Come with me to three Il Volo concerts: Florence – Summer tour 2024, Prague – Tutti per uno tour 2024, Florence – Ad Astra tour 2025
Dear Flight Crew members and readers,
You don’t know me because I have never commented or interacted with anyone here, but I have been visiting this site for some time … I found this amazing site because I was looking for a translation of an article. And since then, I’m frequently coming here and checking how well (or not) I understood an article, an interview, or a video in Italian.
My name is Klára, I’m from the Czech Republic and live with my cat, Mr. Paw, in a small town near Pilsen – the city of beer. I’m a translator, I translate mostly from German into Czech and vice versa. I love reading, travelling, cats, figure skating and, of course, Il Volo.
I heard about Il Volo first when I was listening to a song by Andrea Bocelli on YouTube and the next suggested video was his message to Gianluca in Ti lascio una canzone. That was maybe eight years ago; I googled and found out that Gianluca was part of a musical group. Then I listened to some songs, read some interviews… My interest sparked again around 2020 when Italian pair skaters Rebecca Ghilardi and Philippo Ambrosini skated their free program to Grande Amore. And since then, I wanted to attend a concert in person.
Happy in Milano
As everyone here, I also love reading all the wonderful recaps and summaries of concerts and reports from people who were there in person. And even though it’s not really the most recent event, I thought that you might be interested in reading about three Il Volo concerts I have attended.
I want to share my excitement, recount some memories from the travels (from the point of view of someone who’s learning Italian) and I hope this article conveys how much I like Italy and Il Volo.
I’d like to take you with me back in time to Florence, Prague and to Florence again and show you the three concerts I have attended; show you the places, tell you how adventurous or not it was to get there, which songs stood out for me, which solos I loved the most, what happened at the soundcheck etc.
I have to admit I don’t have many photos of the concerts… But we could read here amazing reviews of the concerts with many videos and photos attached already, so I hope you won’t mind that this text contains so few pictures.
How it started
It all started last year in spring.
Before that I had watched Il Volo in videos on the internet from time to time… Then I had bought a ticket for the concert in Prague in 2023 (their first concert in the Czech Republic) but in the end I couldn’t go because my grandpa was ill. Fortunately, the guys decided to return in October 2024, I bought a ticket early in spring… and then, as I said, it started!
In anticipation of the concert in Prague, I was watching a lot of videos from earlier concerts and bits of interviews and realized (which wasn’t that big of a big discovery) that in Prague the guys were going to speak English – and that’s great because it’s certainly the language most people there would understand… But I’m a translator, love languages, challenges, and above all, I love Italy. At that time, I had been learning Italian for a while and just urgently felt that I needed to see the boys in Italy, in their home country, speaking their native language even though my Italian was quite basic.
And once you decide to do something, you find more and more reasons why you absolutely have to do it, right? 😉
Apart from Italian and Italy, my main reason was that I also wanted to hear Gianluca sing La cura and was a bit worried he wouldn’t sing it outside Italy. So, I spontaneously bought a ticket for a concert in Florence (Pratolino) for July 2024… And then I was hooked. 😊
Florence/Pratolino: At home under the moon (22nd July 2024)
The whole trip was a 100% Italian experience. It was so hot – 38°C! A friend of mine very kindly invited me to stay with her for a few days before going to Florence for the concert… I hopped on a bus in Prague and about 20 hours later I met my friend. We went to the sea, visited the San Galgano monastery and Siena, cooked pasta with home-made basil pesto, screamed Il Mondo and Grande Amore while she was driving and I was trying to read the map, and the day before the concert we went to the theatre in Siena for Donizetti’s opera Don Pasquale, sort of a starter before the main course. 😉 And then, finally, I went to Florence.
Siena, sea, opera in Siena, San Galgano
Place: Florence/Pratolino
The summer concert in Florence was part of the Musart festival that was for the first time in its nine-year old history taking place in Parco Mediceo di Pratolino. I bought a ticket for the concert in Florence and then was very surprised when all pieces of information were talking about Pratolino. ‘What’s that? What’s going on?’ I thought as I repeatedly received emails about limited parking possibilities and instructions on how to get there by car. (As if I had an. 😉) And so, I discovered that Pratolino is about fifteen kilometres away from the city centre of Florence and that it was possible to get there by public transport. But going back? There was no public transport that late in the evening.
Fortunately, I visited the website of the festival and learned what ‘navetta’ meant. Shuttle buses! Indeed, there was a special train going from Florence to Vaglia and from there shuttle buses were going to Pratolino.
In reality, it was a bit more complicated, as the shuttle buses weren’t waiting directly at the train station… Fortunately, there was a lady travelling in the train who had attended a concert in Pratolino the day before, so she safely guided us to the buses.
When we arrived at Pratolino, there were carabinieri everywhere managing the traffic, signalling for the cars which temporary car park they should use, guiding the buses through… And I thought: If I were one of the boys and saw this chaos, I’d fall unconscious and would be unable to sing! At this moment I truly realized how famous Il Volo was.
We got off the bus and there was about one kilometer walk through the park waiting for us and then, finally, I saw the stage!
The park is a lovely place and it’s getting gradually reconstructed. There are statues, a beautiful Villa Demidoff and a chapel that was open for the concert visitors.
I’d say there were about five thousand people of all ages, and from the snippets of conversation my impression was that for many of them it wasn’t their first Il Volo concert.
Park Pratolino
The Florence vs. Pratolino thing made even Piero confused 😉 Here’s what he asked at the beginning of the concert.
Piero: I don’t want to offend anyone so what’s correct? Florence or Pratolino? Audience: Florence! Piero: Good, because I said at home that I was going to sing in Florence.
The concert
The concert started at 9:30 p.m.; it was already dark and still so warm…
It was my first time hearing the boys live and this is a part of the message I immediately sent to my friend. It just sums up my impressions:
And I can’t even describe the singing. What Ignazio can do 🤯🤯 And hearing Piero singing the arias live 😮 And Gianluca such a soothing voice 🥰🥰🥰 And the best was going back to the bus and just hearing bits of conversation of the many fans and all of them were so excited.
The boys were so relaxed, natural, warm and friendly, they talked about the songs a lot, joked, and didn’t rush. I have to say I was quite proud of myself because I understood more or less everything they said in Italian.
Songs that stood out and solos
The boys came on the stage and immediately started singing Nelle tue mani, it was such a powerful beginning; Caruso was very moving… I love the Ad Astra album and was so happy that they sang about half of the songs from it: Succede, Il mondo all’incontrario, Capolavoro and especially Frammenti di universe, I love the part where Gianluca’s and Ignazio’s voices interact with each other.
