As the guys start the South American Tour, I want to go back Through the Fields of My Mind to their first South American and Latin American Tour in October 2013.
On September 27, 2013, the guys had achieved their dream to sing at Radio City Music Hall in New York. After a successful, sold out, North American Tour, the guys went to South American for the first time.
A while back I wrote about this tour because in the comments from one of my stories, a woman named Linda wrote: “I wish Il Volo would be a household name in America!” I thought funny she should say that because Il Volo from the beginning was more popular in America than they were in Italy. It took a long time and a great decision for Italy to open their arms to our guys and there were many obstacles along the way. So, I thought maybe a little behind the scenes look at the guys and some of the challenges they had to overcome to get Italy’s attention would make an interesting story. There were some good memories and some not so good but, the story in the end puts the guys On The Threshold of Success in Italy but, I’m getting ahead of myself….
Let’s pick up their story in 2013 with memories of the first South American Tour.
North America, South America and Latin America Tour ~ Memories 2013
One of the first things Gianluca remembered is Ignazio’s birthday in Messio, on the evening of the first concert of the tour. Let’s enter into their conversation to see where this is all going….=
Gianluca:The most special thing about Ignazio’s birthday was that we celebrated with the fans.
Piero: Actually, I remember an important thing about the South America tour. This is when we realized we were really famous. The fans were in front of the hotel waiting for us. But it happened slowly, slowly, relatively slowly, month after month. Because two months before we were in Argentina and there were twenty fans, the next one there were a hundred, the one after there were three hundred, and then a thousand, two thousand. Now the situation is unbelievable if you have not experienced it, you will not believe it because we are with bodyguards twenty-four hours a day. It’s another world.
Ignazio: I only know that when I finished that tour in South America I was nicknamed ‘Ignazio the tank’ by myself: I had done twenty concerts with bronchitis. The worst was in Caracas, Venezuela, six thousand five hundred people, at seven in the evening: soundcheck….
Let’s start with the first song. I try to sing and, the voice does not come out, there is nothing to do, it does not come out. And here comes the most total panic, we stopped the soundcheck, the production calls a doctor and, I was punctured with Bentelan. In short, for a month and half I sang only thanks to the cortisone and breathing technique that our teacher Sergio Bertocchi taught us.
Piero: ‘Our,’ because he is also my teacher. But maybe we should say master. Sergio Bertocchi is the person who helped me most in singing, the one that solves my doubts and my problems. If I enter a lesson with him with a doubt, I go out another Piero, happy and relaxed…. You do not know how important it is to have an experienced person like Sergio Bertocchi to guide you.
Ignazio: I know for sure, that without his breathing exercises I do not know how I would have sung. Without a voice I was completely out of it.
Yes, the boys had challenges! Long periods away from their families, concerts, recording sessions, interviews, just endless. Sometimes it’s just too much to handle and like anyone else they find a crashing point. For the most part they kept it together but there were times when everything would just fall apart. So, Ignazio made it through the tour but, Piero reminds him of something else in the tour that did not affect his voice one bit….
Piero: Igna’, but the voice, you had in that interview! It was March 2013 we were in Argentina at the famous Los 5 edicion broadcast of QMusica TV. What was the problem? We spoke Spanish and sometimes we were wrong, so we stopped the recording and went back. So, Ignazio was already a bit tired out, let’s say. But the worst thing is that in Argentina they do not have the V in Volo, they have the B, they say ‘Il Bolo’. And one, and two, and three, always ‘Il Bolo.’ At that point, Ignazio begins to correct the guy who was in the studio and repeated to us the things to say, and once, and twice, and three: ‘Il Volo, it is said Il Volo, V!’ Until the guy in the studio runs off new ‘Il Bolo’ and Ignazio starts with a string of bad words in precise Sicilian that are immortalized in the off-wave scenes.
Ignazio:However, guys, we are serious people, now…. Where were we? Oh yes. The end of the Latin American tour.
Christmas 2013 was approaching and, the record company wanted to come out with a record of Christmas songs. So Universal decided to complete the EP that came out two years ago with just five Christmas songs. So, after the Latin American tour we started promoting the Christmas album
My house began to fail me. Being four months away, changing cities, hotels and planes almost every day is not easy. From the age of sixteen, finding yourself catapulted into a world completely different to the one I was used to, it was not a simple thing to manage. At first no, actually the first two years I thought ‘What a beautiful life!’ Then I realized that All That Glitters is Not Gold.
To get satisfaction and achieve the goals you have set yourself, you have to give up many things and, work hard. Stay focused on your work. It’s not easy.
Sometimes people say, ‘But these guys never get tired?’ Well, yes, we get tired too, sometimes. Personally, there was a time when I thought only of friends. I wanted to go out, I never answered the phone, the emails, the messages, I was out of this world.
It was thanks to my family, to the boys and to Michele that I realized that I was neglecting what was always important for me: the music.
Gianluca: True, Ignazio is right. It was not easy and, neither is it now.
In those years, in 2012 and 2013, no one knew us in Italy, we were just the three children who came from Ti Lascio Una Canzone.
But in America, in South America, in Europe we were very well known. And not only there. After the release of our first CD we went on tour in places that none of us could have imagined we would go to: Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and New Zealand. In Singapore we also had a gold record with that first CD.
So, before Sanremo, we lived two lives, two completely different lives. Abroad we were stars and, we came to Italy to rest. I took refuge in Montepagano, Piero in Naro, Ignazio in Marsala. It was nice to come back to a ‘normal’ life. But… we felt that something was missing, that it was bad to be so successful outside of our country and not be able to have it in Italy.
The following interview is one of the best interviews the guys did in 2013. It showed how humble they are and that they are living their dream, but their heads are not in the clouds! The interviewer Larry London was so impressed with our guys.
