Today’s story is about the guys meeting, ironing out the wrinkles, developing a friendship and becoming Brothers!
When these three young men started out, they were 15 and 16 years old. Think of being 15 or 16 years old and you have a dream, and someone tells you that that dream, needs to be shared. To fulfill that dream you have to leave your family, your friends, your home, you have to go to another country and, you have to share this journey with two people who you really know nothing about except that they had the same dream you did. You have to trust that the decision that was made by you and your family, was the right decision. If not, it’s back to square one! You’re going to be lonely and, you have to learn to survive without the people you love. So, you learn to lean on one another. That dependence turns into a friendship and that friendship into a brotherhood. It enabled them to trust enough to collaborate and perfect something truly amazing. Something that revolutionized the music industry. Let me go further by showing you a collaboration by these three amazing, very, very talented, young men that is so unreal that it boggles your mind. This is a collaboration of love. You will notice that the whole Orchestra is in awe and Giampiero Grani can’t stop smiling. Stop and listen to this performance of “Por Una Cabeza”.
Look at how they smile at one another during the performance. A smile that says yes that’s it! Their faces are ablaze! Their expressions let one another know that it works. And, finally, when it’s over, they are so excited they can hardly contain themselves. Look at how their faces are lit up! Their joy is shown in their amazing, smiles and their embraces! This says it all! They are brothers who love one another!
To help you understand this relationship better, I am including an article from October 10, 2019, which was translated by Daniela and, explains in the guys’ own words how they grew together.
The well-known Italian magazine SORRISI E CANZONI TV, dedicated the cover photo and presented a beautiful interview of Il Volo by Solange Savagnone. But before we begin, let’s see what the guys were up to!
Budapest! The stained-glass window of the room overlooks a square in the historic center. Inside, in a secluded area, a group of people are in tears from laughing. Ignazio has just hit the center, on the third attempt, throwing a cap with his thumb into a mug of beer on the opposite side of the table.
Gianluca, between a miso soup and shrimp in tempura, interrupts the jokes to greet a young Greek tourist who approaches to ask for a selfie. And while Ignazio sings the tune of a robiola commercial and Piero chats with his friend Priscilla Presley, Michele Torpedine uses his chopsticks from his Japanese dinner to present his first career in life, that of a drummer.
The scene seems crazy to us but it’s perfectly normal for the guys.
“We like to say that it is ten years of friendship! Music and loyalty are the most important thing,” explains Gianluca. “We are three leaders and sometimes it is not easy to live together, but we have grown together and, we have helped each other, both professionally and humanly. We are like brothers.” And that sums it up but it’s only the beginning of my article.
The exact day in which their partnership was born was April 25th, 2009, the third episode of Ti Lascio Una Canzone. But of course, this is the part of the story that everyone knows. So, without delay let us go to the interview.
How have you changed since then?
Ignazio: In addition to changing physically, we have grown professionally. On stage, however, we feel the same adrenaline of the early days. Singing for us is not a job, but a passion, a fun, a way to feel complete.
The first time you met, what did you think of each other?
Piero: Ignazio was unpleasant to me. I remember him on the bus he was singing, but he was also the first one I tied with. Gianluca, instead, was in the group of dudes ……
Ignazio: I never thought about this, Gianluca was on the sidelines, but then it was natural to be together.
Gianluca: When you’re small and you’re on Rai1, you do everything they tell you. The program lasted nine weeks and we were rivals, a bit of envy was created and, in those days we exchanged only a few words. But the success we received was incredible.
What’s left of those kids?
Piero: Everything. We are always us and we have fun at every concert. We have the same passion and spontaneity of those times. Before going on stage, we laugh about everything. We do not follow a script. We help each other and we get excited a little. We are not spoiled. We have certain needs, just because we need them to stay healthy and do concerts well. The responsibility we have towards those who work with us, and the public, is enormous. If one of us gets sick and misses two or three concerts, it’s a disaster. So, to avoid the risk, maybe we avoid going to the disco.
Ignazio: Also, because we always sing live. This summer, for example, after the concert in Palermo, I didn’t go out with friends, because the next day we had another concert in Taormina.
Gianluca: Musically speaking, we are always in search of perfection, and we strive to grow and make people understand who we are.
How can you grow as brothers without being brothers?
Piero: It was difficult, but lately our relationship has improved. Before, we were spiteful, now we openly say to each other, what is wrong. There is no grudge between us.
Gianluca: There is a difference between being together for work, or by choice. In the first case there is a little tension, when instead we are together to have fun, it is another thing, indeed we should do it more often.
You have very different characters. What is your way of living love, family, friendship and social media?
Ignazio: I am the least social of the three. I know it’s important to keep my private for myself. A little privacy, it takes. My character is particular, I am sensitive, but very strong and hard. I do everything, but you must respect me.
Gianluca: I am a little narcissistic because I need confirmation. In kindergarten, I always asked the teacher twice if I was good. And this insecurity, I brought it with me, until today.
Every day I speak to my parents, my dearest ones, my girlfriend. I vent with them, as well as with Piero and Ignazio. We love each other. On social media, if I put lots of photos, the fans are happy, the haters are a little less, but I continue to be myself.
Piero: We can’t hide anything between us. If I lie, they notice it. With the people I know and choose, I am very generous, open, sunny. But I only trust my best friend, my brother and my sister. I have a big flaw: for me, either it’s white or it’s black, I give you my heart, but if you do me a wrong, you’re dead.
Gianluca: I have learned that we must try to understand why a person behaves in a certain way. I never hold a grudge. Piero instead gets angry, for the criticisms and the free offenses.
Piero: In fact, before I used social media so much, now only for work things.
The secrets of your success?
Piero: The first is that we study a lot. The second is our manager, Torpedine, who has been following us for years. The third is the music we sing.
Gianluca: But talent and work alone are not enough, sometimes timing counts. To be recognized, you have to be special, and we were the first to perform at a very young age, in bel canto: this struck people’s hearts.
Who are the hottest fans?
Gianluca: Perhaps the South Americans. (Torpedine told us that in Mexico, fans broke through the window of the hotel where they were staying.)
Piero: But even in Bulgaria, they showed us unexpected affection. And the Japanese, apparently so rigid, go wild during the concerts and come to the front of the stage.
