January 12th, as already announced several times, the Il Volo concert which was held in the beautiful Kyoto temple was screened in various Japanese cinemas.
Il Volo itself sent a video message for this event, here it is..
IGNAZIO= Hello friends from Japan, we are Il Volo.
GIANLUCA= The film of the live concert at the UNESCO world heritage site, the Kiyomizu Dera temple in Kyoto, will be released soon.
PIERO= On this occasion we sang for peace in the world. Go to the cinema to see it.
GIANLUCA= We are waiting for you.
PIERO= Bye.
The video was thus commented on by Weekend-Cinema magazine.
“IL VOLO”, a new generation vocal unit inheriting the three lead tenors, performed a live dedication at Kiyomizu-dera, a world heritage site for the first time in Asia as part of the World Heritage Series, and has been praised nationally as “IL VOLO to Kiyomizu-dera ~Kyoto World Heritage Live~” Now open. A video message has arrived from Il Volo to the Japanese fans.
Il Volo formed a vocal unit on a popular Italian audition show and surprised many people with his rich singing voice at the young age of 14 or 15. Their one-night-only live performance at Kiyomizu-dera Temple, the Mount Otowa World Heritage Site, will be shown on screen, making them the first foreign artists to do so. Using 13 cameras, including a drone, the video captures footage that normally can’t be seen, such as a blend of the night view of the city where Kyoto Tower sits and the main temple towering over a cliff.
In commemoration of such a precious version of the live theater, a message came from Il Volo to Japanese fans. With the expectations of the live video of the theater, they said: “We sang with hope for world peace.”
The three wear pure white clothes live, but in the video of the message, we will also see them in a black dress!
“IL VOLO in Kiyomizu-dera ~Kyoto World Heritage Live~” will be held for the first time in the Asian area, and it will be the first time in Kiyomizu-dera’s 1250-year history that a foreign artist will be able to enjoy a – Live show premium evening only on a big screen. It will be held in Shinjuku Piccadilly and other locations nationwide. Now available to the public.
IL VOLO: Today our 2022 show at the Kiyomizu Temple will be screened in 15 Japanese cinemas.
In this photo another article published in a Japanese newspaper.
This is another interview published in Japanese. It is also very beautiful and I’ll give you the translation of it.
“The most intense experience in 15 years of activity” Il Volo’s interview arrives to commemorate the release of “IL VOLO in Kiyomizu-dera ~Kyoto World Heritage Live~”
“IL VOLO”, a new generation vocal group inheriting the three major tenors, held a dedicated live performance at Kiyomizu-dera, a world heritage site for the first time in Asia as part of the World Heritage Series, on January 12 as “IL VOLO in Kiyomizu-dera ~Kyoto World Heritage Live~ “Released nationwide from Sunday (Friday). An interview with Il Volo has arrived. Additionally, additional scene photos have been released, (I’ll share the photos separately -donalee) and special gifts for attendees have been decided.
Il Volo formed a vocal group on a popular Italian TV show, and surprised many people with their rich singing voices at the young age of 14 or 15. Their one-night-only live performance at Kiyomizu-dera Temple, the world heritage site of Mount Otowa, will be shown on the screen, making them the first foreign artists to do so. Utilizing 13 cameras, including a drone, the video captures footage that cannot normally be seen, such as the fusion of the night view of the city where Kyoto Tower stands and the main temple towering over a cliff.
Interviews have arrived from the three members of Il Volo. Regarding the concert at Kiyomizu-dera, they said, “What impressed us the most was the solemnity of Kiyomizu-dera. Also, the warm welcome we received from all the monks left a strong impression on us. It was the most powerful experience in our 15 years of activities to be able to perform bel canto (beautiful resonant voice), which is a musical culture of Japan, at a sacred temple that is a World Heritage Site.” They talked about the warm hospitality of the monks of Kiyomizu-dera Temple, a national treasure, and the solemnity they felt standing on stage.
Also, this Kiyomizudera live performance will be Il Volo’s third visit to Japan since their first visit in 2017. Regarding their impressions of Japanese fans, they said, “We often do various interviews, and we always talk about our Japanese fans. Japanese fans are a role model for fans in terms of how carefully and enthusiastically they listen during concerts. The spring 2024 concert in Japan will be full of wonderful surprises.But before that… We hope that everyone in Japan will enjoy our concert filmed at Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto last year at the movie theater.’’ We express our gratitude to our enthusiastic Japanese fans and expressed our hopes for our fourth concert in Japan in the spring.
At the end, they addressed the Japanese fans and said, “We talked about the strong impressions we received, but we hope that we can share with the audience the impressions we received during our live performances. I hope that you will be able to experience the feeling of excitement,” they said in the message, wanting to share the excitement they felt on stage.
The newly released photos show various scenes from the live performance, including the scene where the three members of Il Volo perform in beautiful harmony, the way the camera captures them, and Kiyomizu-dera Temple illuminated with colorful lighting.
In addition, special benefits for visitors have been decided. You will receive an original ticket holder with a print of a scene in which the three members of Il Volo are smiling with relief after successfully completing a concert as the first overseas artists in Kiyomizu-dera’s 1250-year history. It’s a useful size that can fit not only live concert tickets, but also movie and stage tickets, travel tickets, etc. Limited quantity.
And this one was published byThe Hollywood Reporter Roma.
You absolutely must read it, it was published in Italian on Christmas day and perhaps you missed it. It was written by Pino Gagliardi who asked very interesting questions about Japan, but also about Sanremo and the habits of Il Volo.
As always, the answers from Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio denote great maturity and also humility.
Il Volo: We will be in cinemas in Japan (and with an exclusive clip on THR Rome) before arriving in Sanremo with Capolavoro.
On January 12 and February 9, the 2022 concert in Kyoto will be broadcast in the cinemas of the Rising Sun, in the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, one of the most famous and evocative monuments in the country. They are the first to do so in 1250 years. “If we are successful in that country we owe it to a skating champion, their Carolina Kostner”
Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble will celebrate 15 years of long friendship and music together on the Ariston stage, where they return to the competition for the third time after triumphing at the Festival in 2015 with Grande Amore – a song that won Il Volo the podium at the Eurovision Song Contest – and after having achieved third place in 2019 with Musica che resta. “The first time we won it, the second time we celebrated ten years and now we celebrate fifteen years” says the trio who will be competing at the 74th edition of the Sanremo Festival with the song Capolavoro.
However, the new year will open for Il Volo with another extraordinary and international event. On January 12 and February 9, the 2022 concert in Kyoto will be broadcast in cinemas across Japan, in the marvelous Kiyomizu-dera Temple, one of the most famous and evocative temples in all of Japan with a history of 1,250 years. It was a unique event in the world as no foreign artist had ever performed before on the stage built in the main hall. The Japanese public was so enthusiastic about the show of the three Italian artists that it decided to propose the experience of the show again in the cinemas of the main cities of Japan, from Tokyo to Osaka via Kyoto.