The guys talked about being on the road and how much they miss their lives even though they are living amazing lives.
Ignazio:2014 was not our best year. In fact, along with Eurovision, which is one of those things that I do not like to talk about, but we’re telling the truth, so let’s tell it all. That year the contract with Universal expired, so we started looking for a new record company.
It’s just that finding a new record company is not something you do in two days. We did not sleep at night. We talked with Michele about it until late in the evening to look for solutions.
The first thing that came to mind was to take charge of everything. Not that we could stop because we were looking for a new record company. So, we continued to work on the projects we had, new records and tours. We planned a new tour in Canada and the United States for that summer. We could do it.
You see, being brave brought us luck because, after a few months an email from Sony Latin arrived: they were interested in us. After a few weeks and long negotiations, we went to Miami to sign the contract.
This was unique and emotional because, we were underage when we were signed by Universal, our parents signed for us. This was the first record contract signed by our fist!
In the intermediate stages of negotiations with Sony, when it was not yet official, the final evening of the Billboard Latin Music Award arrived, that is the annual award linked to the American magazine ‘Billboard’.
In 2014 we were competing for the Latin Pop Albums Artist of the Year – Duo or Group, in which we had already received two other nominations, in 2012 and 2013.
The concept is that, even though we are always compared with South American artists, it was really very difficult for us to win.
Gianluca: That year, then, was really special to us with all that was happening.
We arrive at the BankUnited Center in Miami on the evening of April 24th, 2014. the theater is full of people.
When the nominations were announced, the choir starts from the public: ‘Il Volo! Il Volo!’ A moment later Paola Nunez, the Mexican actress who presented the award with her colleague Jorge Graciola, confirmed it: ‘Il Volo!’
I’m standing up, I jumped, I arrived on stage first, I hugged everyone. I could not believe it. I was bursting with happiness.
Piero:And who believed It? It was the first, really, important first prize we received. In Italy they still saw us as the Tre Tenorini (Three Little Tenors) put out by Ti Lascio una Canzone, but in South America we were a recognized musical group.
So, they found a record company to produce their music and they won the Latin American, Latin Pop Albums Artist of the Year for 2014 but, still no recognition from Italy. But soon that would start to change….
Ignazio:However, Italy made us close in 2014 with a flourish. What started out very badly finished very well: with the Christmas concert in the Senate.
Piero:Actually, Igna, first there was Taormina. Our first concert in Italy on July 20th, and then the encore on the 21st. I hold these events very close for many reasons. In the meantime, not only was it the first time in our home but, it was in Sicily, at the Greek Theater of Taormina. If you’ve never seen it, you must go there, it is a ‘place of magic.’
So, it was already emotional plus the fact that there were our relatives and all the friends who until then had never been able to hear us because we were doing concerts in America, in South America and how could they get there? And moreover, among all my relatives was my grandfather.
Since he has become blind, he never leaves home, never. Before Taormina, he had only come out one other time and always for me. When we were in Rome, he took the plane for the first time in his life, to participate in Arena of Massimo Giletti.
In Taormina it was even more beautiful because I dedicated, to my grandfather, Pietro Ognibene, ‘Non ti scordar di me’ and I told everyone that he was the first person to hear me sing, and that if it were not for him, I would never have done this job.
It was the first time he had heard me sing since we became singers by profession, the first time, just goosebumps. A great emotion!
Ignazio:We also want to talk about the thrill of singing in front of the highest offices of state! What twenty-year-old boy has something like that happen? It happened to us, and it seems to me a beautiful result, an honor.
Some how it always seems to come back to the concert at the Senate. A true turning point in their career.
The concert was on December 21st. You cannot imagine the emotional feeling to be called ‘guests of honor’ inside the Senate. We were accompanied by the, fantastic, Filarmonia Orchestra Veneta conducted by Diego Basso. Half the beauty of the song is in the orchestra.
The most exciting moments? Everyone! But the hymn of Mameli was the heart-pounding one, the first song, singing in that place, with everyone singing along with us, including Giorgio Napolitano, (President) and Pietro Grasso (President of the Senate). It is one thing that I cannot explain.
And then, of course, the pleasure of shaking hands with the President of the Republic and of feeling that he knows Marsala, he has been there.
In short, in the end, instead of remembering it as the worst year of our lives together, 2014 brought us well: great changes and an important step towards Italy, towards home.
So now the boys have been recognized in the Senate and by the President of the Republic of Italy but still, no recognition from Italy. But wait, they have an idea….
Piero: Meanwhile, the first thing that comes to mind, after so many years of great success abroad, the greatest successes there has been, one wakes up one morning, indeed, three wake up one morning and decide to go to the Sanremo Festival.
When one is famous all over the world, there comes a moment when he must also be able to say: ‘Wow, they love me even in Italy.’ He must be able to say: ‘They also love me in my country.’
You go abroad and, during the interviews, you hear the fateful question: ‘You are loved even in Italy, right?’ And you have to answer no. No one can understand how much we suffered in those moments.
Also, in meetings with Universal, in the United States, we sometimes tried to say: ‘Why do we have concerts all over the world, except in Italy?’ We wanted the record company to try to support us in this sense too.
I remember that once, during a meeting with the president of Universal, I asked him for the thousandth time. And what does he do? He had a globe on his desk, I’m not joking, he gives it to me and says: ‘Turn it around, then stop it and find Italy at the first shot.’
The problem is that you have to look for it because it is a small country, very small compared to the United States and Latin America or Australia. Then I got mad: ‘Oh, no, it’s my country, and the country where I was born, and the country where we come from, you cannot say it’s not important, do not think about it.’
For us, Sanremo was a decisive opportunity to let us be known to Italians, to say to Italians ‘We exist’. And we are proud and really happy that our music genre was appreciated.