The concert also contained six solos. As I said, La cura was one of the main reasons I travelled to Italy, and I got everything I wanted and more. My friend told me that La cura is often sung at weddings because of the lyrics. Whenever Gianluca sings “Perché sei un essere speciale“(because you are a special human being) I always add in my mind: yes, you, Gianluca, you are a special human being.
I was equally enchanted by Piero’s E lucevan le stelle. And then Ignazio’s Almeno tu nell’universo…, you have to listen to it, it cannot be described. From the first second you understand that this song has a deeply personal and special meaning for Ignazio, and he makes you feel it, too.
We also heard Ovunque sarai, Amor vida de mi vida and Can’t help falling in love.
The public was so energetic and warm, applauding, cheering and very often singing with the boys; everyone knew the lyrics of Capolavoro, and of Ignazio’s solos.
And then came one of the best experiences of my life: the guys invited everyone to stand up, come closer to the stage and join them in singing the last song. And so, together with about five thousand people, I was singing/screaming Grande Amore at the top of my lungs, standing on my feet, clapping my hands. It was such an exciting ending of the whole concert.
All of us on our feet, singing Grande amore
Fun
The concert was a perfect mix of brilliant singing, relaxed atmosphere and some fun.
When the guys started talking about the song Ad Astra, they said: “We were in Mexico” and a whole row of people waved, so they interrupted the introduction of the song and greeted Mexico and the Mexican fans who were there.
Then Gianluca started listing countries, asking if there was someone from the US, Canada etc. etc. and people were waving and raising their hands.
Ignazio: That’s a lot of people. Is there even anyone from Tuscany? (the region around Florence) Gianluca immediately: And from Abruzzo?
Then there was another very funny moment, and I haven’t seen any video of it so here’s a summary.
Piero: There’s somewhere a friend of mine in the audience. He’s a waiter. Can you get up? We met a month ago when we were doing a press conference here. And he’s the best waiter in the world. He prepared breakfast for me. And if I remember correctly, it’s Massimo’s birthday today.
Meanwhile, the man got up.
Il Volo started singing and the whole audience stood up and joined the guys in singing Tanti auguri(Happy birthday).
When they finished, Gianluca heard something and then said: What? Your name is not Massimo? It’s Tomasso!! Piero: Well, the breakfast was at 6.30 a.m…. but I did remember the birthday correctly. Gianluca asking Tomasso: I still don’t understand. But why did you get up when he said Massimo? Tomasso: He also said that I was a waiter which is correct.
Then the guys were about to introduce another song, Se from Ennio Morricone.
Ignazio to Piero: No, you don’t say his name.
Kindness
It was a funny moment, but it also shows how kind and friendly Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio are. And kindness doesn’t stop with them, also all the volunteers were very nice, not to speak about all the people who organized the transport to Pratolino. There may not have been that many pieces of information, and being in a foreign country, the journey felt like an adventure at the beginning, but everything worked out.
I was a bit worried whether the buses were going to wait for everyone after the end of the concert but then I convinced myself that there were worse things than waiting at the station for some early train in the morning, especially as the evening and night were so warm. Of course, the buses waited.
And then while sitting back in the train, well past midnight, suddenly an applause erupted there – it could rival the standing ovations the boys received just an hour ago – the train staff decided that the train wasn’t going to terminate at the Campo Marte station but was going to continue to the main train station in the city center! For many people it was much more convenient.
Booklet
We were given a 50-page long booklet containing the programme and introduction of the Musart festival, the individual artists, the Demidoff villa…
Here is a translation of the part about Il Volo:
(translated by me, revision done by my Italian friend)
Since forever, flying or the flight (il volo) has been one of the biggest dreams of humankind. Not only in the physical sense but also in the metaphorical one.
Flying (il volo) represents liberty, surpassing the limits, and the aspirations to reach something higher.
Flying (il volo) is not only a matter of wings or motors but also of soul and desire. Paulo Coelho once said: “The man has an inner greatness that moves him to fly, even though his wings are invisible.” These words reflect the truth about every dreamer: flying (il volo) is, first of all, an act of believing in oneself.
Music, like flying, lifts us up and transports us in unexpected places. It’s by means of our voice that we reach the highest, farthest goals, breath-taking and alienating, while communicating through one of our most profound senses.
It’s incredible how much freedom may lie in those few lines that represent the stave. The voice flies, soars, contorts itself into the various notes, adjusts to the tonality and communicates its feelings through the minor and major chords.
Flying (il volo) is the utmost representation of the human desire to rise above the circumstances of everyday life and reach something sublime. In every note, in every melody, in every word, we can find a piece of sky. And thus, we join the choir, soaring high, guided by the art and the beauty of the flight.
And Il Volo(now with the capital letter) is also the beautiful story of these boys – young men now – who with harmony and on the sound of high notes perform all over the world and shortly they will be welcomed in the park of the Demidoff villa. I share with them the experience of participating at the San Remo festival. I also was part of a trio but that wasn’t a long-term project but only a brief intermezzo. And also, we didn’t have such a beautiful and inspiring name!
Luca Canonici, opera singer
Prague: Warm encounter with old friends (12th October 2024)
The “old friends” in the title refer to the songs, as Il Volo was celebrating 15 years of career, and the guys sang there all the important songs of their journey… and “old friends” also refer to the European capitals as Il Volo had had much success there in previous tours.
Prague was more of a “standard” concert I’d say – no more open air but a huge modern arena.
The public was very appreciative, but I missed a bit the spontaneity of the predominantly Italian public from Florence and their readiness to join the boys in singing various songs.
Place
O2 Arena, before the concert, from my seat
The O2 arena in Prague is modern, spacious, with a subway station nearby… The capacity of the arena is about 18.000 (though at first, the organizers weren’t selling tickets for the second gallery seats, so the number of spectators was lower).
This is off topic but next year, the World figure skating championship will take place there and given the Olympics are in Italy I expect a lot of skaters to choose Italian music next season, maybe even from Il Volo.
Prague is a beautiful city, though as I didn’t have to make such an effort to get there, the concerts in Florence feel – subjectively – even more special to me.
I was very happy when Gianluca shared pictures from the National Gallery in Prague. And then he also posted a picture of a statue and even though I lived in Prague for two years, at first, I didn’t know where it was! The guys discovered more places in Prague in two days than me in two years 😉
Gianluca’s photo of the Kafka statue
Soundcheck
I wholeheartedly recommend going to the soundcheck if you have the chance. On one hand it’s much less expensive than meet and greet and on the other hand wherever you sit then during the concert you’ll still have this unique experience of sitting in the first or second row and seeing Il Volo from close.
