Il Volo continues undauntedly touring in the U.S. and it is always a success.
The fans show with so much affection their admiration towards Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero who are evidently moved and pleased by all this.
I continue therefore in the description of three other concerts..
March 18
The concert was in Detroit at the fantastic and historical FOX THEATRE.
CAPOLAVORO
SMILE
HALLELUJAH
CARUSO
Some chatter about the columns.
After the concert in Antonio’s Restaurant. He posted the photo with this comment:
“What an unforgettable night! 🎵✨
It was an absolute joy to experience Il Volo live in Metro Detroit, surrounded by family, friends, and the vibrant Italian community. @barone_piero, @ignazioboschetto Boschetto, and @gianginoble11 delivered a breathtaking performance, reminding us why their music continues to inspire audiences around the world.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who purchased our ticket package and supported the Rugiero Promise Foundation in the process. Your generosity helps us continue making a difference in our community.
Sharing this special evening with loved ones made it even more memorable. Until next time, Il Volo! 💓”
March 21
The concert was in New York at the prestigious RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL.
Torpedine posted this photo with these ironic words:
“There’s not even a seat left for me…crazy “, because RCMH has been SOLD OUT for a long time!! 👏👏👏
You’ve all read the beautiful review of Jo Ann’s concert and now enjoy these videos of the evening.
BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER
TORNA A SURRIENTO
SE
O SOLE MIO
SMILE
And I think this was the reason for the cancellation of the New York soundcheck at the last minute, Il Volo was at 690 Park Avenue, that is, they were received by the Italian Consulate who published the photo with this comment:
“What an incredible pleasure to have @ilvolomusic at #690ParkAvenue before their concert at Radio City Hall. 🎤 Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero you are great artists. Thank you for representing Italy at its best!”
What can we say about this beautiful video that inspired the Italian news? (turn on subtitles)
March 22
The concert was in Atlantic City at HARD ROCK LIVE.
Il Volo with Sandra Russo who posted the entire live broadcast of the concert for Stardust Shows Entertainment.
You know that on their tour, there is a guest Cecile, a young Italian singer who accompanies them in a song and then sings a solo song. During an interview with Cecile a question was asked about her relationship with Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, read what beautiful words she said about them..
How would you describe your relationship with Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio? Is there a moment you spent with them that you remember with particular affection?
I smile at this question because right now I am in my hotel room here in America and until a few minutes ago, I was having dinner with the guys. The relationship with Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca was truly the most unexpected gift. Of course, I hoped and was almost certain that we would get along but I never would have thought that such a deep friendship could be born. I have lived with them intimate moments of great confessions, reflections, and then the laughter, the tears of joy and the hugs given and received with an open heart, the mutual understanding in the less happy moments. Really, I never would have imagined a friendship of this kind and for me this is truly one of the most beautiful gifts I could receive… and I say this not because they are “Il Volo”, but because they are Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero.
Luckily I could tell you about a thousand significant moments; from the first concert together in Germany where they moved me with their kindness, hospitality, care, thoughtfulness; to my birthday celebrated together on stage and then celebrated together with families and friends; to evenings like tonight when Ignazio cooks for us and between music, laughter and chats, we all feel “at home”. During this tour of more than a month, we are spending a lot of time together. Traveling a lot, and moving from city to city every two days, we also share moments of everyday life, like meeting up in pajamas at the end of the concert in this big “camper” (tour bus) and waking up and having breakfast “on the road” while heading to the next stop. Luckily it is difficult to find a significant moment with the guys because with great happiness I can say that I have really experienced many of them and I hope there will be many more.
While in New York they were also guests of GOOD DAY New York, just before their concert.
Even Italian TV has taken an interest in Il Volo’s tour, this is the report aired on RAI 2 during the TG NEWS.
MAN= Fresh from the sold out of New York at the RCMH, Il Volo celebrates 15 years of career with three concerts that will be held in May at Palazzo Te in Mantua.
VOICE= TUTTI PER UNO Viaggio nel Tempo, a project that celebrates great Italian music, art and culture above all and fifteen years of career of Il Volo. The show in its third edition will move to the prestigious historic location of Palazzo Te in Mantua.
PIERO= We are sure that the place will be the setting for all the repertoire that we will propose in this new edition of TUTTI PER UNO.
VOICE= The dates set are May 8-10-11, the only concerts of Il Volo in Italy. Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble will bring on stage both their successes and unreleased performances accompanied every evening by special guests.
An important year for the group with the publication of AD ASTRA, their first album of unreleased songs, also available in the international version that includes the latest unreleased Tra le Onde.
And this service aired on Italia 1 during Studio Aperto.
(try a different browser if it doesn’t work in the one you use)
VOICE= Il Volo conquers New York, sold out at Radio City Music Hall the most coveted stage for the stars.
GIANLUCA= It is a great achievement for us to be here, we are very satisfied with the entire artistic journey, it was a great job but also a game.
VOICE= A success achieved and consolidated with passion, with the aim of bringing bel canto into people’s hearts.