After Sanremo the trio will return to the Land of the Rising Sun with a series of new concerts in April before embarking on their World Tour around the world. In Italy, however, after the success of the two-evening event on Canale 5 last May at the Verona Arena, with many great guests belonging to different artistic worlds on the Italian and international scene, Il Volo will return to the Scaliger amphitheater with Tutti Per Uno (a project by Michele Torpedine) with three dates in May.
Where are you right now?
Gianluca Ginoble: I’m in Abruzzo.
Ignazio Boschetto: I’m in Bologna.
Piero Barone: I’m also in Bologna.
How did you end up singing at the oldest temple in Kyoto?
Piero Barone: You must know that in Japan everything was born a few years ago, compared to the United States and Latin America where we have been doing concerts since 2009. Five years ago this strong request arrived, because one of their ice skaters, their champion Yuzuru Hanyu – if we had to make a comparison we could say their Carolino Kostner – he won the ice skating Olympics to the tune of Notte stellata, a song sung by us, recorded in 2011 on our first album.
A piece that we have perhaps never sung live, except in the first concerts. We suddenly received many requests for live performances in Japan and also to be hosted on various television programs. From there our journey in Japan was born.
Haven’t you even been there on holiday?
Piero Barone: No, never! A whole new world for us because we didn’t know that culture. It had been described to us in different ways, but if you don’t go and experience it you can never understand what they are like and above all what their way of living life is – respect for everything and everyone.
Do you remember your first time?
Piero Barone: If I’m not mistaken in 2017. We did our first tour and our first guest appearances on Japanese television programs. In August two years ago we received this beautiful request from those who deal with the protection of the temples of the city of Kyoto. the city of a thousand temples.
They renovated and inaugurated, after a year, the oldest temple in the city: the Kiyomizu-dera. To inaugurate it they expressed the desire to have Il Volo singing inside the columns of that temple, but the characteristic of this sanctuary, which differentiates it from all others, is that it is located overlooking a forest. It was very humid. We arrived dressed in white to sing for no one, in the sense that we had no audience in front of us. It was also difficult to take it back, a particular experience.
Have you felt the spirituality of that place? Gianluca Ginoble: Each of us experiences spirituality in a very personal way. We define ourselves as spiritual people, certainly not just children of our culture. Japan is such a different place, totally distant, Buddhism and Shinto are strong there. We have adapted to this culture and made it our own, trying to transmit what are also our musical and cultural traditions.
Because it is paradoxical to interpret a musical genre that is linked to our culture in a Buddhist temple. And that’s where the great contrast was successful. This shows that what we do overcomes the cultural barriers of language and music.
The practice of opera singing officially entered the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity a few days ago. Is it your credit too?
Gianluca Ginoble: We are very proud to bring a piece of our culture. Because then we have seen over time that this type of music is truly what is considered the true Italian spirit, the true tradition, like pizza, spaghetti, Ferrari. It is certainly opera singing that allows us to interpret a certain type of music in such a prestigious place.
What type of repertoire did you choose for the occasion?
Ignazio Boschetto: In Japan we have always sung the most classical repertoire as a tribute to the three tenors. From there we continued in the wake of the most beautiful classic areas. The nice thing though is that at the end of the concert the last songs are Grande amore and L’amore si move and all the Japanese are there singing with us. And it’s great to see how our repertoire can vary from classical to even something more pop even in Japan.
Every year many opera singing students come to our conservatories from those countries.
Piero Barone: There is a strong attraction from the Asian world towards us and I believe it has always been there. Perhaps today many more young people are approaching this world. Clearly they come to study in Italy because perhaps we have one of the best methods for teaching this art and this way of singing.
There are also many of our compatriots who love this musical genre, opera, and who know what it requires and what studying an opera entails. That is, studying every day. Personally, I frequent opera circles, because in parallel with all this, for a personal thing, I am also preparing an opera journey, studying the arias of the operas.
In this musical genre you are the only ones to have broken into the mainstream.
Piero Barone: Perhaps we are one of the few cases in the musical panorama who sing this genre. For this reason we had many difficulties in the first years, from 2009 to 2015, until we arrived at the Sanremo Festival with Grande Amore. At that point we also managed to conquer the Italian market, because before obviously we were seen as those who sing songs like ‘O sole mio’, those of the Italian tradition abroad. Italy required something new from us, and thanks to Grande Amore the Italian market also opened up for us.
Gianluca Ginoble: This is the right interpretation, in the sense that it is a great truth that we have observed over time. If you sing Nessun Dorma, you won’t attract young people. If, however, you acquire prestige before singing Nessun Dorma, then you capture their attention, because you can convey that type of music first through the credibility of an unreleased song, and with that you arrive at the modernization of Bel Canto.
Thanks to an unreleased song you can attract young people and then you also make them listen to the more classic things. But if you don’t get there first with that, the young people unfortunately don’t arrive, and we see it in the audience who comes to see us, singing only the classical repertoire, which obviously only attracts the older audience.
Will you still use the Festival for this purpose?
Ignazio Boschetto: We already did it in 2017. Having won Sanremo with Grande Amore has brought us a lot of young people who find themselves at our concerts to listen, often for the first time, to Nessun Dorma.
Gianluca Ginoble: Exactly, and it’s really the only way, because opera anyway, and Piero can confirm this, requires a lot of sacrifice. How to learn to play an instrument, the piano, the guitar. Opera is the one that uses the instrument of the voice to the maximum. Surely you can’t get better results with little effort, unfortunately people no longer approach sacrifice. But we also want to be an example from this point of view.
Your Japanese concert will soon be broadcast in cinemas in the Land of the Rising Sun, will you go and promote it?
Piero Barone: No, we won’t go because we have already done a lot of promotion in the past few days with interviews via Zoom, we have been very busy here in Europe. We will go on a ten-day tour in April because we have four concerts as well as several hosted on television.
How are you preparing to face these concerts?
Piero Barone: The Japanese tour set is different from all the other concerts we usually do because we will have a significantly superior orchestra. The orchestral staff will be made up of many more musicians who will be trained by our great conductor, Marcello Rota, who knows what our requests are and knows us well.
Ignazio Boschetto: We will arrive two days early to rehearse our repertoire. Clearly the set list changes in each tour, but usually they are all songs that we rehearse in Italy.
Will you also include the new Sanremo song?
Piero Barone: Hoping it gets there too.
Ignazio Boschetto: Maybe we’ll do the symphonic version.
Ready for the Festival?
Gianluca Ginoble: We were born on that stage which for us on an emotional level is home. Coming back there nine years after the victory, five years after third place, doing it now as thirty-year-olds, is like showing a different version of us. A maturity that we want to show to the public, to our fans, and not only that, perhaps to an even wider audience. We will try to give our best, to truly convey a more mature Il Volo.
Piero Barone: We are going with a different spirit this year to Sanremo, with much more awareness, but we are also much more serene, because before we were always anxious. We are going in the spirit of celebrating these fifteen years, because for us it is a huge achievement. Being still here is already an achievement, few realize that being a single artist is different from being a group, where there are different ideas, there are always moments of tension, because the ideas perhaps don’t match one another. ‘other. So even demonstrating this esteem that exists between all three is a good result.
