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IL VOLO TO SILVIA TOFFANIN-VERISSIMO by Daniela

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Certainly this interview with Verissimo had not been planned, because Il Volo was supposed to be on a promotional tour in China, which however has been postponed for the moment and therefore having some time available before leaving for Japan, Sunday 21 April (recorded on day before) we managed to have this last appearance on Canale 5 on Verissimo, the beautiful program hosted by the talented and kind Silvia Toffanin.
Here is the full video that I translate for you.

SILVIA= They are three wonderful voices, Piero Ignazio and Gianluca: IL Volo. (The boys enter to the tune of Capolavoro).
Welcome back.
IGNAZIO= How are you?
SILVIA= Well and you? Piero, is everything okay?
Welcome back to Verissimo. How beautiful.
PIERO= It’s always nice to see you.
SILVIA= Thank you. (they sit)
How is it going? How are you guys?
IGNAZIO= That’s fine.
SILVIA= Is that okay? I see you in good shape.
PIERO= Very happy.
GIANLUCA= Today I wanted to be dressed a bit like you, did you see? We are two and two.
SILVIA= Two couples.
GIANLUCA= Let’s play doubles in tennis.
SILVIA= 15 years together..
PIERO= In a few days….in four days…
IGNAZIO= Not long left…
SILVIA= How have these 15 years been?
IGNAZIO= Well, it’s been 15 years, it’s 15 beautiful years, of sharing, of experiences, of personal and artistic growth, let’s say we can’t complain, that’s it.
SILVIA= An album AD ASTRA was released which is a beautiful name, what does this title mean?
IGNAZIO= There wasn’t one, we thought AD ASTRA…😂😂
PIERO= We were inspired by the phrase PER ASPERA AD ASTRA, through hardships and difficulties, great goals are achieved. Maybe we can’t talk about great sacrifices, because in everyday life we all face beautiful moments and less beautiful moments, but I believe that in the end it’s the journey that makes you enjoy the arrival. Perhaps this is also our strength, that of working every day for an event, for a concert, for a particular event, and then immediately think about the next one.
SILVIA= You never stop, do you..
GIANLUCA= No, because great results are achieved only with great sacrifices, nothing comes with minimal effort, which is the aim of this album which tells what we have become today after 15 years, we started when we were teenagers and therefore it is normal that perhaps the contents, the thoughts have changed and today we needed to record our first album of unreleased songs after a career, let’s say, based on covers, therefore on the successes of others, the songs of our tradition and therefore we are very proud of this project which began precisely from the Sanremo festival.
SILVIA= Which is truly a Capolavoro! Which by the way is the song that is contained….
PIERO= Yes, did you like it?
SILVIA= Very much! How have these 15 years been, how have you evolved Ignazio?
IGNAZIO= Definitely starting…
SILVIA= ….as kids…
IGNAZIO= …..as kids, having to share everything with two other people is not easy, especially…..
PIERO= Come on, it’s not easy, it’s beautiful…..
IGNAZIO= ……it’s not easy, it’s the truth, it’s beautiful, but it’s not easy and therefore in these 15 years we have also learned to live together, to understand each other and to clash….
PIERO= We have learned to tolerate you…
IGNAZIO= ….and from the clashes you have learned to tolerate me, because I tolerate you two..
SILVIA= Exactly, you see!
GIANLUCA= Support, even when….
IGNAZIO= Yes, it’s more tolerate than support, but…..(in Italian it’s almost a play on words: sopporto-supporto = tolerate-support)
PIERO= Do you understand that today I had to tell him to shave? He was coming here with a bum like that and I told him. “But take the razor and shave.”
SILVIA= Why?
Are you in a white phase?
GIANLUCA= A Can Jaman phase (a beautiful Turkish actor with a beard very famous here in Italy)
IGNAZIO= No, it was a bit of protest…
SILVIA= But towards them?
IGNAZIO= But no, it’s to be a non-conformist.
PIERO= He shaved his beard twenty minutes ago in the dressing room.
SILVIA= Is he in Turkish version?
GIANLUCA = Exactly!
SILVIA= He (Ignazio) is Can Yaman (Turkish actor) and you (Gianluca) are Timothée Chalamet (actor from Dune, very famous).…
GIANLUCA = “De noi altri”….(dialect phrase meaning – of us others – is a way to reduce the comparison made by Silvia)
SILVIA= ….and you (Piero)...
PIERO= I can say…
IGNAZIO= Sorry, wait (to Piero)….who am I?
SILVIA= You are Can Yaman! He said it (Gianluca)
IGNAZIO= Can… who? 😳😳
SILVIA= He’s a Turkish actor. A bit like Antonio Banderas but better.
GIANLUCA= You met him in Venice.
IGNAZIO= I would be….
SILVIA= Like Banderas and Timothée Chalamet (Gianluca).
PIERO= Piero Barone, don’t worry, I like it, they won’t take me etc.
GIANLUCA= He doesn’t want replacement, as Battiato (Italian singer) said: “I don’t work on replacing myself”.
PIERO= I am looking for the best part of myself.
GIANLUCA= Exactly, that’s right!
IGNAZIO= But what is this, Psychology, or is it still VERISSIMO??  😂😂😂
SILVIA= It’s: VERISSIMO but very psychological!!
But how do we get into arguments, bickering….
GIANLUCA= Every day…
PIERO= How nice it is to hear people talk:
“IL VOLO IS DIVIDED” oh my…
SILVIA= But do you realise? A shock!!
PIERO= But what happened!!
SILVIA= Worse than Albano and Romina (two very famous Italian singers, husband and wife who are now separated both in life and in their career). This could be devastating!
PIERO= A national case!!
IGNAZIO= What happened? (he pretends not to know anything).
SILVIA= Did you separate and come to say it today?

