Today I was thinking about Verona and the TV Special, and I was thinking about how magical the guys are. I even wrote a story once about the magic of Il Volo. Yes, they are and always will be magic. But magic is an understatement. Let’s look at what these phenomenal guys have done recently.
Individuality!!! You know that everyone loves Il Volo, but everyone loves his favorite guy, best! Though I don’t admit it too often, I love all the guys but, I too have a favorite! Think of how many times at a concert you said I wish (my guy) would sing more. You said that not because you don’t like the group but in fact you want to listen to each one individually. Their new concerts are doing exactly that! It’s giving us the opportunity to look into the heart of our guys through their music. It allows us to see them in a deeper and more personal way.
Some of you have written to me about the new concerts to say, you know I always loved (your guy) but now I’m see some great value in (the other guy). Does that mean your favorite guy is no longer your favorite guy? No, it just means that you appreciate the other guy more than before.
Their idea of “individuality” was not to dissuade you from one or the other. No, in fact, they want you to take a closer look at the other guy. Not to compare but to understand their individuality!
You may have found that some of the music they are singing now you like more than what they were singing or vis versa! It’s called taking a closer look!
The magic of Il Volo is on the stage, in the concert halls, in Arenas and Amphitheaters, on TV, in videos and CD’s but the true magic of Il Volo is in our hearts.
When we leave the concerts, we don’t leave them behind! No, we take them with us! They’re with us in our homes, in cars, on trains and on planes. How many of you out there can say that you ever felt that way about a singer or a group at any other time in your life? I’ll answer for you! Never! Because no other group in history has ever been so open, so sincere and so forthcoming with their fans.
I’m sure there are other singers you listen to. Think about them. Would they take the time to talk to you, to ask about you and your family? And that’s another thing. We all know about their families but think about this. They know about our families too! They ask for them and if you’re at a concert without them they ask where they are! That’s an expression of love and it is very commendable.
So, let’s go back to what I said about individuality. That guy that’s your favorite, is he your favorite solely because he has a phenomenal voice? They all have phenomenal voices. So, what is it that makes him your favorite. I think this is where true individuality comes in. You love who he is and how he represents himself. You love his kindness and his generosity. His compassion. You love how when he sings he makes you feel like he’s singing for you! There’s something about him that makes your life worth living! So, when I say, the true magic of Il Volo is in your heart, I say it because first and foremost his phenomenal voice has touched your heart! Listening to him sing makes every day perfect. After all, he’s singing just for you!
Now, let’s get back to the concerts for a minute.
Every concert I’ve seen is phenomenal. I feel that the guys are new at every concert. What does that mean. It means that even though they’ve sung those songs before and you’ve heard them a thousand times, when they come out on that stage, they make you feel like they are singing those songs for the first time. It’s called caring about your audience! Not just singing for the audience but wholeheartedly wanting to give the audience the most phenomenal experience of their lives. And that they do at every concert. For someone like me and there are many of you out there like me, we don’t go to just one concert, we go to numerous concerts. Someone might say, “why?” You’ve already seen that concert; you’ve heard those songs! But in fact, the guys are aware that we attend numerous concerts, so they try to mix it up a bit, so we have a new experience each time. But in all sincerity, I’m more than happy to see the same concert over and over again.
So where did the magic begin? For me it was one morning when I was walking to work on the west side of New York. ABC Studios was a few blocks from my office on 47th. On this particular morning there was a large crowd standing outside and in the middle of the group were three teenage boys. I stopped to listen, and I was amazed. Who are they and how do I get to see them perform. Well over the next few days they were everywhere! On all the day shows! On all the night shows! And then the real magic began when, about six months later, I turned on PBS and there they were! And I fell in LOVE!
Back to the guys!
Now I’m going to show you where this individuality began.
I refer to my story “Phenomenal” about the concert at the Arena of Verona. How did I describe that amazing event….
What was really happening here? We were watching the transition of Il Volo. When the guys came to the States in 2020, they were our boys and when they stepped on the stage in Verona, they were our guys. They were elegant! They matured! Their voices matured! They came into their own! They were owning their music! During their isolation, they worked apart but close to one another on the Morricone project. This was the beginning of what would be their new idea, their new concept, their “individuality!” Every man stepped up and showed who they were. Not our boys, though for many of you out there they will always be your boys. No, they showed us how they had become independent young men during their isolation. In the quiet of their homes over those long months they each had the opportunity to see and to feel and to understand who they were. In their isolation, they began to think about how their future would be molded. Where they fit in as individuals.
On the stage of the ancient Arena of Verona we witnessed the dawn of Il Volo’s new adventure! We witnessed our guys shaping a new beginning and sharing this amazing moment in time with us.
At that time, I wrote: “If I wrote what I felt, saw, experienced in this concert, I would have to write a book!” That is just the tip of the iceberg to where we are today!
In their opening song, “The Ecstasy of Gold,” I said, “Listen to the intensity of their voices! What force! Watch their motions. Look at Gianluca! Watch his body react to the music! The fist that comes at you saying this is the punch, just the beginning.
Listen to Ignazio ride the note that guides us into the story! Now we’re sailing on the wind!
Piero intensifies the moment with his powerful voice that says the journey has begun! Follow us in this new adventure!
Let’s move on to another song in the program ~ “Here’s to You.”
As you know the guys make decisions about where and how a song is presented. Their decision to do “Here’s to You,” in the audience had a lot of significance. We are used to having the guys in and out of the audience, interacting with the fans but, because of the RAI filming, this was not possible at this concert. But the guys made sure the audience would feel their presence, so they chose a very sincere, very personal song to share their time with the fans. They showed in their presentation how intelligent they are and how much they are a part of the American culture. In this song they reached out to the American fans and showed them how grateful they are for their acceptance and support over the years.
To explain this, let me start by presenting the meaning of the song. From Marco Gallini’s explanation before the song, you know Sacco and Vanzietti were executed for a crime that many believed they did not commit. But what you don’t know is why they were accused of this crime. To understand this, we have to go back to America at the turn of the 20th century. Each group of immigrants that came to America experienced prejudice by the former immigrants. Therefore, the Irish were prejudiced against the Italians and the Germans against Irish before them and so on back to the beginning of immigration.
After a few hours’ deliberation, the jury convicted Sacco and Vanzetti of first-degree murder. Anti-Italianism, anti-immigrant, and anti-Anarchist bias were suspected as having heavily influenced the verdict.
Back to the guys and where all this fits into their story.
By performing this song in the audience, the guys were first and foremost toasting Nicola and Bart but more so, they were three links which represented the people who stood in defense of Nicola and Bart. They told them they would not be forgotten and the crowd, the audience, stood with them.
Now the irony of it all!
This song was composed by an Italian composer for an American movie and, it was written in the English language.
The song was sung, in English, by three phenomenal Italian men who came to America and immediately became a success. The American people embraced them and called them their own. We feel they are a part of us and a part of our culture. You have to see the irony in this!
Before I leave this concert and go on to the six Milan concerts, I need to turn to the solos. Or should I say the showstoppers. Before they sang their solo each guy said what it was and why they chose it! Individuality in the works!
First up, Gianluca!
Gianluca remarks: It’s hard to be alone after twelve years together on stage. I guess like all of us in times of difficulty, in moments of happiness, I take refuge in music. This is something I’ve done since I was little. I had headphones, I walked, I also went to the park to listen to music. Even at school I was distracted. In short it was my biggest distraction. Let’s say the music I feel this evening is a celebration of a great genius of music Maestro Ennio Morricone. But I want to talk about other geniuses who changed my life. Artist like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra but also the great Elton John. Tonight, I will sing for you one of the most beautiful songs written in fifty years and I want to dedicate it to my mother.
Elton Johns’ lyrics to “Your Song” expresses the romantic thoughts of an innocent person. Gianluca brings the song to another dimension. He is very romantic and everything he sings turns into a love song. His warm beautiful voice expresses the thoughts behind Elton John’s words.
The beautiful words of this song certainly express Gianluca’s feelings for his mother, Eleonora, who has been at his side throughout his career.
His beautiful rendition of this song would make Elton John praise his performance. Gianluca got a well-deserved standing ovation! Just phenomenal!’
Next up Piero!
Piero said:I always had a great desire to be accompanied by a great musician, a great flautist. I’ve always watched his videos while playing alongside Maestro Pavarotti, Sting and many other artists. This evening, he did me the great honor of accepting my invitation. The Master Andrea Grimmenelli.
What can I say about Piero singing “No Puede Ser?” It’s my favorite aria that Piero sings. He takes my breath away. No one, and I have heard many tenors sing “No Puede Ser,” no one sings it like Piero.
Always a showstopper, always a highlight, a splendid moment in the concert. I wait for you at La Scala! A Phenomenal performance!