You can see a bit of what is going on behind the scenes, you see the guys in casual clothes, leaning on the piano, scrolling on the phone while waiting for something, discussing details with the technicians…
This was my first time attending a soundcheck and I was amazed! We quietly walked into semi-darkness, and suddenly we heard The Sound of Silence. It was so clear and loud and absolutely mesmerizing. Meanwhile we sat down and then the boys sang Opera – arguing good-naturedly about the lyrics, Piero suggested trying the ending of Hallelujah and then he did a solo. And afterwards they sang with the guest, Elina Nechayeva, and were so sweet and attentive to her.
Concert: Songs that stood out and solos
The song that stood out for me was definitely The Sound of Silence.
The boys stand in a semi-circle close together, they start singing, it’s almost dark on the stage and you can hear only their voices. And if you haven’t thought about it before, now you realize that this is all they need. They don’t need crazy costumes and hairdos, dancers or aerial artists on the stage, flashy lights; just with their voices and personality they make the show.
Un amore così grande made me, literally, cry; then there was the playful La donna è mobile that made me smile. And the cherry on the top was Opera. Again, it’s dark, and suddenly you hear Opera! Opera! Opera! loud and decisive reverberating in the whole arena.
The Estonian singer Elina Nechayeva joined Il Volo for Libiamo ne’ lieti calici and she also proposed a toast in Czech! During the brief pause in the song she danced with Piero and Ignazio and danced with Gianluca 😉
There was one song I had been looking forward to so much – The Music of the Night – hoping Gianluca would sing it. And he did. He sang so beautifully; his voice was soft and yet powerful. The lyrics are, in my opinion, so complex and difficult and yet Gianluca’s pronunciation is so clear (clearer than of many native speakers I dare say) and you can understand every word.
Then came a big surprise. I was expecting maybe Can’t Help Falling in Love but instead, Gianluca gifted us Bridge Over Troubled Water. And because it was so unexpected I think I enjoyed the song even more.
Piero received thunderous applause for both E lucevan le stelle and Amor vida de mi vida and Ignazio sang Memory.
Kindness
In Prague there were some people holding posters saying they were from Molise (which is a region neighbouring Gianluca’s Abruzzo) so he switched to Italian and thanked them for coming to the concert. Then, back in English, Ignazio explained that Gianluca greets friends everywhere and that during the summer tour in Italy he had friends in every city.
After that the guys remembered that their friend from Mexico was also at the concert, so they switched to Spanish and greeted him, too.
It’s just one gesture but I think it really sums up so well what makes the guys so special. They genuinely care for their fans; they don’t see us as consumers of their music. And they are also able to spontaneously communicate with the public, in three languages no less!
After this concert in October, I wanted to write an article summarizing the concerts in Florence and Prague. This was supposed to be the end of the article:
The only thing to decide is: where to go for the next concert? Italy in January (because night bus rides through the Alps in winter are truly magical), Tutti per uno concert in May (because this way I’d get to know more about other Italian artists) or Germany/Austria in November (because it’s always nice to visit the neighbouring country) 😉.
I didn’t finish the article at that time, instead I did buy bus tickets to Italy again and a ticket for the concert on 15th January in Florence as I couldn’t miss the opportunity to hear more songs from the brilliant Ad Astra album. (And I might have bought a ticket for Tutti per uno in Mantua, too.)
Florence Ad Astra tour: Reaching new horizons (15th January 2025)
The January tour was dedicated to new songs from the Ad Astra album and what an amazing idea it was! Personally, I love all these songs, would choose them over any other and love discovering new words in Italian and the feeling that the more I’m listening to them the more I understand.
With the visuals and themes of planets, universe, and stars it was a perfect opportunity to use abstract images on five big screens, changing colours, lights and laser lights resulting in a unique show. To add a bit of a dramatic touch the boys start singing Chiaro di luna while hidden in a drapery that, after a few lines, falls down.
I said earlier that the boys didn’t need any “tricks” or dramatic shows, but they wanted to try something new, and it was great indeed. (Though I have to admit that while all the laser lights and huge screens looked amazing in the photos, I enjoyed it a bit less in person. However, I think it was caused by the placement of my seat, either from further away or from closer it would probably look better. I was in the 29th row and while concentrating hard on just seeing the boys on the stage I didn’t have enough time to appreciate the light show properly.)
The concert lasted two and a half hours! The boys sang an incredible number of songs, compared to the summer concert they didn’t talk that much, there simply wasn’t any time for longer conversations!
The light show as seen from my seat
Place
This concert in Florence took place really in Florence, in the Nelson Mandela stadium, and, coincidently, quite close to the hostel I was staying in so I could just go there on foot.
The capacity of the stadium is about 8,000 seats; it was full, and the spectators were very enthusiastic, knowing all the lyrics of the songs.
Nelson Mandela stadium
This time, I didn’t see anything else in Florence, I came really just for one afternoon, though I spent the following day with my friend in Bologna.
Bologna
Soundcheck
First, the boys sang Saturno e venere and then it wasn’t a soundcheck anymore but rather Ignazio’s show. 😉 He was in a really good mood. Piero wanted to do his solo E lucevan le stelle and while he was singing Ignazio was accompanying him with ballet moves, then Ignazio sang E lucevan le stelle as a solo, too. It was amazing! And then Ignazio sang Un amore così grande on Il mondo music and tried to convince Piero to join him, finally he sang all three parts of Il mondo imitating Gianluca and Piero. Gianluca was observing all this from the auditorium with his brother.
The concert: Songs that stood out and solos
Cecille was a guest and sort of an opening act in Florence. When the curtains were still closed, without the live orchestra, she sang two songs, A Natural Woman and her own song Solamente farfalle. I really liked them, especially the Italian one (another artist to add to the library on Spotify 😊). Later she joined the boys and sang E più ti penso with them.
I absolutely cannot pick just a few songs that stood out for me in Florence because I love the whole Ad Astra album. And out of the ten original songs we got nine! Including the instrumental Per Aspera that the orchestra played before the guys appeared on the podium and including Saturno e venere with the boys also singing Irama’s part. (The only song left out was L’infinito.☹) Hearing Tra le onde and Se/Nuovo cinema paradiso live was also very special.
I was fortunate enough to hear La cura live for the second time. Gianluca congratulated his mom on her birthday and dedicated this song to her.
And then another surprise from Gianluca! Eleanor Rigby. I fell in love with this song while watching the Tutti per uno concerts and especially listening to Gianluca’s introduction of the song.
Piero doesn’t change a winning team. 😉 He sang E lucevan le stelle again and it was amazing again. And his second solo was No puede ser.
Ignazio sang The Show Must GoOn and what a show it was! And then rocker Ignazio disappeared, and we got a tender E penso a te with many spectators knowing the lyrics and joining him. Ignazio’s versatility is truly breathtaking.
