Tag Archives: World Youth Day 2023

General news

IL VOLO ON THE ROAD by Daniela

57 Comments
Among the many interviews they gave themselves to, Il Volo was also interviewed by Don Walter Insero, a wonderful interview for the program “ON THE ROAD awaiting the 2025 Jubilee”.
Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca are expected by Don Water in front of the basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. A very informal meeting where Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero opened their hearts without any problem, talking about life, faith, and religion.
I translate for you..
DWI= Welcome back to ON THE ROAD. We are in Trastevere (Rome area) in front of the basilica of S. Cecilia, patron saint of music and musicians.
This young Roman woman, from a noble family, learned the message of Jesus, became a Christian and, in order not to betray her faith in Jesus Christ, she was martyred in the third century.
Since then this has become a place of silence, prayer, which has welcomed millions of pilgrims who have come to pray at the tomb of St. Cecilia, and this place will welcome the pilgrims of the next jubilee, who will find here an oasis of contemplation and peace.
PIERO= Don Walter good morning.
DWI= Hey hello!
Hi Piero, hello Ignazio, hello Gianluca.
IGNAZIO= A magnificent place.
DWI= How nice to meet you here..
GIANLUCA= It’s a great pleasure!
DWI= …in front of the Basilica of Santa Cecilia, we are on our way ON THE ROAD towards the 2025 jubilee.
I welcome you to this which is your home, because it is the home of Cecilia, who is the patroness of music, of musicians, of singers, of singers, (at this moment Barbara and Torpedine can be seen behind them) so I have the pleasure to accompany you on this journey.
GIANLUCA= It’s an honor!
IGNAZIO= Thank you, thank you very much.
DWI= It’s music that brought you together, right?
GIANLUCA= Yes, let’s say that music is what gives meaning to our lives, let’s say that everyone uses different tools to discover their own mystery, so we used this great tool that allowed us to dig inside ourselves and make sense to life. We are what we are through the voice and certainly together the strength is greater to convey emotions to the public and excite everyone here.
DWI= When you were very young, true, you discovered this artistic vocation.
PIERO= I believe that recognizing one’s vocation when young is a great privilege. We immediately recognized it thanks also to the support and support of our families, it was they who introduced this musical genre, which is Bel Canto, the genre that we sing, and therefore we owe everything to music.
DWI= And did the families support you in this?
IGNAZIO= Absolutely, I think that especially at the beginning, they were a fundamental part of our growth and, to put it simply (he means simply), I like to say “to keep our feet on the ground”, and they continue to do so today , so we really have to say thank you to our families because they taught us the true value of being a family, what it means to be a family.
DWI= Well, let’s go in then.
Look how wonderful. (he points to the painting of the vault)
They prayed and asked Cecilia to pray for us.
GIANLUCA= With singing, which is the best prayer.
DWI= Yes, Bach says that music is a privileged path because it brings the soul closer to God. Is this true for you too?
GIANLUCA= It is the soundtrack of one’s emotions, like the poets who in their madness, like Leopardi (Italian poet) spoke to the moon waiting for him to respond. And it’s a bit like touching the sky with your emotions I think.
PIERO= Whoever sings prays twice, right?
DWI= Saint Augustine says so.
PIERO= And we do it often, singing on stage, almost every day and I think I recognize that we are three hyper-privileged people because what we feel on stage I think is an emotion that cannot be described. It’s not really easy to describe and make concrete, so I think three of us share the same sensations, an advantage for the three of us.
DWI= But can we say that music has brought you closer to God in your journey?
IGNAZIO= In a certain sense yes, also because we started from three small towns, where perhaps we know in small towns there are many more people inclined to believe, to find a foothold in what could be help from a saint, especially in music, like Saint Cecilia, so for us, our parents always prayed to God that their children could one day find their own path with their own talent, so absolutely yes.
PIERO= Personally my first approach to music was thanks to the church.
DWI= Oh yes?
PIERO= Because as a child I always went to church, so I sang in the choir, without inhibitions…
IGNAZIO= I was also part of the choir.
PIERO= I was an altar boy, I sang, so I know all the sacred songs. For us it would also be a great desire to be able to contribute during the jubilee with this magnificent art: music.
WOMAN’S VOICE = Rome, Trastevere district, it is in its beating heart, among its narrow streets, that a jewel full of charm and mystery stands: the basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. It is here that almost 1800 years ago the young Cecilia, considered the patron saint of musicians, was martyred.
