Category: Il Volo

Il Volo in Concert ~ Boston September 2012

While this review is dated, it was the first live performance of Il Volo  attended. The reaction is more of a character study than a musical review. These are my own first impressions of Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca.

Location: Bank of America Pavilion, Boston, Massachusetts

Date: 8 September 2012

Venue – The performance was at the Bank of America Pavilion on the waterfront Boston Harbor. The venue offers a view to a wide variety of boats and vessels sailing by. This could be fun; however, Logan International Airport is directly across the bay. And yes, outbound planes generally depart on the ½ hour at times roaring directly over the roof. The pavilion is a large tent structurally reinforced with moveable side curtains. There are seats outside of the tent and this arrangement gave the attendee an indoor/outdoor experience depending upon ticket selection. There is a good selection of foods and beverages including beer and wine with outdoor dining areas to enjoy the evening sea breeze. The attendee has a choice of driving into Boston or taking public transportation (MBTA). I choose to park at the T station at Riverside in Newton which is about 10 miles from the destination and took the Green line inbound. This proved to be a tricky journey as I had to transfer to the red line, continue to South Station, and eventually board a bus to arrive at the harbor.

I have to say that people watching can account for half the evening entertainment. I like to eavesdrop and tune in to the ambience. My seat was in the center section facing the stage in Row Y with an excellent view. This was my first time at the pavilion and we speculated that the side curtains would be lowered when the show started to create a more intimate atmosphere. Unfortunately, that did not happen and folks sitting along the edges were caught up in a wicked rain and wind storm that blew in half way through the show. I knew the storm was predicted and altered my travel plans. I live near Sturbridge which can be a two hour drive away and left at 2 p.m. amidst tornado watches, thunderstorm warnings and a dark stormy sky. I realized the risk but was prepared to make the best of it. The storm had power and I felt some of the rain drops in the middle of the room. Rain water came pouring down the left side walkway between the seating rows leading to the stage. Pity the sorry souls on the perimeter. The ticket clearly says Rain or Shine. This commotion was distracting to say the least. There must be a reason pavilion staff opted not to drop the side curtains. At one point in the show, Il Volo (IV) stopped and we were all looking around as to what to do. The artists and patrons need to be comfortable and we were not. Gianluca deftly started crooning, “I’m Singin’ in the Rain”.

The return trip home proved to be a bit of a nightmare. While the storm rocked us around at the harbor, it also tore down several trees onto the subway tracks. When the train went above ground, it ended up stopping part way to my destination. All the passengers were rerouted onto buses. It was a crazy, crazy ride home mixed up with Red Sox Fans from the game that was completed that night. Most of us were out-of-towners and at the mercy of our companions on the train for how to maneuver onto the right bus to end up where we wanted to be. It did take more than a few hours to get home.

If the management team needs a different venue for the next tour through Massachusetts, consider the Hanover Theater or Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA.

Performance

I had only heard of IV in June when WGBH TV aired the PBS Detroit Opera House performance. I tuned into the program about midway through and had no idea who the artists were. A quick glance told me it might be three Italian tenors but something was different. I kept listening and it so happened that IV was in the Boston PBS Station Studio during the fund raiser call in portion of the show. Their English skill was basic and Piero took the lead in talking to Lo Hartnett, the host on the set. Lo obviously enjoyed their company and smoothed the communications helping the guys relax and speak with confidence. It was toward the end of the fundraising portion when I realized Piero was a ham. When he sorted out that the camera was on, he cheerfully puffed up and waved vigorously at the audience saying, Di Camera, Di Camera!

After some deliberation, I bought a ticket and planned out the trip. As I am a bit claustrophobic and somewhat averse to crowds, it was a complete leap of faith to go. While we were waiting for the show to start, somebody parted the curtain at the back of the stage but all I could see was a black outline of the doorway. Somebody was looking out so I waved.  The guys were warmly welcomed by a mature audience and started the show with “Un’Amore Cosi Grande”.  Everyone I met in the audience had seen the PBS program and, collectively, the spirit was we had to see this to believe it. Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio were as strong in voice in person as on the telly. The blend of energies, voices and charisma was sparkling. Unfortunately, the band too often overpowered the voices and if I may say, as good as they were, ought not to compete with the artists. I thought a band is supposed to enhance not interfere.  There were times the show felt brisk as if they had to keep on a tight schedule. The guys clearly loved the spotlight and responded with their personal best.