Gianluca: Let’s say that with our performances, we help the public to free themselves. We tend to make a very engaging event, not a serious concert.
How can you not let this go to your head?
Gianluca: With intelligence you cannot get carried away by the wave of success, but the people who follow you and the support of the family matter a lot. Staying attached to the origins is the most important thing. If you let it go to your head, then people will notice it.
What are you missing when you’re on tour?
Gianluca: Normal life.
Ignazio: Waking up at home, carrying the dog around, everyday life.
Piero: After the concert at the Arena di Verona, I went home one day and enjoyed that moment, like never before. I felt an immense pleasure in going to the laundry and to the yogurt shop: it was how I did it for the first time.
Do you want to try your hand at some other musical genre?
Gianluca: If we changed genre, we would no longer be us and people would no longer recognize our music.
In ten years, how do you see yourself?
Ignazio: Ten years ago, they asked us the same thing and we didn’t know what to answer. Our way of thinking has changed: so, I would have answered married, with children, today not. Situations change.
Piero: I don’t know, new artists are born every day, the future is a question mark. We hope not to disappoint the fans.
Who do you want to thank for what you are now?
Piero: If today we celebrate ten years of career it is thanks to the fans, we have grown together and we hope to celebrate with them 50 years of career!
Gianluca: We thank the musical heritage we have, the bel canto, which has allowed us to travel around the world.
Ignazio: Words are not enough to thank all those who deserve it. I say thanks to those who believed in us, Michele Torpedine, our manager, and those who work closely with us. And thanks to life, for what he has given us: voice and luck (words that are tattooed on Ignazio’s arm).
Piero: And thanks to Sorrisi for this cover and for having always supported us.
How about when you are on tour or in your hotel rooms etc.
Piero: In the room I always ask that they cover the carpet with sheets, because I am allergic and, I must preserve the voice. I always have two suitcases, a big one with all the clothes and things I need (including Sicilian vacuum-packed almonds and natural tuna in a can) and an emergency trolley, with a second dress for the concert, for safety. And an agenda on which I record the commitments. Including this interview for Sorrisi.
Ignazio: When I’m on tour, in Italy, I always carry my guitar with me, abroad, unfortunately not. I go to the gym in fact we only choose hotels with a fitness area. In the room I relax as much as possible, maybe watching a soccer game on my mobile (I support Juventus). I also play football, as an offensive midfielder, and I’m pretty good. In fact, when I’m at home, every Wednesday, I go to play with friends. And when I can, I make two tennis matches with Piero.
Gianluca: I have no special requests and I adapt easily. I am very tidy, almost maniacal, I keep everything perfectly folded and, I even line up my slippers. I am lactose intolerant and pay attention to what I eat: rice, fish, vegetables, protein snacks and for breakfast pancakes with egg whites and peanut butter. Once a week we “go” with a pizza. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink and, I have never been drunk in my life, because I don’t like losing control. I train early in the morning and go for a run. Sport has changed my character. I have become more willing and disciplined.
In the final chapter of their book,Un’avventura straordinario, La nostra storia(An Extraordinary Adventure, Our Story)the guys sum of their life story. I can’t think of a better way to sum up my story than by having them sum up their story as they did in their book where….
…. the true and only secret of the success of our three lives is told.
When they asked us to write this book, our first thought was, “Finally,” finally we can tell the truth.” In a three-minute interview you cannot tell a life, but in a book yes. And that’s what we tried to do in these pages: tell our true story.
Which is a normal story, of three guys like many who had a great passion and were lucky enough to be able to transform that passion into what today makes them live and makes them famous.
Being successful is beautiful, it would be stupid to say no after we have so dreamed and desired, but you need to quickly understand something, and that is, that it is not only our merit.
The people who follow us have a large part of that merit.
And knowing it is what gratifies us the most.
It is wonderful to know that we have shared our emotions with those who listen to us.
That’s why we work, and that’s why we try to give everything when we sing, we live in a concert or recording studio. And that’s why we do our work always with the maximum of passion, so that we can create what for us is magic, the magic of emotion that passes from our voices to people.
Fans are the reason, the only real explanation of what happened to us from 2009 till today, the records, the tours around the world, the victory at Sanremo, what we are finally living in Italy.
During a concert we would like to embrace all the people before us, one by one, we would like to be able to say: “Thank you!” with our voices to all. And we want to thank them if we are in the studio to record, if we fill the halls in concerts, if we are in the charts, if we go around the world.
Our “fans” are everything!
…. for all we have done so far, let’s say thanks to those who have followed us. And we will continue our great adventure together!
I think their interview and the book have come together to show How Strangers Became Brothers!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
Staying in Hungry, today I would like to share with you a letter from Adrienn Gyorffy who lives in Hungry.
Dear Ladies, Il Volo Flight Crew!
I have been reading your newsletter for a few months now, and first of all I would like to thank you for all the news and information you share. I am a new fan of the guys, and thanks to Il Volo Flight Crew I have learnt a lot from them.
I am not an extroverted person so, I have not commented on the articles, news. But now I have felt an urge to share my story with you and to start a little diary of my last and next couple of days, just for fun, for myself. So, I share my story with you. It might be interesting for you. A small piece from the other end of the world, from Hungary 🙂
Good to have you, hope you will enjoy my story.
Love, Adrienn
My journey to the land of Il Volo ~ Love at first sight
It happened sometime during the pandemic, when people lost their hope, and the well-known world of ours turned upside down. I was looking for something which is stable, predictable, comforting. And it was my childhood, the lovely memories of my first holiday in Italy…
I was about 8 in 1982, when for the first time, I stepped into the land of the “Poisonous WEST” over the Iron Curtain. To a child brought up in communist Hungary, it was like the Garden of Eden. The sun, the sea, oranges straight from the tree (we could get oranges and bananas only a few times of the year if my mom was lucky enough to get a few after hours of queuing, strictly for us, for the children. Even if she was yearning for a bite, she would never eat one as it was a great treasure), and of course Italian music.