Maturity will also involve a change of look, given that you have been dressed like adults practically since you were born.
Gianluca Ginoble: Do you mean that when we were sixteen we dressed like sixty-year-olds?
Ignazio Boschetto: We dressed like adults because it was Bel Canto that necessarily led us to be elegant and dress in a certain way.
Will you be classic this time too?
Gianluca Ginoble: It’s normal that our strength was initially seeing three kids our age with adult voices. That was the key that allowed us to reach so many people. Today we are thirty years old and there will certainly be an evolution, because always being the same, remaining in a comfort zone, does not lead to growth. A little risk is part of progress.
Ignazio Boschetto: I don’t know if others agree with me, but I think that when we were younger we had to maintain a certain distinction in what we did. Now there won’t necessarily be a change of look other than just showing what our three true personalities are.
Piero Barone: A bit like we did with Tutti Per Uno, which was a forerunner of a work that will lead to a new wave next year. We will always be Il Volo and we will never change. Because when we tried to do something too different it went very badly, because we lost our authenticity. So that will always remain, but we must always try to overcome ourselves.
You are the only ones who have been successful among those who emerged from Ti Lascio Una Canzone, the talent that launched you.
Piero Barone: We wish all people to live by and with music. Clearly this is a demanding job. And the most important thing, perhaps our greatest fortune, I believe was to meet people who still collaborate with us, good people, great professionals, like our manager Michele Torpedine, who work 24 hours a day on this project from first day.
We too have had quite particular, turbulent periods, but with seriousness and dedication, we have always overcome everything. There are those who are luckier and those who are less fortunate in meeting people who really care about your project. We also kept in touch with other contestants, we don’t talk much, but we see that other guys continue to sing too. This is really the most important thing, cultivating your passion. We wish everyone to live with music.
Gianluca Ginoble: We succeeded because there are three of us, because maybe if they hadn’t put us together we would never have made it, or maybe the process towards success would have been much slower.
You have to thank Roberto Cenci who invented the trio (Roberto Cenci was the director of TI LASCIO UNA CANZONE, he had the idea of uniting Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, who had presented themselves individually for the programme)
Piero Barone: It was he who put us together. He was the producer of TI LASCIO UNA CANZONE. We made the auditions individually with him in November 2008 and chose us. Then we reminded him of the three small tenors and joined us.
Gianluca Ginoble: Let’s say that Roberto Cenci is the one who took the three matches and Michele Torpedine lit them. So they were both important and it is right to thank all the people who precisely made us what we are today.
You took part in the soundtrack of the film Hidden Moon composed by Luis Bacalov with the song Hidden Moon, would you like to continue with cinema?
Gianluca Ginoble: A beautiful memory. We recorded the song in 2013 on the second album where there were many unreleased songs. In Mexico it was a great success, where among other things there is a very beautiful Spanish version. Having one of our songs in a successful Italian film, why not? There are many artists like Laura Pausini who have already won the Golden Globe or Davide Donatello. We are very ambitious and will work hard to make these things happen one day.
Piero Barone: Also because today Italian cinema is highly esteemed abroad and is producing great results.
Do you have any cinematographic preferences?
Gianluca Ginoble: Paola Cortellesi’s latest film is very interesting. I really like Christopher Nolan. I loved Oppenheimer very much but also Interstellar, in short all his films.
Piero Barone: There is always tomorrow. Beautiful! It reminded me a lot of Roberto Benigni’s Life is Beautiful. I am a fan of Quentin Tarantino.
Ignazio Boschetto: I don’t go to the cinema often, I really like Italian cinema. I have a great passion for Edoardo Leo, who I like a lot as an actor. I like cult films like The Green Mile or The Truman Show, for me they are brilliant.
You sing in different languages, Italian aside, which was the easiest and which was the most difficult?
Piero Barone: Perhaps the one we did best is Spanish, we often sing it when we go on tour in South America or Spain. We always record the version of each recording project in Spanish. However, the one that has failed so far is French because during a concert we forgot the lyrics of a song.
Ignazio Barone: But it’s not that it turned out badly, it’s where we had a little more difficulty remembering the words of a French song. German was difficult for me. We recorded Silent Night in German. And for me that was the most difficult, especially for the pronunciation.
Gianluca Ginoble: I like singing in English more than in Italian.
Is it better to sing in Pompeii where you gave a concert in 2015 or in Kyoto?
Gianluca Ginoble: Sorry Italy, but definitely better in Kyoto. I would go and live in Japan. The culture is wonderful.
Ignazio Barone: I remain neutral.
Piero Barone: Pompeii for me! See this is the nice thing about being three.
This last interview was really very long, but I hope you enjoyed it, as I did.
I won’t go on too long, I just want to point out to you in the first video, dedicated to the Japanese public, our young men have a completely different look from what we saw for the communication of the Sanremo song. I want to say and underline that Il Volo will absolutely not lose its identity, but will adapt to the moment and the type of fans. They are multi-faceted chameleon singers, so they can allow this.
What can I say, the new year has just begun and we are still talking about what Il Volo did in the last days of 2023.
On December 29th, the repeat of the concert held in the Arena in May was broadcast on Canale 5. It was, in fact, just a rerun and there were new films on the other TV channels.
It was a success, the highest audience of the evening went to the repeat concert of Il Volo. It was an amazing result and I don’t think any journalist expected it and so the next day many articles were read with the headline “Stunning success of Il Volo also in rerun”.
ITALIAN TV
Canale 5 wins the evening with a nice musical rerun. The concert event of Il Volo which was broadcast for the first time last May, was broadcast again last night 29 December……
And how do you listen! 20% of the share was in front of the TV, equal to 2.7 million viewers.
Let me tell you, I was very happy with happiness, first of all it was wonderful to see that concert again, but the result of the highest audience was really a nice reward for Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, this is proof that the public appreciates and admires the our three young men.
I chose the songs from these videos from the concert
GIANLUCA= WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD
PIERO= VOGLIO VIVERE COSÌ
IGNAZIO= MY HEART WILL GO ON
IL VOLO= TRIBUTE TO SERGIO ENDRIGO:
CANZONE PER TE
LONTANO DAGLI OCCHI
The last song is very touching: GIROTONDO INTORNO AL MONDO(Roundabout around the world ) which says that if all the people joined hands, there would be a merry-go-round around the world, a hymn to end wars which are always absurd.
…..and on January 5th there will be a repeat of the second concert, I don’t dare think of another similar result, but it will be fine anyway!
Il Volo then released a short interview about the song they will bring to Sanremo: CAPOLAVORO.
IGNAZIO= Hello everyone, we are Il Volo.
PIERO= And our song is titled:
GIANLUCA= CAPOLAVORO (Masterpiece)
PIERO= Basically it speaks to the moment in which we struggle to see inside ourselves and always look for the answer outside with hope. So hope is our answer.
IGNAZIO= It’s a Hi-pop genre……no I’m joking….it’s definitely pop in our way, certainly with this song we wanted to bring an evolution to what is our musical career.