And last but not least Ignazio!
Ignazio said:I want to say that tonight is extremely exciting and, we all know in this year that we have experienced shortcomings. Especially shortcomings!
Many had great losses but many who had great satisfaction economically modify this concert. To all the people who have not made it through the whole year, our thoughts go up there to them.
I feel a little alone, but I will not be alone. I have a big but small surprise that is great because it is a crazy talent. It is really a great talent. Gentlemen and ladies, ladies and gentlemen my comparative accompaniment in this my performance – Julian.
Ignazio sings Beyonce’s beautiful song “Listen.” It’s a song that expresses how many people are feeling.
You are right Ignazio, it’s time to find our own voices. Ignazio knocks it out of the box with this song. His voice goes to unreal heights. Not only does he express how we are all feeling but he gives us a beautiful version of the song that fills our souls with emotion. And, little Julian adds to the moment with his phenomenal saxophone accompaniment. As I said before, guys, Julian is all of you at 8 years old. Now you know how people felt when they experienced your voices at such a young age!
Ignazio we always ‘listen’ to you and, and we can feel what you feel in our hearts!
And that brings us back to where I began! You feel your guy in your heart!
So now we’ve seen where the guys began to think about this new idea, this new concept, so let’s go back to the last six concerts in Milan.
The idea of six concerts in a theater namely, the Arcimboldi Theater, one of the most prestigious theaters in Italy seems outrageous. The guys have never performed in a theater in Italy! But the guys are always ready to try something new.
In an interview with Andrea Spinelli from IL GIORNO the guys talked about this idea.
Gianluca:We built the repertoire of the show with the idea of consolidating our musical evolution: three child prodigies, who have become three interpreters of character, each with his own personality. That’s why the innovation of ‘Tutti per uno’ (All for one) is precisely that it clearly outlines the characteristics of each one, in addition to that of the group that everyone already knows.
Ignazio:Because the Arcimboldi theater is one of the most significant modern theaters we have in Italy and because bringing an arena performance into such a setting ends up making it necessarily resonate with a different intimacy.
Piero: And then in the two TV episodes we sang 60 songs, while in the theater we sang half of them: the best of.
Gianluca went on to say…having never performed in Italian theatres, we are curious to see the audience’s reaction in such a different setting. As happened on TV, to give vent to our personalities there will be solo moments. Five each. Piero will sing his opera arias; I will pay homage to Elvis and Ignazio the great female pop voices. And, speaking of Elvis, the show begins with the Straussian ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra’ also used by him in his shows in Las Vegas. An idea of Ignazio.
So, yes it is very different in the theater because there are not as many songs, but the best of the repertoire is delivered in a very intimate setting where each man can show you who they really are and what they have in their hearts.
If you take into consideration the fact that they were child prodigies, you have to realize that they have been storing these feelings and emotions in their hearts for many years. When they joined together almost fifteen years ago, they combined those feelings to give us some very emotional experiences. Up until this last year or two, definitely, after their isolation, they are finally coming to terms with those feelings. During the period of isolation, they became in touch with their feelings in a new way and knew it was time to release them. All these years they sang with such beautiful emotion, and they gave us some very phenomenal experiences but now they have opened up and showed us where all those emotions and phenomenal feelings came from. It came from their hearts!
So, let’s go to Milan and look at some of those emotions!
While I’m writing this I’m listening to the final concert in Milan. They just opened with Hallelujah.
This new arrangement blew my mind! This is the never-ending magic of Il Volo! It’s the same song but it’s new.
After that amazingly beautiful opening the guys greeted everyone!
Ignazio: Good evening, welcome, we are finally back in concert.
In the theatre, our first theatre, it had never occurred to us to sing in the theater in Italy, but as a first impression everything is already much more intimate. We are much closer; we don’t have the risk of rain like in Verona.
Thank you all so much for being here tonight, thank you.
Gianluca: I would say that after a break…..we are particularly excited, because after a break of almost 3-4 months, after a summer of vacation and relaxation, now we can start again, we need to warm up properly, but as Ignazio said, it is the first time in the theatre.
Finally, we can have our Italian audience so close, in a more intimate concert, where we can perhaps best express our emotions, singing like never before.
Piero:The need for the theater arose from the two television evenings that I hope at least many of you saw, from the Verona Arena concert ALL FOR ONE, to demonstrate to those who know us and those who don’t, our three personalities. Our deepest personalities and vocal characteristics and so tonight will be a musical journey across almost every genre.
Ladies and gentlemen, good evening.
And with that the six nights of magic began in Milan!
Every song was amazing in the Milan concerts, but I chose one song for each guy that I called his moment!
Let me begin with Piero. As you know I’ve been writing a lot about Piero over the last year. His voice has blossomed. I love opera and when I listen to Piero sing he always captures my heart! When he was in isolation he took opera lessons every day and his voice is showing the results of those lessons. Piero was always a showstopper but now he is a true opera singer. Every aria is amazing! Piero you are so ready to step on the stage of any opera house in the world.
So now you might wonder why I chose for Piero’s individual moment the song Marechiare. I chose it because Piero is now acting like an opera singer. If you remember a while back I wrote, every opera singer after Caruso sang arias and Neapolitan songs. So like Caruso, in Milan, Piero sang his arias and then sang a Neapolitan song! The song I chose for his moment was Marechaire a beautiful Neapolitan song and one of my favorite Neapolitan songs! I’m sure many of you older fans will remember this song. Among others Dean Martin and Louis Prima sang this song! But I have to honestly say Piero sings it better than anyone I’ve ever heard sing it!
Next up Gianluca….
For me this was Gianluca’s shining moment! He chose three Beatles songs that have a lot of feeling and express that can cause many different emotions. This is his heartfelt moment! Think about these three songs. “Long and Winding Road” talks about the past and the girl who left him there. “Yesterday” talks about a love that left him standing and never opened the door! But “Hey Jude” talks about a girl who got under his skin and makes him feel better. There’s a lot of feeling and emotions in these songs. And Gianluca has the perfect voice for these songs! He delivers them with such feeling! The romantic baritone!
Having said all that, is there another reason why Gianluca chose this medley? Could it be that he’s saying all the girls in the past meant nothing but the girl in his life has gotten under his skin!
Gianluca some advice, “Remember to let her into your heart. Then you can start to make it better.”
And last but not least Ignazio…
This one was difficult for me because every song Ignazio sings is from his heart! I chose the song “Una ragione di più” (One More Reason) because there are so many beautiful expressions in this song. To sing it properly you have to sing it with feeling, emotion and heart. All of which Ignazio has. There’s a sadness and joy in his voice when he sings it. Even not knowing what the words mean you can enjoy it because you’re listening to a song from the heart! It’s one of those tear jerkers! Beautiful delivery Ignazio! This song wasn’t just your special moment, Ignazio, it was a moment that we all shared with you and felt in our hearts. You have a tendency to do that when you sing!
Now that we’ve looked at some special moments with the guys, let’s look at some beautiful moments in the concerts.
I absolutely have to start with Gianluca and his beautiful Elenora. This has to be the sweetest moment in the history of concerts! Gianluca I got such a beautiful feeling listening to you tell your beautiful lady how much she meant to you! It was like love had taken over the concert hall. There was a majestic calm that surrounded both of you and there was harmony throughout the theater.
I had to share Piero’s beautiful moment with Ignazio. Their rendition of Miserere is absolutely beautiful! Absolutely phenomenal! Absolutely blew me away! I have heard many singers including Pavarotti and Zucchero and Bocelli and Pavarotti sing “Miserere.” They don’t even come close to Piero and Ignazio! An absolute showstopper!
Finally, Ignazio….
Mr. Personality only you can have numerous special moments because you have such love in your heart. You share everything with everyone.
In Milan Ignazio shared his stage with two very talented people. One of them you all know very well because I’ve written about him on many occasions. Our own Nico Arezzo. Well, many of you have been asking where is Nico? Now we know he’s shared a stage with his mentor Ignazio! And what a performance it was! You guys both shine!
So, you would think Ignazio sopped there, no he invited another friend to join him on stage. The beautiful Elenora Montagnana. Elenora is a phenomenal violinist! She is known throughout Europe! Talking about emotions in a post, she said, “The greatest was definitely to share this wonderful piece of #tuttiperuno with me on the Arcomboldi Stage in the context of the concert with @Ignazioboschetto. Thank you, Igni, for this unforgettable gift born as an invitation to play among friends.”
Does it surprise you that Ignazio had a third beautiful moment. When Ignazio was singing “A Natural Woman,” he looked out into the audience and waved to Saturnino Celani and asked him to join him on stage. This is just a short video of that performance, but it is an amazing video of two amazing entertainers!
