Sunday 26 December, Santo Stefano (with us 25 and 26 December are always holidays), on RAI 1, during the program DOMENICA IN, conducted in the studio by Mara Venier, Il Volo was a guest.
A pleasant hour, where Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca sang and talked, a really nice interview, which had already been previously recorded, to make sure that that day, everyone was with their own family.
Here is the video and its translation.
Click on the photo below to view the video.
MARA = I would start immediately with them, I thank them very much, they are indeed ambassadors of Italian culture and music in the world and thanks to Rai Italia, we are seen all over the world and I want to greet all the Italians living abroad and me I would start immediately with Il Volo.
(Applause. A video begins with the most important stages of Il Volo’s career)
But how wonderful this video is, how many very famous people they met.
Well we will be here, we will present the latest wonderful project of Il Volo, which is entirely dedicated to the great Ennio Morricone, but let’s start immediately like this: IL VOLO.
(Enter Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero, applause, kisses and hugs)
Guys, start right away with the first performance, then let’s talk about everything, everything.
GIAN = Come on, we are ready, here we are. (the song SE begins, from Cinema Paradiso)
MARA = Well done, well done.
PIERO = How beautiful.
IGNAZIO + GIAN = Thank you
MARA = I’m excited, maybe it’s Holy Christmas …. she turns to Gian: “Everything’s fine, dear”.
GIAN = Very well.
MARA = Very good, very good.
PIERO = This is too much. (He refers to the constant applause of the audience.)
MARA = No, it’s never too much. But have you seen the video we sent?
IGNAZIO = Absolutely yes, and it’s always exciting to see it.
PIERO = There were the images of the film Nuovo Cinema Paradiso.
MARA = These are taken from the film Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, which together with Il Ferroviere(another Italian film) are the films of my life (he means that they are his favorite films). I know the lines of the film by heart.
PIERO = It is also my favorite movie.
MARA = Mine too.
PIERO = I watched it during the lockdown, I dedicated a Sunday afternoon to this film, I don’t deny you that I cried.
MARA = When he looks at all the kissing film clippings …..?
PIERO = For me, the most exciting moment, as a Sicilian, when he says to him: “Don’t get nostalgic, never come back” …. there an emotion came to me ….
GIAN = It’s normal, it’s a bit like what we experienced, leaving what was ours ….
MARA = Sure, maybe because of this. Do you recognize yourself a little …
PIERO = So much ….
MARA = However it is a wonderful film, great Peppuccio Tornatore, great director, great friend, a kiss. (applause)
So guys, I saw in the first video, during your presentation, and I must tell you that I was quite excited, because the path you have made, who has it happened to?
Maybe in Modugno, I don’t know, I really think about the greats, the myths.
What happened to you in a few years is simply wonderful (applause)because you bring Italy to the world. And Italy is not just pizza, spaghetti and mandolin(stereotype of Italy), it is also something else and you are bringing something else, your talent, your voice, I wanted to tell you.
IGNAZIO = This has always been our goal, to make our culture known, however in this album, we give prestige to what was the maestro Ennio Morricone, and as you can see from the cover, we also remember Sergio Leone’s films (western director and friend of Morricone).
MARA = Beautiful.
GIAN = Remember the movie The Good, The Bad and the Ugly ….
MARA = Beautiful also the photo inside, though. Look at these three children.
PIERO = Can we have a marker to autograph this album to Mara?
MARA = Really? Immediately, live? Come on, yes!
IGNAZIO = I’ll go.
MARA = Look, by magic, there is also the marker, “Aunt Mara” and this too (she also gives the CD and asks that they be dedicated to aunt Mara, as Mara often calls herself by young people).
IGNAZIO = The dedications are made by Gianluca.
GIANLUCA = Since I have the most beautiful writing, I write.
PIERO = I write like doctors, doctors’ recipes (prescriptions) ….
MARA = … that it is not clear what you write.
IGNAZIO = While Gianluca is writing, let’s go back to the previous discussion ..
MARA = Among all these important characters, myths, true myths, is there anyone who has moved you more? Saw Barbra Streisand ….
PIERO = The editing you did is really beautiful, but each of us has his own indelible memory, personally, singing in front of Pope Francis in Panama, during the youth day, I think it was one of the most important and profound moments.
MARA = Of course, I believe it. Then he has a great charisma, I spent two afternoons with him, one afternoon for 4 hours always with him, and the incredible thing is that it’s like talking ….. (the photo of the boys with the Pope appears in the background) There they are !! …. because he is a simple man, it is like being really, with a grandfather.
IGNAZIO = I think that a figure like Pope Francis, we needed it, also to approach the youngest, I speak as a boy who does not practice, but, thanks to Pope Francis, I have re-evaluated the religious world.
MARA = Of course, when there are men like that, then he is a real revolutionary, guys.
GIAN = Maybe he’s looking at us, let’s say hello.
MARA = We greet Pope Francis: “Happy St. Stephen Holiness!” ….. but he only wants to be called Pope Francis.
So guys, I start where we started, because it’s beautiful, then do your whole wonderful journey.
(Begins a 2011 video of the LA VITA IN DIRETTA program , conducted by Mara Venier, with guests of the very young Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca. In the video Mara says that three of them are 48 years old and then asks who wanted the name Il Volo and Piero replies that it is a metaphorical name and that they decided it together.)