So going back to my original story when I started losing my hope during the pandemic, I started listening to the music of my childhood, the music that my parents were listening to, Al Bano and Romina Power, Toto Cutugno, Ricchi e Poveri etc. It brought back all the lovely memories. I was searching on the web for all the old and new appearances of them, when I encountered this:
I was enchanted by the voice of the young guy. He was so cute, still his voice was a miracle. I could feel goose bumps all over my arms. So, I wrote a name into my browser: Ignazio Boschetto…… and I was lost or saved forever!
As I learned, he was not a little boy anymore, but a handsome young man, with two other remarkable young artists, Piero Barone, Gianluca Ginoble – Il Volo.
I have never been a fan type of girl. I learnt musical instruments and loved music and was listening to music all the time, when I was younger, but never had anybody I was rajong (crazy about). But now at the age of 47 it struck me, and specially the impact of their music on me. It brought back the energy, the hope, the love of life, the dreams one tends to lose as time goes by. It pulled me out from the egyszínű (solid) weekdays when I was operating as Mom only. I found my ego and have my dreams and desires back again. Their music has filled me up with vitality and it still does. When I am tired, feeling down or just lost, I listen to Il Volo and I am back to normal, or when I am feeling gracious for my life I also listen to the guys and, I get even closer to the One I have to say thank you for my wonderful life.
So here I was the new fan of Il Volo, reading all the news I could find about them, especially Il Volo Flight Crew, where I learnt their history as well. I was listening to all the interviews. Luckily the English ones were not a problem, but the Italian interviews shows their real personalities, so I decided to start learning Italian to understand them J And I also started to look for the concert venues to be able to see them live. You can imagine how furious I was when I found out at the spring of 2021 that they were in Hungary in 2019. But as a real fan (sometimes I feel like a teenager, they should be fans, not Moms with two children) I didn’t give up. Then the next obstacle was, that during Covid you cannot travel and besides all the concerts were cancelled, but miracles DO happen…
I was at Lake Balaton with my 10-year-old when scrolling the social media, I read somewhere that the only European concert which is not postponed is the one in Croatia. It is 5 hours driving from here…
I am not a spontaneous woman, especially not since I have had my children, but it struck me. I called my husband, saying that I have to go, sorted out the children with the help of my mom and bought the ticket 2 days before the concert. And YES, here I am, I am going to Il Volo concert to Opatija tomorrow!!! Whish me luck and will come back with the details of the concert soon.
On July 30th, during the event: MARCHE IN SHOP WINDOWS, the Cassero D’Argento award was presented.
It is an award that the Marche region awards every year to the citizens of the Marche who distinguished themselves during the year. The Cassero represents the fortification that was once the city gate.
Le Marche is a region bordering Abruzzo and is the region where the Frasassi caves are located.
This year, among the winners, there was also Il Volo. Collecting the prize were Gianluca Ginoble and Michele Torpedine. In the following video we will hear the motivation for the award.
MAN = Cassero D’argento 2021 international award to: IL VOLO.
(Gianluca and Torpedine go up on stage)
GIAN = (to Torpedine) Ignazio, you are old !!! 😁😁(laughs) Good evening everyone and thank you.
MAN = Let’s get off to a good start ☺ Collecting the prize: Michele Torpedine and Gianluca Ginoble, that needs no introduction.
WOMAN = Who rewards?!!
MAN = The president of the Marche Region was particularly keen to deliver the prize: Francesco Acquaroli who is here with us.
Good evening president.
WOMAN = (reads the motivation) They are the group of Italian love songs, a success that never sets. Through their music, they interpret songs of the Italian and international tradition, with a classic style that completely revisits the concept of pop and modern.
After the overwhelming victory in Sanremo 2015, with the song Grande Amore, a song that was then confirmed third place in the Eurovision Song Contest of the same year, the group has consolidated its success to date with six studio albums under their belt.
GIAN = Thanks ! I’m so happy to be here.
MAN = I would start with the manager for a moment.
This is a number 10 night (the best).
They (Il Volo) score goals, translated in terms of international successes, but behind “the tips” (ie who scores goals), there is the number 10, there is the director who puts the great artists in the conditions of get the results.
GIAN = Torpedine is our Mancini, practically. (Mancini is the coach of the Italian football team that won the European Championships last month)
MAN = Exactly, that’s where I wanted to go. Does this parallelism fit, or does it not? There is talent, there is good work …
TORPEDINE = That’s how it is in football.
In the case of Il Volo, there is a good atmosphere together, things are thought together, indeed, I must say that many ideas, I steal them from them, and then maybe, I develop them well.
But it’s a nice team, we are all together.
GIAN = We are a cohesive group.
MAN = (to Torpedine) When did you start with them, did you imagine they would come to these moments? I think of the Verona Arena and I still shiver, because you enchanted the world on that occasion (he refers to the Morricone tribute).
TORPEDINE = Seeing them at: TI LASCIO UNA CANZONE, everything could be imagined except this.
MAN = That is, Torpedine, the first impact was NO, we are not there!
TORPEDINE = I was sitting in front of the TV, I saw these three phenomenon children and I thought: let’s see for a moment …. they reminded me of the three tenors when they were small, they had the same size more or less, in the voice.
Then growing up, they put their talent, because when there is the material, it is easy to do our job, it is more difficult when there is not.
MAN = Listen Gianluca, I am thinking of the Verona Arena, but in how many wonderful places in the world have you sung.
To the caves (Frasassi), what effect did this enchanting place have on you?
GIAN = First of all, I am Abruzzese, but I particularly love the Marche (a region bordering Abruzzo), also because I am often in San Benedetto (a town in the Marche) which is half an hour from my home, or Civitanova (other town), and I love this wonderful land, let’s say that I also feel a little bit from the Marche region. (applause)
MAN = We are pleased.
GIAN = I am from Abruzzo DOC (it is the brand that means of controlled origin and is placed on local products), but also a little from the Marches.
I thank all those who have given us the opportunity to be able to perform in such a magical place (Frasassi) one of the most beautiful places in the world and not only in Italy, and that we really want to bring it also internationally, even if not it certainly needs introduction, but it is such an important place, so magical, with the music of Ennio Morricone sung by us, it is certainly a way to bring the vision (of the caves) to as many people as possible. So we are really proud of this work we have done with the Region (Marche) and thanks also to the President (of the Marche region)
MAN = Above all.
GIAN= Above all.
MAN = Rightly, the President wanted to be next to you right now.