The following day Saturnino was doing a Live on Instagram and I told him his performance with Ignazio was fantastic. He told me, “Ignazio is incredible. And those guys are so F…ing Good!” He got that right!
How about a cute moment!
At one point when the guys were getting ready to sing Gianluca told Ignazio it was hot. Well watch the video to see what Ignazio did for him!
And no show would be complete without Nessun Dorma!
This is where all the personalities come together and the three become one phenomenal voice that rises and spreads its joy throughout the Theaters, the Arenas, the Amphitheaters and Concert Halls around the world! This the one the only Il Volo!
So, I come to the close of a story that showed us where the turning point was in their career. It also tells us how their isolation brought them closer and gave them a new realization of where they were going. It led them to take a good look at how their future would be molded and how each would after almost fifteen years together come to the realization that the road to the future would be lined with new ideas and ideals. All of which are an expression of their personalities and Individuality!
Before I close today, I want to tell you about something that’s been going on for the last two weeks.
As you know, I write my story for Flight Crew (We are not on Facebook) and then I post my story on the individual fan pages on Facebook. I have been doing this for almost four years. There are approximately 75 fan pages. There may be more, but these are the ones I know about, and I post my story to.
When I was posting two weeks ago suddenly when I tried to post the story, it wouldn’t post. Next thing I know, I was Blocked from Facebook??? Why? I had no idea. I sent a message and got a response that they didn’t know why but probably I violated the rules. So, I say what rules. They said probably someone reported you for a bad post. I said, “not possible” because what I was posting was a story that they wanted and look forward to every week. So, they said, how many posts do you do. I said anywhere from 50 – 75 a week. And they asked how many people read those posts. I said I think those fan pages and newspapers combined have about 10 million people. They said then you’re blocked for too many post. I said, I don’t post to the 10 million people, just pages. So, they said it’s too many posts and that’s it you can’t post for six days. My hands were tied!
I thought Facebook was a social media where we go to post stories. What’s wrong with writing a story about three beautiful young men who have truly been put on this earth by God to give us joy! Tell me what newspaper writes beautiful stories every day? There’s something wrong with this picture!
The next day on Instagram I saw that one of the Il Volo Fan pages was reporting that they were blocked on Facebook, and they were giving us a temporary site until they were unblocked. Why? So, I wrote to all the fan pages and asked if anyone else was blocked. Seven fan pages came back to say they were blocked. Luckily, Instagram was not affected and so we were able to get the message out to the fans that we would be back soon.
So, they are blocking me for writing stories about three beautiful men and they are blocking the fan pages for writing stories or posting picture about three beautiful young men. What’s going on? Why are they targeting Il Volo?
Someone suggested that they think I am paid for this and so they want their cut. Let me make it perfectly clear. I do not get paid to write these stories: I write them because 15 years ago I fell in love with three amazing teenagers. They stole my heart! And when I write about them I write from my heart!
As to the fan pages, they don’t get paid to administrate!
So, I want you to know if you didn’t get or in future if you don’t get my story it’s because I was not able to post it.
And to guys I have to say you know how much I love you and I am saddened by the fact that they have chosen to block me and your fan pages from Facebook. No one should be cutoff without a reason. If I broke a rule I need to know what that rule was! No explanation!
You can turn me off, but you can’t close me down! My love for this wonderful group gives me the strength to wait 6 days if I have to, to tell the fans how truly amazing these men are! You know the place you hold in my heart!
September seemed far away, but in an instant it arrived, and with the beginning of the month, also the series of concerts in Milan and exactly at the Arcimboldi Theater.
It is the first time that Il Volo performs in a theatre.
Andrea Spinelli’s interview in the newspaper IL GIORNO is beautiful, which I translate for you.
Row 43, seat 8. The last seat left for the show with which Il Volo begins its stay at the Arcimboldi this evening vanished yesterday morning around lunchtime. And it could not have been otherwise given the request which, doubling the three concerts initially planned, transformed this theatrical debut by Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble into a sort of “residency”. Six shows in eight days that see them engaged in the Bicocca (the district where the Arcimboldi Theater is) until next Saturday with a revised and corrected version of that “All for One” brought to Italian homes last spring from the Arena of Verona by winning the audience challenge.
How does the show change in the transition from TV to theater?
Barone= Next year we will celebrate fifteen years of our career, so we preferred not to go on tour and re-propose the Verona show, even if in a slightly more intimate way, on a single stage. That of the Arcimboldi.
Content?
Ginoble=We built the repertoire of the show with the idea of consolidating our musical evolution: three child prodigies, who have become three interpreters of character, each with his own personality. That’s why the innovation of ‘All for one’ is precisely that clearly outlines the characteristics of each one, in addition to that of the group that everyone already knows.
Why Milan?
Boschetto= Because the Arcimboldi theater is one of the most significant modern theaters we have in Italy and because bringing an arena performance into such a setting ends up making it necessarily resonate with a different intimacy.
Barone= And then in the two TV episodes we sang 60 songs, while in the theater we sang half of them: the best of.
In December you sang at the Forum.
Ginoble= Yes, but, having never performed in Italian theatres, we are curious to see the audience’s reaction in such a different setting. As happened on TV, to give vent to our personalities there will be solo moments. Five each. Piero will sing his opera arias, I will pay homage to Elvis and Ignazio the great female pop voices. And, speaking of Elvis, the show begins with the Straussian ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra’ also used by him in his shows in Las Vegas. An idea of Ignazio.
Speaking of audience reactions, where was the most unpredictable?
Barone= Once, in Vera Cruz, Mexico, we sang in an amphitheater with a small lake between the stage and the audience. At the end of the concert, people took to the water to come and hug us.
Ginoble= A young thing. Because there we have a younger audience than in Italy. Here we have, in fact, only the hit ‘Grande amore’, while there we have five or six. This has allowed us to grow together with our fans.
Tomorrow you will sing first at the Monza racetrack and then at the Arcimboldi.
Barone= When they ask you to sing the Mameli anthem before the Italian Grand Prix, how can you say no? In recent years, as well as in Monza, we have also done it in Imola, in Mugello, and it has always been an incredible emotion.
And in fact, I want to start first with the institutional event in Monza, to then dedicate myself completely to the concerts.
Always impeccable our boys!! ☺
And now we come to the concerts.
An amazing start, curtain closed and then the three of them, Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero. After the roar of the audience,
………silence and a beautiful Hallelujah a cappella opens the evening.
Spectacular, goosebumps.
Magnificent beginning followed by Grande Amore, and then greetings to the audience.
IGNAZIO= Hi Milanoooooo.
GIANLUCA= Good evening everyone.
IGNAZIO= (to Piero), Do you want to talk or do I?
PIERO= Speak
GIANLUCA= Go
IGNAZIO= Good evening, welcome, we are finally back in concert.
In the theatre, our first theatre, it had never occurred to us to sing in the theater in Italy, but as a first impression everything is already much more intimate. We are much closer, we don’t have the risk of rain like in Verona. 😁
Thank you all so much for being here tonight, thank you.
GIANLUCA= I would say that after a break…..we are particularly excited, because after a break of almost 3-4 months, after a summer of vacation and relaxation, now we can start again, we need to warm up properly, but as Ignazio said, it is the first time in the theatre.
Finally we can have our Italian audience so close, in a more intimate concert, where we can perhaps best express our emotions, singing like never before.
PIERO= The need for the theater arose from the two television evenings that I hope at least many of you saw, from the Verona Arena concert ALL FOR ONE, to demonstrate to those who know us and those who don’t, our three personalities. Our deepest personalities and vocal characteristics and so tonight will be a musical journey across almost every genre.
Ladies and gentlemen, good evening.
There are so many videos and so many beautiful photos to see.
I’ll make a selection for you, but they are all beautiful.
Lots of amazing solos. What a pity that I could not attend these concerts.
Gianluca: BEATLES MEDLEY
Ignazio: C’È UNA RAGIONE DI PIÙ
At the end of the song, Ignazio leans on the piano and sings “there is one more reason to tell you…… that we stay here”
Ignazio= YOU MAKE ME FEEL(Ignazio plays the piano)
CANZONE PER TE – LONTANO DAGLI OCCHI Tribute to Sergio Endrigo
CARUSO
IL MONDO
SE TELEFONANDO
ECSTASY OF GOLD
And then there are songs whose moments amaze you, like this one where Ignazio sings with Piero:
MISERERE
And moments of extreme sweetness, such as when, during the third evening, Gianluca gets off the stage and goes towards his girlfriend, takes her by the hand and brings an amazed Eleonora to the first steps of the stage, they sit down and hand in hand, Gianluca dedicates her a beautiful song with a deep meaning, LA CURA by Battiato.
The most important words of this beautiful song reiterate the love and dedication for always: “I will save you from all melancholy
Because you are a special being
And I will take care of you
Yes, I’ll take care of you.”