Have you understood? In the end I wished you to fly high, but you took me at my word !!!
GIAN = I still remember the first moments. It was one of our first interviews. I still remember the excitement of doing the interviews, we didn’t know what to say, sometimes we got tangled up, we didn’t really know how to behave with the cameras. It’s amazing how, over time, things can change, in 10 years our life has changed in an incredible way.
MARA = Incredible. Have you ever thought about all this guys? (she drops the felt-tip pen)
IGNAZIO = I’ll take care of it.
MARA = Come on, I can do it.
IGNAZIO = I wanted to be a gentleman.
MARA = What love !! I wanted to take this (the vinyl) and show it because it’s beautiful.
PIERO = Actually while we were singing she was afraid that it would be stolen.
MARA = In fact, look, I’m holding it tight. By the way, Monica Bellucci called me (Il Volo was a guest on the previous Sunday for a tribute to the actress Monica Bellucci in connection from Paris).
IGNAZIO = Did she like it?
MARA = She thanked me, it was a surprise, she wasn’t expecting it at all.
GIAN = It was good for us too.
MARA = Really?
GIAN = Sure
MARA = Did you have any feedback?
GIAN = Apart from that, during the interview, Monica Bellucci is Monica Bellucci(as if to say that Bellucci is famously beautiful) .… but Mara Venier ….
PIERO = But Mara Venier is Mara Venier (as if to say that Mara is beautiful too)
MARA = Oh yes, at my age …. guys but I invite you every Sunday ….
IGNAZIO = You have to thank that I am already busy, otherwise I would make you a ruthless court (what a seducer).
MARA = Where is your girlfriend?
IGNAZIO = She is far away.
MARA = Very far?
PIERO = No, she’s near here, around the corner.
GIAN = Exactly!
PIERO = In Brazil.
MARA = But you really had to find her in Brazil?
IGNAZIO = Love does not know distances, it does not know religions, races.
MARA = Is she Brazilian?
IGNAZIO = Yes. Traveling, you meet different cultures, and this has given us the opportunity to get to know the whole world and also arrive in Brazil, where I later met what my love is, however ….
MARA = But why Ignazio, didn’t you join her now for Christmas?
IGNAZIO = Work calls and we are very professional.
MARA = Like me.
IGNAZIO = Exactly. Unfortunately or fortunately, in life you have to work and there are priorities.
MARA = I am very happy.
IGNAZIO = And we are young ….
MARA = You have time, now, as soon as the broadcast is over, you can join it.
IGNAZIO = Yes, I’m going down (He means Brazil. Actually the program is recorded in this way Ignazio at Christmas reached his love in Brazil.)
MARA = So guys, let’s talk again ….. why are you looking at me like this Piero, you look at me and you make me laugh.
PIERO = I respect you, you are fantastic. See you go to the programs, that feeling with the presenter, it is fundamental, it is crucial to make sure that the best part of us comes out.
MARA = Sure.
PIERO = Because you know, behind the artist, behind the singer, many at home cannot perceive the personality, because there is always the fear of making a mistake, or how much to talk, with you it is unfiltered.
IGNAZIO = Also because you always talk, so we are fine.
MARA = That’s not true !! I always make you talk and above all I listen, what a bad Ignazio. (Ignazio laughs) I’m not sending you to your girlfriend, I make you stay here, even for New Year’s, I don’t let you leave. (applause and laughter)
Ennio Morricone, why? You are very young, boys and here are some pieces that will truly remain in history.
GIAN = Let’s say that we have had an artistic evolution over the years, it all started with O SOLE MIO, then slowly, even with Grande Amore, we tried to have our own repertoire, then in 2016 a Tribute to the Three Tenors with Plácido Domingo, and this time we decided to pay a tribute, however, on the soundtracks of the films, which are a little detached from what is the real tradition of Italian music, because in any case Morricone is a genre in itself, an international genre, which has made history …
MARA = Oscar winner!
GIAN = Exactly, and therefore he wrote a music that has made generations dream, and it is also a way to make him known to the youngest, who may not be able to connect the music with the composer at first glance. So for us it is really an honor, we also thank the family, the teacher Andrea Morricone ….
MARA = The son.
GIAN = …. who immediately supported the project, and also his wife Maria Travia, who also gave the possibility to have her son (Andrea) write a text on the first sung version of the Ecstasy of Gold by Il Buono, the bad, the ugly.
MARA = Beautiful !! Now I’ll show you June of this year, the Verona Arena, I remember that we made a connection, just to launch your concert, let’s see this clip together.
(A video starts with Your Love from the Verona concert. In the video, Andrea Morricone says: “It is really exciting to hear my father’s music playing in this splendid Arena, it is really fantastic.” Ignazio says:
“Maestro Morricone means a lot to us, he is a symbol of Italy in the world, on this stage with the great maestro Andrea Morricone, is an honor.”)
How wonderful! (applause)
PIERO = Mara, those images are really strong for us, because the first images we saw are taken from the concert on June 5th and it was the first concert, right after the lockdown ….
MARA = Sure.
PIERO = ….. with 50% of the capacity of the Verona Arena.
IGNAZIO = 6 thousand.
PIERO = Yes, 6 thousand people, so we got on stage after almost two years of pause and silence, so there we really understood that for an artist, for a singer, the audience is oxygen.
MARA = Sure, absolutely. How have you lived through these two years of pandemic and I keep saying that we must still be very careful. Yes, we must not give up.