GIANLUCA= I say one thing, being together every day, you forget that there are cameras and this shows that we are always ourselves, and that episode happened on the radio but….
IGNAZIO= But why is there so much confidence…
SILVIA= Between the two of you?
IGNAZIO= I wasn’t there….when I’m not there….
PIERO= Ask him where he was, ask him (Ignazio) where he was.
SILVIA= Where were you?
IGNAZIO= I fell asleep…
SILVIA= Ah, he wasn’t there!
IGNAZIO= But you see, when I’m not there everything happens!
GIANLUCA= He is a latecomer, he is an impressive latecomer…
SILVIA= But then you two made peace…
PIERO= A first plan please??
SILVIA = Close up for Piero!!
PIERO= IL VOLO DOESN’T DIVIDE, FORGET IT, RESIGN YOURSELF. 👏👏👏
GIANLUCA= In reality we didn’t want to argue, absolutely, but even if that were the case, we’re okay with it. Imagine if there were cameras inside all Italians’ homes, imagine how many people argue without cameras.
SILVIA= You’re right.
IGNAZIO= But then there is such confidence between us that we can allow ourselves to say everything.
SILVIA= It’s an arranged marriage, some of you said this.
GIANLUCA= Well, it’s still a marriage, even if marriages are some compromises, you sacrifice a little “your individuality” to give it to others. They are compromises but for us….
IGNAZIO= Then you sacrifice yourself….
GIANLUCA= In the sense that in any case it is clear, when there is a success like this, and there is a constant love from the public that has supported us for so long…..
PIERO= But the lady just said (a woman from the audience):
“Ignazio you are unique”…..and the other two????? 😂😂
GIANLUCA= the other two nothing….😁
SILVIA= But because there are groups, there are fanbases of Ignazio, Gianluca, and Piero who I see as silent on this topic, do you want to comment too? Arranged marriage but then you fell in love in the end?
IGNAZIO= But who??? 😳🤣🤣
PIERO= The three of us???😳
IGNAZIO= But who’s sorry?? 😂
SILVIA= It was born as an arranged marriage, Gianluca’s definition, right?
GIANLUCA= They put us together, yes yes….
SILVIA= They put you together, then in the end you fell in love, I mean, you had a good time together…
IGNAZIO= But no, we  “ci vogliamo bene” (“love each other…”), 
SILVIA= You love each other, period! 
(for us Italians, “volere bene” is different from loving, “volere bene” means having a lot of affection towards someone, but love is only towards one’s partner).
IGNAZIO= We’re fine…. let’s not spread ourselves. (he means let’s not exaggerate)
PIERO= There is a lot of respect, well, I believe that respect, above all respecting the private life of each of us, I believe is the greatest way to demonstrate love towards another person, in this case two other people.
SILVIA= So you manage, even when you are always together, to have moments of solitude, alone?
IGNAZIO= Absolutely.
SILVIA= You’re not always stuck together.
IGNAZIO= No, no. I personally am always the one who seeks solitude the most.
SILVIA= Loneliness…
IGNAZIO= But because I feel good in my solitude. Then in life you change, you meet and then you feel like sharing your loneliness with someone special and therefore it becomes an extended loneliness!
SILVIA= Which we will talk about later, in the meantime this is my gift to you for your 15th birthday, practically half of your life.
PIERO= Exactly half of our life.
IGNAZIO= You understand, don’t you?
SILVIA= I understand. Yes.
(a video starts with various fragments of Il Volo’s career)
VOICE= Taking flight (in italian Il Volo)  to transform destiny into the symphony of immense success.
GIANLUCA in video= We started when we were 14 years old, we met at the same time in the same place and our musical journey began from there.
VOICE= since that meeting Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero have never stopped, starting a story that has never known boundaries.
THREE VOICES ONE SOUL, THIS IS IL VOLO (it is said in Spanish)
The unstoppable talent of this trio was able to excite the whole world.
From 2009 to today, an incredible career, made up of sincere affection, applause and dozens of awards.
Il Volo has truly opened its wings wherever it wanted, between collaborations with the greatest and breathtaking performances on memorable stages and as international stars they have also triumphed in Italy.
From Sanremo to Saremo, they have shown the versatile talent of those who know how to evolve while always remaining faithful to their essence.
Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca hold firm to the values of an entire life.
IGNAZIO in video = We support each other, we help each other. ❤️
VOICE = They transform every day on stage, in a place where distances are canceled out in a single, infinite applause.
PIERO= In the end the common goal of all three is always Il Volo! ❤️
SILVIA= How wonderful!!
PIERO= Wow.
SILVIA= How beautiful! How many things.
PIERO= You have told a lot, in just a few seconds, but it is all incredible and perhaps the goal of all three is really to never lose this enthusiasm. In the end, in everything you do you must always find the enthusiasm to do things, whether big or small, but if you lose your enthusiasm I think you have stopped living, everything we have seen we have done with extreme enthusiasm and we can’t wait to leave, we will leave tomorrow for Japan, we will go on tour for two weeks and I already know that personally I will never feel alone, because we will all three go on a tour in the East experiencing the same emotions, listening to the same applause …
IGNAZIO= Wait while I read it to you (the Japan tour poster written in Japanese has appeared, Ignazio imitates Japanese speech) 😂😂
PIERO= ……and then think, what is the most beautiful part of Il Volo? Now we have two weeks of tour in Japan, then we will return to Italy and land directly in Verona to do three evenings on Canale 5…
SILVIA= Yes, how beautiful!! 🥰🥰🥰
PIERO= ….we have to face a mountain, three evenings are different from each other, but we know that it will go well…
SILVIA= And then there is always the relationship with your origins, I know that you have always maintained a bond with the land where you come from..
IGNAZIO= Don’t let him advertise Abruzzo, everything he says Abruzzo Abruzzo, Abruzzo…😁
SILVIA= He cares…
IGNAZIO= Maria (exclamation)
PIERO= Our origins are our safe haven, what makes us maintain contact with reality, because sometimes, some experiences can distract you a little…..
SILVIA= Especially when young..
PIERO= ….instead when you come home with people who love you for who you are, because they saw you grow up, I think this is the greatest privilege, all three…
SILVIA= But who knows what kind of shit they’ll do to you when you get home…
PIERO= No! They respect our everyday life. They also got used to this, they got used to it. It’s clear that after the Sanremo festival, they are all proud, but for all three, in our villages, he (Gianluca) lives in Montepagano in a village of … how many are you?
GIANLUCA= 300 souls.
PIERO= I live in the village of Naro in Sicily, it really is our home.
SILVIA= You have told a lot about yourself, you have all told a lot about yourselves, let’s see your emotions, then we have some arguments….
IGNAZIO= My goodness!
PIERO= I’ll leave him with you alone!
SILVIA= You too dear….
(another nice video starts)