PIERO= Friends is a big word (he was probably asked if they are really friends and Piero is joking). We are very good friends, this year we celebrate 15 years of our career and it is rare to have such a deep and important relationship, because we didn’t know each other before, we didn’t choose each other, but in 15 years this relationship has always matured and become increasingly stronger day after day.
GIANLUCA= Ama (diminutive for Amadeus) do you love us?
IGNAZIO= But what question is: “Do you love us?”
GIANLUCA= But what do I know if he loves us, we love him. 😁
Then, Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio (who returned from Venezuela with Michelle) gathered in Crotone in Pitagora’s Square, for the end-of-year concert, L’ANNO CHE VERRÀ (The coming year) in which they will participate with some songs.
Here they are at the resort and during rehearsals.
There were a lot of people during rehearsals too.
This video was published by Michele Affidato, a goldsmith from Crotone, friend of Torpedine, with these words:
“Il Volo comes to visit us. I have seen them grow, I have always followed them and I have joyfully shared their success. After years they return to visit me at my showroom together with their manager and my great friend Michele Torpedine.”
Look at the audience’s reaction.
PIERO= We don’t come here often (to Crotone), but we like the way we are welcomed, this warmth, there was no better way to end the year. (Gianluca jokes pretending to be a journalist)
But here we are at the moment of the television evening, the concert that will pass from one year to the next.
Here is the video of Il Volo, that emotion:
HALLELUJAH (short a cappella performance) and GRANDE AMORE
And later they came back and sang a medley like this:
IGNAZIO= ALMENO TU NELL’UNIVERSO
GIANLUCA = LA CURA (even though he had sung ANGELS at the rehearsals)
PIERO= LIBIAM NE LIETI CALICI
These photos were posted by CINGUETTARAI, a kind of comment on RAI programs. I translate:
“The HALLELUJAH sung by Il Volo with the whole audience in the square, in Crotone, has a completely different effect.”
“THE POWER OF GRANDE AMORE HAS REMAINED UNCHANGED SINCE 2015”
Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero thank the Calabria region (Crotone is a city in Calabria).
GIANLUCA= Hello everyone, we are Il Volo, we wish the Calabria Region a good 2024.
IGNAZIO= Happy New Year!
PIERO= Hello everyone, Happy New Year!.
GIANLUCA= I want to send a greeting “on the fly”, a third (because now it’s just Gianluca, therefore a third of Il Volo), to the Calabria Region, thank you for your affection and welcome. See you on stage soon, the Year to come, a good 2024 to everyone.
Piero, Mariagrazia and Gianluca
Il Volo with another trio, Gli Autogol.
And now look at the beautiful Happy New Year wishes we have received.
And finally a very nice interview published by “Quotidiano Nazionale” with this comment:
“Having concluded a 2023 full of problems but also full of ideas for a full restart, we have decided to look at 2024 with new eyes and to focus attention on some good intentions, on objectives to be achieved. For this reason, from today until the 8th January, through representatives of the world of culture, entertainment, science and sport, we present our good intentions for 2024.
First appointment with Il Volo, the interview with Valerio Baroncini 👉”
IL VOLO’S NO TO SELFISHNESS: “UNION IS REALLY STRENGTH. BE KIND ON SOCIAL MEDIA TOO, SO YOU WILL CHANGE THE WORLD”.
The golden group of Italian music comes down from the stage to tell their story after 15 years of success.
A story of talent, passion and friendship becomes a message to kids suspended between dreams and reality.
At least one teenager in a hundred in Italy cannot do without his smartphone and lives permanently connected. We also discussed this with the young musicians of Il Volo, protagonists of 15 years of an amazing career.
Artists see some risks in the digital world, but also extraordinary opportunities.
The music production process, they say, has also become more accessible and democratic.
Nevertheless. “And yet a different path is possible”, say three young men firmly on a terrace overlooking the sea of Sanremo.
A computer on the table: pages scrolling. Words, words, words and photos. Social media as a contemporary diary, window on the world, opportunity, but also a trap.
Three young men and one voice, that of Il Volo, the record-breaking group. To tell today’s kids, but also those of yesterday, that “the path of kindness, of sensitivity against insensitivity, the choice of the right words and a good use of technology are possible. Indeed, they are the first resolution for 2024 full of smiles.”
What does Il Volo expect from 2024?
First you will be in Sanremo, then a new album, concerts at the Verona Arena and a world tour.
IGNAZIO: “We expect a year full of music and we hope to achieve all our goals, but also many surprises”.
PIERO: “It will be a year of celebration: on 25 April 2024 we will reach 15 years of our career”.
GIANLUCA: “A good intention? Unity is strength: reaching 15 years of career today is really difficult. These are years in which being individualistic and self-centered prevail. This doesn’t happen with us: together we are stronger, this is the message we want to convey to everyone”.
You are young and you speak to young people: what would you say to kids your age who are often accused of having little desire to work or sacrifice themselves? Bullshit or truth?
PIERO: “We believe so much in the individual strength of the new generations. More than giving advice, I can say how we have always tried to approach this profession: with a lot of determination and responsibility. The work must be approached with great discipline. Today young people, unlike our parents for example, have many means at their disposal to experience success”.
GIANLUCA: “Success is doing what makes you happy, achieving full self-awareness. Great results are achieved through great sacrifices, nothing comes with minimal effort.”
Piero spoke about digital as an opportunity. Or, instead, are new technologies a danger?
IGNAZIO: “In music, having such strong technological advancement helps everyone and has democratized production processes, for example. Then, the flavor of analog is different from digital: there are pros and cons, never lose the human touch.”
PIERO: “As with all things you don’t know, you have to be afraid, a healthy fear, but not scared. We must take advantage of the positive side of technology. But don’t lose control.”
GIANLUCA: “Technologies are one thing. Another is people’s intentions. Those make the object dangerous.”
Inevitable to talk about social media. How do you use them? And do you like how you see them used?
GIANLUCA: “For some artists, appearance and aesthetics sometimes seem more important than music. Aesthetics are welcome, but let’s educate young people to nurture and cultivate culture and intellectual sensitivity.”
IGNAZIO: “I use them institutionally, I don’t like them very much, but I can’t pretend that they aren’t useful.”
PIERO: “Due to the role we hold, we have the strength to say what we think and the duty to amplify some messages. You can use social media well if you have something to say. You have to do it.”
The news amplifies this urgency: 2023 was marked by wars, violence, femicides. Communicating becomes fundamental.
PIERO: “Every year we think about good resolutions, we talk and talk again. In 2024, however, let’s put them into action: each of us has the power to change the world. As far as I’m concerned, the promise I make to myself is to cultivate kindness, helping others and not giving space to anger. Kindness, seen as constant work, can improve the world.”
IGNAZIO: “There are bad people, others not bad but influenced by a habit. My good intention, already underway, is to eradicate habits, even in speaking of certain themes.
Often in a futile way we don’t think about what we are actually saying. What, for me, may be a joke, for others may be a wound or a stab.”
GIANLUCA: “The word is a double-edged sword. We must convey a new sensitivity, give positive messages, raise awareness of the insensitive.