WOMAN = So President, you are in charge of tourism, these guys (Il Volo), are not from the Marche region, but they came to the Marche, to shoot a video of theirs, as a promotion of their world tour.
PRESIDENT = First of all, good evening everyone.
Let’s say that ours is an extraordinary region, and I believe that, discovering it more and more every day … to get here, tonight I went a little way and saw some glimpses (panoramas), a truly impressive heritage, maybe we Marche people should to be more aware of what we have and we will also have to be much more proud and then, of course, performers like these artists (Il Volo), who can greatly enhance our extraordinary heritage, is beautiful.
They have created a work of art in a work of art, and this happens, when culture, art, music, combine with an extraordinary work like that of the Frasassi caves, I believe there is a combination that can make beauty even more protagonist.
WOMAN = Perfect President. Congratulations, congratulations to all of you.
MAN = Here is the prize, thanks Agnes (the girl who brings the prize).
WOMAN = Give it to the President who hands it over. Torpedine, I’ll keep your microphone, do you still want to say something Michele?
TORPEDINE = No, thanks, I’ve already talked a lot. (the President gives the prize to Gianluca and Torpedine, and they pose for the usual photo).
MAN = Delivery of the prize: Il Cassero d’Argento. (applause)
WOMAN = Thank you, thank you, thank you very much from the heart.
MAN = Thank you for allowing this marriage of excellence. Thanks and congratulations.
In recent days, another promo has also been released from the Facebook page of the Frasassi caves, here it is.
And then, below a short video with short interviews with Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, during the shooting of the video inside the caves.
PIERO = The goal for a singer is to convey emotions, to get something to people’s hearts.
I always say that it is not obvious, to receive affection from the public, to have many fans.
We are three privileged guys, but we feel a lot of responsibility on us, because when we think about the realization of a project, an idea, the first question we ask ourselves is, “Will it create some emotion, will it reach people, will they like it?”
IGNAZIO = Caves are magical places, where everything takes on a different magic.
Sharing this magical place with the maestro Vittorio Storaro (Italian cinematographer who will direct the video) was a great emotion.
GIANLUCA = The melodies of the great maestro Morricone are the protagonists in this wonderful setting which are the Frasassi caves.
We can say that it is one of the most beautiful experiences of our life.
FRASASSI CAVES, THE ENCHANTING NATURE.
But how beautiful and elegant are Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca? And how beautiful the caves behind them.
It will be a beautiful video !!❤
On July 31, in Naro (Piero’s town), an event was to take place in Piazza Garibaldi, in the presence of the public, where Piero would sing.
Unfortunately, due to the spread of the new Delta infections, the event has been suspended until a date to be determined. Sin.😑
RAI 1 has decided to re-propose the tribute concert to Ennio Morricone on 14 August at 9 pm (Italian time), well I’ll know what to watch that evening! 😉
Surely many of you have already seen it, but I want to close with this beautiful and meaningful photo of Gianluca walking in the square of Montepagano, with his grandfather Ernesto.
How much sweetness in this shot.❤
And Ignazio ……….. will you say?
He seems that he is very busy with his new love affair with the dance teacher Ana Paula Guedes, during an interview Ignazio admitted that he was in love and that the story began in January …………but these are very personal situations of our guys, it is their private life and we just have to be happy for them. 😉
That’s all for now.
We have arrived in August, the holiday period, but this year very limited due to the continuous infections.
The situation here in Italy is good, because most of the people got both vaccines. There is a growing spread of the Delta variant, but for now, it seems thanks to vaccines, there are few hospitalizations and few deaths, thank goodness!
I hope that the situation is sustainable with you too.
Many of you, in the comments after the various articles on the Verona concert, asked me for the opinion of the press. I have not forgotten about this and therefore here I am giving you my opinion.
I want it to be clear, that it is only my personal opinion, maybe I am too protective, towards Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, or maybe, like a mother, I want the best for them, because I think they deserve it, and therefore also this time, I was disappointed with the reviews in the press, or rather, I was half satisfied, but I certainly expected more.
Let’s start from the fact, that the concert was magnificent and you have all been able to see it.
The television ratings have absolutely rewarded the concert, they had the maximum ratings of the evening, therefore a real success.
The next day, it was Sunday, but I expected that the newspapers and television news, at least those of RAI, would write or say a few words of congratulations.
Those few newspapers that reported the news, did it purely as a news item, “Il Volo had the best ratings”, no compliments to the three boys.
On the Sunday after the concert, I watched the RAI news and also all the entertainment shows that also report the news of the various shows.
NOTHING, no one has talked about it, nor in the news, not even in the gossip broadcasts.
BIG DISAPPOINTMENT.
Here are some of the articles, of which I will translate the best parts.
The music has restarted and it has done so in a big way with a show that is not only musical. Starring Ignazio Boschetto, Piero Barone and Gianluca Ginoble who, in the unprecedented role also of conductors of the evening, led the spectators and viewers of Rai 1 in an evening dedicated to sharing. Il Volo, Tribute to Ennio Morricone had the merit of turning the lights back on to music.
The opening on the notes of Ecstasy of Gold, the main piece of the soundtrack of Once Upon a Time in the West, was exciting.
Two and a half hours of music, memories and emotions in a journey not only linked to the figure of the Maestro, but which fits perfectly with the musical journey undertaken over the years by the three boys, increasingly careful to bring excellence around the world of our country.
Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca then retraced their 12-year career, with significant images and with the performance on the notes of ‘O Sole Mio, a song they sang as children, and Grande Amore, the piece with which they triumphed at the Festival of Sanremo 2015.
Music is sharing and it certainly cannot save the world, but it certainly has the merit of making it more enjoyable. Especially after the terrible year and a half in which we changed our perspective on the present and the future.
After a long season without concerts, live music officially resumes thanks to the concert held this evening, Saturday 5 June, in the splendid setting of the Verona Arena. Protagonists Gianluca Ginoble, Ignazio Boschetto and Piero Barone, the three souls and the three voices of Il Volo. Two and a half hours of beautiful music, a concert-tribute to the romantic and visionary genius of Ennio Morricone.
Broadcast live on Rai Uno, the event certainly did not disappoint expectations.