Click Here to view the video

VOICE= The voice of the singer seeks within itself the depth of an emotion to give to the listener. The most authentic feelings that become a single melody.
IGNAZIO in video = We lived the most important moments of life together and we grew up together, that’s it. ❤️
VOICE = United, thanks to those who were able to see a different light in them from an early age.
PIERO in video= My grandfather Pietro and my father discovered my voice, he never stopped believing in me.❤️
GIANLUCA= A mother, a brother, a father, a grandfather, will always wait for you. ❤️
VOICE = Together as a family, even in the face of the greatest pain.
IGNAZIO in video= I haven’t lost my father, my father is always with me, well, I like to think like that. He was my father but it’s a bit like he was everyone’s father.
Your Love is a song that means a lot to us, also because we performed in Sanremo three days after my father’s death. 🙏❤️
PIERO in video= Ignazio taught us a lot and I have to thank him for this, he is a strong man and we love him so much. ❤️
GIANLUCA in video= In my opinion, beautiful things are always born from pain. .
VOICE= And it is love that makes the strings of three souls united by the same profound values ring.
GIANLUCA in video= Love conquers all. 😍
PIERO in video= I see a beautiful future with children, in my opinion that is the reason for living. 😍
VOICE= To continue to grow, and to give everyone a new voice to today’s dreams.
IGNAZIO in video= It’s those things that happen to me once in a lifetime, when you meet a person who gives you the feeling that time stops, I no longer need anything else. ❤️❤️
IGNAZIO= (happy but embarrassed, gets up) Oh, hi, grazie mille!
Thanks (to the public)
Silvia it was a pleasure, see you next time.
SILVIA= No, dear, stay, stay, because love is a wonderful thing, right?
IGNAZIO= Love is a simple thing.
SILVIA= Who do I start with?
PIERO= From me definitely.
IGNAZIO= From Gianluca, start from Gianluca.
SILVIA= From Gianluca.
IGNAZIO = every two years we come and there is the bulletin.
GIANLUCA= It starts with you. It starts with you who are experiencing beautiful things, you have made a very important decision in life, eh!
IGNAZIO= What do you want to know?
SILVIA= Gianluca is helping me, you’ve made an important decision, why, is there a wedding or am I wrong?
IGNAZIO= Who, when, what’s happening??
SILVIA= Piero right? Are you invited to the wedding?
GIANLUCA= Do you forget?
PIERO= I accompanied him to buy the ring.
SILVIA=Did you accompany him?
PIERO= My goodness, what an effort!
SILVIA= Tell me!
PIERO= Anxiety, I had everyone….😳
IGNAZIO= But you were anxious, not me! 😁
SILVIA= For the proposal?
PIERO= I was more anxious than him! I swear.
SILVIA= You two alone?
PIERO= Alone.
SILVIA= In the jewelry store.
PIERO= The shop closed, in a private room, and I had to give advice…
IGNAZIO= Because I had quite clear ideas:
“Piero, I have to buy this, I’ve already seen it, I want this.”
PIERO= We went together because he (Gianluca) lives in Abruzzo, we both live in Bologna, so he called me, “Will you come with me?”
SILVIA=And did you accompany him?
PIERO= Yes and no one knew. If he tells me that no one knows, I won’t even tell my brother. So I’ll let you imagine the effort I had, because I also find myself in difficulty, it’s a new experience for me to advise a friend which ring to get, I don’t know, do what you want.
IGNAZIO= Because I had to make him try it: “Piero, let’s see how it goes”.
PIERO= He made me try it.
SILVIA= You also did the proposal simulation.
IGNAZIO= No, no. But they are those moments that you share with a friend, an important person… we shared joys and sorrows, he was in Bologna, so who better to share this moment with than Piero and so I said: “Will you accompany me”, we spoke, we saw each other…..and yes, I’m getting married, I won’t tell you when, because obviously we are doing something intimate, very private, restricted, and what more do you want to know??
SILVIA= The bride’s name is Michelle.
IGNAZIO= Her name is Michelle.
SILVIA= It’s beautiful…
IGNAZIO= Yes, she is very intelligent, above all.
SILVIA= Here you see.
PIERO= Very good.
IGNAZIO= I can tell you that I think that any person reaches a certain point in life where…. we are three kids who have lived, fortunately life has led us to have both emotional and economic stability, and therefore I have always been the most dreamy one in the family, having a family, creating a family and when you meet a person who has the same wishes as you and who in any case has the same pleasure of facing and living life and growing together in life, there is no more beautiful step what can I say ok, let’s live it together, let’s grow together. 😍😍
SILVIA= What magic you are experiencing!
IGNAZIO= Yes. I’m very happy, I’m fine.
SILVIA= Is your mother happy?