The American tour continues in the most prestigious locations in the States, then in May, they return to Italy for the third edition of TUTTI PER UNO Viaggio nel Tempo, in an extraordinary place: Palazzo Te in Mantua.
PIERO= We are sure that this place will be the setting for all the repertoire that we will propose in this new edition of TUTTI PER UNO.
VOICE= After the U.S. and the suggestive stop in Mantua, the tour will continue in the main European capitals and in Latin America.
IGNAZIO= It will be a very important tour, energy-consuming, but we can’t wait.
Even Italian newspapers are publishing articles about Il Volo’s tour, like this truly unique one from LIBERO QUOTIDIANO that I’m translating for you.
Il Volo, Gianluca Ginoble: “Where They Made Me Sleep”, stuff for a select few
There are three Italians who have conquered America and the world, and not just today. And the triumph of Il Volo is all in a red keychain. Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble, former tenors now standard-bearers of Italian “bel canto”, interviewed by Repubblica proudly show off that little object: “At the reception they gave us this keychain. It’s room 424. Leonard Cohen slept here, guys.” And for those who know a little about music, it means being in the same category as the giants.
After all, they are in New York and their accommodation is simply legendary: the Chelsea Hotel, on 23rd Street. Practically one of the temples of rock: “I’m staying in Bob Dylan’s bedroom,” Gianluca proudly announces. The same walls and beds inhabited by Dylan Thomas, Mark Twain, Robert Mapplethorpe. And then the crazy, crazy parties between the Sixties and Seventies, creative and penniless geniuses. In the Big Apple they will sing for the fifth time at the Radio City Music Hall, another symbolic place, to certify their status as superstars. And their world tour (Europe, Canada, America, South America, the East) is stuff for a select few.
The three boys are doing things in a big way: in a few weeks there will be the third edition of Tutti per uno — Viaggio nel tempo, in the suggestive Palazzo Te in Mantua, on May 8, 10 and 11, the only live shows in Italy.
“This morning on the TV show Good Day New York, on Fox 5, they asked us to sing the melody of the Gladiator in Italian – Piero reveals – We could have sung the Yellow Pages and the melody would still have reached the heart. Didn’t the same thing happen in the days of Elvis Presley? Our parents danced, swinging their hips, even though they didn’t understand the words of the king of rock’n’roll.”
I am happy but not surprised by this success machine that is Il Volo, their talent and their skill are now known to everyone and fill me with pride and from all over the world I receive messages of love towards Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero, it’s really nice to be a Volo-fan!
As Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and company sang in the old movie, On the Town:
New York New York, It’s a Wonderful Town The Bronx is up and the Battery’s down Il Volo’s back and there’s no better sound. New York New York, It’s a Wonderful Town
Sorry, I changed the lyrics a little.
Although I live in Denver, I had the opportunity to go to the Il Volo Radio City Concert in New York City on March 21. I grew up in New Jersey, and as a young person, New York was my old hangout, so I took a quick round-trip flight and treated myself to a few days in Manhattan. I had not been to an Il Volo concert since Atlantic City in 2022, so it’s been nearly three years. As the title of this post says, three years was too long to go without seeing and hearing the guys. Besides, Radio City’s spectacular period architecture makes it a great setting to catch up with them.
I also had a soundcheck access. For days on end I watched for email instructions where and when to meet for the “Il Volo soundcheck experience.” I finally got my answer. It was cancelled, and there was no information why. If anybody knows what happened, please write a comment and let me know.
I was disappointed, but not for long. The show itself is always exciting and gets better every season, in my opinion.
Qualcosa di Carino: Something Nice
Every time I travel to hear an Il Volo concert, something nice happens to me even before I get there, and often afterwards. The morning of the show, I was doing errands near Grand Central Terminal and got frustrated when I couldn’t find the entrance to the market. I grabbed the first uniformed worker I could find to ask directions, and his answer came back in the most delicious Italian-accented broken English. I switched to Italian and found out he and his wife were both from Reggio Palermo in Sicily, like my mother’s family. I’m sure the desk security people in that lobby were wondering why this strange tourist lady ended up hugging and kissing the janitor. It’s an Italian thing. We speak the same dialect; we even talk with the same hand gestures.
You may have seen Ignazio or Piero do this gesture with one hand, to ask “what in the world is wrong with you,” or “what do you want from me.”
Ignazio also been known to do this one with both hands, but the accompanying words he says when he does that are often not printable.
Not just us Sicilians, but all Italians speak with their hands, as you can see. Gianluca here is not singing, he’s answering Ignazio’s complaint that after learning English in Sicily, Igna still can’t pronounce “contemporary” or “Massachusetts,” among other things. Gian was telling Igna, “If you can’t, then don’t.”
This next gesture is my favorite one, because if you see it, you know you’re in the middle of an Il Volo concert.