IGNAZIO = Never.
MARA = You who are used to traveling the world, never stand still.
GIAN = We tried to live it definitely not in a passive way. It is not easy, because many families have certainly suffered, and there have been people who have not been able to manage, especially young people, adolescents, who perhaps miss the most delicate period of their life and therefore, in some way, be still, not having a place in society, being able to understand what to do in the future and instead stopping, was certainly difficult for young people. And we also try to be an example for the young people who follow us.
MARA = Absolutely.
GIAN = We certainly haven’t stopped, you need to have a spirit of adaptation, when life puts you to the test anyway.
MARA = Look Gianluca, when I invite my guests, especially artists, musicians, even important ones, I always asked them, during the pandemic, during the lockdown, what they did, and the majority always told me that they continued to write, and moreover, they have also had the concentration, in these months, even so difficult, also of pain, of insecurity, of fear, in the end, but many have told me that they have been creative.
GIAN = They gave vent to creativity.
MARA = Exactly, they gave vent to creativity, exactly.
PIERO = We, too, created this album during the pandemic.
MARA = The album was born right there.
PIERO = Yes, because for us, the worst enemy has always been time, we have never had the time to concentrate or dedicate ourselves to taking care of all aspects of a project.
For this album, we worked a year and a half, the initial part via ZOOM (internet) with video calls. Then we went to the recording studio, zoomed in with the linked producers from Stockholm. We wanted it at all costs.
GIAN = Then it is clear that we always try to see the positive side, because from 2009 to today, we have always been 7-8 months a year out (abroad), on tour or promotion of the record, in short, it is our life. But in these two years, the positive thing is that we have been more with our families, we have cultivated relationships, met love, maybe we have been more with our friends. So we rediscovered what was our “old life”.
MARA = Exactly.
GIAN = Because anyway it’s like jumping on two different tracks every now and then, Il Volo and then ….
MARA = And then I imagine that when you are away for months and months, abroad, traveling the world with the tour, in short, your family, but also your country, in the end you miss them.
IGNAZIO = We always say that these years have been the result of positive and negative things.
Personally I am a person who has a hard time falling asleep at night, because my head is constantly thinking, about everything there is to do, I store a lot of information. But I realized that sometimes stopping, even if difficult, stopping is good, also to understand what you want from life, what you are doing.
MARA = Reflect, a moment of calm.
PIERO = You live everything with frenzy.
MARA = Especially you.
PIERO = We never stop, only at Christmas. For us, Christmas, on the 24th evening, we have to go home, and it is as if time stopped.
MARA = And this is beautiful, can I tell you? Coming home on the 24th is beautiful.
IGNAZIO = then on the 26th we come to Rome! (Domenica In is recorded in Rome).
MARA = Let’s go on guys, now there is a beautiful piece always taken from Morricone, “Once Upon a Time in the West”.
PIERO = It is the song we sang in Sanremo, this year we were guests in Sanremo.
MARA = So now you will let the guests of “Zia Mara” hear it.
Saturday 19 June, on RAI 2, a beautiful interview made with Il Volo, in the FELICITÀ (Happiness) program conducted by Pascal Vicedomini, was broadcast.
The RAI press office only notified us the day before this interview, so few knew, but surely the videos have already been published on all Facebook pages (what we fans can do) and therefore, I bet you’re wondering what our guys said, so here’s the video and the translation.🤗
I warn you that it is a very long interview, but very interesting, and therefore I will proceed by dividing it into two parts.
So here’s the first part, up to 27:03.
PIERO = Happiness for me is every day. Because I found that inner balance. In the particular year we lived, I took advantage of it, thanks to the people who support me, like my family and friends, and I found that inner balance that makes me enjoy life. I enjoy life every day.
PV = What is happiness for you? (to Gianluca)
GIANLUCA = I believe this certainly – the support of the family, do what you love, live from your passion, make it a job, and be serene, feel good about yourself.
Happiness is a moment. The moments of pain help you to face life, to form that armor that allows you to face life in the best way. That inner serenity is surrounding yourself with people that allow you to be a better person.
PV = For you, Ignazio?
IGNAZIO = Happiness, in the end, is just a word.
Surely as they say, feeling good about yourself can be a cause for happiness, but the most important thing is to create it, and it’s very subjective, I think.
(start the theme song of the program)
PV = Happiness. But who is happier than me today, who are together with three ex-kids, whom I met who were really at the beginning and have become international stars: Ignazio, Pietro and Gianluca.
PIERO = Piero, Piero (Pascal said Pietro).
PV = Piero, sorry, sometimes I make a mistake.
PIERO = Pascal, we are very happy anyway.
GIAN= But the grandfather’s name is Pietro, so you paid him a compliment anyway.
PV = (to Piero) But do you celebrate St. Peter and Paul? (the name day).
PIERO = Yes, of course.
PV = So, it was a little mistake.
GIAN = You knew us as children, now we are almost men … almost men.
PV = And what guys, three young music legends, three seducers …
GIAN = Indeed ….. but all these compliments ….
PV = I almost feel like an intruder in your world
IGNAZIO = We met, really at the beginning of our journey. (career)
In Los Angeles, right?
PV = How not !!
IGNAZIO = We shared those moments, even a little strange for fourteen-fifteen-year-olds, being in parties with the biggest stars in the world.