Ignazio:As they say, Piero? A prophet is not recognized in his own land, so we were snubbed, perhaps because they never had the opportunity to really know us and show, once and for all, who we are personally and humanly, as well as being singers..
Then, after a few months of night phone calls with Michele, towards the end of 2014, we finally decided: ‘new year, new life: we go to the Sanremo Festival’.
In the beginning the guys were living in a dream world but then came the reality that sometimes all that glitters is not gold and so you need to turn to one another, support one another and learn to take chances. The decisions they made led to their finding their own way in 2013. A way that led them to some of the most important decisions of their lives, decisions which led them to The Threshold of Success in Italy!
As I’m finishing this article, the guy’s plane has just arrived in Mexico City.
The Tour has begun! Here come the fans!
This past week the guys surprised us with a new album, “Tres Voces un Alma.” (Three Voices One Soul) On the new album we hear songs that are very romantic and very beautiful! They bring us to a place where we can dream of love and romance, love lost, and love found and love that will never return. “Tres Voces un Alma,” is available on Spotify, Amazon and Amazon Music.
Songs
1 PERDONAME 2 ABRAZAME 3 TAN ENAMORADOS (feat Ricardo Montaner) 4 QUE SERA’ DE TI 5 LA INCONDICIONAL 6 NO ME DIGAS QUE TE VAS 7 OTRAS VIDAS 8 ELLA/SI NOS DEJAN 9 COMO VAI VOCE 10 TAN ENAMORADOS
For our friends in Latin America, if you haven’t bought your tickets yet, it time to buy them!
And finally, for your listening pleasure, the concert in Argentina Teatro Gran Rex November 2013
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
If you would like to share a story with me, please email: susan.flightcrew@yahoo.com
We understood why Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero chose the name Il Volo, (The Flight) because they are always traveling by plane, they move here and there, from one continent to another, who knows how many hours of travel they will have accumulated, really a lot.
And in fact, the photo posted on Instagram by Gianluca tells us that they are flying to Brazil.
But what are they going to do in Brazil? There has been talk of a private event, but surely they also participated in a TV show: São Paulo with Patricia Poeta where they promoted the new dates of the 2023 South American tour.
In the first video, Patricia presents Il Volo and they perform a song from Il Mondo a capella.
In this second video, Patricia tells the story of Il Volo, how they met in a talent show, she says they are two tenors and a baritone and they sing pop-opera.
It is almost always Ignazio who replies in Portuguese, he says that it is a great responsibility for them to sing their musical genre because they want to make it known to the new generations who may not know it, and Ignazio explains that they try not to lose the music of the tradition that is part of Italian culture.
Patricia compliments Ignazio who speaks Portuguese.
Gianluca greets Paula Fernandes, with whom they recorded GRANDE AMORE, then they talk about the 4 tour dates that will be done in Brazil in 2023 and at the end they sing GRANDE AMORE.
In this video Il Volo and Paula Fernandes :GRANDE AMORE.
And here are the four dates announced during the show:
March 8 and 9 – Sao Paulo
March 11 – Rio De Janeiro
March 17 – Porte Alegre
March 18 – Curitiba
A couple of photos taken in Brazil.
In the meantime, the dates of the book signing events have been confirmed here in Italy, here they are:
A book to read and listen… with the heart 🎵
🚀 The guys from Il Volo meet the fans for the presentation of the book “Il Volo. What I Carry in my Heart”, published by #RaiLibri
⏰ December 14 Feltrinelli Turin, Piazza CLN, 5.30 pm, Turin ⏰ 16 December Mondadori Megastore, 5.30 pm, Milan ⏰ 21 December Librerie.coop, 7.30 pm, Bologna ⏰ December 22 New Europe Library I Granai, 5 pm, Rome
………..and I will be in Milan!!!!☺☺☺
In addition, this nice and fun interview has been published which I translate for you.
Il Volo: Our selfies with Lady Gaga. Sharon Stone a true friend. The fans who try? Many
Who is it of the three who said “Hello!” to the Pope? Name out.
Piero:Who do you think did it? Huh?”
Gianluca:Okay, I confess it. But in 2014 I had just come of age, emotion betrayed me. However, His Holiness answered me “Hello”, as if nothing had happened. At the third meeting, in Panama, in 2019, I even asked him for a photo together. Done”.
Piero:I swear that in a few years I will write a book about our embarrassing moments .There are also those who, at the hearing in St. Peter’s Square, fell asleep behind sunglasses, next to Lewis Hamilton… right Ignazio?
Ignazio:“I woke up at 3 and a half in the morning to arrive in Rome at 7, I was destroyed, and my eyelids closed.”
A chat for four voices with Piero Barone (29), Ignazio Boschetto (28) and Gianluca Ginoble (27), or the three tenors (better, two tenors and a baritone) of Il Volo, a group born in 2009 in a talent show for children (Ti Lascio una canzone ). After that, with a victory at Sanremo 2015 in his curriculum vitae — adored or snubbed, with no middle ground — quickly enrolled in the “international star” category with guaranteed sold outs, in perpetual travel around the world: only in the last few months a frenetic tour between Canada, USA, Japan and Australia. To close with a trio of Italian dates (December 15th in Turin, 17th in Milan, 23rd in Rome) and with the Christmas concert from Jerusalem (Magical place), on the 24th in prime time on Canale 5.
On your phone you have a barrage of selfies with Lady Gaga.
Piero:Here we are, see? It must have happened five years ago, in the kitchens of a hotel in Washington.
And how did you end up in the kitchen?
Piero:There was a charity event with the Italian-American community. Outside people were going crazy, to be safe we hid in there with her. Gianluca and I, because Ignazio was sleeping as usual. Lady Gaga was very nice.”