IGNAZIO= Yes, well it’s normal, I think like any mother, right?
SILVIA= You obviously introduced her to him.
IGNAZIO= Yes, yes, yes!
SILVIA= And you? (to Gianluca)
GIANLUCA= So, there is a very nice thing, because one of the last times I came here, when you review the video from the past, there is a sort of judgment that you can give to yourself, because with a lot of unconsciousness I told you :
“Come on, I’ll be back in two years and nothing will have changed”
SILVIA= Exactly.
GIANLUCA= Because then in that moment it is always nice to think that things last forever, when in reality everything can change, we change continuously, therefore, even the people who are with us in that moment can take a different path, or the things can also end.
So today, with a little less recklessness, I can tell you that things have changed, but I think it’s really important…..
IGNAZIO= I knew it, I said it.
GIANLUCA= …..that before making any decision about how I live my life, work on yourself, on self-love. Because love is an act where you have to abandon the ego, possession, jealousy, there are things where it is important to maintain a certain freedom from this point of view, because we do not possess anyone, and therefore over time, especially when we are little ones we don’t know what we want and we don’t know how to manage feelings like love which is one of the most important feelings in life and therefore there is personal growth and I have to tell you that right now I’m very happy and I’m loving, which is the main thing .
SILVIA= But who? But yourself or someone?
IGNAZIO= Himself, always.
SILVIA= Always.
GIANLUCA= I have to tell you that…
SILVIA= I didn’t understand, sorry…..
IGNAZIO= You understood very well, but no…..
SILVIA= So it ended up with the girl with whom….
GIANLUCA= I’m loving and that’s the beauty of it, I can’t tell you anything else but I’m in a phase where, from that point of view, it’s giving me a lot of serenity and helps you live everyday life in a lighter way .
IGNAZIO= Exactly what I wanted to say, which is what’s important to understand, “forever” doesn’t exist, it exists today, so today I want to live as well as tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow and that’s the fundamental thing .
SILVIA= (to Piero) Don’t be vague, you’re being vague, you’re looking around. Apart from the marathon, apart from running, is there room in your life for love?
IGNAZIO= He runs away, that’s why he runs, he runs away.
SILVIA= While running, maybe you meet someone running.
PIERO= No, that day when they explained this topic at school (love) I was absent.
SILVIA= It’s not true, so you’re alone?
PIERO= Oh yes!
SILVIA= You are alone and you run alone.
PIERO= So, I have to tell you that it’s such a delicate topic, that if you go looking (for love) you can’t find it, so if it comes, it will come on its own.
SILVIA= In the meantime, will you sing it, here it is, where are you? At the New York Marathon? (there is a photo of Piero)
PIERO= Yes.
SILVIA= At the New York marathon, like Gianni Morandi (Italian singer).
PIERO= I did it now, in November.
SILVIA= Recently.
PIERO= It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life, it was a great goal achieved.
SILVIA= I imagine so.
PIERO= Yes because it was during the tour in Europe and South America, so between the tour and the travel I had to include training.
SILVIA= The training sessions.
PIERO= Now we have two years of touring all over the world, I promised myself not to participate in any marathon, we have to concentrate because doing a tour like the one that awaits us in Europe, in the East, 22 dates in Italy, that’s five marathons put together .
SILVIA= So now you’re off to Japan.
PIERO= I do the calendar part.
SILVIA= Go!
PIERO= The East in Japan, two weeks, we return with 4 concerts at the Verona Arena and 22 summer dates in Italy, then we will leave on tour in Europe: Madrid, Paris, Barcelona….
GIANLUCA= If you need a travel agency we are here because we can advise you on any…
SILVIA= Then there are three evenings on Canale 5 very soon to see…
PIERO= Yes, in May.
SILVIA= In May.
PIERO= We can’t say the dates but in May.
SILVIA= Soon, we’ll be there.
PIERO= We are about to arrive.
SILVIA= At this point, have a good trip guys.
PIERO= We already have the list of guests who will come on these evenings.
SILVIA= They will be super…
PIERO= We will surprise you, we thank you, we thank the guests, but above all I wanted to thank, and it’s not a figure of speech, but our audience who allowed us to celebrate 15 incredible years…
SILVIA= It’s true!
PIERO= If I had to really describe the term LOYALTY, I would associate it with our audience. 🥰
SILVIA= Who loves you immensely.
Thank you.
Congratulations (to Ignazio).
IGNAZIO= Grazie mille…
SILVIA= Happy wedding, happy tour, happy everything, long live Il Volo!