PV = I remember, guys, they arrived in Los Angeles and were immediately catapulted into a mega galactic party, greeted by: Schwarzenegger, Sean Penn, Puff Daddy, Quincy Jones, Beyoncé, Cindy Crawford …
IGNAZIO = Cindy Crawford I remember her well!
GIAN = I remember her too ….
PIERO = The particular thing, do you know what Pascal was? To go home and tell our friends what we had experienced, and it was impossible (because they would not believe).
PV = Those are the first moments when you begin to understand that something is changing.
(the video of the Sanremo victory starts)
PV = (voice) Gianluca Ginoble, Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, aka IL VOLO, three young excellences of contemporary bel canto in the world, three constantly evolving talents, who have already seduced the audiences of many countries far and wide for the planet.
Three guys put together to break through the myth of the three tenors par excellence: Pavarotti, Carreras and Domingo and who in some way are keeping up with the expectations of the many people who believed in them, from the very beginning.
Three brilliant witnesses of pure Italianness that strikes, fascinates and seduces, so much so that it gradually becomes a global phenomenon.
Three witnesses of the restart of the music industry and of the Italian live entertainment, and who recently seduced the national television audience with the record concert at the Verona Arena, in homage to maestro Ennio Morricone. Event that arranged them in a good mood, on the occasion of our “reunion” between friends.
PV = Ignazio, when did you realize that your life was changing?
IGNAZIO = But maybe we haven’t noticed today yet, because fortunately, and I say fortunately, we live things with simplicity, always trying to put music, our passion, in the foreground.
Then, it is normal, there are many responsibilities, we are no longer kids, where there is the novelty of three kids who have an important voice, an adult voice, so now is the time to work, to develop new ideas. With our manager Michele Torpedine, we always try to renew ourselves, we lock ourselves in a room for days to understand what is the best thing, the next step to take.
There was the Arena di Verona, and we are already thinking about another project, so we must never stop.
PV = About the Arena, a great recent triumph, we will talk very soon, but let’s go back a little to the beginning.
(the video of O Sole Mio, starts)
PV = (voice) It was 2009 when three provincial kids, with an extraordinary voice, two Sicilians, Piero and Ignazio and one from Abruzzo, Gianluca, made their debut on the RAI stage in “TI LASCIO UNA CANZONE,” a program by Antonella Clerici, directed by Roberto Cenci, who, in meeting the three “child prodigies”, immediately came up with the brilliant idea of putting them together.
R. CENCI = I followed the casting directly and in this second edition, I found these three guys and took them individually, because I got Ginoble because he had a voice very similar to Bocelli, not as a tenor, but when he sang normally. Ignazio had what I called “canna” (high tones) and Piero was the only one I had doubts about, whether to take it or not, because he was really a “tenorino” (small tenor) and the year before I had already had a boy with the tenor voice.
In the end, after two or three episodes, I spoke with Bibi (Bibi Ballandi, Italian TV producer) and I said: “Look, I have an idea, I want to bring them together and call them – Tenorini – to make the beautiful songs, the Italian bel canto.”
It was an immediate, incredible success.
He called Tony Renis and said, “Guys, but these three are very strong, in my opinion in America, they could win,” and I said, “In my opinion, the only one who can help them in this sense is you, if you want I can put you in contact with the families,” and in short, from there, let’s say that he accompanied them in what is their journey under full sail.
(the video of THE WORLD begins)
PV = (voice) Launching three very young Italian tenors into the world seemed an impossible mission, but considering the previous successes of producer Tony Renis, who for the occasion wanted, at all costs, at his side, the former manager of Bocelli, Michele Torpedine, the operation was a challenge to attempt.
Especially since together with the lawyer Peter Lopez, mister “Quando Quando” (Tony Renis) , he convinced the legendary Italian-American colleague Jimmy Lovine, to make an album with the Italian “tenorini”, very different from the rappers he launched, as a tribute to its Ischian origins.
And so it was that the three boys found themselves in Hollywood, among the elite of showbiz.
It was February 2010, on the eve of the Grammy Awards, or the Oscars of music.
PV = Gianluca: this first experience in America.
GIAN = It is a great emotion, we hope it is a starting point, because it is an incredible thing to be in America.
PV = Ignazio: in the footsteps of the great masters who made the history of world music, here in Los Angeles.
IGNAZIO = Being with Tony is beautiful, we have fun, we spend beautiful days together.
PV = (to Piero) You are already preparing an album, which will soon be released, also made with Umberto Gatica, therefore: Tony Renis, Umberto Gatica, Torpedine, one team …..
PIERO = Really strong, we get along very well with them, we communicate with them and we express ourselves well with them.
(start the video of UN AMORE COSÌ GRANDE – Live The Americana)
T. RENIS = Very strong, they are conquering the United States. The Americans are going crazy for these three kids, who are phenomena. They sing, they sing, really, they know how to sing.
(start the video WE ARE THE WORLD 25 FOR HAITI)
PV = (voice) That trip to Los Angeles, with their uncle Tony Renis in 2010, marked the turning point for Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero, in fact, the famous producer, also managed to convince his old friend-colleague Quincy Jones to let his three new ones enter as pupils, in the video in favor of Haiti, which re-proposed WE ARE THE WORLD by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie.
TORPEDINE = It was a great dream, also because I came from a long experience of Andrea Bocelli, after 16 years, let’s say it was easier for me to continue this discussion.