And you’re very, very good friends with…
Piero: The great Placido Domingo, just met in New York. We always keep in touch with Laura Pausini.
Ignazio:And Sharon Stone. We met her in Montecarlo, we feel it all the time.
And one day in 2012, at the hair salon on Canyon Drive, Los Angeles…
Piero:We were on tour with Barbra Streisand. While they fixed my hair, I made conversation with a beautiful lady next to me. “You know, we sing at the Hollywood Bowl tomorrow.” “Congratulations, you are very good”. The hairdresser leaned over and whispered in my ear: “You know who it is, don’t you? Did you recognize her? It’s Priscilla Presley!” I returned the compliments immediately. And we invited her to the concert. From that moment, whenever she can, Priscilla comes to listen to us, a great friendship was born.
Do you like Elvis?
Piero: What questions: yessss.
Quick self-portrait of you as a child.
Piero: Very lively, too good, I hated solfeggio (voice practice) but now I thank those lessons. I deafened my brother who was trying to study.
Ignazio: I sang pretending that the curtain knob was a microphone.
Gianluca: At the age of 10 I was already asking myself existential questions. Who I am? Why was I born? What meaning will my life have? I found an answer to the latter: the meaning was given to him by music.
Three teenagers who meet overnight in America, under contract with Universal Music. Imagine if you had disliked each other.
Piero: Ignazio and I bonded immediately, between Sicilians. Then with Gianluca, it came naturally.
Gianluca:Everything went very fast, we didn’t even realize it so much. On the plane to Miami I looked out the window and I couldn’t believe it, total euphoria”.
Ignazio:The next day I had them take me to Mel’s Diner for an American breakfast.
Piero: I lived two parallel lives. There the parties with Beyoncé and Quincy Jones. Back in Italy, I didn’t tell anyone anything, for fear of sounding crazy, but I was terrified it would end.
In 2013 sold out Radio City Music Hall.
Ignazio: Only a year and a half before, standing in front of the entrance to the theatre, we dreamed, one day, of going up on that stage.
Gianluca: The important thing is to always go forward, to keep up with the times, otherwise it’s easy to end up like Nikka Costa. (famous child singer which was never heard from again)
Victory in Sanremo with “Grande Amore”.
Gianluca: Until then we were only well known abroad, not here in Italy, difficult to accept. It was the perfect opportunity, the revenge of bel canto which hadn’t had success at the Festival since the days of Bocelli.
Piero: An absolute joy. In Catania, many were waiting for me with placards, it was a beautiful party. Going home every now and then helps me find balance, makes me feel like the most normal person on the planet. In the summer I always go fishing with my friend Enzo, we go out by boat at five in the morning, I love to see the sunrise. Last time I caught a 5 kilo sea bass.
The Volovers, i.e. your wildest admirers, how far of madness have they reached?
Gianluca: There is someone who tattoos our names and surnames on his skin. Who follows us in every stage of the tour around the world. And who is waiting for us at home for hours.
Piero: One day, in the gym in Phoenix, I was running on the treadmill. Next to me was a girl who was training. Half past seven in the morning, I was still sleepy. Suddenly I focus on an inscription on her ankle. “It looks just like my autograph.” It was,” (if I’m not mistaken he’s talking about Marie)
Do they try?
Ignazio: “Avoglia…. (certainly..).” Who of the three hooks up the most?
Gianluca: We can’t say it ourselves.
Do they knock on the door in the hotel?
Ignazio: If I don’t know her I won’t open. And then I took a vow of chastity. (laughs)
Quarrels between you have we collected?
Gianluca: It happens in times of stress. But we have learned to control ourselves, before it happened more often.
Piero: In Santo Domingo, we were in the car, I didn’t feel well, I was sweaty. “Gianluca, come on, close that window, the draft is hitting me”. And he did, but then, a minute later he lowered it again, I would have killed him.
Gianluca: Yes, but it was 40 degrees outside and we didn’t have air conditioning.
Ignazio: I always eat last, these two often leave me nothing, not even rice. They are thin, but they eat anything.”
You have lost 34 kilos. How?
Ignazio: I closed my mouth.
Piero: We were at the breakfast buffet in New Zealand and… “
Ignazio: “No, in Kuala Lumpur».
Piero: Oh well, in any case Ignazio suddenly said to me: “I want to lose weight”. “Bravo, then come with me to the gym, train, work hard. And from that day on he became a sex symbol….
Ignazio: Now I’ve started training again after two years, I’ve put on 13 kilos again. Waivers? No. We eat healthy. Piero is intolerant to pork, so we don’t eat it either. And all three of us can’t stand dairy products.
It takes a beastly physique.
Piero: Travelling a lot, discovering the world is a privilege. I love running, wherever I go I ask the concierge and get advice on the best routes. Once Ignazio also came and I almost had to carry him back on my back».
Ignazio: In Matera, it was terribly hot, 7 and a half km of ups and downs.
Gianluca: I train in the gym and walk, I don’t run.
The worst flaw of the other two.
Gianluca: Piero is too rational, Ignazio too instinctive. Both touchy.”
Ignazio: Me? It is not true! Gianluca is too perfectionist, Piero stubborn.
Piero: Gianluca is long-winded, when he gets fixated on something he doesn’t stop talking until he’s convinced you, the next day I’m terrified of meeting him at breakfast and that he’ll start over.
Ignazio, on the other hand, keeps everything inside and at the last moment he explodes and says things in your face. It would be better if he spoke clearly from the start. And then he is late, forgets his appointments, falls asleep.
Ignazio: No, you’re a big pain in the ass.”
Mishaps on stage?
Gianluca: Ignazio fell and so did I, tripping over a folding chair.
Ignazio: It happened to me to go out on stage holding a cell phone instead of a microphone.
