view the video diary.)
Day 2: February 10th, 2015
On day two Ignazio begins by telling us how the general soundcheck went and how it gave them the first beautiful emotions of singing at Sanremo! He also expresses how much he loves sharing these emotions with the other artist!
Piero tells us that he’s getting used to the video diary and he’s starting to like it! “It’s like writing in your diary at night!” He also tells us about his experience on the Red Carpet and experiencing the audience reaction to Il Volo.
Gianluca talks about the following evening when they will perform “Grande Amore” for the first time and certainly combine that with the fact that it’s his birthday!
After general soundcheck
Day 3: February 11th, 2015
Today Piero begins by telling us how he and millions of Italians enjoyed the opening of Sanremo. And the anticipation of singing for the Italian people this evening!
Gianluca tells us about the emotions, nervousness, and anxiety they are feeling. He anticipates something beautiful! And let’s not forget, it’s Gianluca’s birthday!
Ignazio is feeling all the excitement of the day. He says, “Today is our day.” He goes on to say, “Tonight is our turn!” He lightens things up by telling us about how the guys warm up before a show.
And then the final surprise of the video!
Singing for the Italian people!
Hey guys, why so serious?
I know the guys said we are all friends here but, it seems there were other forces at work! The Competition was fierce!
Exactly who is it they’re worried about?
Day 4: February 12th, 2015
The guys touch on so many facts and emotions in this video on Day 4. They are really into the Video Diary at this point and, they are learning how best to share it with everyone! They pack so much into such a short video.
Piero begins today by telling us that their desire last night was to smash on stage. (Smash meaning to be a hit!) And to give it their all!
Gianluca jokes that he wants to smash the peoples’ house. (Be a hit at Sanremo.)
Piero continues that the standing ovation and the applause was unexpected.
Ignazio jokes about a picture he saw, of Piero, on FaceBook. And asks, “Did you see it?”
Piero says no because I was too busy doing what we do before we go on stage. He explains their routine!
Ignazio picks up on it and explains other things they may do before a performance including the use of breadcrumbs. Interesting!
Piero tells Ignazio to explain about the song they will sing on this evening ~ “Ancora.”
Ignazio explains the difficulty of singing this song. He says this is one of the hardest songs to sing in the Italian repertoire.
Gianluca speaks about the new CD which will include “Ancora.” And they joke about the song.
Piero and Gianluca talk about how much they like the Video Diaries and how they will miss them when Sanremo is over.
A Standing Ovation!
Day 5: February 13th, 2015
Gianluca begins by telling us how beautiful it was to perform “Ancora” last night. He said it was a challenge but, it was very exciting.
They sang it with such ease I would never expect it was so hard to sing.
I tried to find a video with the full song, “Ancora,” at Sanremo. As far as I know, it doesn’t exist. So, I am including the one-minute video. This one-minute video took my breath away. Just amazing! Notice their expressions, their emotions, their passion! Look at how they share with one another! Their voices reach out to one another! Such joy in those voices! All of their performances are amazing but some of them bring you to tears! You can feel their emotions!
(Please click the photo below to view “Ancora”)
Piero says he thought, when he woke up this morning, he had some free time to walk but found out, there are no vacations in Sanremo. He directs his attention to Ignazio. He says Ignazio is angry because Gianluca wore his shoes. Ignazio ignores him.
Gianluca implies he’s not ignoring Piero, he’s just busy taking the sun. To which Ignazio replies, “I am letting the sun kiss me because the sun kisses good.” Gianluca asks Ignazio to let the people know what will happen tonight.
Ignazio says, tonight, we will again sing “Grande Amore.” But what follows is funny! I think at this point Ignazio doesn’t want to admit that he thinks they will win. We know till the end he said, “No we can’t win.”
Piero closes by saying “Guys, the last days of these diaries.”
Why did you put your shoes like mine?
Day 6: February 14th, 2015
Ignazio begins by saying how sad he is that the video diaries are coming to an end. The guys decided they would do the diary when they are working in the studio or on tour so they can share their day with the fans. He joked with Gianluca about how he tripped on stage. And Piero reminded him that his legs were trembling!