It’s a tough and difficult mission, but you have to hit like a chisel on a stone.”
And how can it be done?
PIERO: “I would give some advice: go and see Paola Cortellesi’s film, the ending will shock you. It forces you to think. Then, she is a female director.”
IGNAZIO: “I hope you lose your amazement over this. Woman, man, talent counts. I hope that the stereotype of being ‘surprised’ will pass, and everyone will condemn the scourge of violence.”
Social media and comments: have you ever been hurt? And what would you say to those who suffer certain violence even just verbal?
IGNAZIO: “I have suffered a lot on social media and cyberbullying is still talked about too little.
Today, already at 11-12 years old you have a mobile phone and are on social media: they are real weapons if not used judiciously. I, and people close to me, have received serious threats. The problem is that I discovered they were kids.
Social media is beautiful, I use it to discover the world. Let’s not throw this opportunity away.”
GIANLUCA: “When you decide to do this profession, you have to take everything, just accepting compliments is emotional immaturity.
Insults and threats are a different thing. You can’t control what’s outside of you, so strengthen yourself and raise awareness among others.”
Nice way to end the year 2023 and now we are already in 2024 which promises to be a really busy year for Il Volo.
Ignazio and Michelle are really very nice, the next post will be entirely dedicated to them.
The time is 21:10… and the doors at Teatro Arcimboldi are still open but the light slightly dimmed. The audience starts clapping their hands and making noises for the third time. A certain tension has arisen.
At 21:15 sharp, however, the lights are turned off, the curtain slowly pulls aside and bathed in a spotlight, three young men appear.
Dressed in black suits and shirts, standing completely still in the silence. A roar arose from the audience. A single voice is heard. No music. No lightshow. A pitch black stage.
Gianluca’s honey-like voice has softly started up the first lines of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” but is soon joined by Ignazio’s emotional interpretation of the words and Piero’s warm and strong emphasizes of the highlights. IL VOLO has taken the stage! The audience is brought in an instant awe with this a cappella version of the legendary song.
We are spellbound and in their hands from the very first note! The audience goes crazy. Standing ovations. What an opening – and so unexpected! Actually, I had just told my husband that I was ready for a bet that they would start up individually in each corner of the hall with their new version of “Granada” – in similarity with the openings of the TV-shows in Verona. So much for that! Those guys understand to surprise us, so what now to expect?
Coincidences happen and opportunities arise…
It wasn’t planned at all. I wasn’t going to attend yet an Il Volo concert this summer.
Having enjoyed the “rainy” concert in Verona with Daniela on May 1st , well, I figured that it would have to do for a while.
So I had tried to ignore and forget all about the upcoming Italian concerts. However… when with only a few weeks’ notice it was suddenly decided that my husband and I would do a European self-drive holiday at the end of August/primo September – and I sat down to plan the itinerary in detail – an unexpected “door” opened.
I needed an overnight stop somewhere between Austria and Umbria (mid Italy) as too far to drive in one day.
I looked at the date – Sunday, September the 3rd – uh wasn’t it one of the days of the IL VOLO concerts?
And Milan – uh wasn’t it just more or less right along the planned route? Yes! OMG it could work!
My husband needed a bit of persuasion but had to admit that it wasn’t too bad an idea 😊.
Only, what about concert tickets?
At first glance the concert was all sold out – oh NO – but yet again, if we were willing to sit not exactly next to each other, we could find acceptable seats – at least we thought.
And voila – we were going to enjoy one of the “Tutti per Uno” Concerts in Milan! 😁😉☺. And here we are!
Trees do not grow into the sky though…
and everything did not exactly turn out as we had hoped for with this concert arrangement.
Reaching the theatre and finding our seats we realized that the lack of understanding the Italian language had given us an incorrect impression of the location of the same. Not only were we not going to sit together, but apparently these seats were not in the back of the floor on an elevation nor on the front row of same, as we had understood – but actually on the first balcony! So absolutely not the same as being on the floor with the opportunity of having the guys pass by when mingling with the audience and furthermore, my seat was neither near the middle of the hall as thought but rather almost at the very end to the left with my husband even further away. Hence, we went to the ticket office trying to explain the situation hoping that they might have received some last minute cancellations that we could upgrade to. Nope. Absolutely no mercy here. We were told that we could purchase new tickets (at a totally sold out concert?) and then try to sell the original ones by the door (half an hour before the start of the concert?).
Disappointed, we walked back to our seats pondering about what a study of the word “service” could have done in this connection… In spite of a totally sold out concert we did, however, quickly noticed none the less than a section of some 15-20 empty seats in a rounding just in front of us… When the doors closed and the guys had finished their opening song these seats were still not occupied… We signalized each other: Let’s make a go for them.
So we did end up sitting next to each other – still on the balcony – but now kind of in the front row with better views, while the theatre lost out on the income of the difference in ticket prices and not the least happy clients!
Sound Check…
Another point of disappointment relates to the “Sound Check” – or rather the cancelled one. Actually, having heard nothing from the official FanClub as to the possibilities of a sound check arrangement before we left Denmark, I did not anticipate that there would be any at all and had come to terms with that. But a few days before the concert I received an email gladly announcing sound check invitations to all the European concerts. Jihaaa – and a few minutes later I held a confirmation on my iPhone. YES, we were accepted to attend the sound check prior to our concert. My heart did beat a little harder – being the very best chance of meeting the guys. But not for long as shortly after I received yet another mail now telling me that all the sound checks in Milan but the very first one would not be carried through… for some rather unclear reason. My heart stopped beating for a bit. Oh no – why? Even worse, the next day I got a new email telling me that there would be a sound check in connection with the very last concert on the 9th of September to which we were welcome to attend… But on the 9th we would be far away from Milan without the slightest chance of attending. It was like a kick in the belly and a much bigger disappointment than if no invitations had been offered at all. I don’t know about that official FanClub… sorry to say. When in Rome at X-mas the sound check ended up with us standing for more than 1 hr. outside in the cold being let in only for the very last 10 minutes or so and with no following special “Meet & Greet” about the new book as clearly stated in the invitation. That did simply not occur nor did we get any info or explanation. And now we get an invitation – a confirmation – then it gets all cancelled followed by a “but you can attend another day”… I lack to understand what could possibly be a difference in technical conditions that could lead to a cancellation some days but functioning on the 2nd and the 9th of September?
Well, apparently it is just not for me to succeed in experiencing a well-functioning sound check. And for once I had ample time to take part and staying in a convenient hotel, just at 3 min. walk from the concert hall. Alas, one cannot win all battles, but I must admit, I was truly disappointed and sad at the time.
Back to the concert
As you do all know by now the concert was in many ways built up in the very same way as the big ditto ones in Verona, however, without guest stars. Each guy did about 5 solos, I think, and then a nice amount of their original repertoire together. Having some 60 songs to choose among, apparently the repertoire has varied from evening to evening. Daniela has most kindly made up and previously posted a list with all the songs performed during these 6 concerts – you can look them up. I must admit that my concentration was more on the show and performances than what songs were actually performed on my night particularly… sorry, so I did not make notes. But I recall some of those that I enjoyed the most.