PV = What place do Il Volo occupy in international music today?
TORPEDINE = I believe that after Andrea Bocelli, who clearly today we are talking about a monument, we are no longer talking only about an artist, immediately afterwards, they are there, because they are present in all countries of the world, as a publication, as a live, as a performance . Today Il Volo, together with Andrea, clearly Andrea becomes almost unattainable, because the recording market today is almost infinite, in general, but on the live part, they have the same capacities, in some countries, in others they don’t, but let’s say they occupy a huge space.
GIAN = Let’s say that, certainly the novelty was that, as Ignazio said, of three children singing pop-lyric, because it was the first time, so let’s say that from this point of view, we have always tried to be unique, and to propose to the public, to the people who follow us, something different.
Then, it is clear that over time, it is necessary to demonstrate and consolidate success, because being the novelty, it is also easy to be a meteor, therefore, as Ignazio said, sorry if I repeat myself, we must renew ourselves, with hard work, with constancy, with sacrifices and always staying on track, this is important. I must say that there is not only a working relationship, but also our friendship has been consolidated over time, and this helps us to be cohesive, strong and to develop ideas that allow us to renew ourselves.
RED RONNIE = I want for them, a good of the soul, because even if they joined almost by chance, Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, they have three totally different personalities, who together have a crazy cohesion, so much so that they have invaded the world.
I hope they enjoy the happiness they deserve and are experiencing, because …… because they are still spontaneous, they still have the desire to see with their eyes what happens and, this is important, also with the heart. They are perfect when they are elegant, at the Verona Arena or on an important stage, or when they are like this, a little “discarded” when they come into my programs and let themselves go. Because they are three guys, very lucky, and very alive.
PV = (voice) Red Ronnie says well, three very different guys, who complement each other on stage, three particular characters, united by their common talent and love for music: Piero the professor, Ignazio the philosopher and Gianluca the seducer, two Sicilians and an Abruzzese.
After all, they are three young people of today with the ancient passion for opera, to be merged with pop, a characteristic that makes them fascinating in a transversal way to the different civilizations crossed in their first twelve years of common career in the world.
The result of the intelligence of the Italian province, which over the years has established itself, not only in music, but in every sector of society, as the journalist and writer points out: Pierangelo Buttafuoco.
P. BUTTAFUOCO = It is up to the village boy to “take flight”. If that of IL Volo is the story, or rather the novel, or better still the epic, of those who, like the guys, know how to go away.
Because the commandment given to the country guys is always the same, and it is this: “Who goes out, succeeds” (pun to say that whoever leaves the country, succeeds, that is, is successful, in life), and said in Sicilian it becomes: “cu nesci, arriesci”.
ANTONELLA BORALEVI(writer-journalist) = What is special about Il Volo?
Meanwhile, this name, because already hearing it, this name, takes you somewhere else, and then the fact that, we never say Il Volo, but we say “the boys of Il Volo”. I think that the three members of Il Volo group will have to get used to being called “boys” even when they are 70 years old.
But above all I would like to thank them, the guys from Il Volo, because they have the characteristic of giving joy. The guys from Il Volo put you in a good mood. The guys from Il Volo, you look at them and you feel better, you listen to them and you hum them and you feel better. So, as they say: go go go, guys from Il Volo and thank you for the joy you give us.
PV = (voice) All mad per Il Volo, it could be the title of a docu-film about the life of the three boys who continue to reap successes and attract fans of all ages, especially women, in the many countries already visited by three young people, they enchant the spectators and seduce, in particular, the fair sex, with their typical Italian charm. That’s right, it was for Pavarotti, it is for Andrea Bocelli, it is for Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero, of whom also three collaborators of Milly Carlucci have an excellent opinion and who had the pleasure of training Il Volo, for a special episode of Dancing with the stars.
OB = (dance teacher). Piero dancer mmmmhhh. Piero dancer, determined, very stubborn, I remember that he always wanted to try the steps, always perfect the rhythm. Obviously: he Sicilian and I Sicilian, we had a great time, I have wonderful memories, both of Piero and of the whole group. We had a lot of fun in our beautiful tango.
LL = (dance teacher) Gianluca dancer was a real discovery. But I think that in the tango, it was really exceptional, because in reality it represents it a little. Tango is very technical, and in my opinion Gianluca is precise, like tango, like all professionals, on the other hand. He is sensual, mysterious, captivating and intriguing, but above all, tango is elegance, and he is a very, very elegant person, and this is a gift that few people have, and that distinguishes him above all.
MG = (dance teacher). Ignazio was a great revelation and certainly as a dancer he was exceptional that evening at Dancing under the stars, when we did the tango together and I must say that it was really nice to see how, in a short time, this guy really learned the main things, of this dance, which was the tango. He tried to really express himself 100% and I was really very proud and proud and happy to have danced this dance with him.
R. RONNIE = Happiness could be …. such a wonderful place, surrounded by nature, relaxation. But you are missing something, you miss sharing it with the person you love, and then happiness is not living a beautiful thing, but sharing it.
Happiness is giving to others, it is giving, making people feel good. For me, happiness is giving space to artists, emerging groups, giving a voice to those who don’t have it.
In the end, we remain, for what we have given, not for what we have had, so happiness is giving.