Gianluca talks about how unusual it was to have a standing ovation. It’s something you don’t see often in Italy. Of course, in America, they get a standing ovation for every song they sing.
Piero talks about how happy they were with the response of the Italian audience. He says again they will sing “Grande Amore” and he asks for the support of the people. He tells the people they will always be there for them.
Gianluca wishes everyone a Grande Amore (Great Love) for Valentine’s day.
Piero interrupts saying, after all the discussion about the shoes yesterday, today they dress with the same shoes, as yesterday.
Gianluca reminds him, every morning we dress the same, don’t we?
Piero reminds the guys that they forgot to thank Giorgio Armani for dressing them for the Sanremo Festival.
The guys close by sending a kiss to everyone!
Farewell to the Video Diaries!
So ends our journey to Sanremo. The guys won and now we must move on to our next adventure that can only be reached Through the Fields of My Mind….
There are a few people I need to thank for making this article possible. Daniela from Il Volo Traduzioni for the English subtitles. Daniela Ci from Il Volo Flight Crew for splitting the video. As always, I thank Daniela Perani and Pat Farley Ward for the Photos, Video’s and the wonderful layout of the articles. To read more Il Volo stories visit us at www.ilvoloflightcrw.com
After performing at the Senate, the guys woke up one day and decided perhaps we should go to Sanremo!
This to me is one of the most challenging decisions they had to make in their lives. We all take chances in life but, this was a little different. If you go to Sanremo and you win then it was worth it. But, if you lose, it’s not just losing the competition, it’s losing your country, your people! No recognition! This is what was at stake. How do you decide with so much at stake? It’s tough!
The one thing that was difficult for the guys from the very beginning was the fact that they were not recognized in their own country.
Ignazio would say, A “prophet is not recognized in his own land.” Perhaps, but that doesn’t change things. It doesn’t change the feeling that you get when you are asked the big question. “You are loved even in Italy, right?” and as Piero said, “You have to answer no.”
I’m going to take a moment here and vent because there is much more to that answer than “no.”
I have followed the career of these young men from day one and I am so proud of their accomplishments as I know many of you are. I see how they have grown and how much they are loved by their fans, all 5 million of them (and those are just the ones we know about).
Nothing bothers me more than how these men are treated by some of the Italian press, not just now but, from the beginning. It’s not about the Italian people. I know the Italian people love them but, many in the Italian press do everything in their power to mock them and mistreat them. It is disgraceful!
What was it that fifteen-sixteen year old boys could have done to cause the press to be so unkind, so mean and so vicious? If you don’t like a performance, you don’t have to give them a good review but, you have to respect what they do.
In March at Sanremo 2021, one reporter wrote “When they came on, I turned off my TV.” This is what I have to say to that reporter. Shame on you! These three men came to Sanremo with broken hearts, especially Ignazio and, this is how you treat them. They showed such professionalism just by being there and this is all you can say! They showed such love and respect for their country and the Italian people just by showing up. Where is your respect for your country, for your people, for your profession?
Everyone was so sad for these men and all you can think of reporting is that you “turned off your TV.” Perhaps, it’s time you turned off your career because you need to learn something about respect. The ink from your pen can tell a truth or a lie but it can’t talk about the integrity of the person who’s using the pen! But, of course, integrity is something you know nothing about!
Having said that, let me say, over the last few years, so many Italian journalists have changed their opinion of Il Volo. I think this is because they finally stopped and listened to them and they recognize the value of what they do. Not to mention all the good work the guys do in and for Italy! And we know they bring Italy around the world! They are good Ambassadors for Italy and the press is finally recognizing it! So happy you got on board!
That’s all I have to say on the matter!
Let’s move on to the great things that happened!
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!
The Decision
So where do you begin to make the decision. Well, you have to start with the decision itself.
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 have to 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 said: ‘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 Ariston’s 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.
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 into Gucci. 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.
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. Too bad it was not repeated also in Vienna!”
Many of you know the winner of Sanremo goes toEurovisionto represent Italy. After winning Sanremo and the popularity of “Grande Amore”, the guys were pretty confident they could win Eurovision. And to some degree, Ignazio believed it too!