Some more interesting bits and pieces
After the soundcheck we had to leave the stadium. I remained waiting near the gate and slowly, people who had tickets only for the concert started gathering there, too. The gate was still closed, though, as it was really early.
Then I noticed a beautiful lady in an elegant coat standing nearby. ‘She looks like Veronica Berti, Andrea Bocelli’s wife’ crossed my mind. ‘But that can’t be her, that’s crazy, right?’ I thought. Curious, I checked Veronica Berti’s Instagram and saw a picture from Miami published two days ago and concluded that this lady was just a bit similar to her and “the real Veronica” and Andrea Bocelli were probably still in the US.
However, after a few minutes at least five people came to the gate, opened it just for this lady and accompanied her inside. And I had some doubts again…
After the concert I looked at Veronica Berti’s Instagram again and saw a story! There was a photo of the boys. She was at the concert indeed!
Here’s what she wrote: Two hours and a half of music flew by… how amazing it is to listen to you. Thank you for the beautiful evening.
Veronica Berti’s Instagram story
What an amazing coincidence that I caught the three or five minutes when she was waiting in front of the gate.
They are stars but also much more
I’m sure we all share this feeling: The guys are stars. And we, the spectators, admire them, of course. I think though that the guys don’t want the spectators to leave the concerts “only” with admiration but want the people to be happy. They are making us feel happy during the concerts and for days to come. They joke, walk through the crowd, accept gifts while on the stage, adjust the set list to the place where they are performing…
It’s also so considerate of them that when they leave the stage and sing among the public, they don’t stop in the first rows but really sing in the middle of the people, going through the whole arena so that as many people as possible can see them up close.
And it’s amazing that they communicate with the public so much and do so in three languages! They joked in Prague in English as much as they did in Florence in Italian.
I really liked the moments when they talked about the individual songs and introduced them. And on all three occasions I loved listening to bits and pieces of conversations while leaving the venue. Everyone was happy and praised Il Volo!
Front row?
We usually get stories from fans in the first rows, but I’d like to assure you that the seat is not that important. Wherever you sit you won’t be disappointed. In Pratolino I sat in row fifteen, it was great. In Prague I was far away – in the gallery across the whole ground floor. And yet, during Here’s to you Gianluca came all the way through the whole ground floor and waved to the people sitting in the gallery. And in Florence I sat in row twenty-nine on the ground floor. (There was a big screen but only on the other side of the arena.) During the Vicinissimo mix Piero passed by half a meter from me! So really, there are no bad seats.
Alone?
Even if you don’t have anyone to go with, don’t worry about it! I was alone at all three concerts, but you are never really alone, there’s a friendly atmosphere, you smile at one person, hear this remark, reply to that remark… In the train to Pratolino, I said literally one word in Italian and was already pulled into a conversation and ended up having a nice chat in English-Italian about Prague with a fellow fan. And because there were so many people at the concerts, I felt safe even walking to the hostel at 1 a.m.
Italian
I’m sure I’m not the only one learning Italian (mainly to understand the lyrics and the interviews). And I know I said that during the July concert in Florence I understood more or less everything the guys said. But let’s be honest, it’s because I’ve seen a lot of videos from previous concerts and also because you can kind of know what to expect. The guys (most) certainly won’t talk about physics or mineralogy… So, my Italian wasn’t put to the test there that much… But a guided tour? That’s a different story.
When we visited Bologna, my friend and I booked a two-hour long guided city tour. It was in January, so there were very few tourists and no possibility to book the tour in English. Even for the Italian one there were only four other people beside us. I was a bit worried.
Because in July last year when we visited the San Galgano monastery, I tuned out the Italian guide after twenty minutes… I understood quite a lot of words, yet I couldn’t get the meaning of the whole speech, and he was talking in Tuscan dialect which didn’t help…
Guess what happened six months later in Bologna? While listening to the guide, I laughed when the Italians laughed, I was surprised when the Italians were surprised, I exclaimed “oh no” when the Italians did… I understood the guide!
The boys and their songs are a great motivation to continue studying and I hope that I’ve motivated some of you with this story.
In case you want to compare, here’s a list of songs the guys sang at the concerts…
List of songs Florence, summer tour:
New:Capolavoro, Ad Astra, Frammenti di universo, Il mondo all’incontrario, Succede
Covers + older songs:Who Wants to Live Forever, Grande amore, Un amore così grande, Nessun dorma, Nelle tue mani, Hallelujah, Se, Miserere, Il Mondo, Caruso, Here’s to You, Ecstasy of Gold, Se telefonando
Solos:E lucevan le stelle, Can’t Help Falling in Love, Ovunque sarai, Amor vida de mi vida, La cura, Almeno tu nell’universo
List of songs in Prague:
New: Opera, Capolavoro, Ad astra
Covers + older songs:Who Wants to Live Forever, Grande Amore, The Sound of Silence, My Way, Un amore così grande, Nessun dorma, Nelle tue mani, Hallelujah, Se, Miserere, Il Mondo, Caruso, Funiculì funiculà, La donna è mobile, Libiamo with Elina, Here’s to You, O sole mio
Solos: E lucevan le stelle, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Memory, Amor vida de mi vida, Phantom of the Opera
List of songs in Florence Ad astra tour:
New:Per Aspera, Chiaro di luna + Opera, Capolavoro, Frammenti di universo, Ad astra, Tra le onde, Saturno e venere, Succede, Il mondo all’incontrario
Covers + older songs:Who Wants to Live Forever, E più ti penso with Cecille, Grande Amore, The Sound of Silence, My Way, L’amore si muove + Vicinissimo + Musica che resta + Per te ci sarò, Un amore così grande, Nessun dorma, Nelle tue mani, Hallelujah, Se, Miserere, Il Mondo, Se telefonando
Solos:E lucevan le stelle, Eleanor Rigby, The Show Must Go On, No puede ser, La cura, E penso a te
The concerts in the Italian sports halls are going great!!
Great response and success with the public, people love Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero!!
Very nice newspaper articles that write praise because Il Volo is entertaining and exciting with a show with beautiful and well sung songs.
Fantastic plays of light on large screens, a good orchestra and then them ….. skilled entertainers and their wonderful voices!!
In short, so far so good and another four concerts have been performed, but as always let’s go in order:
January 13: TREVISO
The concert was at the Palaverde di Villorba.