The general impression was they do not compete with each other. And, there was no leader. Individually the confidence was matter of fact.

Still, the sexy male energy was not missed at least by me. How tight can your pants get! Italians superficially are generally revered for fashion, food and art. IV already have style and presence. These are young Italian men traveling about, it takes a bit of moxie to do this.

The horsing around on stage was at times confusing. Piero reminded me from the start of Toppo Gigio, a puppet character from the Ed Sullivan Show. When IV introduced themselves to the crowd, Gian and Ignazio called to Piero who had disappeared under the staging. When they called him to come out, he said, Ohh noooo Izza scared! In the same voice I remembered from the puppet. During the show he was constantly moving around humming, smiling, talking, looking and generally having a cheery good time all by himself. He often would float back to the band members and air play alongside. He loves the music. Piero and Ignazio interacted often with Gianluca resting and a few times sitting down watching them bop each other around. At one point when Piero was messing around with Ignazio’s wardrobe, he called out to GG to join him just like a kid in the schoolyard would. Come on! GG shook his head and rested on the sideline. It was in these moments I remembered they are still teenagers and this is what guys do at home. Bop each other around.

Musically, every review is similar, brilliant, time of my life, have to see this again. How on earth do they sustain that level of performance show after show! Gianluca was impressive. He is slight in stature, photogenic and rarely smiled. He opened the show and it was very exciting to see Piero and Ignazio in shadow waiting for their turn to sing. It struck me at that moment how young he was and how gutsy it is to stand out there in front of a large crowd and sing the first note. He is quite an unusual young man.

Ignazio came across as Mr. Congeniality. He felt like a person in transition. Someone described him to me as a young man in a grown man’s body. He fussed with his ear piece often pulling at his hair.

Piero struck me as a whole different kind of cat. He was lean, sleek and a frisky faun with a lot of charisma. The star quality of “look at me” is strong. What a voice!! Unfortunately, he sang his second solo in the middle of the rain torrent and I got distracted by wondering if the roof will stay on as he sang the old theme song from “Love Story”. I have to hear this again. At the end of the show, Piero’s expression changed and he looked out with an unusually warm gaze as we cheered their performance. He made several gestures speaking in Sicilian sign language? He put his hands together in a heart shape and raised them to his heart, extending it out to us. I think he was saying, the heart is open, here is a channel for the love: I give and receive. He used his right hand to pat himself on the left shoulder again and again gazing out with a bashful, warm smile and glittering expressive eyes as if to say thank you, it’s too much, too much, gratitude to the audience. I never saw anything like it before. In other words, I had the time of my life. On the bus ride out Boston, many of us had come directly from the show and we were gushing with joy. We all saw something different. We agreed that the first song or two, they were tense or nervous, but must have picked up our delight and sailed forward on that collective feeling.

The indirect influence of Il Volo is that my Conversational Italian class starts Wednesday of this week and I started the savings account for a trip to Italy. It’s been an all Italian summer for me with cooking, reading and more. Not to pile on the pressure, but they are ambassadors for Italy.

Bravi! Grazie mille! Viva Il Volo.

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Contemplations on Music and Nature

There is very much about the human experience and the environment we in live that is difficult to understand. As I plan for my spring garden, I consider that I can plant the seeds and if the soil is warm enough, moist enough, if the air and rains are gentle, and if the woodchuck will mind his manners, perhaps something will sprout. The seed may germinate and someday be abundant with the pollinators that are hardly seen in the foliage. All these little things happen but do I ever notice? Do we only see such things with our eyes? Can we hear the sprout break the soil? Can I smell the spring rains?  I do not hear the woodchuck chewing on the tender greens. Or do I? I live by a few internal beliefs with a phrase borrowed from liturgy: Belief in things seen and unseen. There are so many things that are seen and known without conscious awareness. I cannot touch the rainbow, only, if I am looking carefully, can it be seen. Or can it be touched? Can we transcend our day to day experience and reveal what is unseen?

Music+Higher Revelation

Music has been with humanity I daresay since we were formed. Musical instruments reflect the environment. The flute is the trill of the birds and part of a category of wind instruments. The strumming guitar is the rhythm of rain and one of the string instruments. I swear the look and sound of a harp reminds me of the gentlest of waterfalls. The drum is the percussion of thunder on earth. We can create music with our voice as the instrument.