I was staying in the Hilton right across the street from Radio City on the 51st Street side. To put in a plug, a top-class Italian restaurant, Il Duomo 51, was right in my hotel. It’s called duomo (cathedral), because St. Patrick’s Cathedral is right on the other corner of 51st. Very talented chef, all the young wait staff speak English with heavy Italian accents, and a lot of them look alike. They are probably all relatives of the manager or the sous-chef or somebody. When they realized I could actually pronounce the menu choices, they started plying me with free glasses of Italian pistachio liquor. Yes, it’s green.
So, on to the Show.
There is almost no need to tell you Radio City sold out. I think Il Volo have sold this place out almost every time they’ve been here. According to Gianluca, this is their fourth visit to this venue. Igna later said he hoped next time they’d be in Madison Square Garden. I hope so too. Then we’ll hear jokes about how Ignazio can’t pronounce “Knickerbockers.” Most New Yorkers don’t bother to pronounce it, either. That’s why they call the home team the “Knicks.”
On the concert evening, I started writing this piece, then went downstairs early to see how fast the line was forming. I could tell the whole Il Volo crew was already in the theater because an equipment van was blocking me from crossing the narrow street, and what Gianluca used to refer to as the “sleepy buses” were already there with a line of blacked out Mercedes SUVs behind them, extending right up to my hotel lobby. I can even see my room in these pictures. I left my desk light on.
I went into the theater early and checked out the sound control gear and mix boards, since I had time. I was wearing a “Flight Crew” badge, so for some reason, the theater staff didn’t care where I walked around or what I looked at. I keep finding that badge thing is quite useful.
I Tempi Cambiano: The Times They Are a Changin’
So, what has changed in three years since I last heard Il Volo live? All of you know most of this list. Obviously, their young adult lives changed. Ignazio is a married man. Piero finished the NY Marathon. Gianluca has another different girlfriend (who seems lovely.)
The show and their “stage look” have also changed. Their new wardrobe for the opening set has those shiny appliques on their jackets. The set list changed to provide a journey through the history of bel canto. They wrote or rehearsed new jokes.
Piero gets more elegant as he matures; and he has different eyeglasses yet again. Gianluca is clean-shaven and no longer styles the curls out of his hair. His new boots are more sparkly. This picture doesn’t really capture how sparkly.
But there were very important things that did not change. The guys are clearly all adults now, yet they have maintained their youthful charm and energy. They still don’t take themselves too seriously. And as hard as they work, it still looks like they are playing. They still create warmth and joy, even though there is a more mature elegance about their act now.
Il Volo Fans Are the Best
I had the most wonderful seatmates in my row. Clara and her daughter Angela were to my right. Clara was born near Roma and has been in the US 60 years. She and her adult daughter my age spoke primarily Italian to each other, so I also switched to Italian. These ladies were “veterans,” having been to several Il Volo concerts in Radio City before this one. I loved hearing their Roman Italian, which is clean without any heavy regional accent.
To my left were Paul and Toni Conti (nee “Licalzi”). Toni joked that her maiden name means “socks.” That was pleasing to me because my son had a friend in Boy Scouts whose cognome (surname) name was “Scarpa”, which means “shoe.” Now, I’ve met a full set. The Contis are likewise veterans of at least four Il Volo shows. Toni also told me about their trip to their home region in Sicily. Her beautiful epilogue to the story was that after their visit, she and Paul finally understood “who they are” and “why they are the way they are.” That warmed my heart, because I had the same experience in the same place. The Il Volo Flight Crew were the first people to let me share those feelings when I wrote my first post for this web page a few years ago.
OK. One more set of neighbors. The couple sitting diagonally in front of me bore a remarkable resemblance to Ercole and Eleonora Ginoble, Gianluca’s parents. Take a look. What do you think?
If you said yes, you were right. Halfway through the show, Gianluca asked the orchestra to pause so he could say hello to his aunt and uncle, and his parents. Ercole eventually got up to take a stretch, but Gian’s proud Mamma kept recording one of his solos, as you can see. Piero later said Michele Torpedine was around somewhere too, but I didn’t spot him or the white hair. In concerts in Italy, I’ve heard Piero sometimes refer to Michele as Quello dai capelli bianchi, “He of the White Hair.”
Early in the show, Piero decided to tease some fans who came in late and were getting into their seats toward his left. He announced he was pleased that he, at least, was on time, and for the first time an Italian had to wait for the Americans. Gianluca also thought that was clever, as you can see.
I thought Piero was funnier later, when he said how honored Il Volo was to perform in the place where the “rockets” were. He didn’t mean the old Saturn V or the Titan missile or the SpaceX Starship. He meant the “Rockettes”, which became obvious when Ignazio started dancing an imitation of the Rockette strut kick.
On to the Music
I filled in a lot of gaps in my Il Volo concert experience. Because I had missed several years of performances, I never heard Il Volo’s version of the Sound of Silence or Gian’s version of Bridge Over Troubled Waters, both written by native New Yorker Paul Simon, or Zucchero Fornacieri’s Miserere. I have recordings of Phantom of the Opera, but Gian’s delivery of Music of the Night has greater heart and romance to it. Because I didn’t have time to travel during Il Volo’s first years of performing as teenagers, I never heard them do Funiculi, Funicula live, although I have their early recoding of it. On stage, they managed to turn this old Neapolitan folksong into a near “popera” masterpiece.