PER ASPERA – CHIARO DI LUNA – OPERA The fantastic star of the concert. 🤩
MISERERE
WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER
MUSICA CHE RESTA – with the people
This was posted by the MUNICIPALITY OF VILLORBA:
🎵 Yesterday evening, shortly before the start of the concert at the Palaverde, Francesco Soligo, Mayor of Villorba, met the young members of the “Il Volo” trio behind the scenes. The mayor gave them the volume “Venetian Villas. Art and memories in Villorba” which tells the history and artistic beauties of the 18 Venetian villas present in the municipal area. A gift much appreciated by the kids who wanted to thank the entire community of Villorba for the amazing welcome they received on the occasion of this extraordinary event.✨
💛💙 Heartfelt thanks to Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble who put on a show in a packed Palaverde full of energy and enthusiasm. 💪
Some photos of the evening:
January 15: FLORENCE
The concert was at the MANDELA FORUM.
UN AMORE COSÌ GRANDE
PER TE CI SARÒ – VICINISSIMO – (among people)MUSICA CHE RESTA
Gianluca during Musica Che Resta met his friend Eraldo
FRAMMENTI DI UNIVERSO
GRANDE AMORE
NELLE TUE MANI
During the Meet & Greet, Piero asks people where he is from and a lady replies that she is from Azerbaijan.
CAPOLAVORO
January 17: BOLOGNA
The concert is in the Unipol Arena.
Naturally this is a particularly awaited concert for Il Volo, because as you know, Bologna is the city where Ignazio, Piero, Torpedine live and where Barbara also lived.
during the afternoon rehearsals
short summary
TRA LE ONDE
SUCCEDE – the presentation is witty and I will translate it for you
PIERO= This song talks about things that only Ignazio can describe. (then Piero looks at Ignazio’s ring finger and sees the ring).
Ignazio, did you get dirty here?….Ah no, it’s the ring, I was wrong (laughter). 😂 There was a mark, I thought you got scratched.
GIANLUCA= This song talks about love and when we talk about love you have to sit down. (all three sit on the stools)
IGNAZIO= It’s a song that is part of the album, and like many songs on the album it talks about love, because it’s true that love is one of the most beautiful things that exist in the world. The beautiful thing is that it is a subjective feeling, everyone feels and feels love differently….
PIERO= Thank goodness.
IGNAZIO= Yes, thank goodness, and although love makes you experience extremely beautiful things, sensations that you have never experienced in your life, it can also make you suffer, that’s life.
The meaning is, that despite everything, even the most unlucky person like you (Piero), SUCCEDE (it happens). applause 😂
GIANLUCA= Sorry, there is a girl dressed in red, a really nice dress and she has a sign: “Piero, I’m not asking you to marry me, but only to take me running with you.” (laughter)
PIERO= Every Sunday morning….how?
IGNAZIO = (the girl answers something)…..on horseback? In what sense? Go slow, from going horse racing!! 😂 Then if you go with this dress….
GIANLUCA= This dress is very beautiful!!
PIERO= On Sunday morning you can find me there at the Margherita gardens.
GIANLUCA= I saw that there are people from all over the world, thanks!
IGNAZIO= Piero has many suitors.
PIERO= But what have I got to do with it, continue introducing the song….
IGNAZIO= I’ve already said it, that even though you’re unlucky: SUCCEDE (It happens) 😂
GIANLUCA= Let’s also dedicate it to you (to Ignazio) who recently got married. (applause)
IGNAZIO= Why me, sorry? Even my wife! ❤️
GIANLUCA= Also to your wife of course, who is here!🥰
IGNAZIO= (to Piero) Don’t worry anyway, don’t worry! (then turning to Gianluca) Don’t you know?
GIANLUCA = I don’t know….(these are the first words of the song!!)
ANGELS Gianluca
VICINISSIMO Piero embraces his family
SE TELEFONANDO
Certainly, the most exciting moment of the evening, the dedication to Barbara Vitali!! ❤️
On the large screens there are plays of light and this … these words appear:
GIANLUCA IGNAZIO PIERO TO BARBARA FOREVER WITH US.
Standing ovation from the audience.
UNIPOL ARENA published these words and these beautiful photos:
Last night Il Volo made Unipol Arena a true masterpiece 🎤💫
The voices of the three tenors, already extraordinary on their own, blend together in a perfect harmony that touches the soul. Accompanied by a majestic orchestra, they gave us a journey through their timeless songs and masterfully reinterpreted covers, capable of becoming new jewels.
For Aspera Ad Astra.
A friend of mine, Annalisa Valeriano was present at the concert and wrote these beautiful words:
“The concert in Bologna on Friday evening was fabulous and in my opinion it is the most beautiful concert I have seen by them!!! The beginning was breathtaking and it was the icing on the cake!!! The scenography was fantastic with lights and lasers! Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero were fantastic as always and they were beautiful, very elegant and very nice!!! Those 2 hours flew by, I screamed, I sang at the top of my lungs, I laughed, I got excited and I had shivers when they sang Hallelujah and when the dedication to Barbara appeared on the big screens.
Thank you for the emotions you have made me feel for almost 10 years!!! I am proud to be a Volover and I will always be!!! I don’t know when I will recover from this different concert from the others! I hope to see you again soon, but I know it will take a long time! PUPPIES, I LOVE YOU!!!”
Turin has been blessed by the great talent and professionalism of the most loved trio in the world: Il Volo.
Ignazio Boschetto, Gianluca Genoble and Piero Barone were able to excite the audience at the Inalpi Arena from the first note to the last.
A wonderful band with a professional orchestra masterfully accompanied our three Italian voices.
Great successes such as “Grande amore”, “Masterpiece”, “Tra le Onde” and great classics like “My Way” meant that the Arena became a single chorus in unison.
There was no shortage of jokes on stage (they have always joked and made fun of each other) regarding football, especially between Piero and Ignazio, one a Milan fan and the other a Juventus fan, on the same evening the two teams were also facing each other and therefore a fair enough teasing!
The moment in the audience was exciting when the 3 artists came down to sing among their fans who surrounded them with affection, selfies and hugs!
The latest album has been presented “Ad Astra” which is already their ninth studio work.
After leaving the house of music of the Inalpi Arena, Turin still sang in a tenor voice all the songs heard and experienced firsthand in memory of a concert that taught us that beautiful voices and Italian melody will never die!
Photos from the evening:
Truly so much pride and satisfaction with how the concerts in Italian sports halls are taking place, and finally it seems that even the newspapers are highlighting the success and skill of Il Volo!!!
I conclude this roundup of four concerts with a piece of news from a little while ago, Il Volo, before leaving for the tour abroad, will be present one evening in Sanremo, will duet with the singer Clara in the evening dedicated to the Covers!! So we’ll see them in Sanremo, really great news!! Il Volo will not be in the competition, he will perform a duet with Clara who is instead taking part in the competition.