(final greetings, kisses, hugs)
But that’s not all, because a couple of days before Verissimo, Il Volo was interviewed by Malcom Pagani for an episode of THEY SAY ABOUT YOU. It’s an audio interview, but listen to it and turn on the subtitles.

DICONO DI TE

And then there is this beautiful interview published by the Repubblica newspaper. Nice questions asked by Silvia Fumarola, to which, as always, Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio responded with great sincerity.
Il Volo: They told us we were crazy because we were talking about meetings with the stars. Now let’s shut up.
Money is used to make loved ones happy, but beware if you become a victim. And we tell you our fears…
They don’t argue but discuss, they repeat that their passion for music unites them. They were teenagers when the group was formed in 2009, they all took part in the show TI LASCIO UNA CANZONE with Antonella Clerici.
Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble became Il Volo.
Fifteen years have passed, several world tours, they were the only Italians invited by Quincy Jones to “We are the world for Haiti in 2010”, they won the Sanremo Festival in 2015 with Grande Amore, sold over 20 million records and sung before the Pope.
As Vasco Rossi put it, “I’m still here”. (Vasco Rossi is an Italian singer, a phrase from his song says: I’m still here).
They grew up different in character, with their own dreams.
They have published AD ASTRA, ALL FOR ONE awaits them, the event concerts at the Verona Arena, on 9,11,12 and 13 May, the first three evenings on Canale 5.
The tour will continue until September, on 8 June at the Baths of Caracalla, on 4 July in Piazza S. Marco in Venice, in October a stop in the European capitals, in 2025 the United States, Canada and Latin America await them.
So you guys fight too. How are things?
IGNAZIO= Like all groups in this world we discuss, we have different ideas. A good thing, it helps to avoid being monotonous.
GIANLUCA= After Sanremo we had a lot of visibility. We have to be more careful, always with the cameras pointed.
PIERO= If there were cameras in Italians’ homes, who knows what would come out…..
What do you disagree with?
PIERO= Ignazio on how Gianluca and I dress.
IGNAZIO= Can I have different tastes?
GIANLUCA= We have changed. Sometimes you have to take risks to get what you never had, you can’t stay the same. There is comparison but let’s try to understand the other.
And what unites you?
PIERO= We respect the private lives of each of us. What unites us is the fact that we know what is best for Il Volo. For example, in ALL FOR ONE concerts everyone sings the musical genre that best reflects them, Il Volo are three personalities.
What if you had to define yourself?
PIERO= In my opinion the way we define ourselves is different from how others see us. We are never one thing, I am rational, but not only that.
GIANLUCA= Sensitive, at times instinctive. There are people you’ve known for years who never get to know you. It is also possible that a relationship that remained infantile was created between us, we met as children. It’s difficult to discover the other because there’s no intimate sphere, there’s always work involved.
IGNAZIO= I think I’m instinctive.
What scares you?
PIERO= What can happen tomorrow. And lose the urge to know the world, the curiosity.
GIANLUCA= It scares me to live without knowing who I am. Success is a consequence, but if I make money as an artist and don’t express my true essence, it’s not good.
IGNAZIO= Waking up in the morning knowing I can’t eat: diets. The real fear is losing enthusiasm.
The relationship with money?
IGNAZIO= They count. We don’t have the problem of making ends meet, we are very lucky. I enjoy life and have great respect for money. Many young people don’t have a passion, just the idea of becoming a millionaire.
GIANLUCA= I don’t consider myself materialistic, if a thief were to come to my house he wouldn’t find anything to say back. Collecting watches or cars doesn’t belong to me. I don’t spend 5 thousand euros on a bottle in a nightclub, it seems immoral to me when there are people who earn that money in five months. I spend it on travel, books, anything that enriches me as a person.
PIERO= I see them as a means to a comfortable life, and above all to make the wishes of loved ones come true. We must recognize the value of money, and never become its victims.
The most surprising encounter?
GIANLUCA= The one with De Gregori and Venditti (Italian singer-songwriters), unforgettable. To think that I listened to them in the car with my dad, we established a friendship, they told me about their lives, what inspired them in the writing process.
PIERO= The meeting with Woody Allen in New York didn’t seem real to me. And when I found myself singing “O sole mio” with Djokovic.
IGNAZIO= Barbra Streisand, life teacher. We only did one tour together, but the simplicity and dedication with which she does things have remained with me. Natural perfection.
Always traveling around the world, how do you maintain a sense of reality? Do you do the shopping?
IGNAZIO= I like it a lot, the absurd thing is when they look at me: is it him? I feel good at home, that’s my normality: I almost never go out.
Ignazio, is it true that you are getting married?
IGNAZIO= Yes. But I won’t say where or when.
Let’s go back to shopping.
PIERO= I exaggerate in everything, I see and buy with my eyes first.
GIANLUCA= I go to the supermarket, of course, and they look at me but only if I’m out. In Montepagano, my town in Abruzzo, no one stops, we all know each other.
For years you have had the reputation of being unpleasant: have you ever wondered why?
IGNAZIO= Abroad you have unique experiences, we found ourselves with Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, and maybe sometimes we made mistakes too.
In what sense?
PIERO= For us it was nice to share our life. We no longer say what we experienced in detail so as not to appear conceited or presumptuous. If we keep quiet, maybe it’s better.
GIANLUCA= We suffered because we started our career abroad, for us the saying “Nemo propheta in patria” applies. To demonstrate what we were doing, the problem was ostentation. They asked us: who do you see, what are you doing? And we said that we had met the big stars. We went to the festival and won. Too many things at once. Today we have grown, we are more mature.
Do you have a goal?
PIERO= We have our audience, mothers see us as children.
For me, making young people passionate about lyrical pop.
IGNAZIO= Conquer people of our age with our songs.
GIANLUCA= Do better. Success came early, never take it for granted.
Ever dreamed of waking up as a soloist?
P+I+G= (in chorus) NO
IGNAZIO= We don’t even get to Fiumicino alone!
These three interviews are really interesting, every time we discover something new about them and every time they amaze us with their mature answers and their simplicity and genuineness.
This is all for now, meanwhile our tireless Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio have arrived in Japan, the tour is starting!!!
A presto: Daniela 🤗