The guys introduced their guest, Cecile, who is helping to expand the repertoire of pop music sung as bel canto. She did an impressive interpretation of “Natural Woman,” made famous by Aretha Franklin, of course. What a voice, and I swear that Italian young lady got some soul. It was also sweet to hear her join the guys for E Piu Ti Penso. It’s a mark of Il Volo’s maturity as performers that they are comfortable sharing the stage with both newbies and old-timers. I knew they have been doing that regularly on Italian stages and on their albums (with Placido Domingo, Pia Toscano, Eros Ramazzotti, and any number of others), but I didn’t know they were doing it on US stages. It was fitting for them to feature a relative “newbie.” On the Radio City stage this night, they dedicated Charlie Chaplin’s Smile to honor Barbara Streisand, who once shared the stage with them in Las Vegas, when they were newbies themselves.
I did remember some antics in the show that came from previous concerts. Ignazio did his usual ticking off on his fingers the three counts as he extended the note in “Ma na’a’a’tu sole” in O Sole Mio. Piero, as you can see below, has his fist up to count the famous five (or more) he can do. As usual, they did this in pantomime without missing a beat.
The best way to explain the entire show in one sentence was that I was thunderstruck. There is no other word.
If you enjoy quality music, you know that “power” is not simply volume or clarity of sound. It is sincere emotion and love of the subject translated into intensity and throbbing virtuoso delivery. In their own way in this show, the guys musically narrated the story of bel canto, their professional passion, holding back nothing. Every song they performed, from the Ennio Morricone movie pieces, like Se, to Verdi’s La Donna e Mobile from Rigoletto, to the Neapolitan standby Torna a Sorriento, to Il Volo’s San Remo winner Grande Amore, was as energetic as always, but more elegant at the same time.
The repeated standing ovations throughout the evening said it better than I can. To put it another way, as I was leaving the theater, I looked around and had to smile as I noticed many people were showing each other how their hands were still shaking. It ended up being one of those nights when it’s hard to go to sleep.
Full Circle
I told you nice things always happen to me coming and going from hearing Il Volo. I stopped by a Messianic synagogue to attend services Saturday morning, before I went to LaGuardia Airport to catch il volo (the flight) home. I assumed Beth El (86th Street and Park Avenue) would be typical New York with American English-speaking people and maybe a few Yiddish-speaking or Sephardic Spanish-speaking people thrown in or maybe an Israeli or two. To my delight, the first two people I met who welcomed me in spoke Italian. (Half the articles in their congregation web site are in Italian, too). Go figure! So once again I reverted to my comfort zone and spent much of the morning jabbering in Italian (except of course when we were supposed to be praying or singing or dancing). Remarkably, when I told several folks I had flown across the country for an Il Volo concert, nobody looked at me like “You’re crazy.” or “Who are they?” They understood. It made a nice bookend to a “start-in-Italian, finish-in-Italian, speak Italian every day” kind of trip, and I never set foot outside the US.
With Il Volo you never get bored, once a project is finished they immediately start another.
Piero has just returned from a good performance at the New York Marathon and gave an interview to the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. Here is the video with English subtitles, made by Donalee of Il Volo American Fan Group We Are Love whom we thank so much!!
There isn’t much time to rest after this marathon, because Il Volo has announced this new tour in China, and it’s imminent.
Great news! From the end of November we’ll be performing some shows in China. 🇨🇳
Here’s the first date, stay tuned for more announcements:
24.11.2023 – Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s Memorial Hall, Guangzhou
In reality there should be three dates, but for now only the first date has been confirmed by Il Volo.
Meanwhile, our three favorites have locked themselves in the recording room and are preparing new projects that we fans will await with great joy!!
Ernesto is also part of the new project as a songwriter.
I can’t wait to hear the results, I’m sure they will amaze us. 🥰
The various Italian newspapers are talking about Il Volo to understand whether or not they will participate in the Sanremo Festival, but the news is not yet confirmed.
Instead, while browsing through the various articles, I found this interesting one published by Prima Brescia, a Brescia-based newspaper, because if you remember, I told you that the orchestra that recently accompanied Il Volo in their events was actually from Brescia.
Here is the article and I translate for you only the part that concerns Il Volo.
The orchestra conductor who directed the young opera trio Il Volo speaks from Brescia.
His CV has plenty to tell, but recently many people from Brescia have recognized him on television and on tour with the opera trio Il Volo. Maestro Edmondo Moses Savio reconfirms himself as a Brescian pride. His involvement with one of the most followed musical trios of all time, starting from that fateful 2009 year in which Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble formed themselves as a group, was as a preparator and choir director at the Arena di Verona for the two concerts, on 1 and 3 May this year which were broadcast on time by Canale 5.