People generally enjoy song and find great comfort in listening to music. My mother used to say that when I was very young, I played over and over again the song, “Puff the Magic Dragon” made famous by Peter, Paul and Mary. I barely recall this now. Over the years, I fell in love with so many recording artists and have collections for a few in particular. This is part of being. The composer Beethoven once said, “Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.” Most of all, I would guess it is not to be explained why the music is loved, or in some cases, so absorbed into our psyche. This is part of the seen and unseen contemplation. I cannot explain it but it is at once the most intimate part of a person and the most public as well.

Quite a while ago now, I began to enjoy the music of Il Volo. They came in to my life when I thought my love of music had faded. I credit Gianluca Ginoble, Ignazio Boschetto and Piero Barone with waking up that part of me I thought was lost. Many fans discuss their mutual love of Il Volo and struggle to find words to explain this. There are communities created around the trio to offer support, but more, a way to get closer to that which cannot be understood. We want to be a part of it all. We are a part of it all.

In an earlier article, I discussed the idea of a spirit animal around Piero Barone. Piero Barone’s Spirit Animal ~ The Mighty Macaw! The concept of identifying our character or essential nature to that of an animal is understood by some. This is an old belief and follows us from the first petroglyph drawings to the name of Il Volo. In English, this can be translated several ways including take flight or take wing. We fly by mechanical means, emulating what birds can do without having to engineer anything. Il Volo fly with their voices lifting us to that higher revelation of our selves. This is hard to be explain, it can best be felt as a presence in the body.

Gianluca+Transcends our Senses

When I look at Gianluca, I see his beauty and masculinity. I often call him GG, which is an acronym for generally gorgeous. However, another part of me is awakened and several impressions come in pictorial form. I am trying to describe an intuitive impression in words. Mother’s and lovers may understand this language without the need for words. The emotion of love, perhaps the unconditional quality of love, if that can be achieved, transcends our senses into another realm of purpose.

When I Listen to GG sing, or glance at his image, I often get the impression of water. Without doubt, I see a brook, a cheerful brook in springtime rolling to the sea. The brook sings over the rocks and splashes cool water on the shores. At dawn, the birds bathe in the shallows and deer drink their fill. Something in his nature raises this image. He does love to tease and flirt with his fans on twitter. He can at times overflow with messages. He is always talking, thinking and sharing, always in motion with his thoughts. The impression comes to me that as much as he loves to sing, at times, the situation overwhelms him and he is tumbling wild down the waterfall. When he finds the flow, he is smooth, sultry and a voice perhaps of silk trembling with emotions.

GG+Honey Bee

The other image which came quickly to mind was that of the honey bee. They are a fundamental part of our ecology and we are lost without their efforts. Honey bees are sun lovers and create the liquid sunshine of honey from their wanderings. They collect nectar and from the honey we create ambrosia. Meade is made of honey and perhaps one of our oldest alcoholic beverages. Honey bees are deliberate in their daily task and work diligently for the greater good of the hive. Gianluca is best known for his love of family first. There seems to be nothing more important in his life than his music, family and community of fans. He works for them and us but would chastise me to use this word. It is an instinct in him which he carries back to Montepagano, back to his hive. Busy as a bee, yes that old saying applies to GG. And, like Meade, he is slightly intoxicating to take in.

Foxfeather R. Ženková translates the bee symbolism as follows: “Communication, organization, abundance, productivity. Bee people tend to be industrious, family oriented, protective, and represent a strong sense of the feminine. Bee as a totem can teach us to refine our skills, simplify our lives, and is a great source of healing, purification, and renewal. Bee medicine is full of insight, seeing the parallels between nature and our lives, finding inspiration.”

GG has the most unusual color of eyes. In my poem, Sulla Giostra, I conjured up this image,

Sometimes you are a sunset tender. Sometimes your eyes reflect the sea light of chestnut and jade.

I also think of sunflowers, fields of barley and the sun splash of light on the sea. Back to the sea, the image of water persists for me. Honey bees are industrious, intelligent, directed and reserved. They go about their tasks with deliberation and avoid all unless provoked. Having been stung by a honey bee, I can say it was my fault for interfering with its task, but, the sting was gentle. GG strikes me as refined and intelligent. He is so curious, finding new ideas and sharing many a provocative thought and picture. His wide range of interests is remarkable. However, if he finds something absurd, he can be quite sharp and let the speaker know they strayed onto the wrong path.