In the lineup some of the most beautiful songs already interpreted in the past by the trio ….. Inevitable some of the themes composed by Ennio Morricone for the cinema … national pop scene …. Finally, from the very first listening, the unpublished “I Colori dell’amore” (The Colors of Love), signed for the occasion by Maestro Andrea Morricone, a particularly suggestive piece, crowning an unforgettable evening. We start again … we start again in a great way.
People, as many people as they have not seen in the same place for a long time. With the masks, the right distances ……. the music has started again, the Verona Arena has been granted to a few thousand people who have been excited for almost three hours together with Il Volo which paid homage to the teacher Ennio Morricone. A perfect evening for climate, program and joy, to the point of (almost) forgetting the waiting time “justified” by television times ….. an evening that will go down in history.
Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio start with Ecstasy of Gold, the theme of The Good, the Ugy and the Bad by Sergio Leone. Then a few words, presented Andrea Morricone ………. who will conduct the orchestra in some pieces during the evening. One is Your Love …….. the three artists remember when, in 2016, they participated in the tribute evening to the three tenors Pavarotti-Domingo-Carreras. The composition cannot be anything but the Nessun Dorma and the execution is thrilling; the orchestra, directed by Maestro Marcello Rota, and the choir the latter arranged as tradition dictates in front of the stage, immense …………… The colors of love is the piece created for Il Volo by Andrea Morricone followed, for the last standing ovation, by Libiamo ne ‘lieti calici, aria from La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi and the reprise of Estasi Dell’Oro. With a dedication to the people that Covid has taken away and a thought to Vito, Ignazio Boschetto’s father who died last March, the circle closes, the music remains in the air. And, I’m sure, people are finally smiling under themasks.
Il Volo-Tribute to Ennio Morricone: success for the concert that bewitched the audience.
… aired on Rai1 last night live from the Verona Arena, it won the prime time with a 25% share, winning 4,702,000 viewers.
…… The exclusive concert-event of the international trio Il Volo, in honor of Maestro Ennio Morricone, saw Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca alternate conducting, accompanied by Marco Giallini and Laura Chiatti. The Filarmonia Veneta Regional Orchestra was conducted by Maestro Marcello Rota, with special participation in some pieces by Maestro Andrea Morricone.
The event, which also marked the reopening of the Verona Arena’s musical season, lasted over two hours, winning one standing ovation after another from the audience present at the Arena.
Certainly these are all positive articles, but they are few and moreover from minor newspapers, certainly not those that, after Notte Magica, have really said very badly about them.
But one yes, I had a great satisfaction reading IL FATTO QUOTIDIANO.
This newspaper had written very badly after Notte Magica, using titles like this: ”Il Volo on Canale 5, the great opera scam: we hope that people will keep them abroad, so, at least for a while, we get rid of them”.
The three tenors have returned to live music for the only concert scheduled for this year. The Verona Arena was sold out with a Covid capacity of 6 thousand people to applaud the most famous arias of Maestro Morricone and the many guests on stage. Emotion for a special dedication to Ignazio’s father that Piero Barone made at the end of the show.
The challenge was twofold. The great return to prime time live on Rai Uno and all three alone to conduct, without any intermediary. The result of “Il Volo – Tribute to Ennio Morricone”? In front of the screen last night there were 4,702,000 viewers and 25.8% share. Excellent listening that rewarded an evening that was indeed the celebration of the great Maestro but also the story of Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble, their story between anecdotes and songs from their repertoire included in the lineup. The event was organized in full compliance with anti Covid-19 guidelines and protocols.
……………Excited, the three tenors dedicated the event “to the people who didn’t make it. Our thoughts go up there to them.” Piero then added: “This concert is dedicated to Vito who we miss so much and is watching us from up there.” That is, Ignazio’s father who died of an illness on February 28th. The concert will be broadcast in the United States by the PBS network. Il Volo will return to America next year for a series of concerts, while the Morricone tribute album will be released later this year and will be sold all over the world.
But the journalists who had written so badly about Il Volo after Notte Magica, where did they go?
What happened to them??? This time they didn’t write anything bad, but not only that, they didn’t write anything at all, as if the event hadn’t happened.
And then the articles that I first translated are beautiful, but there is no direct compliment to the boys, nothing that says about their personal growth, artistic maturation, praise to their voices.
The only really beautiful article, no ifs and buts, is the one published by VANITY FAIR, really well written, you understand that whoever wrote it was really present and experienced the emotions of that concert.
The Arena di Verona reopens its doors to music starting from Il Volo with a show in honor of Ennio Morricone, live on Rai Uno. We stayed with them in Verona.
Months of closed doors, silence. The Verona Arena turns the lights back on and lets the music play, starting with Il Volo – Tribute to Ennio Morricone, a concert event, in honor of the great Maestro. Broadcast live on Saturday 5th June on Rai Uno, it marks the great restart of the summer season of one of the most important places for Italian music.
It is a special evening. The three boys appear excited, after days of rehearsals, which ended at two in the morning the night before.
A show prepared in detail, where for the first time the two tenors and the baritone also play the role of television hosts but choose not to read the hunchback, in order to be more free to be themselves. The difference can be seen, after a somewhat rigid start in the spoken parts, when they finally break up joking with each other. It is their beauty. Serious and composed as they sing, they appear much more fun (and entertained) if they let themselves go to their dynamics of colleagues (and especially friends) who have been working together for the past 12 years. Instead, no hesitation in the sung parts, from the first note of Your Love, the song that opens the concert, among the images of the film Once upon a time in the west. They show once again, in this first concert after a year and a half of stoppage which for them is also the first live television broadcast, that they are professionals able to fill the sky of Verona with three powerful voices that fit together perfectly and excite an audience that stands up many times, in continuous standing ovations, demonstrating great participation and emotion to the three protagonists.
“These have been difficult days for us. We’ve been thinking about doing a live broadcast for a long time, but we’ve always wanted to wait, we didn’t think we were ready. Today we want to send a message to young people. Never give up on your dreams. Because we didn’t do it,” says Ignatius, just as one of their dreams comes true.
…………It is their only 2021 concert in Italy and is also broadcast in the United States by the PBS network. “The best thing is to see so many people working on this event,” they say. And with them there are also the dancers, as if to emphasize that the art that must start again also passes through dance.