Piero: In Budapest, the twelfth piece Ave Maria, I start to sing but my voice does not come out. Ignazio looks at me wrong. He thought you were joking. I had caught a cold snap from a big fan that shot freezing air. We had to interrupt for about twenty minutes, the time to take some Bentelan. (medicinal)
Neither rapper nor trapper. Critics say that you make “old men’s music”.
Gianluca: It’s right to respect every opinion, criticism is good. But we go on doing what we like most, which makes us and millions of people happy.
Piero: Before, negative comments made us nervous, they were hard to digest, now they’re good for us. But there is a subtle difference between criticism and offense.
Fear that one of the three decides to break away and continue his career alone?
Gianluca: We are not a classic band with a frontman. But three singers, three leaders.
Piero: We know very well that our strength is the group. People want to hear all three together. And even if, during the concerts, everyone has their own space, we too know that united we are something else.
BREAKING NEWS:
Il Volo will be a guest on the TV show VERISSIMO with the sweet Silvia Toffanin, Sunday on Canale 5 at 4 pm. It will certainly be a nice and kind interview.
And finally, enjoy this promo video, which advertises the “Christmas in Jerusalem” event, it will be fantastic!!
Piero’s story is a beautiful story of a little boy in a garden singing and the love of a grandfather which leads this boy to stardom!
A while back I wrote a story about Piero’s dream. Of course, we all know his dream is to sing in an opera one day.
Over the last two years, Piero has developed that voice, that true operatic voice which will be the means by which he will achieve his dream.
Seeing him at Radio City Music Hall recently, I couldn’t help but notice the strength in his voice. His voice has rounded and expanded and now he is so ready.
Let’s take a look at where Piero is in his career and where his dream is leading him….
Of the three, Piero is the only one who said, “…. if there is one thing I want to do in life, it is singing, living for and with music.” That pretty much sums up Piero. He sings with such feeling and devotion. He studies endlessly! Opera is his dream! He’s studied among other opera’s Cavalleria Rusticana. I await the day when he will sing in his first opera. No matter where it is in the world, I will be there to see him fulfill his dream!
Of the three, he is the opera singer in the group. To sing opera you not only need the voice, but you also need the presence of mind and the discipline to succeed. But above all you need the desire.
Ignazio and Gianluca can certainly sing opera, but the desire is not there. Gianluca never had a desire to sing opera. Ignazio can certainly sing it beautifully but no that is not his route! Piero stands alone in this endeavor and the guys support his dream. A dream that brings me to my Recent Revelation!
I always knew how fantastic Piero was but last June when he stepped on that stage in Verona, he blew me away! That amazing voice stepped up so many levels I couldn’t believe my ears.
After hearing Piero sing in Verona, I wrote….
“I want to give you some of my thoughts about our spinto tenor. Piero’s voice which always was amazing, always powerful, and his presentation which always produced phenomenal climaxes in the concerts, has now become such a vibrant sound in our ears! His voice has expanded so much in the last two years.
Over this period, Piero has had the opportunity to spend unlimited time on his opera lessons. This is something that is not possible in his normal schedule. The intense opera lessons of the last two years have paid off with Piero standing at the door of La Scala! The intensity of his voice sends shivers up and down my spine! A truly amazing voice that has become even more powerful than it was! Phenomenal! Bravo Piero!”
As you know, Piero has been intensely studying the opera, Cavalleria Rusticana, these last few years and he brought to the stage at Taormina, for the first time, the beautiful aria, “Mamma, quel vino.” Taormina was the perfect setting for this opera because the opera is set in Sicily.
Opera isn’t only about the song it is about presentation. In an opera you need to feel the person who is singing the aria because you must feel the character. The words tell a story, but the character gives it life.
Piero makes you feel Turiddu’s final farewell with his mother and makes you understand that he knows he will lose the duel. You grieve for his loss even before he’s gone. That’s what opera and arias are about. With Piero’s delivery, you feel him bring the opera to a climax even before it’s over. The intensity of Turridu’s final moments with his mother are highlighted in this aria. I hope someday to hear Piero sing this opera at La Scala.
It might seem strange to you that Piero dreams of being an opera singer. He is a superstar. He has achieved in 13 years what most men can only, hope, to achieve in a lifetime. But, when you have dream, you have a dream!
Let’s go back and see what I’ve said, in the past, about Piero’s Golden Voice….
Piero is a spinto (meaning pushed) tenor. A spinto tenor has the brightness and height of a lyric tenor, but with a heavier vocal weight enabling his voice to be “pushed” to dramatic climaxes with less strain than his lighter-voice counterparts. His voice is warm, graceful, bright, and can be heard over an orchestra.
Piero has a powerful voice that easily reaches the higher notes. Every note that comes out of his mouth reaches us with such intensity and remains with us for a long time. It’s the voice that reaches out to you and demands your attention. Think of him singing “E Lucevan le Stelle” from Tosca (his favorite opera).
Or singing the beautiful Spanish aria “No Puede Ser” from A Tabernera del Puerto.
Let’s look at a video which combines Piero’s voice from 2014 with his voice in 2022 singing “No Puede Ser.” In both presentations he is fantastic.
The long road and the final story can only begin when the tenor has arrived! You have arrived Mr. Barone!
From his first note Piero pierces our souls! His passion comes through in his music. Arias are very dramatic and, Piero brings all the drama of the aria into his performance. Always a showstopper!
Let’s listen to what Piero has to say about his music….
I have always pursued this dream of music, I grew up in the middle of music with my grandfather, Pietro, and thanks also to my father, because you know, sometimes there are moments, when you’re little, you play piano and you want to give up everything, but thanks to the constancy of my father, I always pursued this dream, first with the chorus of Santa Cecilia and then studying with private teachers.