I remind you that Clara sang a duet at the Verona Arena with Gianluca in May 2024.
I end with this beautiful interview done by Robert Bannon and which I don’t have to translate!!!
Good viewing.
And that’s all for now, but there will be more news and updates soon.
The G7 on Tourism was held in Florence on 13 and 15 November.
Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè chaired the work sessions, which saw the participation of ministers and heads of delegation from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the European Union and some nations and outreach organizations – Saudi Arabi , Brazil, India, Egypt, OECD and UN Tourism.
After the introductory event, the two days of work began at 8:30 am on Thursday 14th, with the ceremony in which Minister Santanchè welcomes the ministers of the G7 and the outreach countries. The work sessions covered: tourism and socio-economic development opportunities; human capital – work, inclusion and skills; digitalization and artificial intelligence.
Palazzo Gondi
At the end of the first day of work, a visit to the village of Monteriggioni and Abbadia Isola was planned, where the ministers arrived on board a historic train. The day ended with a performance by Il Volo at Palazzo Gondi. The G7 ended on Friday morning, with the closing press conference of Minister Santanchè in the Sala delle Reali Poste of the Uffizi Gallery.
Il Volo with Eugenio Giani president of the Tuscany region.
And here is the moment in which the Minister of Tourism Daniela Santalchè presents IL Volo:
“They are an Italian excellence. I have to thank them because they are ambassadors of Italy to the world. Here they are, (applause) I was simply saying that you are an Italian pride….”
Very few videos of the event that concern the performance of Il Volo, only a few fragments that I propose to you.
It wasn’t a real concert but a final performance at the end of dinner, it seems that Il Volo sang three songs:
Unfortunately this is all I can offer you for the presence of Il Volo at the G7 TURISMO, but in any case I would say that as always Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca made the Italian name shine on an important occasion.
But now we come to the important news that was published by PBS in recent days.
How wonderful, PBS is sponsoring the event, I’m happy for you that you will be able to see that concert soon!!
Please check your local listings for the airing dates in your area.
We in Italy, I don’t think we will have access to view it, so I await your comments!!!
And finally, there is a moment of rest for our young men who have had an endless series of commitments.
Through the photos published, they are telling us that they are well and that they are in a period of relaxation.
The photos of Piero comes from Turin, where together with his brother Francesco, he is attending the ATP Tennis finals and will certainly support Sinner!!
Gianluca publishes a beautiful photo of a truly relaxing place in the mountains, perhaps Abruzzo? Will he be alone or in good company? If he wants, he will let us know!!
Our Ignazio is certainly in sweet company with his beautiful wife Michelle and in the company of Arturo, everything expresses sweetness!!
That’s all for now.
I’m really happy that soon you will be able to see the PBS concert in the Valley of the Temples, surely the concert dates will be published afterwards!
And I’m even happier to see our young men relaxing and taking time for themselves.
Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio, enjoy your time, because there will be many future commitments and we are waiting for you with open arms!!
At the Verona concert, I met some friends of Flight Crew, not many this time, because most of them went to the concert in Taormina, how lucky !!
To friends who came to Verona, I asked them to tell me their impressions of the concert, as I did with Kirsten who did a long review that everyone liked.
The others weren’t that lengthy in their comments, so I’ve grouped them all here.
LAURA and UGO = They are Italians, from Trieste, but I met them through the Flight Crew blog that they always read.
I don’t have a photo with them, but here’s their comment:
“They were amazing, beautiful, elegant and talented. You know that we love classical pieces very much and it was very nice to hear LA DONNA È MOBILE and several pieces taken from operas. The voices were top!”
SUSAN and her brother = They had the tickets for June 4th and I for June 3. We couldn’t meet by a whisker, but it’s like I saw them and hugged them.
Here is Susan’s comment:
Hi dear! What a wonderful concert !! I LOVE the song “Hallelujah”.
The concert was truly fantastic. The orchestra was smaller and the guys seemed different…still as wonderful as ever but more mature….more settled in their skin. They seemed more comfortable with themselves.
The difference in them, after two years without live concerts, was unmistakable.
They are professional men at the top of their game! It was wonderful to hear new tweaks on familiar songs and I especially enjoyed the “montages” they did on several songs with a part of a song leading into another. The duet Gianluca did with Ignazio “Hallelujah” was really good. I never cared much for that song but the way the guys sang that song makes me hope they will include it on an album.
The audience was really involved in the concert..singing along to their favorite songs. There were also quite a few people who attended both nights, the guys asked.
A beautiful evening!
Here is a picture I took.
This year, together with my husband and me, my son’s mother-in-law Mariella also came to the concert.
It was the first time he had come to an Il Volo concert and that he entered the Arena. Here she is with me.
And here is her comment.
Hello dear Daniela. Thank you for inviting me to the wonder of the evening at the Verona Arena with the wonderful trio Il Volo, I have never experienced an evening like this !!! In addition to the skill, which I already knew, I discovered their sympathy, which I never would have thought !! I lived almost three hours, and if I remember correctly 27 thrilling songs. For me, it was the first time of their concert, but now I think it is the first of a long series …. Thanks to Il Volo and their organization ….❤❤❤
Here is my video of the concert finale!
Now I want to tell you some gossip about things that happened during the concert.
First of all Torpedine, it was just a few rows in front of me, I managed to take this photo of him.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t at the beginning of the line, so if I wanted to get up and say hello to someone, it meant getting several people up, and I did it once, but I knocked over the bottles of water of the people who were next to me, so, then I never got up to avoid making more disasters.
The concert was starting, the orchestra was already on stage, and 4 people were advancing in front of me and I recognized them immediately.
I took a picture, it’s not very clear so I’ll explain it to you.
Behind the man with the blue shirt, there is Ernesto, Gianluca’s brother, so Rachele, his girlfriend, can be clearly seen, behind her, you can only see the raised arm of Eleonora, Gianluca’s girlfriend, and after her, Eleonora, Gianluca’s mother.
Without being too conspicuous, they sat two rows in front of me, and never moved from their position.
While Gianluca was singing and descending into the audience, he passed behind them and bent down to give a light kiss to his brother, his girlfriend and his mother.
Everything was done very delicately and without giving too much emphasis. When the concert ended, immediately after the confetti was thrown into the air, I realized that the four of them had already gone out, without being noticed, they were gone, they took advantage of the final moment of distraction to go out.
The same scene was repeated the following evening, but perhaps Gianluca and Eleonora took more courage and Gianluca exposed his love for Eleonora more to the audience.❤❤
I find them adorable !! 😘❤😘
Another nice thing that made me laugh a lot was another thing that happened at the second concert.