………….What you don’t see on TV are the ladies in the front rows waving to greet them or the people outside the Arena listening. The greetings of the three, when they are not framed and the words during the advertising blacks. There are also many foreigners who have come from abroad to attend the show. “We have experienced shortcomings and distances. There are those who have had great losses and those who have great satisfaction. We are dedicating this concert to people who have not made it. Our thoughts go up there to them,” says Ignatius. And among them there is also his father Vito, who died suddenly in March. “This concert is dedicated to Vito who we miss so much and is watching us from up there,” says Piero at the end, in a moment that becomes very emotional but which again leaves room for the professionalism of three friends who support each other. And so, while Ignazio sings perhaps at his best, the hands of Gianluca, visibly moved, look for his, to support him, in the most difficult, but also the most exciting, moment of the whole show.
They show their nuances, especially when they go on stage alone. Gianluca sings Your Song by Elton John showing his more pop side, dedicating the song to his mother, sitting in the front row. Piero, with Andrea Griminelli on flute, No puede ser nueva and Ignazio Listen accompanied by an eight and a half year old boy, Julian Iorio, on saxophone.
The tribute to the maestro therefore also goes through great songs such as Volare, My Way, O sole mio. And there is also Grande Amore, the song with which they won in 2015 at the Sanremo Festival. At the end they thank them, they dedicate an encore to the cameras off to the standing audience, they hope they enjoyed the show «We were very anxious. But we gave everything .
In their future there is now a period of rest. One more day in Verona and then everyone at home, waiting to be able to leave for a tour in 2022 that they hope will keep them busy for at least two years. Before then, however, a new disc for Sony Music, which will be this tribute to the maestro and which will arrive after the summer. “After a year and a half you gave us oxygen,” they tell the audience. And the public too, it is evident, has breathed this evening.
Of course, other newspapers have reported good comments, but they are publications linked to them by friendship, such as Il Resto Del Carlino (newspaper of Bologna) or the newspapers of Abruzzo and Sicily, even the newspaper of the Arena, but there was no doubt that they wrote well of Il Volo.
Mute scene, however on the part of all the television programs, nobody talked about it.
In short, I was satisfied because there were no obvious “attacks” on our boys, but I’m not thrilled with what was written.
I repeat, maybe it is my feeling, but I would have liked more, for so much work, so much art, so much beauty, which Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca have certainly been able to give us.
We’ve recently had so many intriguing posts about the Verona concert, the latest Il Volo TV interview, and the history of Il Volo, that I took a short break from writing and translating (while I worked at my day job)! In any case, Flight Crew still wanted you to get the translation of an Il Volo interview article that appeared in Famiglia Cristiana magazine right before the Verona concert.
The Famiglia Cristiana article pursued some of the things many other interviewers have already asked the guys: their memories, their feelings about returning to the stage, upcoming recordings. But this article touched on one or two things that most of the media don’t usually get Il Volo to talk about: supporting each other during crises, their faith, prayer, marriage, starting a family. See if you agree with me that overall, Ignazio said the least, but revealed the most.
The Cover Story Title is “Exclusive: Il Volo at the Arena of Verona in Concert for Morricone. Once Again in Front of the Public.”The cover quote from the guys is“Our Strength? It’s Our Friendship and Our Faith.”
This posting will be a little different than my previous ones, because I am giving you the actual magazine pages, so we can enjoy the whole thing together. I put the translation of the call-out boxes into our own call-out boxes. In case some of the magazine pages aren’t super sharp, we have also embedded some of the original shots here and there for you to enjoy.
(Each image in this post can be clicked on to view a larger version.)
As you can see below, the inside headline, besides repeating the cover, adds: “The Three Singers of Il Volo are the Stars of a Concert in Honor of Ennio Morricone, Whom We Lost One Year Ago.
When I first saw this article, it added to my impression that the Verona concert was dedicated to more different people than any other show I’ve ever heard. Daniela’s and my translations of the stage talk from the concert over the past month showed that in addition to the show being dedicated to the memory of Maestro Ennio Morricone, Ignazio dedicated the concert to those we lost during the pandemic, and Piero dedicated it to Ignazio’s late father Vito. Now, at the bottom of this magazine article, we see Gianluca’s statement “I’m dedicating this show to my grandfather Ernesto who recovered from the [Corona] virus. It’s he who helped me discover the westerns of Sergio Leone.”
Sergio Leone, as you probably know is the Italian film director whose “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” featured Maestro Morricone’s music, and like the other two films in that trilogy, A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More, added up to help make Clint Eastwood a star. Leone also directed the “Once Upon a Time” series of western films. Given Leone’s Italia origins, he is the founder of the style that came to be called “Spaghetti Westerns.”
So, without further ado, here’s the translation of the article by Eugenio Arcidiacono. [Based on his name, he may actually be an archdeacon].
“The interview takes place remotely, with the three Il Volo guys linked by video from their homes. But on June 5 will put them back together again for the first big concert in Italy with the public (a live audience) since the start of the pandemic: 6 thousand people will listen to them in the Arena di Verona during their tribute to Ennio Morricone one year after his loss (and the lucky ticketholders will be allowed to return home later than the curfew hour). Many more are those who will follow them on TV, live on RAI1 and in other countries of the world, from the United States to Japan. A great challenge after a year and a half of inactivity for Piero Barone, Gianluca Ginoble and Ignazio Boschetto.“
“We’re only thinking about one thing: finally, we get to sing. We couldn’t stand it anymore!” exclaims Piero. “We prepared for months, partly because for us it’s a totally new repertoire, with the exception of Il Più Ti Penso, a song that was constructed by blending themes from Once Upon a Time in America and from Malèna, which we included in our first album.
EA: Did any of the other tracks have lyrics written purposely for you?
Ignazio: “No, they’ve already been performed with lyrics. The only “gem” is Ecstasy of Gold from the Good the Bad and the Ugly: the Morricone family gave it lyrics, so it was a debut performance.
Gianluca: “There have been so many tributes to Morricone, but this will be the very first time for a tribute done by a male group. A tribute that will be translated to a CD that will come out after the summer. Andrea Morricone came to us in the recording studio and will be a guest on the stage to conduct some of his father’s music.”