I’m studying lyric now, because that’s my dream, that world, it’s my dream, the lyric is another dimension, but you have to study … too much … and now I’m studying, thanks to my possibilities, I am studying in Bologna, with my teacher Sergio Bertocchi, a great teacher, and he is a great person. I’m studying an opera setting, however, always with Il Volo. Il Volo is always …. the group Il Volo…. IS IL VOLO. And so, my dream is that one day maybe, to do the Premiere to La Scala or in some theater.
Piero was asked in an interview, “What advice to do you for young people who are pursing this dream?”
My advice is always to follow your dream, never give up, there will be people who will say, ‘But come on, change jobs, change profession.’ Never believe in them, believe in yourself, but when you arrive, stay where you are. This is something I learned from Barbra Streisand, and from many great artists.
And then the humility even if it is really difficult to stay where you are, if you do not have great people behind, like a big family, I am doubly lucky because I am a person that could follow his dream and get there. Yet we have not arrived, but we are working, we study a lot, and my second fortune is my family – a moral support, a daily support. When I travel, in the morning, I call home, they give me the charge to start the day.
Before I end my story, I would be negligent if I didn’t add this video with Placido Domingo!
The heart of Piero is filled with beautiful notes that echo in our ears and remain with us. His voice brings our hearts to a standstill! It grasps our inner being and leaves a beautiful melodious adventure to discover day after day! It breaths life into our souls!
So, here we are back at my Recent Revelation in the mist of this spectacular World Tour. We find our spinto tenor coming to new dimensions in his career. That striking voice that brings us the most amazing operatic climaxes will one day bring joy to Opera lovers in the great opera houses around the world.
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
If you would like to share a story with me, please email: susan.flightcrew@yahoo.com
To read more Il Volo stories visit us at www.ilvoloflightcrw.com and don’t forget to visit the Archives.
On September 27, Il Volo arrived in New York, in the prestigious Radio City Music Hall theater. It is a very important and coveted stage for our young men.
Our Susan, who was present at RCMH, did a great review, and therefore, I’ll just publish only these two photos!
September 29, BETHLEHEM
Il Volo continues to reap successes. The concerts, even if not always sold out, always have a notable presence of people and they are all happy with the concerts they attend.
Bethlehem is not far behind too !! ☺
We know the songs well, but we like to see them again every time, and in particular, to hear their beautiful voices !! 😁
O SOLE MIO
IF I CAN DREAM
ALL BY MYSELF
LA DONNA È MOBILE
GRANDE AMORE
And here is one of the nice comments posted on Ticketmaster:
Fantastic!
The Wind Creek Event Center – Bethlehem
The best show ever, a great musical repertoire, they even came out in the crowd. I took my mom for her birthday and she was beside herself! He had the opportunity to touch and speak with Piero and Gianluca. More than 60 years of concerts and it had never happened to her before. Thanks, Il Volo!
What can I say, the concerts continue very well, but Il Volo is taking the road to Florida. Unfortunately, the news about the hurricane is terrible.
The next concert is in ATLANTA, Georgia and the situation is calm there, so the concert will be there!
Many of you have asked for news of the guys who were on their way to Atlanta, they are all fine, as you can see from the photo posted by Gianluca’s father, Ercole, just arrived in Atlanta.
Look how sweet Gianluca is with the two beautiful little girls.
But what you don’t see, at the end of the video, is this fact and our friend Judy Thurman, who was present that evening, tells us about it, thanks Judy!
“I forgot to mention that one of the guys last night was having a special evening as his frequent glances were centered on one side of the auditorium! As time went by Gianluca walked to his right on the edge of the stage while he sang ‘Here’s to you’. A sweet little girl and a lovely slightly older girl came immediately to him and he welcomed them as he always does! As the song ended Gianluca walked over to a beautiful young dark haired woman, hugged her and kissed her hair or cheek. It was his girlfriend, Eleonora Venturini Storaro, who had just arrived from Italy earlier in the day. The smile on his face while returning to the stage was very sweet. It was a lovely moment! 💗💗”
Unfortunately there are no videos or photos to testify, but Judy said that before the concert, the audience was asked not to photograph or film, too bad !!
And then, this beautiful thing also happened, the guys, since there are many Latin-speaking people in the audience, dedicated the beautiful song EL TRISTE performed only with piano accompaniment.
I really like this song and I think the guys really had a nice thought and I think the audience was happy.
A nice comment from Ticketmaster also from Atlanta!
Outstanding voice
Atlanta Symphony Hall – Atlanta
This is the real song. Exceptional voices and great repertoire to complement. Highly recommended. No modern computer or any other trick can simulate these great rumors! An evening of absolute pleasure!
Unfortunately these days, we have all seen the disasters that Hurricane Ian caused in Fort Myers, where the Il Volo concert was to take place on October 4th.
A real disaster for so many people who have lost their homes and even their lives! For this reason, the concert was canceled.
But our guys with a heart of gold, and all their staff, are not insensitive to what happened and therefore this wonderful initiative was born, that you are surely all familiar with:
In partnership with VNUE, Inc. we have decided to live stream our next concert at FLA Live Arena (Sunrise, FL) on October 9th, 2022, at 8:15 EST, via VNUE’s StageIt platform.
As a tribute to those who lost their lives in Ft. Myers and in the surrounding areas, and for all the families whose lives are destroyed and need help desperately, we decided to partner with the Red Cross, and with VNUE, to livestream the concert and donate the proceeds in support of the victims of Hurricane Ian.
“Our first show ever in the United States was in Florida at the beginning of our career and we have the most wonderful memories performing for our Florida audience. Seeing the videos and pictures of the devastation hurricane Ian left behind we felt strongly compelled to give back to the people of Florida and their communities. We are excited to team up with VNUE, FLA Live Arena and the Red Cross to bring our live performance, produced by Live Nation, to the world for the benefit of the victims of hurricane Ian.”