DWI= You sang in the presence of the Holy Father, of Pope Francis, in a meeting with young people and a global family meeting, with your families. What did it represent for you?
IGNAZIO= Look, the first time was in Panama.
DWI= Yes!
PIERO= World Day..
IGNAZIO= World Youth Day and having a million young people in front of us……I remember that after singing we commented on this, that there was an energy, that it was an altar, it wasn’t a stage….
DWI= Sure, sure.
IGNAZIO= A gigantic altar and you could feel this energy, I don’t know, it seemed magnetic…
PIERO= A deafening silence…
IGNAZIO= It was a deafening silence, it’s one of those experiences that really happen a few times in your life and that is given by energy, because in the end I think that people are energy, life is energy, and seeing a million people , in the same place, for the same reason, an energy was created that is truly unforgettable for us.
PIERO= And then, on 22 June (2022), being witnesses during the World Family Day, I think it was one of the great objectives of these 15 years together, because from the first day we have always tried to reach those who listen to us and also to those who don’t listen to us, this message of unity but above all this strength that are values, families, because sometimes, perhaps due to the frenzy that we experience during daily life, we forget about certain values, that is, a call with mother, maybe hear the grandparents….
DWI= Sure, sure.
PIERO= And in the end you realize that this important value that is family has arrived.
DWI= What do you remember about the meeting with Pope Francis, Gianluca?
GIANLUCA= Obviously the greatness of a person is demonstrated by his humility, I think, right? And therefore his humility is an example for all of us, many young people who are still experiencing a difficult moment in our era, seeing themselves in a person who can truly be like a family member, asking for advice, admiring him from afar in all parts of the world , I believe that this, however, is the main thing for us artists too, because then music is like a eulogy to madness, if you think about it, because there is no rationality, nothing is created from rationality. All this (looks at the basilica), artists who have been inspired by a spiritual journey, because only through spirituality can something wonderful be created and that’s a bit what we are doing with our music, our creativity takes hold from our madness, from our almost childish madness, if you think about it.
DWI= This masterpiece by Stefano Maderno (Italian sculptor) which describes what he saw when the body was observed and surprisingly, when they opened Cecilia’s tomb, they found her body in exactly that shape you see.
PIERO= Which year are you talking about?
DWI= So, the survey was done in 1599 and Stefano Maderno sculpted the marble in 1600.
PIERO= And she was found like this, in this position.
DWI= Yes, in this position, because a first attempt was made to suffocate her, in what was the “calidarium” (spa), it was a noble house because they had heating and they had the spa in the house and they tried to suffocate her there and instead she was beheaded, three shots were planned, can you see? It excites me, because look at his delicate neck, it has the signs of this cut that his body has maintained, so when Maderno commissioned this work, he knew that the intact body had this sign. Then she bled to death, a terrible death, but tradition says that while she was in agony, she had expressed the desire that this, which was her home, become a place of prayer and the Christians came to pray, the faithful then came and there are also Benedictine nuns who pray night and day, so the prayer is constant.
What does this work inspire in you?
GIANLUCA= It’s a manifestation of pain if we think about it, which is the basis of everything, only through pain does a certain growth in life certainly occur. She is a woman who then based her life on art, certainly, such a young woman and therefore an example for all of us, because even from suffering, as I was saying, important growth can be drawn.
PIERO= I really believe in coincidences. During the Sanremo Festival, the last one we did, we were given a holy picture of Santa Cecilia…
DWI= Oh…
PIERO= ….and we put it behind the cover of our cell phone and during that day we talked a lot about Santa Cecilia and today we find ourselves here in the basilica of Santa Cecilia…
DWI= Who guards her body, so it’s there, she’s buried here…
PIERO= What coincidences…
DWI= Yes, they are those gifts of providence.
And for you Ignazio?
IGNAZIO= I think that there are many miracles in life, for example I live in Bologna and there is a church where Saint Catherine is and even there the body remained intact. These are things that I don’t know… returning to the topic of energy, I am always amazed by these things, maybe there are those who believe more, those who believe less, but one cannot help but believe what life tells us. offers: miracles, energies….
GIANLUCA= That the most religious attitude is to cultivate doubt and dig deeper and deeper into oneself.
DWI= Sure.
GIANLUCA= Not just outside, a constant, spiritual search that leads you, at a certain point in life, to have enlightenment from different points of view, which can be a life dedicated to God, why not!