Maestro Rota traveled with IL VOLO to Japan.

But since today is April 25th, and it is exactly 15 years since Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca performed “O Sole mio” together for the first time at TI LASCIO UNA CANZONE, and they were not yet Il Volo, we want to give them our best wishes for a happy continuation of this beautiful and long career!!!

BUON ANNIVERSARIO:
IL VOLO 15 ANNI INSIEME ❤️

 

Credit to owners of all photos and videos.

Through the Fields of My Mind

On the Threshold of Success

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Back in October 2020, the guys held a press conference with the Mayor of Rome and set the wheels in motion for a phenomenal project the Tribute to Ennio Morricone! As you know the event was supposed to take place in Piazza Pio XII in the shadow of St. Peter’s Basilica. Due to the pandemic the venue had to be changed and the one million people who might have attended the free concert, were disappointed but, as always, the guys came through and on June 5, 2021, they held the performance of a lifetime at the ancient Arena of Verona! Who will ever forget it!

So how did the year go by so fast? Let’s start at the beginning, the press conference!
This press conference was about a very ambitious project which included the genius of Il Volo and the music of Ennio Morricone. These four men have done extraordinary things in the music industry.

So, what did the guys have to say about this event?
Gianluca said: “The great maestro Morricone was a source of inspiration for us, we also got to know him and work with him, especially in the studio, when we were children of 14 and 15 years old and were recording our first album. It is a source of pride and, perhaps, I allow myself to say that he is the greatest composer of the twentieth century, so we know that this project, this tribute, requires a great responsibility.
We will work hard because this is also the way to bring our musical heritage around the world, but above all, our culture, because he has made millions of people dream all over the world with his soundtracks and of course our goal has always been to bring and be ambassadors of bel canto all over the world, but not with presumption, with great pride and with the desire to be able to make this music known even to the youngest.”
Piero said: “When we presented this project to other countries, North America, South America, Japan and many European countries, there was great enthusiasm on their part, because, as you well know, a couple of years ago we did a concert-event and the film was shown on American TV, and our goal is to convey Italian beauty with the music that surrounds us. In this event we are above all enthusiastic about the positive feedback from those who have collaborated, with Maestro Morricone, in recent years, such as the Sinfonietta Orchestra, which has always played with the Maestro, so we are talking to them. We are excited and delighted that there is this interest on their part.
Ignazio was asked “as your colleagues have already mentioned, in the past you have also had close relationships with the teacher.”
Ignazio said: Yes, they have already said everything but, I’ll put the icing on the cake…  It was in 2011, when we had the luck, the pleasure and the honor of singing “E Piu Ti Penso” which is a song that was part of our first album. We sang in Piazza del Popolo, in Rome, and we have this beautiful memory…  We were young and at our age we had the experience of sharing the stage with one of the greatest composers in history, with greater tranquility.
The Mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi, welcomed the guys with these words:
“It is a special moment. Let me greet three guys who are internationally renowned, with extraordinary voices and who bring bel canto all over the world and allow traditions to be kept alive.
Today we present a great event that will take place on June 5th, 2021, a tribute to Ennio Morricone. It will be a free concert of the highest level, the beginning of a series of concerts, because we need fixed appointments that remind us of what we are able to do. This event is meant to be the beginning. It is a strong signal.
This is meant to be a tribute at a time when we need unity. Thanks to the guys and all those who are working on this great event.”
But it didn’t stop there, the guys let us know there was a great recording project in the works in conjunction with this event. Il Volo’s Tribute to Ennio Morricone.
And the guys had also let us know that as part of the event and the new album there would be a dedicated tour as soon as conditions allow it!

Bringing music back!
The guys worked endlessly to bring back the music industry. They started at the Seat Music Awards. It was the first time they were on stage since the beginning of the pandemic when they had to cancel their last three concerts and go home.
Let’s remember their message of hope that evening. Piero said: “Now, the world is getting ready to start again! Now the moment has arrived to raise the curtain! Now, we will turn on the music!”
This is the theme that reoccurred and, it will continue until music comes back to the arenas and stages around the world. The stages that are missing our guys and their wonderful concerts.
It says we may have to perform under these new world conditions, but we don’t have to change who we are or why we’re here. In the ancient Arena of Verona, they looked to the past while following the path to the future. From their first note the whole arena lit up. They were back! Music had returned to the Arena!
Since the guys left their homes after the quarantine, they have worked tirelessly to bring back the music industry. This was an enormous undertaking. The genius of these three young men has brought us to this place in history! It’s too bad that this great event never took place at Piazza Pio XII. Perhaps someday after the pandemic, the guys will think about another concert to take place at Piazza Pio XII with St. Peter’s Basilica as the backdrop for their event. A complete scenography will be created with this perfect background. It will certainly be an extraordinary event.
So, what happened next!