(There are some scenes with Pavarotti)
PV = (voice) The myth of Luciano Pavarotti, after the docu-masterpiece of the Oscar winner Ron Howard, hovers in the dreams of all of us and above all in those of Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble, alias Il Volo, who during the years they also managed to make friends with the friends and colleagues of a thousand adventures of Big Luciano (Pavarotti), the Spanish tenors Josè Carreras and Plácido Domingo. Especially with the latter who, as an indomitable lion, has also granted his three grandchildren (Il Volo) the honor of stepping on the same stage.
But what does it feel like to follow in the footsteps of three legends, who started the history of opera-pop? Feel the thought of Il Volo about it.
PIERO = The three tenors, Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras, were the three who cleared opera, classical music, outside the theater and brought it to the general public.
Let’s say that we are trying to follow, humbly, without emulating the three tenors, we are trying not to let this music die, which will never end, because classical music, the classical term, is synonymous with eternal. We were in Florence, in Piazza Santa Croce, it was not a normal evening, it was a Magic Night, in fact it was the title of that project that we have taken on tour everywhere.
Clearly when we conceive a project, if there is no trust on the part of someone, there is no encouragement. When the idea of doing the Tribute to the Three Tenors was born, there was the foundation of Pavarotti who supported this idea, many messages with Josè Carreras, but the maestro Plácido Domingo did us the honor …..
IGNAZIO = Besides, he is a great friend of ours!
PIERO = ……he did us the honor of accepting our invitation, coming to Florence, conducting and singing that repertoire with us, so having his support gave us so much strength.
GIAN = I would also like to add that we have just done the concert at the Arena di Verona, the Tribute to Morricone, and there too, as Piero said, there was support, and of course it continues to be there for this recording project that will be released soon, by maestro Andrea Morricone and the whole Morricone family.
So this gives us that encouragement Piero was talking about.
PV = I must tell you that at this moment I am having a bit of the chills, because the first part of my artistic career began in the myth of Luciano Pavarotti, Josè Carreras, and Placido Domingo, I have followed them, ever since in 1990, together with maestro Zubin Mehta, they trod the Caracalla stage for a concert on the occasion of the Italia 90 World Cup, and from that moment, I understood the power of Luciano Pavarotti, and his two Spanish friends, to go and communicate the great international music, but above all Italian.
Finding myself today, with three very young friends, Italians, who are on that road, frankly, gives me, on the one hand, the feeling that I am getting a little old, on the other hand the joy of seeing that Maestro Pavarotti has drawn a really important road that you guys are following very well, isn’t it Ignazio?
IGNAZIO = Look, I tell you the truth, even with this Morricone project, we never wanted to be a copy of something, we want to try to be the means, to ensure that this music is never forgotten.
We are moving towards an era where the music changes every year, the charts change.
GIAN = (says in English) This legacy will never die, you know?
PV = You understand, the boy from Abruzzo who now speaks with an English slang!
PV = Piero, at this moment I have a flash, I remember a magnificent summer evening, in Piazza del Popolo (Rome) with the master Ennio Morricone who directed you in that wonderful song E PIÙ TI PENSO . In those days we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy, it was your first great performance, face to face with the legend of legends, the master Morricone.
PIERO = The first meeting with master Morricone, took place in the FORUM studios in Rome, in 2010 during the recording of our first album.
We were just recording E PIÙ TI PENSO and the master was passing through the studios and came in to listen, so he was the first to listen to our work.
We, fourteen, fifteen, still did not realize the importance, the greatness of the master. When he listened to E PIÙ TI PENSO, he decided to conduct this song live, on the occasion of a concert in Piazza del Popolo …
IGNAZIO = 150 years of the Unification of Italy.
PIERO = ….. 150 years of the Unification of Italy.
Today, we are not ashamed to say it, we have realized the importance and prestige of that event.
PV= In fact, Ignazio, having reached personal success, having arrived at a personal encounter with the legends, you so young, did not immediately make you understand what magnificent world you had entered.
How do you relive the memory of these events today? We talked about We Are The World and then 150 years, and in any case you are still at the beginning of a prestigious career.
How do you relive those passages that have taken place in the international arena and that seemed so unimaginable?
IGNAZIO = Look, I try to be brief. I think they will be indelible memories, which we will never forget, perhaps in those times, thanks to naivety, we lived everything more serenely. But they will be memories that we cannot help but take with us, tell them to our children, our grandchildren. Surely a very important thing is that we have learned a lot from them, the experience with Barbra Streisand has taught us a lot. In the end, when you relate to artists and people, because they are mainly people, you learn humanity, you learn humility, you learn how much dedication they put into their work, how much effort, how many sacrifices, and therefore we only learned from them.
GIAN = And then, these experiences that we have lived, we feel three privileged, those experiences that, like pieces, form the personality and that give sensitivity, empathy. These strong emotions that we have lived together have been a continuous personal growth, which has allowed us, really, to experience these things at a young age, with a naivety and a beauty, with a purity and we are truly proud to have lived them together.
Being on stage together, knowing that there are companions … I look at them (Piero and Ignazio) and they have experienced things that not even our brothers or our parents can understand, because there is this union between us, which makes these things truly special.
I wanted to translate this long interview, because it seemed interesting to me.
I’m halfway through the work, there are still many interesting things.
Tell me if you want to find out what will be said in the second part and, with a little patience, that too will come.
Everything that the guys do is magic! They make us happy every time they open their mouths. But there are moments that just blow us away!