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. The extended play “Sanremo Grande Amore” was released in Italy on February 20th, 2015 and it was certified triple platinum by FIMI. At the Latin Billboard Awards, they dominated the social networking sites and now, they win the televote and the best song according to collective voting by the accredited press. The people have spoken!
So, they gambled and, they won. They were happy and they finally felt accepted in their own country. It seems that everything worked out well but there’s a little piece of the puzzle missing.
To really finish this story, we need to pass back Through the Fields of My Mind down the corridor that led us here and enter the day-by-day reality of Sanremo!
Over the last seven months I’ve been writing about the lives of Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca from the day they were born to the present day. As I wrote each story, there were certain highlights in some stories that I thought should be put aside and revisited in another article. These were, what I consider, Moments to Remember.
If I asked you “What would you consider to be a memorable moment in the career of Il Volo?” I’m sure you could come up with at least 10 if not 50 moments. So, I needed to take these moments and decide what I thought were the most memorable and I actually got it down to 13 memorable events.
So where do we begin? Well you might say the night the three won first, second and third place (Gianluca, Ignazio, Piero) of Ti Lascio Una Canzone. Yes, that certainly was a memorable moment but, I think there was a moment before then that was more memorable. Gianluca points to that moment, “I thought there were three hundred thousand boys singing like me, and instead that night I discovered that there are only two: Ignazio and Piero.” Of course, Gianluca was referring to the night they sang together for the first time on Ti Lascio Una Canzone. So, let’s begin there!
Ti Lascio Una Canzone, Night 4 and Michele Torpedine – I have to put these two together because one wouldn’t happen without the other!
It is the fourth episode of Ti Lascio Una Canzone and the boys are given the music for “O Sole Mio.” They walked out on the stage, sang “O Sole Mio” and walked off stars!
Alone in his apartment, Michele Torpedine was sitting on his sofa with the volume off on his TV. The show he was watching was Ti Lascio Una Canzone. He keeps looking at the screen and he suddenly thinks, Ignazio reminds him of Luciano Pavaroti, Gianluca seemed similar to Jose Carreras and Piero is similar to Placido Domingo. He still had not heard them sing. Out of curiosity, he raised the volume and Michele says, “Here I am aware of another element, that is even more important than the first. The three casually put together to sing a song of the program possess an incredible vocality for their age.”
At this point Michele’s head is spinning. He’s thinking these guys are good and again repeats it to himself, they’re good! He thinks, “What if I try to put them together seriously? A trio, he tells himself.”
The rest is history!
“We Are The World for Haiti” – In 2010 shortly after arriving in America, the guys were invited by Quincy Jones to join “We Are The World for Haiti,” together with 80 international artists such as Celine Dion, Bono, Lady Gaga, Carlos Santana, Barbra Streisand, Enrique Iglesias, Usher, Natalie Cole. Il Volo were the only Italian artists to be invited. The three voices from the background caused such a sensation. “Who was that?” Everyone present couldn’t believe what they were hearing but, “Who were they?” Soon they would find out!
Barbara Streisand’s Back to Brooklyn Tour – In 2012 Barbra Streisand invited the guys to be an integral part of her “Back to Brooklyn” tour. They performed with her in America and Canada. They were not an opening act, no, they shared the stage with Barbara. To the guys this was a dream come true!
2014 Latin Billboard Music Awards– In 2013, “Más Que Amor” was certified “Gold” in Mexico and Argentina. And this catapulted the guys into the Latin market. From that day on they took the Latin market by storm. In February 2014, they receive two nominations at the 2014 Latin Billboard Music Awards, as “Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year, Duo or Group” and “Latin Pop Albums Artist of the Year, Duo or Group.” At the awards show they were awarded as “Best Group of the Year in the Latin Pop Album” category and they also won the “El Pulso Social Award,” as the artist who dominated interactions on social networking sites during the Billboard Awards. This is unheard of! Three Italian kids taking over the Latin market! What a win!
The Christmas Concert at the Italian Senate, December 21, 2014. Ignazio wrote in their book: “We want to talk about the thrill of singing in front of the highest offices of state! What twenty-year-old boy has something like that happen? It happened to us, and it seems to me a beautiful result, an honor. You cannot imagine the emotional feeling to be called “guests of honor” inside the Senate. We were accompanied by the, fantastic, Filarmonia Orchestra Veneta conducted by Diego Basso. Half the beauty of the song is in the orchestra.