During one of the dialogues between the boys, Ignazio teases Gianluca, imitating the expression on the face that Gianluca makes while singing. Laugh watching this video, while Gianluca sings Il Mondo and Ignazio moves his face and mouth.
Some of you have asked for Maestro Grani, he is a good pianist, but also a good conductor, usually abroad he directs the orchestras, but above all he is a great friend of Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero. He always helps them and keeps their voices trained throughout the tour.
I got to know him in Florence during Notte Magica. I was wearing the Il Volo shirt, which he immediately noticed, he said words of great esteem for the boys. We took a picture together.
These are the words and the photo he posted immediately after the concert in Verona, on his Facebook:
È iniziata alla grande !! It got off to a great start !!
Bruno Farinelli, the drummer, is also part of the band. I interviewed him (search for the post named INTERVIEW WITH THE DRUMMER OF IL VOLO) and he had very nice words of esteem for Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca.
Here is his comment and his photo posted on Facebook after the concert.
The two concerts at the Verona Arena with IL VOLO were, as always, a unique emotion !!
A special thanks goes to all the staff, the orchestra, the band and the artists who have been and are simply magnificent !! ❤️
However, I believe that the biggest thanks goes to the 20,000 wonderful fans of IL VOLO, who filled the Arena with love for two days !!! ❤️❤️
Now I want to tell you about a fortunate situation.
After the concert in Verona, on my way home, I read the various comments on the concert on Facebook and I saw the comment of a person who is my friend and who lives near my town, Donatella.
I immediately got in touch with her and asked her if she was at the concert and she replied that she was there with her husband, Maurizio whom I know very well.
She told me that their children had given them concert tickets for Christmas and it was the first time they had come to hear Il Volo in concert and they were thrilled.
What few people know is that after the second concert in Verona, therefore on Sunday 5th, Gianluca and Piero went to Gardaland.
Gardaland is Italian Disneyland, it is the most beautiful amusement park in Italy, and is located near Verona and also in Brescia.
Also Donatella and Maurizio, on Sunday decided to go to Gardaland and you guess with great surprise who they found ????
Gianluca, Piero and Barbara!
I saw the photos posted on Facebook and the comment below says so:
“When you decide to go to Gardaland, and meet Il Volo, a welcome meeting.”
I immediately called Donatella and asked her to tell me about her experience, here are her words:
It was a stroke of luck, because we usually enter Gardaland from the main entrance, but this time we parked where the buses are and entered from the side. We saw them right away and I said to my husband: “Look, Maurizio, are those the guys from Il Volo?”
The guys heard her question and answered, “Yes, it’s us!”
I asked them if we could take a picture and they immediately said yes.
Look Daniela, I didn’t think they were like that. I was really surprised, it seemed to be talking to our children, they were very kind.
Piero told Gianluca: “See he (Maurizio) will ride a roller coaster and she will follow him out of love, I’m sure it is.”
They told us that Gianluca had already been to Gardaland years ago, but he was very young, while Piero had never been there.
They asked Maurizio: “But if you go on a roller coaster, do you go in front or behind?” And he replied “I’m going in front.”
I was stunned, I didn’t think they were so humble, you know, the notoriety, I thought they pulled a little, instead nothing. We were really delighted to have met them.
Wow, what luck Donatella !!!
I’m so happy for you !!
I hope you liked these last things about the Verona concert, now the tour has continued and therefore we will soon talk about Taormina !!!
Plus, coming soon, there are two short translations in TV shows where IL VOLO has participated in !!
Everything that the guys do is magic! They make us happy every time they open their mouths. But there are moments that just blow us away!
2016-2017 were the years dedicated to the “Notte Magica” project, the tribute to the 1990 event of the Three Tenors.
On July 7, 1990, a magical night took place in Rome: Jose Carreras, Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti sang together for the first time in one of the most evocative temples of opera, the ancient Baths of Caracalla. This was the biggest classical music project of the 20th century.
Twenty-six years later, Il Volo, paid tribute to the event and to the Three Tenors with a new album and a live concert event, “Notte Magica ~ A Tribute to The Three Tenors.”
The Il Volo concert took place on July 1st, 2016 at Piazza Santa Croce, one of the most beautiful plazas in Florence. They were joined by the famous Teatro Massimo di Palermo Orchestra. The guys performed some of the most famous Neapolitan songs and arias from the Italian and international operatic repertoire all of which were sung by the original Three Tenors.
Their special guest was Maestro Plácido Domingo. Maestro Domingo conducted almost half of the program and joined Il Volo singing the classic “Non ti scordar di me.” Although the guys were not born in 1990, they grew up listening to the three tenors.
They were fascinated and, inspired by their voices and legendary achievements. Now, the guys were sharing their music with a younger audience. This was a great opportunity for the younger generation to experience the same emotions as we did on that magical night 26 years earlier.
This was also the beginning of the world tour of “Notte Magica – A Tribute to The Three Tenors” which debuted on March 4th, 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 was extended to Europe from May 5th, 2017 for 29 performances and from September it extended to Latin America.
Some moments to remember along the way:
The Arias!
Ignazio was first with “Una Furtiva Lagrima.”
In the aria “Una Furtiva Lagrima” from L’elisir D’amore by Gaetano Donizetti, Ignazio makes you feel the innocents of Nemorino’s love for Adina. His warm graceful voice is very bright and strong with a smooth, clear and crisp dimension. He has an astonishingly, acute extension that leaves you breathless. He is exceptional because he can sing from the lowest to the highest note in the tenor range and, he can, easily, hit that high C. Waiting for it and knowing it’s going to happen is so exciting! Ignazio only needs to open his mouth in song and passion exudes from his lips. He’s very expressive and simplistic in his presentation. He feels every note of every song and expresses it in a most sensitive way. You feel what he feels! The end result is a delivery full of passion that leads you to ecstasy!
Next came Gianluca singing “La Danza.”
“La Danza” by Gioachino Rossini, is actually a Neapolitan Tarantella which is used in comic opera because of its’ rapid succession of rhythm. It is really a tongue twister. The singer should have excellent enunciation, to sing the song to maximum effect and Gianluca certainly fits the bill. Gianluca’s highs and lows, his emotion and expression are superb. He has total command of the song. He has a very rich chest resonance which creates a feeling of depth and drama in his voice. It is exactly what is needed for this song. His ability to sing from the lowest to the highest note in the baritone range gives him the ability to move along with the rhythmic movement of the song. There are many videos of Gianluca singing La Danza but, I chose this one because he is so animated, so happy, he’s feeling the orchestra and he’s even leading them at one point. In the end, he had the time of his life with this performance. Maybe because he was at home in Abruzzi, enjoying it with his people! A difficult song, a beautiful delivery!