Perhaps I have the image in mind from seeing him in performance. Despite his emotional nature, he grounds himself often in song. The first time I heard him sing “Maria”, in solo, he became so enmeshed in the melody and words, he fell to his knees at the last line “………like a prayer.” During his performance this year of “En Aranjuez con tu Amore”, the same sensation of being one with the song emerged on stage and he also fell to one knee, almost in genuflection to the power of the music in him. Bees above all, are grounded close to the earth. They are so intimate to our survival and livelihood that I wonder if that is what I am seeing. They are fundamentally flying but close to the ground. Does GG do the same in body and song? Does he unconsciously ground himself to bring down the moment of transcendence and thus not get lost in the revelation of the moment of oneness with his craft. In the words of the Taoist philosopher, Deng Ming-Dao, “all of us sail into the unknown nearly every day.” Yes, but the honey bee and GG instinctively find their way back to the hive, back to their essential selves at the end of the day.

Rhythm and Rhyme of That Which Is Unseen

These contemplations are an attempt to describe that which draws me to Il Volo, in their music, but also in recognition of them as fragile people. Something in me has been restored through their voices. The heart is perhaps transcending active thought and revealing in me the old rhythm and rhyme of that which is instinctively understood. Essentially, we are a part of it all, in nature and spirit. We all rise from a seed, the germ of an idea, but where we go in life and what we grow into is unpredictable. No, I cannot yet touch the rainbow, but through the music of Il Volo, I can find great comfort in the belief of all that is seen and unseen. Just listen, there is nothing more need doing. Listen and fall in love again.

Piero Barone’s Spirit Animal ~ The Mighty Macaw!

Human + Animal Connection

In the greater order of things, creatures of air, sea and land came before humanity. Each is unique and possesses qualities that enable it to live and thrive in its environment.

All living creatures that fly, crawl or walk have an inherent instinctive way that takes on a spirit of being.

People of all nations demonstrate a tendency to identify their collective cultural spirit through that of birds or animals. They take pride in being a member of the flock or tribe. Consider the White Eagle of Poland, Vicuña of Peru, Lion of the Netherlands, etc…

So too, the ordinary person may display something in their behavior that suggests something else. They may have a certain look, habit of speech or pattern of dance that directly brings to mind the energy of an animal or bird.

Spirit Animal + Piero Barone

A friend matched the Macaw with Piero Barone of IL Volo. What followers know of Barone is largely drawn from social media posts, responses and discussions in interviews and his performance on stage. At first glance, it appears that his initial quality is a love of communication, love of family and love of song.

The Mighty Macaw

A Macaw is native to the tropical regions of the Americas. They are large, brilliant birds within the jungle canopy. They are great talkers within their habitat keeping up a chatter that is often termed noisome. Physically they have strong feet and a powerful beak. They prefer a steady diet of seeds, nuts and fruit but are omnivores by nature. They are extraordinarily loyal, have a high need for social contact and mate for life. And, naturally feel at home in a flock. It is not uncommon for a bird to live to 100 years old.  As a spirit animal, Foxfeather R. Ženková describes the macaw as empowering the person with the qualities of “intelligence, beauty, and inventiveness. Loud, self-confident and active, macaws are the symbol of creative intelligence, inspiration, and freedom. Macaw people are often artistic, whether their talent is in visual art, music, or dance.”

The Brilliant Barone

And, Barone? He is well-known for his ability to hold the long musical note and go up and down several octaves in a breath. His dramatic voice calls attention to him for its beauty and complexity. His intelligence and quick ability with acquiring new language skills delights fans around the world.

Barone is from the Mediterranean island of Sicily with palm trees and an active volcano. He loves the color red. His nature is affectionate and charming with a look at me personae. Many fans comment on his strut across the stage. He is known for his confidence and habit of studying the crowd. At times, it appears he is as curious about us as we are about him. He loves his food, especially the Sicilian specialty: frutta del mare.

Barone sings “Where do I begin?”

He shows a high need to belong and be remembered. He is clever and often surprises the fans with behaviors, gestures or activities. His solo video of “Where Do I Begin” was unusual in its inventiveness, he formed his own one-man band (flock) to share the moment. One can easily say of Barone, he is never dull. He has a powerful spirited presence and delights countless fans with his higher qualities.

Buona fortuna Piero! Si canta bene!