Don’t get me wrong, I love all songs by IL VOLO but, of course, I have my favorites. All guys had a good evening and did great – but I recall particularly Ignazio in the good old Aretha Franklin song: “A natural woman”. In Verona he did it as a duet with one of the guest stars, but this evening he did it all by himself while likewise playing the piano. That song suits him well and he performed it with a lot of soul, emotion and the right amount of Motown ambiance. I loved it – and so did the audience.
Gianluca gave us his new Beatles medley, which likewise fits his soft voice really well and brings back good memories to me and my husband being big Beatles fans. He did also perform the old Freddy Mercury rock-´n-roll song and Elvis tribute “This crazy little thing” that seems to be his own favorite for the time being. It worked better for him than I recall from Verona and he is visually happy singing and performing it. His very embodied and emotional interpretation of the love song “Cura” did, however, capture the audience the most.
As anticipated Piero had chosen a selection of opera arias the names of which I do, unfortunately, not know or recall. One was, however, “Mamma quel vino è generoso”. But he is happy as a lark performing these songs that are all concluded with big wall-to-wall smiles clearly indicating that he has succeeded to his own satisfaction. One of the highlights to me was an operatic duet between him and Ignazio: “Miserere”. That duet he did with a rock singer in Verona – but Ignazio did a fabulous job taking over here – kudos to him. Ignazio has an incredible span in his voice and seems to be able to embrace almost any kind of musical genre.
Personally, I love when the guys sing together the most though – creating those awesome and beautiful harmonies that define the IL VOLO sound – and we were blessed with their core songs such as “Il Mondo”, “My Way” and, of course, “Grande Amore”.
Mingling with the audience
Is no doubt something the guys enjoy themselves tremendously – hence their choice of the smaller Teatro Arcimboldi according to themselves – giving them the opportunity to get close to the audience and their fans.
Therefore, to the tunes of the traditional Bel Canto song “Volare” they climbed down from the stage, opened the gate to the hall and wandered singing out among the audience who were lucky to get handshakes, selfies and even hugs while they sang their hearts out. The audience on the floor went crazy and embraced them standing, while we could only watch the fun from our closed balcony seats (said the sour grape being truly jealous of those having been able to obtain orchestra seats on the floor).
But there can no longer be any doubt to anyone that these guys are highly loved by the audience and their fans!
There was an incredible atmosphere in the hall – a true party – and lots of fans must have returned home with great memories of close encounters with the guys.
Due to our seating I was generally not able to take any good photos or videos – too far a distance for my old iPhone camera to deal with – but in spite of same I did try anyway to capture these emotions.
On top the attached little video from the same clip shows – apart from roof, floor and other uninteresting objects – that in the very back of the hall you do actually find Michele Torpedine and Barbara Vitali standing, enjoying it all.
The easiest guy to follow was Gianluca due to his white suit at this stage – I caught a glimpse of him getting up to them to say hi, and back again into the mass of people – while at the very end of the clip a split second Piero among the fans at the first row appears. Sorry for the quality and mess in this clip, but I thought you might enjoy seeing it anyhow.
Piero takes it all – almost…
It has been interesting to follow Piero over the last 3 years or so as he seems to evolve technically and artistically from concert to concert – this time no difference. In Verona he proved that he was ready for the bigger opera scenes and this he repeated this evening. His arias seemed flawless and he delivered them with great confidence.
And this did not pass unnoticed! The audience loved him and gave him one big standing ovation following the next. Kind of interesting to note as no doubt only few in the audience are true opera fans, but Piero understands to capture everyone’s heart. I myself am neither much into opera – but I do most certainly appreciate the efforts and the perfection with which Piero performs his songs.
Hence, it is not incorrect to say that Piero did take most of the praises home this evening – in fact so much that my husband at a stage, after Gianluca had performed “La Cura” and earned a big standing ovation, commented: “Phew, I am glad that – finally – he did likewise get a huge recognition”.
My husband did actually feel a bit sorry for both Gianluca and Ignazio for not receiving the same overwhelming appreciations as Piero. Or in other words, he found all three equally worthy of standing ovations. 😊
and then it was all over…
All good things come to an end and in no time 2 hrs. and 10 min. had vanished and it was time for the guys to bid us good-bye which they did in their traditional way by singing “Grande Amore” while thanking the conductor, the orchestra, their own musicians etc. etc. and Ignazio doing his backwards countdown “3-2-1” and taking a big jump and away they were without the audience being able to bring them back to stage for “extras” in spite of long lasting standing ovations. I always find myself in an awesome vacuum following such an intense and much looked forward to experience and I need time to digest it all.
Luckily, we had a lovely little balcony to our hotel apartment so husband and I had the opportunity to sit down in the warm, mild Italian summer night and enjoy a glass of wine and take it all a bit better before calling it a day.
Teatro Arcimboldi, Milan
The guys have clearly expressed their excitement about Theatro Arcimboldi – based on the intimacy and possibility to get closer to their audience – and I can follow their thinking to a certain degree.
At the concert Ignazio did highlight another positive angle – no worries for rain 😁.
Having said this I do, however, find that there are pros and cons at all venues and in this case – apart from being stock if seated on one of the balconies and hence not able to join in the “fun” when they mingle with the audience (read, if you go be sure to purchase seats on the floor) well, then I missed thoroughly “big screens”. I didn’t realize until then how much they add to the experience. Seated high on my balcony I could hardly see who was whom – just 3 little “ants” moving about – and I had no idea as to whether Ignazio was having a big beard or a goatee only; what kind of glasses Piero was wearing nor if Gianluca did still have his signature curl or… Even worse, I could not see and enjoy their gorgeous smiles nor perceive their little sweet antics such as giving each other a high five, a caring hug or a kiss on the cheek… – these things that are so special for the IL VOLO guys.
I do now realize how much more I enjoy their music being able to watch their facial expressions and hence, admittedly, you get more out of watching a video or TV-transmission than being present at a live concert – unless you are seated in the very front rows and/or big screens are provided for. Add to that the difficulties of getting to/from Teatro Arcimboldi. It is located in a suburban area next to a University some 25 minutes by Metro from downtown Milan and with few hotels in the close vicinity only. Ignazio mentions in a video that you can easily access the theatre by train – that is true, but he forgets to mention that there are few or no trains leaving from this regional station after midnight, so no way of getting back home the same evening by this means of transportation. The Metro runs a little later but personally we do not feel comfortable using it late at night – after all Milan is a big city – and getting hold of a taxi could be difficult, so we ended up purchasing the most expensive accommodation on our entire trip just in order to be within close walking distance of this venue. And without the big screens… I am not sure that we will choose Milan for our next IL VOLO experience. Verona seems like a much more attractive venue in a lovely environment with many accommodation options and easy access – so in spite of the possibility of rain, well, I think – as a foreigner and tourist – that I will prefer to go there. (in Arena)
In the footsteps of IL VOLO.