A truly unique and special moment, full of love. At the end of the song Gianluca says “It’s our anniversary”. A treasure of a man, our sweet Gianluca. ❤ ❤
LA CURA
And here is the lineup of songs sung the first few nights, but there were also some song changes the following nights.
Really challenging concerts!
1. Hallelujah 2. Grande Amore 3. Almeno tu nell’universo 4. Suspicious minds 5. Mamma quel vino è generoso 6. Nessun Dorma 7. Io che non vivo 8. Crazy little thing 9. Una ragione di più 10. Lucevan le stelle 11. Estasi dell’oro 12. Se telefonando 13. Marechiare 14. My heart will go on 15. Beatles Medley 16. My way 17. Caruso 18. Medley Endrigo 19. Una poesia anche per te 20. La cura 21. Misere 22. Il mondo 23. Can’t help falling in love 24. E poi 25. No puede ser 26. Volare 27. Grande amore reprise
A nice Medley from the concert on September 4th.
The photos are numerous and beautiful.
You won’t believe it but it seems for once that the Italian critics are positive.
Many newspapers and news programs spoke well of them, including the national ones on RAI 1 and RAI 2.
A lot of people who didn’t know them at all are getting to know them and they like the “new face” of Il Volo.
Often, during the various evenings, there are “surprises” like when Ignazio sang accompanied by a violinist.
Ignazio= UNA POESIA ANCHE PER TE
Or Gianluca who sang Angels by Robbie Williams on the fourth evening.
Gianluca= ANGELS
Or Ignazio who in the concert on September 3rd sang accompanied on guitar and vocals by Nico Arezzo, remember, the boy who is under Ignazio’s FLOKI label.
Ignazio+Nico= YOU MAKE ME FEEL
Radio RTL102.5, the most listened to radio station in Italy, was also present at the concert and Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio were interviewed live from the RTL studios on 6 September.
I will make you a future article with an exhaustive translation of Il Volo’s visit to the radio.
In the video below, Il Volo with the two RTL 102.5 speakers present at the concert.
And then also Federica Panicucci, who you will remember had presented, as sent by Canale 5, the two concerts at the Arena.
Here she is with our loved ones. The photo was published by Federica herself with this comment: “Talent, genius, professionalism.
An amazing show. Thank you Ignazio, Piero, Gianluca, for the unforgettable evening.”
Truly a week of beautiful concerts and well-deserved success, for their skill and their dedication to always improving.
I conclude with some of their words said in an interview:
“In recent years we have learned to know each other, there is great mutual esteem between us. I always tell Piero that I can’t wait to sit in the royal box to see him perform an opera. As we grow up, our personality and our artistic desires also develop, beyond Il Volo.”
Individually we also like to do other things. After 15 years we would like people to understand that there is much more.”
So, go ahead with your projects, we are sure that you will not disappoint us and we are ready to follow you and support you in your choices.
Over the last four weeks we’ve followed the path that each guy took on the road to success! We learned it wasn’t always an easy road. Many curves and disappointments but finally we have all three guys in the same place at the same time. So now they meet! Not exactly! They still have to do what they were put on earth to do! Introduce the world to their magnificent voices. But I’m getting ahead of myself. They still haven’t met.
The Il Volo family is large and just about everyone is in Rome for the audition but let’s let Gianluca tell you about his first meeting with a member of the family on the day of the audition….
From that day in Rome, I remember very well Ignazio’s mother. I do not remember seeing either Piero or Ignazio, but Caterina yes. During the audition they made us sing in a recording room, outside in the queue was Ignazio’s mother…. Caterina heard the voice of someone singing, and she had listened to me. When I came out, she looked at me and said: ‘Congratulations! Bravo, very good!’ She heard me sing and she thought Andrea Bocelli was in the recording room.
So, it seems Caterina Boschetto was the first to make contact, but little did she know what that meeting would lead to!
For me, I see this as the day their destiny is fulfilled. Call it La Forza del destino (the force of destiny)! I’ll call it as I see it! This was God’s plan! His hand was always guiding each of these young men. How else would you explain how they happened to be in the same place at the same time? We’re not just talking about three teenage boys with nice voices, we are talking about three teenage boys with phenomenal voices. Very unique voices! Truly one-of-a-kind voices! Touched by the hand of God! Let me call Gianluca back to explain what he thought about their voices….
I thought there were three hundred thousand boys singing like me, and instead that night I discovered that there are only two: Ignazio and Piero.
Of course, Gianluca was referring to the night they sang together for the first time on Ti Lascio una Canzone.
It wasn’t just that the voices were extraordinary, no, it was that they complemented one another. It was natural and it was apparent from the very first note that these voices worked well together! That their voices are in tune with one another. The first time they walked out on the stage, it worked!
So how is this possible? For me there is only one way to explain it! Before the Lord sent these three amazing young men to earth, he said what this world needs are voices that can bring joy to my people and so he chose three loving couples and sent each one a son who would bring joy to the world through his voice!
Alone each voice is phenomenal. Together they are a symphony! Listen to their voices when they sing. Their voices are coming from every direction like a symphony orchestra that is forming the music around you!
I always say I can tell you who’s singing at any given time. I can even hear their voices one over another and draw them out. That’s the other thing that makes them unique! Each voice is distinct even when they are singing together!
So, without further ado, let’s find out what each guy had to say about his experience at the audition at Via dei Gracchi! We start as we always do with Piero. Let’s see what he remembers are about the audition…
What do I remember from the audition?
I remember that it was in Via dei Gracchi in Rome and that I arrived there with ‘La Voce Del Silenzo’ and the unfailing ‘Un Amore Così Grande’ and the suits that my father bought me, I felt like a king.
‘Mr. Barone, we’ll let you know’ they told Dad when I finished singing. After five days, the longest of my life, they call and say: ‘Prepare these five pieces for the next audition.’ Those five tracks were: Sei Nell’Anima of Gianna Nannini, La Voce Del Silenzo, Un Amore Così Grande, Voglio Vivere Così, Domenica È Sempre Domenica
The aim was to test me on different genres, of course, to understand which one was the most suitable for me. So, I get to the recording studio in Rome and start singing. Only shortly thereafter, they stop the music. The first so, the second and I was already demoralized, if a test does not make it even to the refrain, it’s not a good sign. The first thing I thought was that it did not go well. At the third track I attack the refrain, ‘Un Amore Così…….and they stop the musical base. When I left the recording room and arrived in the mixer room, I found dad with my brother and a friend who had come to Cosenza with us at the Tour Music Fest, all three beautiful smiling, quiet. I died and they are happy. There is something wrong. Roberto Cenci looks at me and tells me: ‘Bravo, Piero, you are inside the program.’ But I really believed it only when they brought me to the seamstress.
If you ask my father, what he remembers about that audition …. the first answer will be a number: 1280. Those are the euros that he spent to buy two or three complete outfits in a very nice Naro store, because as a good Sicilian he said, ‘How? I bring my son to an audition at RAI, I have to make a good impression, no?’ I felt like a king with those clothes.
What about Ignazio? What does he remember?
I did not really believe it. I remained as usual with my feet firmly planted on the ground. I must admit, at first, I was a bit perplexed at the idea of going to audition because, I have always been a pessimist, but then, we talked about it in the family, as we have always been used to doing, we said to ourselves: ‘Why not?’ So, in the end I went to do the auditions in Rome, funded by mom and dad who, in the meantime, were continuing to make great sacrifices for me.
I arrived with mom and dad at Via dei Gracchi, where the auditions were held. There were many guys like me who were hoping for something positive without expecting anything, trying not to have too many illusions.
At the beginning I was also quite calm, it could not be much different from singing on stage. Anxiety began to rise as my turn approached. And here they call my name: ‘Boschetto?’
I got up and went into the studio where the boys were singing. There was, Roberto Cenci, waiting for me. He looked at me and asked, ‘Dear Boschetto, what are you letting us hear today?’ I had chosen Ti Cerchero by Gigi Finizio and Melodramma by Andrea Bocelli.
‘Thank you very much’ was the only thing Roberto Cenci told me when I finished singing. All there? But how was I doing? Was I okay? I had no idea but, climbing the stairs, Pannocchia, who was the manager who accompanied us, tells me that I have to study a song within thirty minutes. What song? The Winner Takes It All by ABBA. To help me there was Luca Pitteri, a vocal coach who collaborated with AMICI and who at that time worked for Ti Lascio una Canzone.