2016-2017 were the years dedicated to the “Notte Magica” project, the tribute to the 1990 event of the Three Tenors.
On July 7, 1990, a magical night took place in Rome: Jose Carreras, Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti sang together for the first time in one of the most evocative temples of opera, the ancient Baths of Caracalla. This was the biggest classical music project of the 20th century.
Twenty-six years later, Il Volo, paid tribute to the event and to the Three Tenors with a new album and a live concert event, “Notte Magica ~ A Tribute to The Three Tenors.”
The Il Volo concert took place on July 1st, 2016 at Piazza Santa Croce, one of the most beautiful plazas in Florence. They were joined by the famous Teatro Massimo di Palermo Orchestra. The guys performed some of the most famous Neapolitan songs and arias from the Italian and international operatic repertoire all of which were sung by the original Three Tenors.
Their special guest was Maestro Plácido Domingo. Maestro Domingo conducted almost half of the program and joined Il Volo singing the classic “Non ti scordar di me.” Although the guys were not born in 1990, they grew up listening to the three tenors.
They were fascinated and, inspired by their voices and legendary achievements. Now, the guys were sharing their music with a younger audience. This was a great opportunity for the younger generation to experience the same emotions as we did on that magical night 26 years earlier.
This was also the beginning of the world tour of “Notte Magica – A Tribute to The Three Tenors” which debuted on March 4th, 2017 at the Radio City Music Hall in New York. The show was sold out. After 15 stops in the United States, all sold out, the tour was extended to Europe from May 5th, 2017 for 29 performances and from September it extended to Latin America.
Some moments to remember along the way:
The Arias!
Ignazio was first with “Una Furtiva Lagrima.”
In the aria “Una Furtiva Lagrima” from L’elisir D’amore by Gaetano Donizetti, Ignazio makes you feel the innocents of Nemorino’s love for Adina. His warm graceful voice is very bright and strong with a smooth, clear and crisp dimension. He has an astonishingly, acute extension that leaves you breathless. He is exceptional because he can sing from the lowest to the highest note in the tenor range and, he can, easily, hit that high C. Waiting for it and knowing it’s going to happen is so exciting! Ignazio only needs to open his mouth in song and passion exudes from his lips. He’s very expressive and simplistic in his presentation. He feels every note of every song and expresses it in a most sensitive way. You feel what he feels! The end result is a delivery full of passion that leads you to ecstasy!
Next came Gianluca singing “La Danza.”
“La Danza” by Gioachino Rossini, is actually a Neapolitan Tarantella which is used in comic opera because of its’ rapid succession of rhythm. It is really a tongue twister. The singer should have excellent enunciation, to sing the song to maximum effect and Gianluca certainly fits the bill. Gianluca’s highs and lows, his emotion and expression are superb. He has total command of the song. He has a very rich chest resonance which creates a feeling of depth and drama in his voice. It is exactly what is needed for this song. His ability to sing from the lowest to the highest note in the baritone range gives him the ability to move along with the rhythmic movement of the song. There are many videos of Gianluca singing La Danza but, I chose this one because he is so animated, so happy, he’s feeling the orchestra and he’s even leading them at one point. In the end, he had the time of his life with this performance. Maybe because he was at home in Abruzzi, enjoying it with his people! A difficult song, a beautiful delivery!
(Click on the photo below to view “La Danza”)
And finally, Piero with “No Puede Ser.”
“No Puede Ser” from the opera La Tabernera del Puerto was composer by Pablo Sorozábal. Federico Romero and Guillermo Fernández-Shaw wrote the Spanish Libretto.
Piero’s voice really comes to life in this aria. He has the brightness and height of a lyric tenor, but with a heavier vocal weight enabling his voice to be “pushed” to dramatic climaxes with less strain than his lighter-voice counterparts. Every note that comes out of his mouth reaches you with such intensity and remains with you for a long time. It’s the voice that reaches out to you and demands your attention. From the first note Piero pierces your soul! His passion comes through in his music. Arias are very dramatic and, Piero brings all the drama of the aria into his performance. Always a showstopper!
The Notte Magica tour, which followed included, in addition to opera tunes such as “Nessun Dorma”, “E Lucean le Stelle” and “Una Furtiva Lagrima”, there were famous songs in Spanish like “Granada” and “No Puede Ser.” There were pieces of traditional American songs like “My Way” (from the original French song “Comme d’habitude,” English lyrics by Paul Anka and made famous by Frank Sinatra) and “Maria” from the musical “West Side Story.” There were the traditional Neapolitan classics such as “Torna a Surriento”, “O Surdato nnammurato” and “O Sole Mio”. They also included romances like “Mattinata” and Italian songs such as “Caruso” by Lucio Dalla, which was a fantastic interpretation of the great Luciano Pavarotti. All of this is embellished with symphonic masterpieces performed only by the orchestra, such as the prelude of Bizet’s “Carmen” and the intermezzo of Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” (my favorite opera).
(Nessun Dorma, the first Notte Magica in Florence, the beginning of the video is shaky, but then continues well, live video recorded by Daniela)
Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca explained that their tour had a mission. That is to make known and appreciated the value of this repertoire even to those who have never listened to it before. And the intent seems perfectly successful because it was applauded by at least three generations.