The most exciting moments? Everyone! But the hymn of Mameli was the heart-pounding one, the first song, singing in that place, with everyone singing along with us, including Giorgio Napolitano, (President) and Pietro Grasso (President of the Senate). It is one thing that I cannot explain.
And then, of course, the pleasure of shaking hands with the President of the Republic and of feeling that he knows Marsala, he has been there.
Sanremo Music Festival 2015– On February 14, 2015, the guys participated in and won the Sanremo Music Festival with “Grande Amore.” This is the top award in the Music Industry in Italy. With this win the guys really came home. They were finally recognized by the Italian people. This win also gave them the opportunity to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015.
Eurovision 2015– As Italy is a member of the Big Five, Il Volo went straight into the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which was held in Vienna on May 23, 2015. Grande Amore came in 3rd with 292 points but, they won the televote with 366 points and won the Marcel Bezencon Press Award, as best song according to the collective voting of the accredited press. The extended play Sanremo Grande Amore was released in Italy on February 20, 2015 and it was certified triple platinum by FIMI. At the Latin Billboard Awards, they dominated the social networking sites and now, they win the televote and the best song according to collective voting by the accredited press. The people speak!
Ignazio’s Accident in Tampa March 7, 2016– While they were singing in concert in Tampa, Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca brought 3 children on to the stage. The stage was narrow and, Ignazio picked up a child and carried him in his arms to take him to the center of the stage. There were electric cables on the ground and Ignazio tried to avoid them, but he tripped, and fell on the stage with the baby in his arms. To defend the child, who in addition to the fall would also have Ignazio on top of him, Ignazio twisted his body, so that his shoulder hit the ground and the child was protected. The two of them immediately got up and Ignazio finished the song.
When Ignazio began the next song, it was clear he had a problem with his arm but, he managed to finish the concert. He did not stay for the final greetings instead Barbara immediately took him to the hospital. At the next concert he had a splint on his arm and for the next two concert his arm remained in the splint. It was also recommended that he rest. Fabio Ingrassia, Ignazio’s dear friend, was in Miami, and he immediately came to help Ignazio. Ignazio was disheartened by the experience and Fabio remained with him to help him through it. Fabio made a nice drawing to dedicate to the fans with two hands that clasped. What a Friend!!!
Piazza Santa Croce in Florence, July 1, 2016 “Notte Magica”– 2016-2017 were the years dedicated to the “Notte Magica” project, the tribute to the 1990 event where the Three Tenors, Josè Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, enchanted the whole world from the stage of the Baths of Caracalla. On July 1st in Piazza Santa Croce in Florence Il Volo presented on stage “Notte Magica – A Tribute to the Three Tenors,” which was broadcast in prime time on Canale 5. The guys were joined by Placido Domingo who conducted the orchestra. This marks the beginning of the world tour of “Notte Magica – A Tribute to The Three Tenors” which debuted on March 4, 2017 at the Radio City Music Hall in New York. The show was sold out. After 15 stops in the United States, all sold out, the tour is extended to Europe from May 5, 2017 for 29 performances and from September it extended to Latin America. The concert “Notte Magica – Tribute to the Three Tenors” was filmed and broadcast in the United States by the national television network PBS, and in Italy by Canale 5 and, starting in June, it was broadcast in over 500 cinemas in Italy and around the world.
Ignazio Conducts the Asti Symphony Orchestra while the guys sing with Marcello Rota Jul 5, 2017 – During the rehearsals of the last date of the Notte Magica Tour in Naples, Ignazio steps in as conductor of the Symphonic Orchestra of Asti while Maestro Marcello Rota sings Ignazio’s tenor part! They sang “Libiam ne lieti calici.” Ignazio had everyone in awe of his performance as a conductor. The guys enjoyed singing with Marcello who usually conducts for their Concerts. Gianluca enjoyed it so much that he hugged Marcella in the middle of the song! All good sports! They all had lots of fun! A unique performance!