They gave me a CD player and I started to listen and study the song, and after exactly thirty minutes they called me back, we went into the studio where Roberto Cenci was waiting for me. ‘Please, start,’ he said, and the base started. I cannot say if I sang well, I do not remember anything other than the fact that somehow, they let me guess that I was inside the program, I had succeeded, but I tried not to build too many castles in the air as we returned home. What I did not know was that while I was inside singing The Winner Takes It All, outside my mother and Pannocchia spoke and he said: ‘Ignazio is in the program, madam!’ But they did not even tell me. Of course, I had a positive feeling, but how positive is the presentiment of one who is pessimistic. After a few days they called me back telling me that I had to go back to Rome. I did not know why but already the phone call filled me with joy. Maybe I had to take another test? I know it may sound strange, but I really did not know what to expect. Then in reality the reason for the summons to Rome was to tell me that I had been taken, I was in the cast of Ti Lascio Una Canzone.
Okay, Gianluca, we know your experience was different but how was it different? What happened at Via dei Gracchi?
I’m sorry for Piero and Ignazio, but I did not have to wait for a phone call to know the result of the audition for Ti Lascio Una Canzone. Via dei Gracchi in Rome, I remember very well. It is in a fairly central area, in the Prati district and not far from the Vatican, a very long street full of very beautiful buildings. From Montepagano to Rome, the distance is not much, just over an hour. We got in the car in the afternoon, calmly. There was the complete family: dad at the wheel, mom sitting next to him, I in the back seat with the two Ernesto of the house, my grandfather, who was proud and satisfied with that trip even if we did not know yet how it would end, and my brother, who at the time was only seven years old.
‘How much is missing (When do we arrive)?’ I asked my dad. And after five minutes: ‘And now how much is missing?’. And after another five minutes: ‘And now how much is missing?’ Fortunately, the road was short, or I would have made him mad. I was very anxious I had never done anything so important. Already for me to go to RAI, in short, it is not something that I can explain in words.
When we entered, I realized that I would not be alone to support that audition. There were many other guys, all with their parents, a long line of people, but I was not worried because I was there just for fun, it was already an adventure.
When they called my name, I entered the registration room. Roberto Cenci was there. It was the first time I saw him. The impact was a bit ‘so, because he has a very tough character, does not convey much sympathy at the first meeting. But the essential thing is that I start to sing: ‘I wanted to be a little alone to think, you know ….’ I had chosen The Voice of Silence. I remember it perfectly. I was thirteen – the first audition was in November 2008 – and I already had this deep, baritone voice.
I sang in the recording room and saw the others on the other side of the glass. There was Roberto Cenci, my grandfather was there with my mother, my brother, and my father, all in the other room. So, I sing and at one point, Roberto stops the music and says: ‘Stop all.’ ‘What happens?’ I thought. From where I was, I did not understand anything, I saw only the faces.
‘This boy,’ continues Roberto, addressing my family, ‘he was kissed by the Lord.’ All I could see were only the faces of my parents and in my head, I kept asking ‘What’s up?’ And at a certain point I did not make it anymore and I opened the door, I went to Roberto and in the meantime, I repeated: ‘What’s going on?’ I was small, I could not realize. My father, made a face, I do not forget, he looks at me and says: ‘Nothing, good!’
‘Congratulations’ Roberto tells me, hugs me, makes me sing another song, calls all the others on the staff. ‘Feel this baby, you feel like singing.’ I remember these scenes very well; I see it again. And I was very excited, I was very happy, I could not even sing, at one point I even stuck. Because I did not expect such a positive reaction from Roberto Cenci and all the others, producers, technicians and I do not know who else there was, that day, because Roberto had called everyone.
My mother and father never stopped smiling. My grandfather was very happy, if possible, more than when we left. My brother was small, but it was clear to him that it was a party. In the end, do you know until how late we stayed in that hall? Until nine in the evening, because Roberto Cenci called me back even after the audition to make me sing some more songs, to start making me try some duet. In short, when we said goodbye, I was exhausted, but I was bursting with joy.
Okay so they all made it. They were all accepted! But of course, you already knew that. So, let’s see what happened next.
Piero begins by telling us about the rehearsals in Rome in early March 2009….
Ti Lascio una Canzone was aired at the Ariston Theater in Sanremo but, the first of the rehearsals were in Rome starting in March. Upon landing at Fiumicino, there was a coach from the editorial staff waiting for us. We were still just a group of kids who did not know each other, we came from different parts of Italy, and we were all different ages. I did not know what to expect.
I get on the bus and the first person I immediately notice is a nuisance who sang (sang from morning to night, in continuation), who screamed, screamed, was never silent, never stopped. It went on all the way to Rome. I cannot forget it, especially because from Fiumicino to Rome center it is about an hour’s drive. All that time talking, screaming, and singing, damn him!
Anyone want to guess who it was?
We arrive at the hotel, and it was not difficult to start meeting other guys. But you know how certain things go! It was easy for people in the same room to communicate with each other. But I wanted to get to know the others, so alone, I went down in the hall, and I found Luigi Fronte, who was younger than me. I was fifteen. Then I met Micaela Foti and the guy who was singing on the bus.
“Hi, pleasure, I’m Piero.” I introduce myself.
“Hi, I’m Manuela.”
And this other one? “I am Ignazio.” Present here!
From the first moment, Ignazio and I established a strong relationship. What do I mean? We were looking for each other. We were always together. I, him, and Luigi. Luigi was the mascot, the little one who was with us. We rehearsed with Ignazio, we talked, we joked. Maybe because he was Sicilian like me. I did not know Gianluca right away and, in the beginning, there was not a great bond but, in time we built one.
From that very first Wednesday of trials, I remember perfectly, that I thought this seems to me the same image of the choir. I and Ignazio sitting on the left and around a lot of females. I sang, Non Ti Scordar Di Me, at the first episode and Mamma at the second, Granada at the third.
We sang on Saturday night, and, on Sunday, I flew back to Sicily. Monday, Denise was preparing all the things to learn, she told me the pages to study, ‘Of history, do this.’ ‘I have stressed the words to remember.’ I arrived at school on Tuesday morning, I did all the interrogations and left the following day.
When I got to the rehearsals, I had I to have prepared the pieces that had been assigned to me, by the editorial staff and sent to me on Monday. We had to study the pieces at home for the next installment.
On Monday, between the end of the third episode and the beginning of the fourth, I get the text of Un Un Amore Così Grande to sing alone. So far, all normal! And ‘O Sole Mio divided into three parts. What will this thing be?
Ignazio remembers every detail from the beginning and Piero is racing off to episode four! Let’s listen to Ignazio….
How much do you run Piero!
He is already on the fourth installment and, I’m still here thinking about how nervous I was that night. It was April 4th, 2009, the evening of the start of the program. I had never faced a television experience! It is also true that this agitation of television I only heard it, only at the beginning. Yes, we were all aware that this was television, but for the ingenuity we had at that age, for us it was like singing in the home theater. And then, I had already seen theaters and stages. The thing that made me understand that there was something different was to see all the famous guests. But for the rest, we did not realize the difference.
Even stranger was when I arrived, I was unusually quiet. Perhaps, because in the previous week I had the opportunity to meet my fellow adventurers, and I had immediately linked with Veronica Liberati, Sonia Mosca and Piero Barone, a Sicilian boy like me who was a little like me. I had also met Gianluca Ginoble, but I spent less time with him because he was part of the group of “jocks” (even today we take it around because some remained so!)
La Nostra Favola was my debut song on the first episode, I even got the words wrong, but it went very well. On returning to Marsala, I clearly felt that things were changing, peoplerecognized me, but I tried to take everything with great humility. The first rule for me has always been to keep my feet on the ground. The more weeks passed, the more people recognized me, but I tried to remain the same as always.
To get ready for rehearsals, the week before the episode, they gave us the songs to study for the evening. And on the third night I get the songs that I would have to sing the following Saturday, at the fourth episode. There was something strange. There were songs that I would have done alone, but also ‘O Sole Mio, that I would have to sing with two other guys. What news was that?
Let’s turn to Gianluca to get his take on how the rehearsals went….
Ignazio, I do not believe you were amazed by that news! In my opinion, the earthquake-Ignazio was not astonished, but he surprised others. At the audition, I told you, I have no memory of seeing either Ignazio or Piero. But once the selections were over, we were all put together in Rome, I do not remember in which hotel, from where we started by coach to go to rehearsals with the RAI orchestra.
From there it was impossible not to notice Ignazio. We were about thirty kids with their parents, and he was screaming, singing, making a mess, he alone seemed to be the choir of the southern corner of Rome (football team) all together. Ignazio has always been like that, even today he is, he will never lose this way even at the age of fifty, and that’s what makes him special.
And Piero? Of him, I’m sorry to admit it, I have no particular memories of that period. We were all in the same hotel, but we were many and I tied up with other guys first. But there was a nice climate, we all had a lot of fun together.