In a recent appearance on Verissimo, Sylvia Toffanin asked the guys about the quarantine and how it changed their lives. Their answers gave us a deep look into who they are, where they came from and their beautiful values. It showed us brothers who love each other and care for one another. It showed us a love that many real brothers don’t share! Let’s listen to a part of the interview….
Silvia: So, how are you guys doing? I see you are very well.
Piero: We are very well, we are very happy with this project, we have been stuck at home for almost two years, but our creativity has helped us a lot.
Silvia: It didn’t stop.
Piero: I must say that time has been our best friend, because we gave our best, we had more time to try to take care of every aspect of this project.
Silvia: And, also to spend a little time with your families, to live a little that second adolescence that you did not live, because you left home when you were little, right Gianluca.
Gianluca: Yes, then we tried not to live this period passively and to stimulate our creativity. We have been with our families more. Sometimes you also need to have a spirit of adaptation and accept reality when there is no alternative, so it was a very difficult time for everyone. I remember that you of Verissimo, you had the brilliant idea of producing “Imagine” by John Lennon in a video, with many singers playing and singing from home, and certainly this allowed us to be in close contact with the public and we wanted to thank you for it.
Silvia: Let’s go back, because you left for the United States before Covid, to celebrate your 10 years of career and you did a tour in the United States, a beautiful tour, where Placido Domingo also came, Gloria Estefan, in short, great artists. Ignazio, how did you experience that embrace of the American crowd?
Ignazio: Many ask us: But you have no fear, fear of the public, you know, the emotion, it’s all adrenaline, it’s really inexplicable and really, as I said before, we miss it, we love it so much and we can’t wait till next year because it finally starts again.
Silvia: But you were there then at a certain point, it happens that in Italy, Gianluca, then arrives Covid and you were in contact with your families, but in the United States everything was pretty quiet.
Gianluca: Yes, we interrupted the festivities somehow, because in the United States we were there until the first week of March and we returned on the 13th, we canceled the concerts in Las Vegas and San Francisco and we escaped on the last plane, we were more than 30 people traveling, with our crew, the musicians, and therefore we risked staying there for another 2-3 weeks, because then, when we returned we were in full lockdown for a week (in Italy).
Silvia: But what was it like to return home and experience that family dimension, after you have spent your life and adolescence around in concerts. How was it to go home with your mother, with the loved ones, to do nothing.
Ignazio: Above all, do nothing.
Silvia:  Even that, do nothing, boredom.
Piero: It was a kind of “in search of lost time”, this immersion in memories, clearly the birthplace, the family, everyone. It’s nice to relive and remember where we come from, because maybe everyday life sometimes makes us forget this.
And that was the strength perhaps, to feel that inner balance that only your loved ones give you, the people close to you, and from there, we gave life to a new project, and the distance …, because we talked only by telephone with video calls, they could not stay in contact …
Ignazio: It was nice …
Silvia: Was it nice? What did you like?
Ignazio: To hear them by phone I say, we are always together ….
Silvia: … the fact that you didn’t see them for a while
Piero:  I can say that the distance has strengthened our friendship.
Gianluca: We have had a really abnormal lifestyle for 12 years. You know it all started when we were children, so (in Covid time) we tried to be optimistic about it, without feeling sorry for ourselves, because this certainly doesn’t help, and we took all the positive things that unfortunately brought us this tragedy that it touched us all. It was a period that also helped us to discover ourselves a little.
Silvia: And your grandfather? How are you?
Gianluca: Well, I must say that I have a wonderful relationship with him, and he is the only grandfather I have, which is my grandfather Ernesto, whom I greet, naturally. He is very proud of me, one of the indelible memories that I will always carry with me, in 2012, when we were on tour with Barbra Streisand, grandfather came to New York and saw me sing with Barbra Streisand, so he was there.
Ignazio: A Broccolin (Italian dialect for Brooklyn)
Gianluca: Exactly, and this is therefore important, a message to be sent also to young people who often neglect their loved ones, because when you are young, you think you have all the time available, but time runs inexorably, so if at a youthful age you have this awareness, it allows us to live the moments more intensely, especially with the family, where everything started from there, and it is the people who will never betray you.
Silvia: And you know this well, Ignazio, that you have a lot of personal satisfaction, but despite your very young age, you have had to face the loss of your beloved father.
Ignazio: Absolutely. Look, I also talked to other people who have lost a parent early, or even late, because in the end, you can be any age, it can pass as long as you want, but it is always early, you are never ready to accept a loss. But I must say that the fact that we have traveled a lot, the fact that we were on the other side of the world, and I knew that my father was always somewhere, even today that he is not there, it seems to me that he is always somewhere, therefore, it is as if I have not lost him. Because I think that I have not lost my father, my father is always with me here, I like to think like this and that’s okay.
Silvia: He was very proud of you, I guess.
Ignazio: Absolutely, very proud. But he was the kind of person who couldn’t express emotions, so he was very proud but, he was always ….
Gianluca: But with a look he made us understand everything.
Ignazio: Yes, yes, he yes. Look it was my father, but it was as if he was the father of all three, as their parents are as if they were my parents, because in any case we have been sharing everything for many years.
Piero:  When we first met. we were 14, so to leave Italy, we had to be accompanied by our parents, we were minors, so for 5-6 years and then even at the age of 18, they continued to travel with us, so we know his father very well, we know what he is talking about because we have lived a lot of time with them.
Silvia: And how was being next to him (Ignazio) on such a sad occasion, you who are a family, Piero on that occasion, as brothers, how did you feel too?
Piero: Ignazio proved to be a MAN, extremely strong, because three days after the loss of Vito, we were guests at the Sanremo festival and, we all expected him not to come. He arrived with a smile and, we were blown away by his way of dealing with this moment, unprecedented to us. You taught us so much Ignazio and in this I have to thank you, he is a strong man and, we love him so much.
Ignazio:  I love you too.
Piero: It’s the truth……I always tell you!
Gianluca: Me too, I’m here too.
Ignazio: Sure! (he and Gian take hands) 
Ignazio: There was not a single moment that I thought not to do it (refers to Sanremo), because in any case parents do anything for their children, sometimes it is not so, but we were lucky that our parents gave us everything and so I thought that, for all the sacrifices that he (Vito) and my mother have made to get me to where I am today, I thought he would never let me (not to do Sanremo), and so I did it for him too.