EA: You’ve been conducted by Ennio Morricone in concert in the Piazza Del Popolo in Rome in 2011. You weren’t even 20 years old. What memories do you have?
Gianluca: “It’s true, we return to being children when we think of him. We were really naïve. I remember that during the general rehearsals with a one-hundred-piece orchestra he gave me the cue to start singing, but I didn’t start. Morricone turned to me [for not starting], and then I said to him, “So you give me the start cue?’ I saw the first violinist turn white [with shock] because I addressed the maestro as “tu” [the familiar/intimate form of you, which is not supposed to be used to conductors and music directors]. But he just smiled at me and said to me ‘Guys, don’t worry about it. I’ll deal with it.’”
EA: What is the first film with his music that you saw?
Piero: “Nuovo Cinema Paradiso. As a real Sicilian I recognized myself in that little boy who wanted to get away from his homeland to find his own way, and who listened to the adult he was most attached to, who counseled him to not get trapped by nostalgia. I’ve only cried a few times in my life, but when I saw it and heard that poignant music, I melted like a popsicle.”
Piero stops, and begins to hum the theme song from Nuovo Cinema Paradiso. “Who knows these notes? With our concert we want to make our audience take a dip into their past, rediscovering the emotions they experienced the first time they saw these films.”
Gianluca: “I, on the other hand, am fond of westerns, because I watched them with my Grandfather Ernesto, whom I’m extremely attached to. When I let him hear The Good, the Bad and the Ugly sung by us, he got very excited. I dedicate the concert and the CD to him, because at 87 years old he became sick with COVID and took a month in the hospital to recover. We were very scared, but in the end, he made it.”
EA: The concert was originally expected to be in St. Peter’s Square, but instead became the season opener in the Arena of Verona.
Piero: “We thought of St. Peter’s Square because Morricone was from Rome, but they didn’t have the conditions to guarantee [everyone’s] safety there. At the Arena of Verona, on the other hand, these conditions were present and it’s as magical a place as any, and recognized all over the world. But we still want to return to St. Peter’s Square as soon as possible.”
EA: Morricone has also composed musical scores thick with spirituality. Will you also perform one of those?
Gianluca: “In Fantasy, a track based on the theme of Gabriel’s Oboe, from the film Mission, one of the most mystical melodies ever composed by the master, accompanied by words like “In fantasy exists a warm wind which blows over the cities, like a friend. I dream of souls that are forever free.”
EA: As ambassadors of Italian music to the world, what do you think about Maneskin’s victory at the Eurofestival?
Piero: “We’re very happy. They are young people with great personality who present an “unpublished” side of Italian music to the outside: rock.”
Gianluca: “They do a completely different genre than ours, but we like them. We don’t listen to lyric music from morning to night. I grew up with David Bowie and Elton John.”
EA: In these months of forced inactivity, how has the relationship among you been, especially as friends?
Piero: “We got to know each other better. We talked a great deal, not just about music; and above all, we learned how to listen to each other.”
EA: How do you feel about those three child prodigies who in 2009 appeared on Ti Lascio Una Canzone?
Piero: Much tenderness, but also pride. We have been fortunate but also good at not getting sucked into the most ephemeral, fleeting parts of show business. We have managed not to lose contact with reality, because we have always remained anchored to our families.
EA: All three of you are believers and practicing [Catholics]. What reflections have sustained you in these times we’re living in?
Ignazio: “Like Piero said, this pandemic has made us grow as persons, because we have held each other up in difficult times, like the death of my father and the illness of Gianluca’s grandfather. But our faith has been fundamental in helping us. Prayer, in particular, has proven its power.”
EA: After the Arena of Verona, you won’t be doing concerts [in Italy] for the rest of the year. You can take advantage of this to start having your families.
Gianluca: “I’m still such a kid, that I can’t imagine myself as a father.”
Piero: “For sure, the first of us to get married will be Ignazio.”
Ignazio: “Yes, it’s true that I have always dreamed of a wife and children. With the job I do it’s not easy. But I’ve been working on it…”
Credit to Famiglia Cristiana and owners of all photos.
Here we are at the final part of the concert. There will be some things that you may not have seen, because they do not exist in the RAI video.
After the electrifying experience of VOLARE, while I am still flying on the clouds …. the actress Laura Chiatti returns to the stage who says that as a muse, she has to make a request to them, she wants to hear the beautiful UNAMORE COSÌ GRANDE. How could we blame her, it is a beautiful song that Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca sing excellently, so we are very happy to listen to it.
I admit that the choreography behind our boys, although beautiful, is a little deviant, also because it has nothing to do with the song, but the voices of our boys are truly formidable.
The boys continue, apologizing to the Arena audience for their backs, because they speak directly to the people at home and confirm that they have always admired the American genre and then introduce the beautiful MY WAY.
I must say that I have always considered the top performance of this song, the one made by Gianluca and Piero, but I admit that tonight, in trio, they gave their all, everyone interpreted and all together were simply stellar!!!
Such an intimate moment, the three of them sitting on stools and for us audience the possibility of being able to admire them in all their beauty, as well as hearing these magnificent voices.
Ignazio continues with renewing his thanks to the Morricone family and in particular to the maestro Andrea Morricone who directed them in some pieces.
Piero announces that Maestro Andrea has written a piece for Il Volo, an unpublished one: I COLORI DELL’AMORE(The Colors of Love).