From March to the end of May, it was impossible to study on the days dedicated to rehearsals. I did homework and school questions on Monday and Tuesday… I told you, at school I had always been a lazy man, but despite all that year I managed to keep my average, in some matters I had the capacity six and some other seven. At the school interviews with the parents before the exams, my father heard the same thing from all the teachers: ‘All right, he kept the average.’ They were not telling me that I was a genius, I never was, but I managed to do well despite my commitments. So, my dad was satisfied. What matter was missing? Music. Could I go wrong with music? Yes. To the point of risking the insufficiency. In my opinion, the teacher was joking. Real teacher? The truth is that in addition to the commitment that I put myself in, I had to thank the principal and my teachers at the school ‘Gabriele d’Annunzio’ of Roseto who had always understood that my life was changing.
Gianluca tells us that suddenly things changed….
It started on Monday before the episode of April 25th, 2009, when I got the songs that I had to prepare and I saw that there was one, ‘O Sole Mio, divided into three parts. Of course, a little strange it seemed to me. Almost all of us had made duets in the show, but no trio had been composed until that moment.
I had no idea what to expect. Maybe I did not even ask. The important thing, I told you, was to sing and have fun.
All three have succeeded at The Audition and Beyond! The Ariston Theater awaits them. They are ready to step on the stage at Sanremo!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
Next stop the Ti Lascio una Canzone!
The source for many of my stories is the guy’s book “Un’avventure straordinaria, la nostra storia,” (An extraordinary adventure, our story). If you can read Italian, I advise that you read it. It truly is an extraordinary story! (Available on Amazon)
If you would like to share a story with me, please email: susan.flightcrew@yahoo.com
If this story sounds familiar to you it’s because I had to write a similar story last year about our, Ignazio.
When I go on Instagram or Facebook and I see stories that hurt the guys, it upsets me. These are three of the nicest guys you’re ever going to meet in your life. It’s not just a career for them, it’s their life, their whole life. It’s what they’ve dedicated themselves to since they were teenagers. Everything they do they do for us the Fans. We as you know, aren’t just fans to them, we are family. They grew up with us and they know how important we are and, they do things every day to try to please us. Sometimes it’s a picture, sometimes a song or sometimes just their joking around. Then there are days, not too often, when they are quiet, they just hide themselves in their own lives. Lives that you and, I take for granted every day, they only get to enjoy occasionally. No, they can’t be out there for us 24/7 but they try their best to make themselves visible and available.
Even though we are like family to them, they do have families of their own. Families that they have spent so little time with over the last twelve years. The pandemic has been very hard on all of us. It was also hard for the guys because they had to leave us their fan family. If anything, there was some good that came out of this, the guys got to stay at home with their families. Since they were teenagers, they never had the opportunity to stay at home with their families for a whole year. And I think Ignazio expressed it best in an interview when he said, “if it wasn’t for the pandemic, I wouldn’t have spent those last (precious months) months with my dad.”
I chose to write about Ignazio this week because of some sad things that have been said about him on Instagram. I’ve had to do this on other occasions for Piero and Gianluca. This is a very important time for Ignazio. It’s a time when he needs to be near family and, among other things, to deal with the loss of his father. The purpose of this piece is to show you, those who don’t already know it, how, really, nice Ignazio is and has always been since he was a child!
Let me start by telling you about what Ignazio does for us with his music and what he contributes to the music industry.
If Ignazio did nothing more than sing for the rest of his life, he would be remembered as a singer who captured an audience at a very young age and continues to intrigue them with every passing day.
From the first time he stepped on the stage, he was a star. I remember watching him on PBS and thinking if he’s this good now, what will he be like ten years from now. Along with Gianluca and Piero these three, amazing, men have achieved in ten years what most men could only dream of achieving in a lifetime!
He is the voice that never ends! The voice that intrigues! The voice that takes your breath away! The voice that leads you to ecstasy!
But it doesn’t end there. No, there is so much more to be said about Ignazio and the best place to start is in his performances. He is the ultimate entertainer. He is the production. His presence is there in every aspect of the production. He is a prolific entertainer! He sees music! He feels music! He breathes music! Follow him around the stage. The little gestures aren’t just for our entertainment they are real movements within each song. Let me describe it as I have described it for you in the past:
Ignazio is known as the funny one and that he is! But is it really about the joke? Or is it more about the production.
I want you to think about the performance. We know these guys have amazing voices but, what if they got on the stage and for two hours, they did nothing but sing. I don’t think it would work. A performance needs the ability to move on. There’s no change of scenery and no intermission so how do you move the performance along? Ignazio! The joking he brings into the performance provides the levity to relive the seriousness of the performance. He brings a certain ease and suspense to the performance. The audience is always wondering, what will he do next.
But is it always about joking? I want you to think about what I’m saying. Ignazio is constantly moving around the stage. He’s dancing and keeping the rhythm. He’s swinging the microphone around and constantly nodding towards the orchestra, Gianluca and Piero. Is that the lead up to a joke? I don’t think so. Let me tell you what you are looking at. Ignazio is following every note that is sung or played on that stage. His mind is in motion. He is sensitive and passionate with music. He has the ability to see the music as it is happening. He knows where every instrument should come in and out. That’s why you notice little things like him smiling, nodding, pointing towards the musicians, Gianluca or Piero. He also grabs the baton from the conductor, sometimes to joke but more often to conduct. Think about him conducting the Asti Symphony Orchestra while Marcello Rota sang his tenor part. He wasn’t joking, he was conducting. And that’s why everyone was watching in amazement. And when it was over, they were speechless. Look at Michele Torpedine go across the stage to embrace him. He is in awe of this young man. You call him funny I call him brilliant! I am going to make a prediction here! Remember you heard it here first. Ignazio will compose a great operatic pop opera one day.
In an article by Ilvolovers Romania they commented: “Ignazio, for what he looks like and also for everything he sometimes hides, is an imposing, brave and authentic young man. Sensitive and passionate, his performance creates a hurricane of feelings for anyone who looks at him and listens to him. For him, the phrase “singing with the heart” is not a metaphor, it is a reality expressed in every gesture and makes us wonder what his eyes see when he sings.”
Let’s look at how Ignazio has helped aspiring young artist.
On February 2, 2014, Ignazio collaborated with singer Roberto Amadè in a project that resulted in a wonderful concert, the Amadè-Boschetto concert which was organized through the Cultural and Artistic Center “Ignazio Boschetto,” with the support of The Town Hall of Marsala. The Teatro Impero archipelago hall has long applauded this initiative which brought together several artists from Marsala.
Ignazio has helped many young people in their careers. In February 2014, Katya Pantaleo, a young singer from Marsala, won the Premio della Critica at Sanremo with the song “Come in paradiso” music, lyrics and arrangement by Ignazio.
On August 30, 2014, Chiara Cusumano and Giorgia Vassalo, The Duo Sisters, reached the finals of the Festival di Castrocaro, performing a song composed by Ignazio: “Paura d’Amare”.
And let’s not forget the beautiful song he wrote “Hablando de ti” that he has performed in concert.
And what about the theme song for the Rai Series Makari.
Let me add to this by recognizing Ignazio’s production company, Floki Productions. At 25 he started his own production company. Does this surprise you? It doesn’t surprise me. It makes a lot of sense to me.
Floki Productions I’m sure is Ignazio’s dream. So, where does the dream begin. Nico Arezzo!
In many ways Nico reminds me of Ignazio. He knows what he wants and, he goes after it. Nico was the first artist to sign a contract with Ignazio under Floki Productions.
You will remember that Ignazio released Nico’s song Gorilla on June 30, 2020 (in the middle of the pandemic) in a “Live on Instagram.” Let’s listen to what Ignazio had to say about that:
“On Thursday night we were the first to do a high-quality sound live on Instagram.”
People wouldn’t dream of doing what Ignazio did. What a spectacular show!
While the music world was trying to restart, Ignazio, at age 25, made his debut as a producer. And what a phenomenal production it was!
Ignazio said, “Production has always been my dream. It started with an idea to give a chance to those who deserve a break,” Ignazio reminds us “as it happened 11 years ago to myself, Gianluca and Piero.”
Some of you may remember the interview I did last October with Ignazio’s teacher Ermelinda De Bartoli. (you can read the full interview “Watching Ignazio Take Flight” on www.ilvoloflightcrw.com) Now I want to go back to that interview and pull out some of the questions and answers which will give you some insight as to who Ignazio really is:
Excerpts from the Interview of October 2020….
Susan: Ignazio’s mother said Ignazio was always very serious and responsible! How would you describe him as a teenager?
Ermelinda: I met him when he was only 14 years old. He was at the beginning of adolescence and, he was always joking. He was very attached to his family. He grew up in Bologna because the family moved there for work and, at the age of ten he moved to Marsala when the family decided to return. In Marsala he attended middle school and two years of high school. At school he was playful and sociable, with a very open and modest character. He often told us about his passion for singing which he studied with a teacher. His life as a teenager was not hard, because, as soon as he started his career at the age of 15, his life changed due to the numerous commitments linked to his success and the new path taken with Il Volo.