Mexico Earthquake September 8, 2017– On Thursday evening September 8th, at 11:49 PM Mexico City time, (in Italy it was 6.49 on Friday) an earthquake of 8.2 on the Richter scale sowed panic in the country. The earthquake, defined by Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto as “the strongest since 1932”, had its epicenter off the south west coast of Mexico, but its strength reached the capital where the guys had just finished their concert at the Theater Metropolitan. Gianluca gave Facebook a short message shortly after the earthquake: “Thank you all for the messages, we are fine despite the strong shock that hit Mexico a little while ago.” Read the full story here!
World Youth Day Jan 27, 2019– If you ask the guys after winning Sanremo, which truly brought them home, “What was your greatest performance,” they would probably answer, there were two. Singing for the Holy Father at World Youth Day was one of the most amazing events in their life!
Por Una Cabeza, Il Volo at Luna Park Buenos Aires October 30, 2019– So I will end by going back to the beginning. This last moment tells me how far the guys have come and how the strangers became brothers.
When these three young men started out, they were 15 and 16 years old. Think of being 15 or 16 years old and you have a dream, and someone tells you that that dream, needs to be shared. To fulfill that dream you have to leave your family, your friends, your home, you have to go to another country and you have to share this journey with two people who you really know nothing about except that they had the same dream you did. You have to trust that the decision that was made by you and your family, was the right decision. If not, it’s back to square one! You’re going to be lonely and you have to learn to survive without the people you love. So, you learn to lean on one another. That dependence turns into a friendship and that friendship into a brotherhood. It enabled them to trust enough to collaborate and perfect something truly amazing. Something that revolutionized the music industry. Let me go further by showing you a collaboration by these three amazing, very, very talented, young men that is so unreal that it boggles your mind. This is a collaboration of love. You will notice that the whole Orchestra is in awe and Giampiero Grani can’t stop smiling. Stop and listen to this performance of “Por Una Cabeza”.
Look at how they smile at one another during the performance. A smile that says yes that’s it! Their faces are ablaze! Their expressions let one another know that it works. And, finally, when it’s over, they are so excited they can hardly contain themselves. Look at their smiles, their faces are lit up in joy and their embrace says it all! They are brothers who love one another! This is truly a Moment to Remember!
Thanks to Jeannette, here is an excellent way to spend an hour or 10 or… If you somehow didn’t love Gianluca before, wait until the end of this first one. I just need to hug that Boy! ~Marie
All seven songs from the album.. Six are actual videos, and the song Romantica does not have a video but it has audio from the CD.
This album has gone platinum only two months and is still making record sales… I hope you enjoy the videos and Romantica which is in audio…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jeannette initially sent all of this to a couple of friends who don’t know Il Volo like we do. I left the rest in, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to see the Video one more time. Ha! Thank You Jeannette and what lucky friends you have. ~Marie
Piero-Playing the scene from the movie Back to the future from 1980’s Ignazio playing the scene from the movie Ghost from the 1980’s Gianluca playing the scent from the movie Spiderman… Recent. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
English and Italian lyrics to the song Romantica Romantic You are romantic Loving you is like being revived In simplicity In reality Of another time
You are romantic Friend of the clouds That search a bit of sun up there As you do
You are music That inspires the soul You are my corner of Paradise down here
And I, next to you Am returned to life I will tell you, Will trust you, With my dreams Because you are romantic
You are music That inspires the soul You are my corner Of Paradise down here
And I, next to you Am returned to life I will tell you, Will trust you With my dreams Because you are romantic
Romantica
Tu sei romantica, amarti e’ un po’ rivivere, nella semplicità, nella irrealtà di un’altra età.
Tu sei romantica, amica delle nuvole, che cercano lassù un po’ di sol come fai tu. Tu sei la musica che ispira l’anima sei tu il mio angolo di Paradiso quaggiù.
Ed io che accanto a te son ritornato a vivere, a te racconterò, affiderò i sogni miei perché romantica tu sei.
Tu sei la musica che ispira l’anima sei tu il mio angolo di Paradiso quaggiù.
Ed io che accanto a te son ritornato a vivere, a te racconterò, affiderò i sogni miei perché romantica tu sei.
~~Jeannette
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