The pearl of the evening “Ave Maria, Mater Misericordiae”, was an Ave Maria written specifically for Il Volo that they dreamed of performing for Pope Francis. The guys did in fact sing it, for the Holy Father, at World Youth Day in Panama City.
And to round it off, they ended the concert with “Grande Amore”!
When I was researching the material for this article, I found, in our archives, some beautiful emotions expressed by our Daniela from Flight Crew about the event in Piazza Santa Croce, and I would like to share them with you.
“The magic of that night was that no one knew what to expect! We all know that the boys have incredible voices, but when they started with the Nessun Dorma, I think all those present held their breath to the end.
‘Oh my God, it’s very difficult,’ I thought, and even the boys were very emotional. There was a palpable tension in the air.
At the final note, we could not believe our ears, we all got up and applauded for a very long time. Teardrops fell from our eyes. They were very good, we were all very proud of them, and they were wringing their hands, hugging each other, moved by the success of the song.
The various songs went by fast and, the evening was beautiful. The muggy heat of the afternoon had given way to a nice evening temperature and Piazza Santa Croce was truly magnificent. Everyone present was very much involved.
Between one song and another there were presentations made by the boys themselves, repeated twice, once in Italian and once in English and this was funny because Piero said: ‘Rewind everything and repeat because the grandmother in the front row has not heard well.’
There were also strange moments, because it was summer and it was hot and yet, because the CD would come out at Christmas, they also sang a Christmas song, which was not added on the CD.
And Gianluca occasionally said, ‘Congratulations, Merry Christmas!’
The boys were really elegant, and the stage was huge, with a large chandelier that came down from the roof and emanated lights of many colors.
People reacted with enthusiastic applauses for their great affection, but also because they recognized the skill of our boys – Il Volo.”
Also in our archives was a description of the opening of the concert in Detroit, in the United States, which was written by our administrator at Flight Crew, Jana, and I would like to share it with you.
“The lights went down in the theatre, and they went up on the stage, a deep blue light created a reminiscent backdrop of the evening sky in Florence. The smoke machine started to create a subtle breeze in the air. A quiet hush fell over the audience as the orchestra members strolled out onto the stage. The crowd clapped politely. Then the maestro, Joseph Modica, came out; again, the crowd clapped. The lights changed from red, to blue, to purple, to teal, and back again, all night. Very similar to the Florence concert, actually. Joseph raised his hands and, the first notes of the violins could be heard resounding over the crowd. That song, that most of us had only heard on the CD or TV, was now playing live, right in front of us. The sing-songy violins spoke and the cellos and bass answered back to them. Soon, it was over. The audience cheered and clapped, knowing that what they were really waiting for was about to appear before their eyes. Seconds later, the Notte Magica truly began.”
The concert, Notte Magica in Florence, was filmed and broadcast in the United States by the national television network PBS, and in Italy by Canale 5. It was also broadcast in over 500 cinemas in Italy and around the world.
Staying with Notte Magica for a moment….
Victoria, one of our Flight Crew members, sent in this beautiful video clip that her 90-year-old Il Volo fan friend sent to her! Victoria was wondering who the woman with the dark hair was and what was the story behind this video? So, when you want the facts, where do you go? To our faithful and ever ready Italian Correspondent Extraordinare, Daniela Perani, who gave us the tender story.
The story is simple. There are six children, 5 females and 1 male. The woman with the dark hair is their mother, who has made many sacrifices for them. Four years earlier, they lost their dad, who was a sailor. They were not wealthy and, they led simple lives. They were always cheerful and, their dad was always there for them. These children made a promise to their dad that they would take care of their mother, but for four years she was always so sad.
The children wanted to do something to make their mother happy so, to show their love, they took her to the Maria De Filippi program, C’è Posta Per Te, which they knew she would like. Knowing how much she loved Il Volo, they called the guys to tell them about their mother. Piero, Ignazio, and Gianluca, gave her beautiful words of support, a bracelet, and sang for her. Then they invited the whole family to the concert in Rome.
In this video you will notice how touched she is and how she looks admirably at the boys as they sing. Her tears touched all of us!
Our journey this week showed us the magic of Il Volo. Something all their fans know about. The magic continued throughout the years. Such a short time but 12 years is like an eternity when we think about all they have done.
Soon we will hear our guys live at the Ancient Arena of Verona. The concerts will come back. All the sadness will soon be over and, we will “Let the Magic Begin” all over again.
So happy you are back on stage. It was lonely without you!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
A long awaited and special night has finally come to pass, and it was “magical,” as the name of the event and Gianluca said. I don’t think anyone thought that the night Il Volo participated in a tribute to The Three Tenors, Jose Carreras, Maestro Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, was going to be anything but. 🙂
I have a lot of material and more coming through this morning. I’m going to step aside and let you enjoy as much of the journey as possible in two posts!
~~ Kelly
Rehearsals
(hover for credit)
Il Volovers Italy Official from Il Volo Abruzzo – before the concert 7/16
Il Volovers Italy Official from Il Volo Abruzzo – before the Florence Concert 7/16
Il Volovers Italy Official from Il Volo Abruzzo – Gianluca with fans Florence 7/16
Il Volovers Italy Official from Il Volo Abruzzo – Ignazio with fans Florence 7/16
Il Volovers Italy Official from Il Volo Abruzzo – Piero with fans Florence 7/16
Before the Show
Francesca Brazzale
Going on stage
Mattinata
Un furtiva lagrima
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