Luckily, the concert in Milan was only the very beginning of our 2-weeks long holiday in Italy, so albeit having to leave Milan and IL VOLO behind the following morning, we were having some great and lovely experiences to look forward to. Having visited the major Italian tourist areas several times before we had decided to do something new – and inspired by the IL VOLO guys – I had planned an out of the ordinary Italian holiday itinerary including among others a visit to The Frasassi Caves (where they filmed the Storaro documentary singing Morricone), we enjoyed refreshments at the town square in the lovely town of Ascoli di Piceno, (where they performed a fantastic al fresco concert this summer and Gianluca un-announced appeared on his own at a special event), enjoyed swimming and lounging at the inviting sandy beach of Roseto as well as explored the beautiful and awesome landscapes and hidden medieval towns in Abruzzo (Gianluca’s home base).
So IL VOLO was not out of mind in spite of out of sight, the following weeks and we learned a lot new about Italy. Next time we must explore Sicily – a region we have yet to visit too. The IL VOLO guys ought to receive a price of honor – namely the one of being fantastic ambassadors of their country!
Prior to the Milan concert my husband and I did likewise have the opportunity to meet up with Daniela for a very lovely evening in Brescia. Only sad that she could not join us at the concert the following evening, but it is always great to meet up with fellow fans. The IL VOLO guys most certainly connect us regardless of nationality, age or social backgrounds. This is exercising international understanding in the very best way. 😉
Thank you so very much for taking the time to read my story – I hope you have enjoyed my comments and reflections. Warmest greetings – KIRSTEN❤
The evening before the concert in Ascoli Piceno, there was also another engagement for Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero, the “Partita del cuore”.
The event does not have a competitive response, everyone wins, but the aim is something else, solidarity, in fact the proceeds will go to charity.
Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca were part of the singers’ team, which won the match.
Moments of physiotherapy before taking the field.
In the locker room before starting.
Here is the beginning and the entry of our boys.
As you have noticed, Ignazio was missing the child in front of him and he jokingly knelt down. 😁
A few moments before the start.
Muscle warm-up.
Now a few moments during the match.
Interview with Piero.
These small pitchside interviews are done to get people watching from home to send in a small contribution by calling a pre-set phone number.
SPEAKER= Match of the Heart for Romagna, we are with Piero Barone, already hot!
PIERO= We seem almost serious, don’t we? (He means they look like real footballers).
SPEAKER= You are very sweaty. (like real football players)
PIERO= Already sweaty before starting, water, we are loaded. But I have to tell you that there is great professionalism and I like this a lot, indeed, they are making me too anxious, I have more anxiety here than….
SPEAKER= Do you think you are a football player?
PIERO= But no, I’m a tennis fan, the sport I practice is tennis, but I repeat, a lot of anxiety before entering the court because I see that there’s a lot of competitive spirit. I’m loaded.
SPEAKER= Of course you’re energetic, do you think you sweat more in tennis or football, since you’re trying it?
PIERO= Tennis maybe, but with this heat, everywhere ….. but tonight we’re all here for a simple reason, you know someone says it to remember this number (for donations), so the goal we have to score today is common to all, it’s a common goal which is solidarity. Some more, some less, were affected by what happened (flood in Emilia Romagna), but I like running and this morning I ran and here they are very pragmatic, here they get up immediately, they give little space to words but much to deeds. (Piero means that after the flood the tourist places were devastated and he, going for a run, realized that people worked very hard to quickly bring everything back to how it was).
SPEAKER= I’ll ask you a question, what is your favorite thing about Romagna?
PIERO= I really like the optimism and personality here in Romagna, they give you a smile and make you forget about life’s problems.
SPEAKER= And it’s a beautiful thing!
PIERO= I think everyone agrees with me, and it’s true, it can’t be hidden.
SPEAKER= Yes, after everything they’ve been through, they’re off to a great start right away.
PIERO= Did you see how they immediately got back on their feet? Chapeau, congratulations!
SPEAKER= Great. Good game!
PIERO = Thank you!
PIERO= What should I say, that we are here at the Partita del Cuore. Tonight we all have a common purpose, solidarity.
We take the field with a smile, without great pretensions of scoring or not, but it’s nice, we need to stay united in these moments and we’re all here.
Interview with Ignazio
(Ignazio was called by the speaker to do the interview, then the team goalkeeper arrived)
IGNAZIO= I want to tell you something, she (the speaker) went to the coolest, the most beautiful to interview them then she said, ok let’s do the interview with you. Then you came (the goalkeeper is a nice guy), it’s over! 😁
GOALKEEPER = (laughs) It’s better thanks, come on it was a moment of fear, every now and then the blows on the head also create something positive (he refers to the fact that at the beginning of the match, in the action which also involved Gianluca, the goalkeeper received a knee on the head).
SPEAKER= Did they update you on the result, on the score? (His team lost)
GOALKEEPER = Unfortunately yes, we also taken a goal from Moreno (partially from him in the video).
MORENO= You would have taken my goal.
SPEAKER= I’m noticing that there are three of you here, Ignazio are you trying to change your partners?
IGNAZIO= No, absolutely not, I adore them two (goalkeeper and Moreno), but I love my partners (Piero and Gianluca) too much, and then he raps (Moreno is a rapper). NO, I keep my mates!
SPEAKER= Piero (he can’t be seen in the video) he wanted to replace you….no, I asked him if he wanted to make a change but he said he doesn’t change his two partners.
PIERO= Do you want a serious interview? Do it to me, tell me.
SPEAKER= Free theme.
IGNAZIO= Guys, I speak for everyone, 45597 (it’s the telephone number for donations), today we are all united for a great cause, for Emilia Romagna, I live in Bologna, I don’t know if you know, so it’s something that has touched me closely, and it’s nice that in music there are no barriers, we know it, we are 28 players, we all play different music, and there are no barriers, and that’s the same in football. We are therefore all happy to be together, send a message, donate to 45597. Thank you all so much for your support of the National Singers team and Romagna.
Now I’ll leave you the microphone, you can interview the cool ones! 😁
SPEAKER= There could be no better closure than this.
Interview with Gianluca
SPEAKER= Gianluca, nice to see you, among other things in an almost new guise.
GIANLUCA= Almost, the last time with the National Singers team it’s already been 5 years, but this time it’s for an important cause, we need to make everyone aware, especially the youngest, not to be indifferent to what’s happening, but to make a contribution, this is the most important thing right now.
SPEAKER= Also because you don’t live so far from Romagna, so it’s a situation you’ve experienced.
GIANLUCA= Yes, we were out, unfortunately (Il Volo was on tour) and this hurts even more, when you know that friends or loved ones are experiencing a period of difficulty and you are distant and you are powerless and this happens because we are often travelling, so I am really close to everyone, it was a difficult moment, but I see that there are so many events that are needed to make a contribution to revive this great region.
SPEAKER= As for Il Volo, Arena di Verona was extraordinary, now there will be a very special concert in Ascoli Piceno and then at the Arcimboldi.
GIANLUCA= There are many projects. Next year it’s 15 years of career and we’ll come out with something new and you’ll really see Il Volo in a new guise, maybe like you’ve never seen before.