So, it seems the quarantine made the guys become closer. It made them feel a new feeling.  Since they came together 12 years ago, they were never separated except for short periods of time between tours and commitments. They finally understood what it meant to pick up a phone and talk to one another. Something we take for  granted they never had the opportunity to do. They spent precious time with their families, something they haven’t done since they were teenagers. This above all was very important to Ignazio because he got to spend precious time with his dad. And look at how proud the guys were of Ignazio and the way he made such an extraordinary decision to go to Sanremo because he knew his father would want him to be there. It was his way of thanking his parents for all the sacrifices they made for him. He certainly is a very  strong man and a good example for all of us but especially for young people. These truly are exceptional young men.
And finally, they had the freedom of mind and body to explore new projects. And to devote major time to the project at hand, the Morricone project.

So, let’s get back to the present day!

Let me start by saying I read a fantastic article in La Voce di New York by Lisa Bernardini about Michele Torpedine. If you get a chance read it. Michele is such an interesting man. In the article they made many references to Michele’s autobiography “Ricominico Dai Tre” (I start again from the Three) which tells a true and since story about this man. If you can read Italian, I recommend you read this book. It is fantastic! I read it in two days. What Michele reveals is after 40 years in the business, he finally found what he was looking for all his life. A certain truth a fresh and sincere look at the industry which he had come to believe was very cruel and an ungrateful lot, but, as he reveals, every now and then, someone comes along and turns your whole world upside down and you realize you have finally found truth and sincerity. That someone was in fact three someone’s, Il Volo. Here are a few questions Michele was asked about the guys…
Lisa: Today the whole world loves Il Volo.
Michele: How can you not love them? They are pleasant for families, young people, the elderly… for everyone. They are physically beautiful, then they know how to dance, play and move perfectly on stage. With them the show is engaging. These three guys currently represent the best of “Made in Italy” the good one, “clean” in mold.
Lisa: Yet some critics accuse them of being a mere commercial operation studied at the table. What do you answer?
Michele: Initially, when they were boys, you could actually think of a “disposable” operation. What happened in their case was, as they grew up, they became really good. Today they are real artists of international caliber. You can’t find such a group anywhere else in the world.
Lisa: Where will Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca arrive, in your opinion?
Michele: If you think they’re only 25 years old and have contracts all over the world, I always tell them that the best is yet to come.
And how right you are Michele! That certainly sums up where our guys are today.

The Morricone project has become more than just a project it has become a new reality for the guys. It brought them to a new place in their careers. It’s like they are on the fast track and can’t slow down. Every day brings another event another addition to the project. It’s like 2009 all over again except this time the guys are in the driver’s seat. Their careers are exploding! This project has opened so many doors! With the release of the new album, “Il Volo Sings Morricone” and the World Tour, “Il Volo Sings Morricone and more,”  at their doorstep it seems they will certainly be busy for the next two years but, where else is this leading them? I would like to think they will be spending more time in America. This direction certainly seems to be the one they are going in. Perhaps a Grammy or an Academy Award? These are the doors that I see opening for them. The American people truly love Il Volo and, they would love to see them more on American TV shows. But I can also envision them doing some of their own productions! Because of their collaboration over the last 12 years, the guys have come to a point where they can write and compose together in a way that other performers can’t. The Morricone project proved that! Their Bel canto is unique to them but, they have proven they can take the work of a genius like Morricone and put their mark, their genius on it to present a new feeling in music. Almost looking back while looking forward. This is the genius of Il Volo.
The future for our guys is very bright. They are standing “On the Threshold of Success” for the second time in their lives. It seems almost impossible to conceive but, they have a phenomenal career and they are starting a whole new career one which will present a whole new way of looking at music!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
If you would like to share a story with me, please email susan.flightcrew@yahoo.com
To read more Il Volo stories visit us at www.ilvoloflightcrw.com