DWI= It’s true, doubts, questions, are part of the journey of life. The Pope wanted this motto for this upcoming jubilee: “Pilgrims of hope”.
Do you feel like pilgrims? Do you feel like you are searching, on your way or have you already arrived? You are very successful, do you feel like you have arrived?
IGNAZIO= We are constantly on the move.
PIERO= It’s a continuous journey with ourselves, in search of ourselves, always trying to show the best side of ourselves and I believe that faith, like great things, is a commitment, a constant, daily commitment. For our part, this commitment has always been there and perhaps in some difficult moments, because perhaps faith is only remembered in difficult moments, whereas we should also remember it in good moments. We try to do it every day, so yes, we consider ourselves pilgrims.
DWI= Sure. Ignazio, you?
IGNAZIO= I agree, perhaps as I said before, there are those who are more attached, he (Piero) is very attached to the church, to religion, I am a little less…
GIANLUCA= You are still looking for the point of this journey…that’s right, we are still young…
IGNAZIO=…..precisely I define it as my path, because I am a person who always tries to be amazed by things, so for me the path is to always remain amazed and hope to find answers in what I experience.
PIERO= Also because each of us has a different experience, a different past, we are three strangers who met 15 years ago, but each of us has experienced moments in our lives that have also marked us.
DWI= Sure and that you agree.
GIANLUCA= In life we have always been empty containers, because we almost had no home, always maintaining our roots and values, but from the age of 14, travelling, learning about different cultures, made us feel, as I was saying, empty containers. Having a personal spiritual journey, not children of our culture, of our society, therefore reading, really reading what is written in the Bible, not believing in a belief, what is there, why do I have to believe, I have to inform myself, I have to understand what really happened and what are the ideals of this great religion that for millennia has guided millions of people of all generations of antiquity. So get informed, read, understand well what the great content of this great story is.
DWI= (they meet the Benedictine mother) How is mother? Nice to meet you, you are the mother Abbess MariaGiovanna: Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio. This year they were in Sanremo and they gave him an image of Saint Cecilia which they kept on their cell phone and so today they were happy to be here praying to their patron saint.
MOTHER= Best wishes, best wishes, may God bless you and guide your path.
I+P+G= Thank you, thank you very much, goodbye.
DWI= How beautiful your cloister is.
MOTHER= Yes.
DWI= The jubilee is in a few months, how are you preparing, how do you want to experience this jubilee?
IGNAZIO= We are 29/30 years old, and this will be our first jubilee that we will actually experience, because the last time we were only 4/5 years old, we didn’t even know what it was, so we will live it with curiosity, hope because in these years we have been cultivating this word – is very much hope, hope for something better, hope that something can really change and there are many people who, in any field, in music, in politics, in religion in their own way are trying to change. Look at Pope Francis, who I have so much admiration for, such a humble person who plays such an important role and it’s not always simple, right?
DWI= Sure.
PIERO= In some way our greatest desire is to be able to contribute with our art, with music, also because in the past we have had the opportunity to live these unique experiences.
I believe that the year of the Jubilee, the opening of the Jubilee is a very important moment for everyone.
IGNAZIO= It was a wonderful experience and we want to thank you.
DWI= Thank you, I thank you, thank you Piero, thank you Ignazio, thank you Gianluca. Thank you because with your art you sow hope in this time that is in some ways so difficult and dark and music is this universal message that reaches all hearts.
Can I ask you to take a selfie so I can immortalize this moment!
IGNAZIO= Sure
PIERO= Wait, like this.
GIANLUCA= Higher, higher..perfect!!
What can I say, I don’t know about you, but I was very touched by the mature and absolutely relevant answers to the topic that our three young men gave.
Messages of hope and love, faith, energy and life.
I am deeply happy to be able to once again see the versatility of Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio who, just as in singing, can move from interviews with “light” topics to interviews with “deep” topics, without any problem.
I also really liked the lowered tone of our kids’ voices as a sign of respect for the place where they were.
Congratulations once again guys!! ❤️
The INFORM newspaper published this page on the event, in four languages, which I attach.
In the interview we talked about two events that occurred with Il Volo in the presence of the Pope and therefore I thought I would attach them and review them together.
Il Volo at the world meeting of families 22 June 2022