SPEAKER= It’s a music that remains, what you sang four years ago.
GIANLUCA= But it is also true that we have changed over time, what we would like to show is that we are not just one thing, because we are not three tenors, we can really show something else, building a new repertoire which I believe is the most important thing at this point in an artist’s career, that of building one’s own repertoire, and this will be the “keystone” which we hope will bring us many more years of career.
SPEAKER= What you did in the Arena, we will also see in Milan, thank you very much Gianluca.
GIANLUCA= Thank you.
So, in summary, Il Volo took part in the Partita del Cuore on Thursday evening, on Friday they had the concert in Ascoli…………..but that’s not all!!!!
Saturday they were at the VIP Master!!
But what is the VIP MASTER?
It is a summer event, this year it is the 32nd event (our boys have already participated in 2017), it is a tennis tournament between VIPs. It usually starts on Friday evening at a beach facility, where attendees can take selfies with people in attendance.
There is also a lunch on the beach, where the tables of the VIPs will be separated only by a simple rope, so that people can easily photograph them.
On Saturday the real tournament begins at the Tennis Club in Milano Marittima (a seaside resort in Emilia Romagna). So people can see their VIP darlings having a real game of tennis and maybe take pictures with them.
This year the organizers also wanted to think about solidarity, joining the fundraising for the flood victims.
Among the various VIPs, this year there will also be Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca.
Access to the grandstands of the central field is – as per tradition – free admission. An important appendix will then be the one in a solidarity key, with a fundraiser for the flood victims.
(Gianluca with Patrick, one of the organizers of the event)
PATRICK= Here, Gianluca from Il Volo is here.
GIANLUCA= A third, but the other two will soon arrive too. Great Patrick.
PATRICK= How are you?
GIANLUCA= Great.
PATRICK= You got some sun!
GIANLUCA= A little, not as much as you.
PATRICK= My goodness, guys!
GIANLUCA= Bye everyone!
PATRICK= Here we are, Ignazio from Il Volo has also arrived.
IGNAZIO= Bye, see you tonight!
(in this video Gianluca is interviewed together with Antonio Razzi ex politician)
SPEAKER= The protagonist is the music, also this time I promised you that I would bring you beautiful music. Antonio has already done the interview with us yesterday as well ….. are there also neighbors Antonio?
ANTONIO= Yes, Gianluca is my great friend from Abruzzo, from Roseto. He often comes to Pescara (it’s Antonio’s city), we’ve been friends for some time.
GIANLUCA= We share the love for our region which is Abruzzo and we try, each in his own field, to take it higher and higher, because Abruzzo is a great land and we must always promote it to the maximum.
ANTONIO= And Gianluca and I always do it, because we are two well-known people, he in music and I in other things, but we always do good for our Abruzzo.
In this case you also have tennis in common. Greetings to the studio.
GIANLUCA= Greetings to the studio, obviously these are events where we have fun, we are together, but the goal is always important to remember that it has not been a peaceful period for many people, who are continuing to suffer and make their economic contribution and not only it is an important thing to support the towns and all the cities that have been affected by the flood.
ANTONIO= And then I was able to see my friend Gianluca, a great footballer (Partita del Cuore), I saw him play and technically he can play in Serie A easily.
SPEAKER= Now let’s go collect the prizes, you’re the line!
Michele Torpedine with Valeria Marini (Italian actress), Eleonora and Gianluca.
Some moments of the tournament.
And here are some photos from the evening.
Il Volo VIP Master 2023 and 2017.
Again guys, I was speechless.
It was a really intense weekend, which started with the Partita del Cuore, continued with the concert in Ascoli and finished with the VIP Master tournament, and two of these events were done for charity.
I am really very proud of everything you do and also of the fact that you always think of people in need.
Thank you guys!!! ❤❤❤
Daniela 🤗
ATTENTION LATEST NEWS!
……in fact it didn’t end here, Il Volo has just announced that on August 3rd there will be a concert at the wonderful Royal Palace of Caserta (near Naples) and there will also be Placido Domingo and the soprano Daria Rybak in the event A NIGHT FOR KINGS.
We fans like seeing Il Volo very much, it makes us feel good, it puts us in a good mood, it cheers up the evening, and therefore every occasion is excellent.
This time it is the opening event of the operatic year at the Arena di Verona, which turns 100 this year and therefore an appointment that will be broadcast live Instagram worldwide, and the chosen opera will be AIDA from Giuseppe Verdi.
An important event for which many excellent invitations have been made, who are expected on the red carpet for a brief interview, among the guests also Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, here they are on their arrival on the red carpet.
What can I say …. what a vision, what elegance ….. beautiful, natural, elegant, they advance on the red carpet, they are immediately joined by Gigliola Cinquetti, a well-known singer, now 75 years old, who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1964 . They are interviewed by Milly Carlucci.
MILLY= But I see some guys that we all know, here they are, they are Il Volo.
PIERO= Good evening.
MILLY= And there is also Gigliola Cinquetti.
MILLY= Here we talk about music, the music that takes our hearts, and then I must say that over the years the Arena has become a symbol of Italian culture in the world, a bit like all our music, let’s say “high” music in the world, it is the one that acts as a forerunner and you have felt the affection of many different countries, when you arrive perhaps bringing Italian romances, you are the example of the crossover between pop and opera.
IGNAZIO= We try to make many understand that music has no limits, and how the Arena has broken down the barriers of opera, it has broken down the barriers of the small audience and has reached the general public, opening the doors of the Arena also to popular music and pop music, we are very happy about this, because it has given the opportunity to make this temple of music known to more people. (Ignazio says this because years ago the Arena was only for opera, now there are also pop shows).
MILLY= You have been here many times for pop reasons, in the sense that you have sung here many times on non-opera occasions, but have you never seen an opera here?
PIERO= Never at the Arena di Verona, this is our first time.
MILLY= Then we have a debut.
PIERO= First opera at the Arena di Verona, we are honored to be present on such an important evening, and to see an opera that has marked the culture of our Italy. We are very happy and honoured.
MILLY= All right, do you have a sheet music with you to follow along? You don’t have it, now we’ll give you the sheet music, but you need the ear, Gigliola is right.
PIERO= But I advise the public to go and look for the curiosities of Aida on the internet, they are 5 beautiful curiosities.
MILLY= Really beautiful. I’ll let you go and take your places.
PIERO= Thank you, thank you very much.
Michele Torpedine was also present at the event.
As for the opera, it started 10 minutes late because a light rain fell at the beginning, but nothing to do with the pouring rain of the Il Volo concert.
The show began with the Frecce Tricolori passing through the Arena and the Italian national anthem sung by a choir wearing long dresses in the three colors of the Italian flag.
Here is the photo posted by Piero.
Very good singers and the whole orchestra, on the representation, the theater director wanted to amaze with a modern effect, very impactful, but let me tell you that I prefer the traditional version, this is obviously my personal opinion.
It was a surprise to see our beloved Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero on television for this event, our eyes widened and what can I say a little vision.
Reserve these beautiful surprises for us again, we are waiting for you.
Daniela🤗
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.
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