From Manerbio (a small town in the province of Brescia) to the direction of the Il Volo Orchestra
An occasion allowed the Maestro from Manerbio to be noticed for his professional qualities and ability to perceive change and bring the latter to the heights of the voices and instrumentalists he directs. The collaboration continues outside the borders of Verona in various concerts, in the role of conductor: in Ascoli in Piazza del Popolo last 21 July, at the Arcimboldi theater in Milan from 2 to 9 September, in mid-September a private concert for the American Embassy in Rome, back in the Verona Arena for the Tim Music Awards last September 20th broadcast on Rai 1.
“After the post-production in May for Canale 5 I was contacted for a zero date in Ascoli, if everything had gone well I would have continued at the Arcimboldi. An experience that makes you deal with needs and requirements different from the traditional ones in which there is no time to ‘philosophize’ everything takes place quickly, in the same day – said the director – I continued the summer with concerts scheduled with the Giuseppe Verdi Opera Choir of Brescia, and in August the call arrived to conduct the concerts in Milan.”
From opera to pop rhythms
A change of dynamics in orchestral conducting in the world of pop in which the man from Manerbio has been able to navigate at his best.
“An experience that I consider a very interesting parenthesis between the lyrical and baroque repertoire that I frequent the most – commented Savio – My first approach to the pop world was with the album by Renato Zero, (Italian singer) but with Il Volo we have gone further, into a field that is not the traditional one of classical music, in this case there is the need to stick to the times of making TV, there is the need to hear recommendations that may apparently seem superfluous but are subsequently found and they must be managed on a practical side, as happened in the two experiences in the Arena. It can be strange at first, but then by activating problem solving skills and experiencing this environment more and more, you discover very interesting dynamics.”
The interview then continues talking about maestro Savio’s other projects.
In the photo the maestro with Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero.
In recent days, Ignazio has published a beautiful photo of himself after going to the barber. The photo attracted the admiration of many fans and a newspaper wrote this nice article which I will translate for you. Read the final part carefully, full of beautiful words towards Il Volo.
Il Volo, Ignazio Boschetto changes his look and drives the fans crazy: what he did ?
Ignazio Boschetto of Il Volo suddenly changed his look: fans said they were over the moon with his new image.
The singer is certainly one of the most loved in the world of Italian and global entertainment, precisely because he was able to immediately attract the attention of the general public. He did it thanks to his friendliness and his talent, with which he was able to make space for himself in the musical field. It all started when he joined the musical trio Il Volo together with Gianluca Ginoble and Piero Barone. Since then, their musical path has literally taken off.
Now, waiting for their next work projects, Ignazio showed off a brand new look and all the fans went crazy.
Ignazio Boschetto changes his look: he is very different.
The famous singer of Il Volo appeared on social media very different from how we were used to seeing him: the artist has in fact decided to renew his appearance and his shot is now making the rounds on the web. Until now, everyone was in fact used to seeing him with semi-long hair and an irresistible beard: this was precisely the aspect that has always distinguished him since the beginning of his career.
Now things have changed, and Ignazio has opted for a clean cut to his hair but, above all, for a mustache that has attracted the attention of fans. A photograph of him while he is at his trusted beauty salon, which guaranteed him an impeccable look, is making the rounds on the web. Fans are already excited and can’t help but notice the singer’s beauty, despite his change in appearance.
In fact, numerous comments are arriving from followers, who have not missed the opportunity to comment and compliment him. “You are magnificent,” one of them wrote. And again: “This look suits you very much”, “You are truly divine”, “Splendid Ignazio”. It must be said that the messages from web users come from all over the world, also because the famous Il Volo trio is much loved all over the planet. The group has in fact fully represented Italy throughout the planet since the first moment it set foot in the world of entertainment.
Since then, the three have stood out for their grace, simplicity and above all for their impeccable talent. A voice, that of Il Volo, which will certainly remain in the history of world music.
And now let’s enjoy this beautiful ice skating performance done a few days ago in Slovakia, I don’t know what event it is or even the name of the skater, but I’m sure of its musical basis: Il Mondo sung by Il Volo!!! ❤️
This week has also been intense with work, who knows what they will be recording in the recording studio, there will certainly be many new features and also many changes, the time has come for Il Volo to show its professional growth, Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio, not they are more kids to guide in the world of music, they are mature men who have worked hard and who now want to demonstrate their artistic maturity to everyone. And we will be there to applaud them!! 🥰🥰🥰
Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero are doing a lot of promotion to their latest CD and therefore, there are many appointments and many interviews, unfortunately I cannot keep up with these rhythms, but, as you may well know, many things are repeated and therefore, of each new event, I try to give you a brief summary, translating the interesting parts instead.
The last event where they were guests, which I translated for you, was Radio Italia live, but, again on Radio Italia, they also had another interview entitled “A tu per tu” (Face to Face). Some questions are the same, but they also said some interesting things that I translate for you:
It begins with greetings to the listeners of Radio Italia.
(In the video, from time to time you will see glimpses of Il Volo singing, they are clippings of others hosted at Radio Italia.)
Piero talks about the Morricone project.