Il Volo a Panama, World Youth Day 2019

And after hearing and reading the beautiful words of Gianluca, Ignazio and Piero and listening to their beautiful voices, what better time in view of Easter to wish you all the best wishes from all the Flight Crew staff.

HAPPY EASTER

from the bottom of our hearts and may it bring peace to this troubled world.

Credit to owners of all photos and videos.

Through the Fields of My Mind

The Man Has a Dream

34 Comments
There’s no other way to describe Piero than to say, he has a dream, and his dream is what it has always been about! From the beginning Piero said, “…. if there is one thing I want to do in life, it is singing, living for and with music.” That pretty much sums up Piero. He sings with such feeling and devotion. He studies endlessly! Opera is his dream! He’s studied, among other opera’s, “Cavalieria Rusticana.” I await the day when he will sing in his first opera. No matter where it is in the world, I will be there to see him fulfill his dream!
It might seem strange to you that he dreams of being in an opera singer. He is a superstar. He has achieved in 13 years what most men can only, hope, to achieve in a lifetime. But what can I say, The Man Has a Dream!
We all know the story of how Piero was discovered. He was swinging on swing in his grandfather’s backyard. Piero’s grandfather, Pietro, who is a singer, was recording a song on his recorder.  He began to sing a little Sicilian song which Piero said he made up. “E lu suli talia, talia, talia. Sopra ‘sta petra luci ci duna,” (that is and, the sun, look, look, look, to this stone gives the light).
Piero recalls, I was swinging on the swing, I was about four or five years old, I was really, very, small. I listened to him a little and at a certain point, when he stopped singing, I started: E lu suli, talia, talia, talia. Sopra ‘sta pedra luci ci duna.” What can I tell you? It just came out like that.
His grandfather, who is blind, turned off the recorder and called his wife. Rina came out on the terrace, and he asked her, “Unni è Piero?” (Where is Piero?)
She replied, “In Altalena” (He is on the swing)
Pietro asked, “Ma cu cantava? Iddru?” (But who was singing? He?)
She replied, “Eh, si.” (yes)
He told Rina to call him.
So, Piero got up and went to his grandfather. Pietro lifted him up and put him on the table next to the recorder and told him to “sing the song again.” Piero sang the song exactly as his grandfather sang it. He listened to Piero sing the song and then he made the decision to go to his friend Antonio’s house to record it. And that’s when Piero’s musical education began.
You might wonder how it was that Piero was able to repeat the song word for word. Piero, in fact, has what you might call a photographic memory when it comes to music. It’s something he’s always had. If he hears a song two or three times, he remembers the words. So, it seems that’s how it’s been since he was a child.
So where is Piero’s voice today? Let’s listen to some of his phenomenal solos. And none better to start with than my favorite, “No Puede Ser.”

Piero is a spinto (meaning pushed) tenor. A spinto tenor has the brightness and height of a lyric tenor, but with a heavier vocal weight enabling the voice to be “pushed” to dramatic climaxes with less strain than his lighter-voice counterparts. His voice is warm, graceful, bright, and can be heard over an orchestra. Piero has a powerful voice that easily reaches the higher notes. Every note that comes out of his mouth reaches us with such intensity and remains with us for a long time. It’s the voice that reaches out to you and demands your attention. Think of him singing “E Lucevan le Stelle” from Tosca. Or singing the beautiful Spanish aria “No Puede Ser” from A Tabernera del Puerto. 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!
And how about “E Lucevan Stelle!”

So, let’s take a step back to see what Piero had to say about the early days.

I think it is an effort to remember when we were young. We were young the day before yesterday. In fact, all three of us, feel that time has run too fast. Yesterday we were children, and, in a moment, we found ourselves grown up with a great job to carry on. Its’ the most beautiful job in the world, what we dreamed and desired, but the truth is that none of us really imagined what would happen.
So, let’s take a look at Piero’s amazing performance at Ti Lascio una Canzone.
We begin with “Un Amore Cosi’ Grande.”

What a powerful voice! And what about “Piove?”

Now let’s watch his duet with Al Bano. They sing “Mattino.” Al Bano is in awe of this young guy!

Let’s go back to Piero words in the beginning….
At the beginning it was really a dream, even if I do not like repeating it, because you find yourself traveling the world and doing it, from one day to the next. However, I repeat, always without realizing the importance of the thing, without fully understanding what was happening.
I just love Piero’s performance of “Non ti scordar di me” on their first PBS special! We knew then how great he was.