The concert will be available for streaming exclusively on StageIt.com. You may register on StageIt in advance, and purchase “Notes” which you may use to virtually attend the show. The minimum ticket price is $30 (300 Notes), but we encourage to donate above and beyond the base price of the ticket. The five highest donations will receive special prizes from us, such as signed set lists or other special memorabilia items. To register and purchase to view the livestream, you should visit this link >> https://bit.ly/IlVololivestream
During the livestream, you may interact with one another, and with us using the chat feature on StageIt.
Ok guys, we’re glad you’re all fine, a big sigh of relief.
Our love and our prayers go up for all the people who have suffered from the hurricane.
We are all so proud of you, your gesture does you a lot of honor and confirms the great heart of Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero. Thank you guys!! ❤❤❤
Before saying goodbye, I want to show you this nice video review of the Atlantic City concert. A beautiful review by Elena Worton, a really nice job that I’m sure you will like.
Thanks Pat for finding it for me and highlighting this beautiful video !!
The last time I wrote a story like this was when the guys were in Verona doing their wonderful Concert for Rai and PBS. I called it Phenomenal. I totally lost count of how many times I used that word phenomenal in my story!
“The beat goes on,” Radio City Music Hall was a Phenomena.
Where do I begin to talk about the three amazing men who stood in front of me at Radio City Music Hall and totally blew my mind!
They have matured in body and mind and their voices have gone to another level of magnificence!
Yes, we watched them grow but this is different. There’s a beautiful presence about them now. A certain elegance! After thirteen years they haven’t waned, they’ve increased in strength and intensity! There is a certain power in their voices that grabs you from the first note of the concert to the last.
Each guy has grown into his voice and is showing a maturity and style the likes of which men who are approaching the end of their careers can only have imagined! Thirteen years of a lifetime! A lifetime full of wonders and experience which most entertainers will never have the honor of knowing.
I’ve worked in this industry, and I’ve seen young people achieve fame and throw it all away on foolishness! Many have achieved fame but what they do with it makes the difference!
These men have shared the fruits of their fame. They didn’t take their fame and run with, they cherished it and used it to help others. They could have gone home to their families until the next tour but no they shared their good fortune. This is what makes them so great. This is what makes them incredible. For this reason, these entertainers are loved by their fans in the most incredible way!
Standing in line at Radio City Music Hall, waiting for an Il Volo Concert, you get the feeling that you aren’t going to a concert rather you’re going to a big party that is being thrown by a member of your family!
Speaking with some of the fans, I asked what it is that they love about the guys on a more personal level. Many said their openness and generosity with the fans. They consider them like family. Some said they are the son they never had or the grandson they admire. Much like the fans who write to me each week. There is a beauty about the relationship between the fans and Il Volo. Il Volo is family!
The fans were the ones who got them through it all when they were young, and they never forget to say thank you! They attribute their fame not to their talent but to the fans who come back time after time, year after year to be with them. No, the fans are not followers in a sense that most fans are! No, they are family that always wants to be there for their boys!
It wasn’t always easy for the guys but when they had a goal, they went for it!
I remember Ignazio saying in a video when they first came to New York. “This is Radio City! We hope, I hope, everyone hopes to go there to do a big concert for the American people.”
What a dream! Who could possibly have thought that three Italian teenagers could have achieved this dream and stepped on to the stage at Radio City Music Hall and brought us all to absolute ecstasy with their voices!
Most entertainers want to perform at Radio City once in their lifetime! It’s a dream, it’s every entertainer’s dream! Our guys have done it year after year to sold out audiences! And every time is better than the last.
And the guys are honored to have achieved this wonderful opportunity to appear in the greatest and most well-known Music Hall in the World!
So, let’s follow these three extremely handsome men, who have the world in the palm of their hands, to Radio City Music Hall!
Soundcheck….
First instruction! No videos! Photos are okay!
As we enter the theater, we can’t help but notice the quietness of the stage! The dim lights reflect the different movements on the stage. In the shadows we see the skeleton of a band. As we get closer to the stage, we see Ignazio conversing with Giampiero. Always instructing, always advising! We see Piero making final arrangements for his pieces.
We begin….
Ignazio never ceases to amaze me. His natural demeanor, his ease of movement. As he moves everything around him becomes a production. Ignazio is the production, and we are watching him move into action! No detail goes unnoticed by him! Lights, microphone, everything technical within his reach is looked at. His eyes miss nothing! He’s on a roll. A few verses of a song to make sure it’s right and then….
Piero steps up to the mike and belts out a song and we are immediately aware of his greatness!
Recently I said Piero has expanded and grown during this time of isolation. It’s never more evident than in this moment! Though we are supposed to be quiet we can’t help but applaud at the end of his song! A few instructions to the staff and Piero moves on!
In the meantime, Ignazio is preparing for his song! He steps up to the mike and, Mother of God save us, he blows our minds with his beautiful voice! At the end, forget the silence, Applause! Applause! Some instructions to the staff and he moves on.
So, here we go Gianluca has appeared. Strolling around saying hi to everyone. Is he even awake yet? Not sure.
Gianluca steps up to the mike and I guess he is awake after all because he thrilled us with his magnificent voice! So strong, so enticing!
You will notice that I did not mention what they are singing that’s because we were not able to video the event so in order for you to get the full effect of the soundcheck experience I’m not going to tell you what they sang!
Time to gather around Giampiero for an absolutely beautiful song then it’s the orchestras turn!
The guys listen to the orchestra and then it’s time for some duets!
Group picture with the fans and then back to the soundcheck!
All is well and time to go! The guys tell us they will see us in a little while! Farewell applause and out we go!