Gianluca talks about the tour and says they will sing, in addition to Morricone’s new songs, also the songs of their success over the years.
He says it’s wonderful to travel the world and have the affection of the audience every night, he says they are privileged.
Piero says they are preparing themselves with singing lessons, healthy eating, and body workouts.
Ignazio says that it is not easy to prepare the suitcase for a world tour because in some countries it is hot, in others it is cold, so they will have big suitcases, if it were possible to bring a walk-in closet it would be better.
Gianluca confirmed that they have an archive of unreleased songs and are waiting for the right moment to publish them.
The project of the Three Tenors and this of Morricone, serve to consolidate their career, then, later on, he lets it be understood that they will release an album of their own of unreleased tracks. They are working hard for it.
Piero talks about the collaboration with the various artists on Morricone’s record. Gianluca says that Piero is single and that he and Ignazio are engaged. Ignazio admits that it’s good to be in love.
The day after Il Volo was a guest on two other radio stations.
Let’s start with Radio 2 Social Club.
(Click on the photo below to view the video.)
It’s a very nice interview, the two radio hosts are Luca Barbarossa (with the blue shirt) and Andrea Perroni, they both are very good friends of our boys.
At the beginning, in the “off the air” Gianluca and Ignazio arrive and say that Piero is in the bathroom!! 😁
Luca then marks Gianluca behind him saying he is engaged! Then they make fun of Ignazio because he has a coat and it is hot in the studio, but Ignazio says that he is an elegant person and always dresses like this!! 😁
Piero says they just got back from Madrid where they promoted the CD.
On stage, they talk about the Morricone project and then sing Se Telefonando.
Luca makes a lot of compliments for the voices of the boys, then says that they are promoting the CD all over the world and therefore they will ask them some technical questions and the first is: “Which one of you is engaged?” 😁😁😁
Then Luca asks how they will do with their distant girlfriends while they are on tour and Gianluca replies that sometimes they will take them with them every now and then. Then Luca says “They are not hand luggage !!” 😁😁
Gianluca apologizes, he could have expressed himself better.
Luca confirms that Gianluca’s girlfriend is Eleonora Storaro and asks Gianluca if he is happy to talk about her and he replies that she is and then tells Luca: “But you like to gossip” 😁
So they talk a little about tennis with Ignazio and Piero and also about football with Gianluca.
Luca asks where they will sing in the US and they also reply RCMH, so Luca remembers that an Italian journalist had said that Il Volo performed in the world but only in pizzerias.😑
Piero replies that they laugh at these criticisms.
PIERO: “A criticism made with intelligence is constructive and important. In these 13 years, those who have written badly about us, those who have offended us, then got to know us and changed their minds, in the end we cannot like everyone.”
Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca perform SE from Nuovo Cinema Paradiso.
Luca asks about their success in Japan and Piero explains that luck would have it that a very famous ice skater performed his exercise on one of their songs: Starry Night and from here many emails of requests from Japan arrived.
Gianluca also explains the collaboration with Vittorio Storaro and Luca, reiterates that Il Volo worked with many famous people, such as Placido Domingo, with whom they recorded a beautiful song: Il Canto which was written by Luca Barbarossa!!! 😁😁
Thanks and final greetings.
On the same day, Il Volo was also on Radio 1.
They are housed in a studio adjacent to that of the two presenters.
They begin by remembering the 13-year career.
They thank Torpedine and talk a lot about the new Morricone project. (They all repeat things that have been said several times).
Ecstasy of Gold is broadcast (while in the video there is silence).
They continue to talk about Morricone and his music, how they chose the songs, how they thought of interpreting them and the responsibility they feel when they start such an important project.
They talk about Bel Canto and the pride they feel carrying this type of music around the world, especially now after the obligatory stop.
Final greetings.
So Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca participated in an online interview, with Marco Montemagno in connection from Brighton, Ignazio from Bologna, Gianluca from Rome and Piero does not say it but I believe from Naro.
Piero says he had to put five books under the PC otherwise the shot was not good and then Ignazio teases him because he says he looks like he is in the office.
They talk about the 100 concerts and Marco says it is a very heavy commitment and asks if they will also go to Brighton.
Gianluca recalls that in this period of Covid, Il Volo was also present at conferences, to give voice to those categories of the show that have had such a long stop.
Marco asks if they will go to England and Gianluca replies that they have tried to enter the English market, have promoted and have also sung at the Palladium and also at the Royal Music All, but then they have given priority to other places and admits that they should return to England.
Piero asks Marco how many years he has lived in Brighton and he replies 9 years old, he married an Englishwoman, so they chose to live in England, but he is very happy.
When asked which are the markets of Il Volo, Ignazio replies that they are America, South America, Eastern Europe, Russia, Japan, it is a musical genre that manages to take more different cultures, fortunately.
Piero explains about their first meeting and the fact that they just didn’t think they had this great success.
At the beginning it was quite easy, even if they were not known in Italy, in 2015 they participate in Sanremo and since then they have also been known in Italy and for them, meeting people on the street who recognize you and smile at you, is the most satisfying thing.