People often ask Piero what he does when he goes home. Maybe this will answer your question…

In February 2020, Kelly Speed from Haute Living did a short interview with Piero. She wanted to get a feel for where he was after 10 years with Il Volo…
Kelly: When you created Il Volo, was it always your intent to transform the way people thought about classical music?
Piero: I think the problem with classical music is just the younger generation. They don’t listen to the music. If you see our show, it’s full of teenagers. We are the first classical singers to propose this music to the younger generation. Many are fans, who were our age when we started, so we have grown together the past 10 years
Kelly: You have successfully recruited every age group from teenagers to senior citizens to be a fan. What do you think is the secret to your cross-generational success?
Piero: Actually, what we have always been doing is bringing bel canto around the world, but the songs that we sing have only been sung by people over 50 years old. We are just the first ones to propose this music to the younger generation.
Kelly: When were you first introduced to classical music?
Piero: I was seven years old with my grandfather and I started listening to Italian classical music. I took piano lessons after and learned how to play the piano. I didn’t plan my future, but when I was 14, someone proposed me to go on an Italian TV show. I’m 26 years old now and celebrating 10 years of a career I started when I was just 16. People love our performances. We are very serious about what we do.
Kelly: We have heard you describe Il Volo’s music as pop opera. Can you elaborate on that?
Piero: Yes, pop opera is the right way to describe our music because the music is pop being sung with operatic voices.
Kelly: What do you think has been the secret to your success as an artist?
Piero: The music we sing and because we are great workers. We are focused every day. Our goal and message is that we will always be doing what we do but want everyone to learn more about bel canto music.
Kelly: Il Volo translated means “The Flight.” What is the meaning behind that?
Piero: It’s easy to pronounce and it’s a metaphor that the music makes us fly. When we perform, we want people to fly for one night. I think the most beautiful thing is our relationship; it’s a brotherhood and, also, our relationship with the audience. People are so nice. Even though we have done more than 2,000 concerts, every night it feels like the first time.
Kelly: You’re coming to Boston on your North American tour. Any favorite spots you like to visit when you are in town?
Piero: I love Boston, especially Little Italy (the North End). Last time we were there, I went to a small barber shop, and it was a beautiful evening.
Kelly: What message would you like fans to take away from your music?
Piero: This music can give you an emotion no other can do. When you go on the other side of the globe and sing “Volare,” someone will say, “oh oh” after. I think Italy is the power of what we do. It’s not because we have three beautiful voices because a lot of people have beautiful voices. The result is in the power of the music we sing.
Let me interject here! Piero you’re too modest! You guys have phenomenal voices, and your performance is always phenomenal!
How would I sum up Piero within the group? Piero is the one who thinks everything through. He has a business mind that works very well for the group because he is the one who pursues the contacts and contracts for them, and he also handles everyone’s accounts because he is a great mathematician.  In interviews he thinks before he speaks, and his answers are always intelligent. He’s very serious and you can tell he thought out the answer before he spoke. And that sense of reasoning that he has is what makes his performances so great! Serious about the music! Always serious!
Before I end Piero’s story I want to say whenever Piero is asked what his most memorable moment is, he always says, World Youth Day 2019 with Pope Francis. Let’s watch this amazing performance.

And beautiful memories of meetings with Pope Francis over the years! I’m sure you won’t mind that the song is repeated.

Next year is World Youth Day 2023. I would love to see the guys standing next to the Holy Father, in Lisbon,  singing their Ave Maria Mater Misericordiae!
So that about sums up Piero, The Man Has a Dream, and in the end that dream will be a dream fulfilled!
So, over the last three weeks I’ve talked about each of the guys and their music. Now I would like to sum it all up by going back to the beginning and bringing it forward!
This is my Tribute to Three Amazing Young Men!

When these three young men started out, they were 15 and 16 years old. Think of being 15 or 16 years old and you have a dream, and someone tells you that that dream, needs to be shared. To fulfill that dream you have to leave your family, your friends, your home, you have to go to another country, and you have to share this journey with two people who you really know nothing about except that they have the same dream you have. You have to trust that the decision that was made by you and your family, was the right decision. If not, it’s back to square one! You’re going to be lonely, and you have to learn to survive without the people you love. So, you learn to lean on one another. That dependence turns into a friendship and that friendship into a brotherhood. It enabled them to trust enough to collaborate and perfect something truly amazing. Something that revolutionized the music industry.
It’s off to New York City!

Then there were photo shoots and wardrobes to contend with in LA. I love the expression on their faces. They are mesmerized! This had to be one the most awesome moments for them.

Taking America by storm! Watch this performance at The Grove! So young and so amazing! Listen to those voices! Watch the interaction between the guys! Very playful. The emotions! How they work the audience! Natural! Just amazing! The whole audience is singing! Someone needs to control those girls!!!

Yes, New York loves you guys, and they love us! 

You are a part of our New York! The best part of concerts at Radio City Music Hall!

Well guys New York and all of America is waiting for you! See you in March when you will bring us Il Volo Sings Morricone in concert at Radio City Music Hall and other concert halls around the Unites States.
If you didn’t get your tickets yet, what are you waiting for?
We anxiously await your arrival!

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