The soundcheck was amazing because we got to hear their voices up close and see their true expression and feel what they were feeling in their delivery! A totally awesome experience!
Out in the lobby, we spend the next two hours talking about the guys and greeting people we know and some we don’t!
There were people here from all over the United States. Actually, all over the world! My friend Berenice Castro Rom with fans from Mexico and the ladies from Argentina. I heard Gianluca say at Soundcheck something about fans from Puerto Rico.
Many of the fans like Sanna Frediksson and Kathleen Banaszkiewicz also told me they were at some of the concerts in Europe! What fan flies halfway around the world to see a concert! Very many went to Taormina and Verona! Totally amazing!
So now we’re ready for another phenomenal performance!
Let’s set the stage….
The new scenery….
With the exception of the Verona concert in June 2021, Il Volo never has a fancy stage set! They don’t need it. All the elegance is in their beautiful voices and a fancy stage would only distract from their magnificence! This stage is actually elegant in its simplicity!
Simple silver drapes that reflect the changing light around them is all that is needed. The shades of red and blue and purple constantly change the scene and the atmosphere! It’s a feeling of movement within a shimmering glow of color! We watch the guy’s appear and disappear within the shadow of the brilliant colors!
The Orchestra….
A simple stringed orchestra of at least a dozen violins, cellos and a harp. Always a flute and horns. Drums and guitars and the ever presence Giampiero Grani on piano and conducting!
Stage set!
Wardrobe….
Black and White and elegant!
When the white suits first appeared in Toronto, I have to admit I wasn’t totally on board with it. Then I saw some photos of the guys and I had to admit they were drop dead gorgeous in them! But when the guy’s walked out on stage I finally saw how elegant they were. Perfect in every way! Who would have thought they would ever see three guy’s singing bel canto in white tuxedos. The time has come to change their direction and clothes and go to a new comfort zone! Great choice guys! You look marvelous!
During the performance they do change into the black and for a while we watch the black and white play off one other!
A wonderful new vision! Bravo!
So let the show begin!
After the show I did a review on Ticketmaster. So, let’s start with my summary to them.
The best 2 1/2 hours I’ve spent in over two years when I last saw Il Volo at Radio City Music Hall. The new show is an event not to be missed! Along with their bel canto they have exciting new songs that will go to the core of your heart! They are three voices that form a symphony. Individually and together, they will capture your inner being and leave their mark on your heart forever. If you haven’t seen them yet, it’s time you did!
This concert was different….
I remember when the guys first recorded the Morricone album, I thought this is going to be different. It certainly was! The guys were moving out of their comfort zone. To some degree, they were taking a chance. They certainly try new and different things, but this was even different from their normal different.
When the guys wanted to go to Sanremo they debated it and went back and forth and finally everyone was onboard. The decision to do this album and production had to be very much like that. It was risky. They had no idea if this would work but they took the chance because they believed Morricone’s music was important and they wanted to share it with the world.
I always say that Pino Daniele wrote his songs for Ignazio and here I have to say Morricone wrote his songs for Il Volo. There were no words until Il Volo appeared. This music is so perfect for them. The genius of Morricone and the genius of Il Volo what a combination.
The result is an album which brought Morricone’s music to life and catapulted our guys into a new musical direction. Bel canto and beyond!
The greatness of Morricone was hidden for so many years. After receiving an Honorary Academy Award from the Academy, people began to notice Morricone and those who snubbed him for so many years, were forced to admit he was one of the greatest composers of the century.
The guys were in the middle of the pandemic, and they knew when they came out of it, it would be like starting all over again. So, you might ask, why take the risk with this music? I think the answer was simple. During their quarantine, something amazing happened, these three men had the opportunity to be at home, to live normal lives and to finally be in a position where they could take the time needed to consider their next move.
Coming back after the pandemic wasn’t going to be easy but, during that time something else happened, Morricone, who the guys had a great respect for, died. When the project came to them, it wasn’t just the opportunity to do this album but to be a big part in the decisions about this album. For one, they could select which music they wanted. Over five hundred pieces were available. At this moment, they had an opportunity to take a good look at their future and they decided to go for it!
When they stepped on the stage at Radio City Music Hall, they already had a successful album and people loved the new music.
The Production….
But how was it possible that people were able to jump onboard so easily with this music? The answer is in the opening number. The one song everyone knows is The Ecstasy of Gold and so that’s where we begin….
What a way to start a show! Now the adrenaline is flowing….
The next song touches our heart every time….
Your Love
Have you noticed the strength in their voices. Very mature! Crisp and clear! Fine-tuned! They went from amazing to phenomenal. They truly took my breath away.
What I also noticed is the audience was more attentive. Not jumping up and down but truly paying attention like they never did before. I think they were experiencing something new, and they liked it! And at the end of the songs, they applauded and stood to acknowledge them every time. They truly showed their love to the guys.
During the songs people were listening and following each guy as he moved around. It was like surround sound. Their voices were coming from everywhere. A true Symphony!
How about those duets…..
Always amazing!
But before the duets, how about some great humor?
Introduction to My Way
The Solos….
Mr. Personality! Ignazio you truly are the whole production!
What’s new and beautiful….
Our favorites were there too….
Did you notice how their voices can change your whole state of mind?
And how about those little moves that can drive you wild….
Okay Gian! You almost got it! Now move!
So, if you’re going to start all over, why not try something different. They did and it worked! They presented a concert that was a marvel, a sensation, a curiosity in other words, a Phenomena!
And so, I end this story with my favorite picture of the evening! Me and the guys! Thank you for a phenomenal evening. You truly swept me off my feet. Each of you knows what you did for me! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! See you in LA!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
If you would like to share a story with me, please email: susan.flightcrew@yahoo.com
To read more Il Volo stories visit us at www.ilvoloflightcrw.com
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