Gianluca confirms that each audience has a different treatment. Each country has a kind of audience, warmer, more attentive, more exaggerated and it is nice to discover different traditions and different attitudes.
Piero says that Europe is complicated, because each state has very different cultures and every night, during the first 3/4 songs, they have to understand what kind of audience they have.
Ignazio confirms that for their type of musical genre, England has always been a little more difficult market than other countries.
Then they talk about the physical preparation for such a long tour and Piero explains that they have to take singing lessons to make sure that the voice is always at the same level throughout the tour and Ignazio explains that the vocal cords are like rubber bands and must always be held trained to avoid breakage.
Marco asks, in addition to the most obvious figures in the tour (management), what is the key figure that is needed for a tour like theirs and the boys answer that he is definitely the person who arrives first in the morning on the stage and who leaves for last in the evening, he is the backliner, he takes care of following all the details, even the water in the backstage, and the bread they need to clear their throat. His name is Alessio Guerrieri and he is in great demand in his field.
Marco says he is a ping pong enthusiast and Ignazio approaches his face, to show a small scar on his left eye and tells that while they were playing ping pong in Turkey where they had gone for a private event, Gianluca with whom he was playing as a couple gave him the ping pong paddle over his eye.
Gianluca is sorry about what happened, he says it looked like a crime scene, with a lot of blood.
Ignazio says that a medical guard comes and says that there is a need to go to the hospital to put stitches but Ignazio refuses, because it was during the Covid period and therefore they made a very noticeable bandage around his head and it is returned to Italy like this. (Remember, Ignazio wore a patch over his eye and we didn’t know why, now we know.) 😘
Gianluca is very sorry, but he says that Ignazio has improved since he received the blow, and therefore perhaps he will give him another one.😁
Then they talk at length about the Morricone project.
Marco asks how they manage personal relationships between them.
Piero says they didn’t know each other, at first there were also tantrums and tensions, then they learned to have tolerance, they don’t argue, they always look for a meeting point. They have three different roles in the management of Il Volo, they have a lot of understanding and they get along very well.
They are aware that when they make mistakes they apologize, and for Piero, apologizing is a noble way of being a man.❤
Ignazio adds that they have also learned to have gratitude, to be aware of being grateful, to something, to someone.❤
Marco asks if their popularity has been strong from the start or if they have had strange moments.
Gianluca admits that it was a slow process, at the first copy-signing there were four people in Rome, immediately after their participation in the Ti Lascio Una Canzone program.😁
Piero laughs, remembering that the people of their team went to them saying: “Excuse me, will you sign the CD?”😁 Gianluca says they made fun of them!!😁
But things change with time, and there was also the risk of being meteors.
For this reason we have always remained humble and our families have been very important to us.
Piero asks Marco what he thought when they asked him to do an interview at Il Volo (which he obviously didn’t know) and he replies that he was happy, because he never followed them directly for their type of music, but he has always admired their great success, in particular he greatly admires those who are successful outside Italy and he has always had admiration for them, because they have shown that they are not a meteor.
Ignazio confirms that what they do is extremely difficult, it is not an immediate musical genre, it does not go on the radio, streaming or in commercials, where you have more chances to make it known. It takes a lot of perseverance, dedication, work and it is very demanding. There have been times where they’ve had to swallow and work hard, but it’s nice when you don’t go the easy way of what others do and keep your personality, and they’ve always been consistent with who they are. They are this and who follows them, follows them for what they do.❤
Gianluca admits that they have a loyal audience. Their fans are very fond of them, because they have seen them grow. It is like a big family.😘
So they talk about Il Divo which is a musical group similar to Il Volo, they are not Italian but they sing in Italian. In Italy everyone wants to sing in English, while abroad Italian singing is very welcome.
They confirm that The Three Tenors took the opera out of the theaters.
Marco asks how, after the fiftieth concert, they manage to maintain the freshness of the first one and Piero replies that you must love what you do, then you must always be aware that the people in front of you have come for you, and even if they were 10 people they deserve the best from you.
They then confirm that their audience is transversal, from children to grandparents.
Marco asks if they had any unforeseen events during the concerts and Piero says that in Budapest, after the twelfth song (usually 25 songs) his voice went away. They suspended the concert for 20 minutes. Total panic, they called his voice teacher on video and after 20 minutes the voice came back and they finished the concert.
Ignazio also tells a similar story and says that they sing completely live, while they know that other singers also have pre-recorded songs.
Piero confirms that fortunately there are three of them and a glance is enough for them to understand if something is wrong and therefore one of the three plays the part of someone who is not well, there is a great mutual help.❤
Then, laughing, they remember singing the refrain of “Tous le visages de l’ amour” over and over in Switzerland, because they couldn’t remember the words.😁
Piero also remembers when in Taormina during a concert, he teased Ignazio because his favorite football team was losing the game for 4 goal at that moment and Ignazio was angry😁
Then they say that on stage they move with awareness that they must occupy the whole scene.