Susan: Ignazio is very kind and compassionate. Was this something you noticed about him as a teenager?
Ermelinda: He was very generous and affable to everyone. In particular, he was very compassionate towards some pupils with disabilities, with whom he often conversed, holding them in high regard and showing empathy.
I remember an episode one evening after he won Ti Lascio Una Canzone, the whole class with me and another colleague went to the pizzeria. Ignazio was just fifteen and, when it was time to pay the bill, he came to me and said: “Professor, you are my guest.” I understood that in him there was so much kindness in his manner and in his soul, in this case, a kind gesture towards a woman.
Susan: When Ignazio was your student, he was already studying with Lilliana Adreanò. Ignazio said he had a great passion for soccer and, he loved to play every afternoon but, it had been less so after he started taking singing lessons. He said, “I had less free time and then no free time and I realized that singing was more important than all the rest.” How do you think Ignazio saw his future at that time?
Ermelinda: It is true to study singing he began to leave other hobbies. After Ti Lascio Una Canzone despite having been praised by these great Italian singers, who sang with him, I remember that he told all this with great modesty and simplicity and despite the fact that he had won he never spoke of great expectations nor did he delude himself, at least, until the moment in which Michele Torpedine and Tony Renis hired them after a short time, to form Il Volo. I heard the comments on him by experts such as Claudio Cecchetto and Al Bano who, when he told him that he had recently taken singing lessons, were amazed.
Another detail that I noticed is that while he sang, he always kept his eyes closed and he told me that he was doing it because having recently lost his grandfather, who he adored and, it was he who Ignazio thought of while he sang and, he sang with his heart.
Susan: Ignazio went from your classroom to Ti Lascio Una Canzone and immediately became a star. You told me after the Italian program, he just took off. You said you saw him take off! What was it like watching all of this happen before your eyes? Did it seem like it was all happening very fast?
Ermelinda: Of course, having seen him “take flight” in a short time and, see him pass by the school desks, and then on a stage was for me, as for all his companions, a great emotion and a source of great pride.
Susan: Did you see a change in Ignazio during this time?
Ermelinda: Ignazio was still at school, after his first success, and with all of us, he always remained himself … with a modesty and genuineness that still distinguishes him today.
Susan: During the performances Ignazio sang with some really great singers. Massimo Ranieri, Albano, Fausto Leali to name a few. These singers were in awe of him. Do you think that Ignazio understood what was happening to him?
Ermelinda: Yes, these singers were more than in awe of what they heard, they were astonished, something that Ignazio confirmed when we asked him. And, to think that he was still a kid, and had not yet completed the development of the vocal cords.
Yes, Ignazio from the point of view of his singing ability had already understood in comparison with these famous singers that he had what it takes to become even greater.
Susan: How did your other students feel about what was going on in Ignazio’s life?
Ermelinda: His classmates were very happy and excited. Every Saturday night none of us left the house. We all waited to see Ignazio on TV … and on Monday when he returned to school, for the class, it was a riot and bursting questions, and also a source of pride to kids as they were, to have him as a companion … the little big star, their friend.
Susan: Did you every stop to think about how this all happened? How did a young man from a very simple family suddenly become a superstar?
Ermelinda: It often occurred to me that what was happening to Ignazio was a fairy tale … of those things that you think can only happen in fairy tales. He is a boy with a great talent hitherto unknown, from a very modest family but very united and with healthy values, he was able to tread the scenes of half the world … from his cottage in the countryside to a duet with Barbra Streisand and much more that we know.
The way in which all this happened is told by the facts that there was a first revelation of his talent and Ti Lasco Una Canzone, as we know, could remain there as it happens to many without getting anything else; then as he also said he had the luck of an intuition of the director who suggested to the managers Michele Torpedine and Tony Renis to form the trio.
Susan: How did you feel when Il Volo won Sanremo?
Ermelinda: When Il Volo won in Sanremo, that evening, in addition to the great emotion, I retraced the periods of when Ignazio was still young, always talking with humility about his first successes and I also thought that from the beginning I told myself that he was a phenomenon, so seeing him on that stage, the most important in Italy, was for me just as it was for all Marsala people.
Susan: Finally, what would you like to add about Ignazio that we haven’t already covered?
Ermelinda: I think I have said everything about him of what I know and what I have had the opportunity to perceive. When I talk about Ignazio, with others, I always say that he is very humble, modest and always very affectionate with the people who meet him. I still say:Ignazio, is a beautiful soul.
For Ignazio family is important. They are everything to him. So, please understand that he needs to be with his family right now. You like being with your family. How about posting some nice pictures of the Ignazio we love? Soon he will be in the limelight again. Until then, let’s remember, Ignazio is a Beautiful Soul!Respect that soul!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
Since you liked the first part of the interview Felicità a lot, here is the second part, starting at minute 27:04.
Happy reading everyone.🤗
(A Chi Mi Dice video begins.)
PV = (voice) The dreams of glory of three boys from the provinces, who have already become, by Divine will, icons of global music. Three young people with their heads on their shoulders, who despite their success, continue to speak with the humility that befits adults.
It is precisely from their last words, which underline the awareness of the privilege of sharing strong emotions, and the indissoluble union on stage, despite three different characters, that the values with which they were educated are understood: Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero.
Humility, work and growing interest in culture, values that all young people, whatever their interests, must treasure.
(The video of Il Volo begins with Laura Pausini in NYC 2014.)
The contagious enthusiasm of the new lady Golden Globe, and Oscar nominated artist, to put it in the American way: Miss Laura Pausini, in introducing Il Volo on the New York stage a few years ago (2014), relaunches the discussion on the growing global appreciation of the three young artists, loved everywhere, for the ease with which they propose themselves on every occasion, be it classic or pop.
An equally engaging state of mind that of Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca, like that of the “ex Pausella da Solarolo”, (Pausella is a nickname to say Laura Pausini, she grew up in a town called Solarolo) which allowed her to become, in effect, the new young lady of Italian song in the world.
For the pupils of Michele Torpedine (Il Volo), discovered by Antonella Clerici and Roberto Cenci, and launched for the first time in the world by Tony Renis, the path is still long and full of expectations, but with youngsters like that, we must not ask ourselves about limits.
PIERO = I read a review on Beniamino Gigli’s book, made by a friend of his who went to visit him, before a concert and Gigli had just finished vocalizing.
His friend asks him if he still continues to study, and when was the last time he studied and Gigli replies: “Five minutes ago!”
Beniamino Gigli was already at the peak of success.
Talent is a gift that God gives you, but maturity allows you to cultivate it and study every day, there will be a reason why all the great ones continue to study.
Clearly we are now mature, we know how to study and what to study.
Our strength is our team.
A few days ago we received the news of the success of the Verona Arena, we hugged, we with our team, because it is not just the three of us, the three of us go on stage, but behind us there is the management and I have to tell you that the mentor of IL Volo is Michele Torpedine, because it is he who stimulates us to create new ideas.
PV = Sure!!
PIERO = We are too young to have so much creativity.
PV = Clear.
PIERO = He is far-sighted, he sees beyond.
When we go on stage and we get a great success, I was telling you about the success of a few days ago, we hugged each other and we said: “Never change a winning team”.
It is also confronting every day, even with points of view …..
PV = With different points of view, of course.
PIERO = …. different points of view, because now we are mature, but there are no more teasing, no more spites.
PV = Why were there?
IGNAZIO = When we were little it was normal, then we also have three different characters, we also have three very strong personalities the three of us, so it’s normal that we went against our ideas.
(beautiful video of Il Tuo Sguardo Manca, made at the Verona Arena)
PV = (to Torpedine) How difficult was it to keep three young men with strong personalities together, who evidently manage to find a common agreement on stage?
TORPEDINE= It was much more difficult at first, because they were children, they even fought over the place in the car. 😁
Today they are three adult and intelligent people, but the nice thing about Il Volo, unlike other artists, is that although today they cover most of the world (they are famous in most of the world), they are very simple people.
PV = Where will Il Volo arrive? (where their success will come? how far will they go?)
TORPEDINE= I have been telling them for some time that the best is yet to come. When they will have the credibility of mature people, and prove that their voices are crazy, I always tell them that big success is yet to come.
But it will come, because there is no such thing in the world. (Meaning the guys of IL VOLO are the only ones who present such a repertoire and with these qualities in the world.)