It was a wonderful surprise, an unprecedented one. Beautiful music and beautiful words, it is a song very suitable for Il VOLO, which performs it with a lot of feeling. I hope to hear it often in concert. Here are the beautiful words:
Strade buie e vuote un solco dentro me Passa il tempo con la mente senza un se Le mie foglie cadono sopra di te Sono bruciature dentro l’anima Notti insonni senza fiato a scrivere Un suono in lontananza serve a vivere Vetri appesi alla speranza di chi c’è Sguardi trasparenti e pieni di perché
Ritornerai accanto a me Ti spoglierai dentro di me E rivivrai il tempo di una realtà con me
Sono i colori dell’amore di passione e libertà in mano un fiore e poi due attimi di noi immagini di un film istanti senza età Semino parole irraggiungibili Occhi già bagnati senza brividi Due gocce di sudore cancellabili Un urlo si dirada siamo liberi
Abbraccerai la luce che si accenderà dentro di me Sono i colori dell’amore di passione e verità in mano un fiore e poi ci siamo solo noi viviamo dentro a un film E il tempo svanirà
E il tempo svanirà…
Dark and empty streets a furrow inside me Spend time with the mind without an “if” My leaves fall on you They are burns inside the soul Sleepless nights out of breath to write A distant sound serves to live Glasses hung on the hope of whoever is there Transparent gazes full of whys You will return next to me You will undress inside me And you will live again the time of a reality with me
They are the colors of love of passion and freedom in hand a flower and then two moments of us pictures of a movie ageless moments I sow unattainable words Eyes already wet without shivering Two erasable drops of sweat A scream disappears we are free You will hug the light that it will light up inside me They are the colors of love of passion and truth in hand a flower and then there is only us we live in a movie And time will fade And time will fade …
Great applause and the boys once again thank Maestro Morricone, the orchestra Filarmonia Veneta and also Maestro Rota who has alternated with Maestro Morricone.
There is a nice standing ovation for everyone. They were all flawless.
Ignazio says that we are at the last passage. Oh NO !! It was all so beautiful and so fast that I didn’t even notice the passage of time.
The notes of LIBIAM NE LIETI CALICI begin, we end up in joy with a very festive lyrical air, taken from LA TRAVIATA.
People immediately start clapping their hands to the rhythm. There is a beautiful atmosphere of joy.
In the background scenography the interior of a theater is projected, beautiful, it seems to be in the balconies of an important theater, even the choir takes a position.
Ignazio’s ringing voice begins joyfully, Gianluca and Piero immediately follow and then the choir. How wonderful, an apotheosis for what we hear and for what we see, we all clap our hands in time, with Ignatius directing us from the stage.
All standing for a beautiful and well-deserved standing ovation.
The notes of THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY begin and Ignazio shouts “Grazie mille Verona !!!”,the boys thank the people, they are visibly happy.
In the RAI video, the closing credits start.
Ignazio says it was a wonderful evening, “After a year and a half you gave us oxygen, thank you very much for being with us.”
Thanks to all participants, Torpedine, Barbara Vitali and Eliana Biondi (staff) and the families of the guys.
Ignazio warns us to stay connected, because there will be a goodnight greeting (after the midnight newscast). Luckily, so there is still something !!
Last verse is sung of THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, and the concert is all over.
Gianluca says: “See you soon for a surprise.”
Ignazio brings his right hand to his heart, Piero greets everyone with his arms raised.
Standing ovation!
The boys go backstage, amid the applause of the people, but only the time to have a drink and perhaps wipe their foreheads, and here they are again on stage, accompanied by Marco Giallini.
As the short midnight news is being broadcast on RAI1, they are back on stage to keep us company, so that we don’t get bored waiting for them ….. what sweets !!!😘😘😘
The boys thank Giallini for his support. You must know that in Italy, it is known that Giallini is a lover of hard rock, therefore, a completely different genre from that of our boys. Giallini takes the opportunity to greet and give his esteem to the drummer Bruno Farinelli who is always on tour with our boys, remember, I did an article about him.
Then to pass the time, Ignazio says he can tell a joke and the others agree, as long as it makes people laugh.
Ignazio says: “Do you know what lipless cows do ???”
“UUUUUUUU”
….. Gianluca: “But it didn’t make anyone laugh !!!!”
These guys are really too strong and nice !!!😁😁😁😁😁😁
The RAI operators communicate that it is resuming live and so the boys resume thanking Giallini, who was an important presence for them, because Ignazio says it is their first live broadcast and he has given them great confidence. Giallini thanks and tells them to sing the last song to say goodnight to everyone. Giallini greets and goes out. If you watch the RAI video, you will see that at this point Piero makes a sign with a hand, behind Ignazio and Gianluca, to someone behind the scenes, as if to say “wait”.
Piero takes the floor to announce an absolutely moving and certainly not agreed moment. These are his exact words.
“We want to say something important for the three of us. This concert was dedicated to Vito, who we miss so much and is watching us from up there.”
Gianluca hugs Ignazio who closes his eyes. People applaud, Ignazio thanks with joined hands. Piero bit his lip, moved and Gianluca too has tears in his eyes. The three friends hug each other.
The applause and the standing ovation continue.
The fraternal affection that binds Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero is evident and in these moments it is very strong. It is a very, very moving and unique moment.❤❤❤
CONRADIANAbegins, a beautiful song set to music by Morricone and the words are by Andrea Bocelli.
I admit that I had never heard this song before, but I must tell you that it is wonderful and the words, beautiful.
Notice Ignazio, in the beginning, his face is absorbed.
The music of the violins is poignant and the choir raises the voices, wonderfully the voices of Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero, united in the last verse.
Long applause, still standing ovation, the three boys embraced, thanked and greeted and started backstage.
The RAI live broadcast ends, but it’s not all over, not yet !!
People continue to applaud and start saying BIS BIS (which means you want to hear a song again) and shortly after, the boys come back, the RAI connection is over, so they feel free from the impositions of the live broadcast.
They start singing the whole song of THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. Ignazio has already got rid of his jacket, immediately also Gianluca and then in the end also Piero.
Without any inhibitions, all three run to embrace the maestro Rota, a truly genuine gesture. (Which artist would do it this way?)
They are visibly satisfied and as the last notes are over, Ignazio stretches out his arms to look for his friends-brothers in a final contact.
A tender hug between Gianluca and Ignazio while Piero greets everyone.
It’s over.
The boys say goodbye to everyone and quickly run backstage, now it’s all over.
The people who during this last song, had gathered near the stage all standing, greet and thank by applauding.
Slowly we reach the exit, greeting all the friends we see to the right and left.
It was a wonderful evening. The concert was perfect and Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio sublime.
The boys did not spare their strength, always remaining present, all three, from start to finish.
It was the reopening concert, the one that had to give the message that everything is back to normal, the first concert at the Arena after a year and a half of silence.
But it was also the concert of memory, of all those who are no longer there, primarily Vito.
And finally it was also the evident renewal of the affection that binds Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, a deep affection of true friendship, of brother friends.
Now our thoughts are when will the next concert be?Fingers crossed!!! It will be soon!!!
Daniela
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