Piero explains that before a tour there is a long work of patience, to plan all the trips, everything must be accurate and before, when they were younger, there were people who did it, now even the three of them take part in this.
Marco asks which are the strangest characters they have met and Piero explains that the strangest moments they had in 2010, when their little ones, were invited to Jimmy Iovine’s parties in America where there were so many famous people, an incredible time.
So they talk for a long time about the various television series.
In the end, Gianluca hints that they are thinking of making a documentary, perhaps about their life? Who knows!
Good luck from Marco and final greetings.
Furthermore, on Saturday 4 December Il Volo was a guest on Canale 5 in a new program: UA, conducted by Claudio Baglioni (He presented Sanremo in 2019).
Here is the video of their moment.
(Click on the photo below to view the video.)
I have tried to give you an overview of some of the events in which Il Volo attended, but there are many others.
Some things that I have translated to you are really interesting and some very nice, these young men never cease to amaze us.❤
As I write to you, I am waiting for a television interview with them.
The event that was supposed to take place in Austria has been canceled due to Covid, but on 11 December there will be a short Il Volo concert in Dubai and it will be possible to follow it in streaming at this link:
By popular demand, IL VOLO will give its first concert at the Millennium Amphitheater in Dubai 5 years after their first performance at the 2016 Globe Soccer Awards. “Il Volo Live in Concert” will be a once in a lifetime event where Piero Barone, Gianluca Ginoble and Ignazio Boschetto will rebuild their careers bringing the best of their repertoire to the stage: from the traditional Italian “bel canto” like the iconic song “‘O Sole Mio”, to evergreen American songs like “My Way”, from the single “Grande Amore” with which they won the 2015 edition of the Sanremo Song Festival at the famous Turandot aria “Nessun dorma”. The repertoire will include pieces from their latest album “Il Volo sings Morricone”, a passionate journey into the art of one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. A playlist structured as a “best of” contains the careers of three unique voices who have crossed national borders, selling millions of records and making their way onto the international top hits lists.
(Ministry of Culture Special Project, produced by Cinecittà, supporting partner D&G)
But there is still a little final pearl, what about these beautiful photos of our boys in Times Square in NY?
That’s right, Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca: IL VOLO, are leaving for the tour and their destination is AMERICA !!!!
Finally the long-awaited time has arrived, a few more days and they will perform in their first stop in Toronto and then there will be a continuous succession of concerts in different cities.
I think I interpret that the patience of the long wait has left you, and a frenzied agitation has taken over that leads to joy, to finally be able to see them live and to be able to have the emotion of a whole concert with them.
Do you have your tickets ready ??
Please dear friends, to communicate your wishes, write me the date and the city of the concert where you will go and let me know the three absolutely favorite songs of all, which you would certainly like to listen to (they can also be solos). Pat will be able to make a list and ranking of favorite songs.
It will be interesting to find out what you would like to hear.
Are you all ready to dance and sing with Il Volo?
Are you ready for a shot, a warm hug, a sweet kiss, or to make a tug of ears at these tender brats?
How about a hug like this from Piero ???? It would be magnificent!
In this article by Antonella Esposito, the start of the new tour is announced, I translate for you:
The celebrations for the first 10 years of Il Volo’s career continue. The trio that bewitched the world, setting record sales and sell outs, from January 2020 will be engaged in a series of live events. It starts with the “North American Tour”. From 28 January to March the Il Volo boys will perform in the most important symbolic places of world music.
Touching sacred temples of art, such as the Radio City Music Hall in New York, (February 6th) Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca will delight the ears and hearts of a multigenerational audience that for a decade now has been following them with affection and admiration. In June and July it will be the turn of Germany and Poland with the addition of new stages to a calendar full of commitments. Summer will mark the return of the group to Italy, with two dates in Verona in August and two dates in September in Taormina.
November and December will sign a really important tour which today has 37 dates, without excluding any additions. Turin, then Milan, to end in the capital on December 4th. A riot of live events not to be missed. Everything is ready for the first stop, on January 28th, in Toronto, from the prestigious Meridian Hall, the guys from Il Volo will perform for the Canadian public. Fasten your seat belts, let’s go. The journey of Il Volo begins, the most important one, the Best of, proud banner of a journey that began 10 years ago and which still today tells credible stories of sacrifice, passion and gratification.
By the way, have you all heard of the beautiful IL VOLO FAN FAIRE DINNER that Jeannette Giglio is organizing for March 15th at The Palms Casino Resortin Las Vegas??
It will be a beautiful event and there will be an opportunity for you fans to get to know each other personally and maybe even some surprises !!
I have another request for you.
For those who go to a concert, please write your impressions, for better or for worse, even a few lines, which we will then publish and it will be interesting to read the differences between one concert and another.
Also tell us about the fans you met at the various concerts.
So Piero Ignazio and Gianluca are closing their bags, in a few hours they will leave.
Are you all ready for your concerts?
It will be awesome!!
I await your comments.
Daniela
Credit to owners of all photos and video.
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