(The song of UN AMORE COSÌ GRANDE starts, which links to images of Ischia – Italian island near Capri)
PV = (voice) In the journey of these three guys, there was also a very nice parenthesis that I want to remember, because the first international audience they had was in Ischia, in 2010 during the Ischia Global Film Music Festival. The three came, very young, I must say very jaunty, with their families, very carefree, but they were already concentrated there, in the recording room, they were making the album, with great commitment and they did a concert in Sant Angelo Ischia, in front of a Hollywood audience, Jeremy Renner, Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Ethel Graham and many other international actors.
The video of the evening in Sant Angelo Ischia begins, there is Tony Renis on the catwalk, these are his words:
TONY RENIS = It was Pascal who urged me, he told me: “Tony, this wonderful evening in this wonderful setting of Sant Angelo, you have to bring these three extraordinary kids. They are three fifteen-year-old boys, they are here and I introduce them to you: Gianluca, Gianluca Ginoble, Piero Barone and Ignazio Boschetto.”
PIERO = We want to dedicate this song to all mothers.
IGNAZIO = To all mothers, especially ours, but ….
PIERO = ….. but in particular to a great mother, Pascal’s mother.
GIANLUCA = Pascal’s mother.
TONY RENIS = (voice) As they say in Los Angeles, ladies and gentlemen: Il Volo.
(The song MAMMA begins.)
PV = (to Gian) But how much have you changed since Ischia, where you already had the fans outside the Regina Isabella (Hotel) who were besieging you?
GIAN = However, these are things that are not forgotten, because those who support you from the beginning ….. it is easy to support when there is success, so we thank you also for this, for this support that you have given us since the beginning.
In reality, we are not so different, we never lose that desire to do, to be a bit like those children who chase those dreams, to set goals and always improve.
So let’s say we still maintain that simplicity ……..
IGNAZIO = Now we are waiting for the renewal of the invitation (to the Ischia Global Film Festival).
PV = Of course, guys, this summer.
GIAN = HAWK’S EYE (Jeremy Renner), I also want TONY STARK (they are actors who play Avengers in the movies), you have to invite Robert Downey, Jr. too, he’s my favorite actor, you have to bring him.
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. I LOVE YOU.
IGNAZIO = If you want to invite Anne Hathaway too, I’m not sorry, I say. (humorous) 😁
PV = I see that Anne Hathaway is very strong, she has a strong passion for Italians …..
IGNAZIO = We too for her …
GIAN = If you bring me Robert Downey Jr., I’ll make you a statue. 😁
PV= But guys, I have to make the statue to you, to great young music legends.
IGNAZIO = He makes the statue for you and I place it next to that of Pino Daniele in Naples.
PV = Let’s not exaggerate guys.
Instead, how much have you personally changed, compared to when you were kids, you talked about magical moments in Rome, Los Angeles, Ischia.
I see you (to Ignazio), you are a young gentleman now.
IGNAZIO = No, we change, but it is normal that we change, it goes without saying.
PV = Sure
IGNAZIO = But not because we become more important, but because it is the age that dictates it, for nothing else. We are very proud of what we are doing, because it is all that the sacrifices are repaying us, the satisfactions. We are working hard, nothing ever falls from the tree, you have to go there, you have to climb and collect what you want to have.
We are really satisfied, change is normal, but we try to keep our origins, our traditions, our values, which are the most important thing, things that we have always tried not to lose along the way.
(The video MUSICA CHE RESTA starts.)
PV = Piero you are three very young exes (former children), who have made it, and you are still there, determined to grow more and more.
Instead, let’s talk to many young Italians, who are still there fighting for the first satisfaction of their life, what do we say to them?
PIERO = Our work is a dreamy job, we always think big, sometimes we succeed, sometimes we fail and that fear is the stimulus that makes you grow, it always keeps you going.
As for our peers, I do not feel able to give advice, but the only suggestion I could give is to believe in your talent, but above all in your passion, which sooner or later, life will give you that satisfaction.
(The video of Canzone Per Te begins.)
PV = Gianluca, when you go back to Abruzzo, and go around the streets where you took your first steps, not only artistic, but also in school, what is your feeling today?
GIAN = We were just talking about it the other day. Each of us lives it differently, but there is a strong gap between living the life of the country, because in any case I have not moved from Abruzzo, I live by the sea, and then, go around the world.
It is as if we lived two lives side by side, as if every now and then, we jump from one train to another, as if they were two tracks, right?
But we must try to maintain that normality that allows you not to lose the detachment with reality, because in any case, even if this is our life, we have adapted to change. It is a great privilege, somehow, to be able to live a life as a simple, normal boy, and then you have this privilege of living a life of a star, let’s say.
PV= Sure
GIAN= We must know how to cultivate both things, know how to manage them, and never lose that humility, that simplicity.
PV= Ignazio, being Italian is a great privilege, let’s face it.
Let’s tell a little to the many young people who do not have the awareness of the world, that Italianness is a very important value.
IGNAZIO = Being Italian is a great honor for us because, only by hearing about it from various nationalities, you realize how our country is loved, respected, envied. Because we, in the end, have fantastic places, among the most beautiful in the world, people … that are the most beautiful in the world, because here you can find your dimension, with more reserved people (north) or with more people lively, like in the south, right?
So we live in a fantastic country and we just have to be proud of our flag. 😘
(The video for Per Te Ci Sarò begins.)
PV = (to Gian) But when you are on stage in Los Angeles, rather than South America, or China, or Russia and you start to see the Italian flags that come out, what’s the feeling, I get the chills just thinking such a thing.
GIAN= It is our culture, above all musical, that allows us to travel the world, you know it better than us, in short. It is the strength of this music, which allows us to conquer not only Italians abroad, but also audiences from all nations, and this is a great thing.
See the Italians who follow us, who by the way we greet, who are watching us in many …..
PV = Also through RAI ITALIA …
GIAN = Yes, exactly … who live our concerts with that nostalgia, with that tear that is the memory of a past life, and for us it is exciting to try to convey emotions to these people too, and we will return to tour very soon, we are preparing many beautiful things for you.
IGNAZIO = The beautiful thing, do you know what it is? It is not the fact of seeing an Italian with the Italian flag, which fits!
But it is seeing a Russian girl, with the Italian flag in her hand, a Japanese or Chinese girl with an Italian flag in her hand, a German boy, with the Italian flag in his hand, and there you realize that music does not place barriers to nationality to culture.
Music unites us!
PV = (to Piero) What do you dream of for your future?
PIERO = I dream of living music all my life.
PV = Enough for you?
PIERO = Music is everything to me.
PV = Yes?
PIERO = It’s my life.
PV = It is your life. (then, to Gian) And the family? Start a family?
GIAN = Eh ???? What does it mean???? ……
IGNAZIO = You asked the wrong person the question !!!
GIAN = (continuing to pretend not to understand) …… what does that mean ????
PV = (replies to Ignazio) Why what do you mean?
PIERO = Because he (Ignazio) is the romantic of the group.
IGNAZIO = It’s not that I’m romantic, it’s me who dreams of a family, he (Gianluca) maybe not ….. but it’s normal, we have different interests.
PV = He (Gianluca) is the playboy of the situation?
IGNAZIO = No, but you know, family is not always everyone’s goal, the goal is to feel good, feel good about yourself, feel good with another person, for some to have children, for some not, so it is very subjective.
I dream of having a family.
PV = How many children ??
IGNAZIO = At least three, at least.
PV = You already have the lady with whom …..
IGNAZIO = I have to hurry …..
GIAN = Hurry, no!! When you feel ready!
IGNAZIO = But I feel ready.
Did you understand? (he says to Pascal, as if to underline that he and Gian have different goals for the moment)
PV = (addressed to Piero) You instead?
PIERO = I am a person who comes from a family rich in values, clear, when love arrives, when the time is right, it is not prescribed.
PV = No, no, of course not.
Let’s close guys, the microphone and the camera to you, to look the fans in the eyes to tell them what?
GIAN = Thank you, we are coming back, get ready, because we are preparing something great for all of you.
PIERO = Thanks for your support, trust and love.
IGNAZIO = It was a difficult year, full of shortcomings, but also a lot of work.
See you soon 2022, many concerts.
PV = yes, definitely.
This is Il Volo, three ex (former) children that I met at the beginning and who today are three very successful men and therefore I am really happy today to have them with us.
HAPPINESS to all.
G + P + I = Thank you
I would say it was a long, but really good interview.
Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero showed, with their words, a great maturity, and Pascal asked them very relevant questions and recalled the salient moments of our boys’ careers, with great affection.
It is a pity that this beautiful interview had little relevance here in Italy, because it was announced at the last moment and broadcast at a rather strange time.
But we fans, we know how to give due credit to things of value.
I also included the video of IN ASSENZA DI TE with Laura Pausini in New York, because I thought that maybe many of you have never seen it.
I also thank all of you, for the wonderful comments for the translation of the first part of the interview, I hope you like the second as well.
Daniela
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.
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