(Click on the photo below to view “La Danza”)
And finally, Piero with “No Puede Ser.”
“No Puede Ser” from the opera La Tabernera del Puerto was composer by Pablo Sorozábal. Federico Romero and Guillermo Fernández-Shaw wrote the Spanish Libretto.
Piero’s voice really comes to life in this aria. He has the brightness and height of a lyric tenor, but with a heavier vocal weight enabling his voice to be “pushed” to dramatic climaxes with less strain than his lighter-voice counterparts. Every note that comes out of his mouth reaches you with such intensity and remains with you for a long time. It’s the voice that reaches out to you and demands your attention. From the first note Piero pierces your soul! His passion comes through in his music. Arias are very dramatic and, Piero brings all the drama of the aria into his performance. Always a showstopper!
The Notte Magica tour, which followed included, in addition to opera tunes such as “Nessun Dorma”, “E Lucean le Stelle” and “Una Furtiva Lagrima”, there were famous songs in Spanish like “Granada” and “No Puede Ser.” There were pieces of traditional American songs like “My Way” (from the original French song “Comme d’habitude,” English lyrics by Paul Anka and made famous by Frank Sinatra) and “Maria” from the musical “West Side Story.” There were the traditional Neapolitan classics such as “Torna a Surriento”, “O Surdato nnammurato” and “O Sole Mio”. They also included romances like “Mattinata” and Italian songs such as “Caruso” by Lucio Dalla, which was a fantastic interpretation of the great Luciano Pavarotti. All of this is embellished with symphonic masterpieces performed only by the orchestra, such as the prelude of Bizet’s “Carmen” and the intermezzo of Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” (my favorite opera).
(Nessun Dorma, the first Notte Magica in Florence, the beginning of the video is shaky, but then continues well, live video recorded by Daniela)
Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca explained that their tour had a mission. That is to make known and appreciated the value of this repertoire even to those who have never listened to it before. And the intent seems perfectly successful because it was applauded by at least three generations.
The pearl of the evening “Ave Maria, Mater Misericordiae”, was an Ave Maria written specifically for Il Volo that they dreamed of performing for Pope Francis. The guys did in fact sing it, for the Holy Father, at World Youth Day in Panama City.
And to round it off, they ended the concert with “Grande Amore”!
When I was researching the material for this article, I found, in our archives, some beautiful emotions expressed by our Daniela from Flight Crew about the event in Piazza Santa Croce, and I would like to share them with you.
“The magic of that night was that no one knew what to expect! We all know that the boys have incredible voices, but when they started with the Nessun Dorma, I think all those present held their breath to the end.
‘Oh my God, it’s very difficult,’ I thought, and even the boys were very emotional. There was a palpable tension in the air.
At the final note, we could not believe our ears, we all got up and applauded for a very long time. Teardrops fell from our eyes. They were very good, we were all very proud of them, and they were wringing their hands, hugging each other, moved by the success of the song.
The various songs went by fast and, the evening was beautiful. The muggy heat of the afternoon had given way to a nice evening temperature and Piazza Santa Croce was truly magnificent. Everyone present was very much involved.
Between one song and another there were presentations made by the boys themselves, repeated twice, once in Italian and once in English and this was funny because Piero said: ‘Rewind everything and repeat because the grandmother in the front row has not heard well.’
There were also strange moments, because it was summer and it was hot and yet, because the CD would come out at Christmas, they also sang a Christmas song, which was not added on the CD.
And Gianluca occasionally said, ‘Congratulations, Merry Christmas!’
The boys were really elegant, and the stage was huge, with a large chandelier that came down from the roof and emanated lights of many colors.
People reacted with enthusiastic applauses for their great affection, but also because they recognized the skill of our boys – Il Volo.”
Also in our archives was a description of the opening of the concert in Detroit, in the United States, which was written by our administrator at Flight Crew, Jana, and I would like to share it with you.
“The lights went down in the theatre, and they went up on the stage, a deep blue light created a reminiscent backdrop of the evening sky in Florence. The smoke machine started to create a subtle breeze in the air. A quiet hush fell over the audience as the orchestra members strolled out onto the stage. The crowd clapped politely. Then the maestro, Joseph Modica, came out; again, the crowd clapped. The lights changed from red, to blue, to purple, to teal, and back again, all night. Very similar to the Florence concert, actually. Joseph raised his hands and, the first notes of the violins could be heard resounding over the crowd. That song, that most of us had only heard on the CD or TV, was now playing live, right in front of us. The sing-songy violins spoke and the cellos and bass answered back to them. Soon, it was over. The audience cheered and clapped, knowing that what they were really waiting for was about to appear before their eyes. Seconds later, the Notte Magica truly began.”
The concert, Notte Magica in Florence, was filmed and broadcast in the United States by the national television network PBS, and in Italy by Canale 5. It was also broadcast in over 500 cinemas in Italy and around the world.
Staying with Notte Magica for a moment….
Victoria, one of our Flight Crew members, sent in this beautiful video clip that her 90-year-old Il Volo fan friend sent to her! Victoria was wondering who the woman with the dark hair was and what was the story behind this video? So, when you want the facts, where do you go? To our faithful and ever ready Italian Correspondent Extraordinare, Daniela Perani, who gave us the tender story.
The story is simple. There are six children, 5 females and 1 male. The woman with the dark hair is their mother, who has made many sacrifices for them. Four years earlier, they lost their dad, who was a sailor. They were not wealthy and, they led simple lives. They were always cheerful and, their dad was always there for them. These children made a promise to their dad that they would take care of their mother, but for four years she was always so sad.
The children wanted to do something to make their mother happy so, to show their love, they took her to the Maria De Filippi program, C’è Posta Per Te, which they knew she would like. Knowing how much she loved Il Volo, they called the guys to tell them about their mother. Piero, Ignazio, and Gianluca, gave her beautiful words of support, a bracelet, and sang for her. Then they invited the whole family to the concert in Rome.
In this video you will notice how touched she is and how she looks admirably at the boys as they sing. Her tears touched all of us!
Our journey this week showed us the magic of Il Volo. Something all their fans know about. The magic continued throughout the years. Such a short time but 12 years is like an eternity when we think about all they have done.
Soon we will hear our guys live at the Ancient Arena of Verona. The concerts will come back. All the sadness will soon be over and, we will “Let the Magic Begin” all over again.
So happy you are back on stage. It was lonely without you!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
Siena, sea, opera in Siena, San Galgano
Park Pratolino
All of us on our feet, singing Grande amore
O2 Arena, before the concert, from my seat
Gianluca’s photo of the Kafka statue
The light show as seen from my seat
Nelson Mandela stadium
