Biography
Somehow in the midst of the non-stop activity that followed the
worldwide rise of Il Volo three short years ago, the young Italian pop vocal
trio was able to record a follow-up to its immensely successful eponymous debut
album that not only lives up to Il Volo’s promise but builds upon it.
This time Piero Barone (19), Ignazio Boschetto (18) and Gianluca Ginoble (17)
have gone well beyond the classic songs that gave Il Volo its solid foundation.
Rather, We Are Love on Interscope Records focuses more on the contemporary, both
in fresh interpretations of more recent pop standards and songs that were either
written expressly for the group—or are delivered as if they were.
But both albums retain the trio’s self-proclaimed governing
principle: “Three voices, one soul.” This single Il Volo vocal soul was already
evident in 2009, when the three teenage Italian singers’ flawless rendition of
the Neapolitan standard “O Sole Mio” on the popular talent show Ti Lascio Una
Canzone dazzled television viewers, and propelled them on a whirlwind of
international activities culminating with special guest appearances on Barbra
Streisand’s SRO tour.
Along the way, Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble signed a
worldwide recording contract with Universal Music Group and became the first
Italian artists to sign with a U.S. label in the U.S. They then recorded their
self-titled debut album Il Volo in Los Angeles and Rome, as well as at London’s
famed Abbey Road Studios.
Released in November, 2010 in Italy—where it was certified platinum—and
worldwide in 2011, Il Volo was soon followed by an invitation from none other
than Quincy Jones to represent Italy by singing on the charity single “We Are
The World: 25 for Haiti”—joining such superstars as Celine Dion, Josh Groban,
and most auspiciously, Barbra Streisand. A few days later they performed during
the 60th annual Sanremo Music Festival, a prestigious event attended by such
luminaries as Queen Rania of Jordan.
In the U.S., Il Volo virtually exploded on the scene following a show-stopping
appearance on American Idol: Il Volo came in at No. 6 on the Billboard Top 200
Charts and was a Top Ten CD on its Classical Crossover Chart throughout 2012.
The boys have since appeared on major TV shows including The Tonight Show with
Jay Leno, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Talk, Ellen and Rachel
Ray—and made a surprise appearance on the final episode of the HBO Series
Entourage.
Meanwhile, their DVD Il Volo Takes Flight--Live From The Detroit Opera
House has now been shown on PBS outlets nationally over l,500 times.
So the pressure was on for the threesome to match
the success of their debut album—even at a time when Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca
couldn’t be any busier.
Il Volo, Michele Torpendine, the band’s manager, veteran producer
Humberto Gatica, whose credits include the likes of Josh Groban and Celine and
Oscar nominated singer/composer Tony Renis organized the repertoire and managed
the recording of We Are Love, which was recorded in Rome, Prague, London and Los
Angeles. Gatica again teamed with Renis in producing the sophomore disc, this
time with greater involvement in song selection from the boys.
But they had their work cut out for them, as the first album thoroughly
showcased the young singers’ astonishing vocal talent and interpretive gifts
within a context of both classic and new compositions (including “O Sole Mio,”
the “E Più Ti Penso” medley of Ennio Morricone film soundtrack songs, Charlie
Chaplain’s “Smile,” and Diane Warren’s “La Luna Hizo Esto” and “Painfully
Beautiful”--both written specially for Il Volo).
Aside from providing a stunning vocal framework, “We Are Love,” by
songwriter/producer Mark Portmann (Celine Dion, Josh Groban) and Latin Grammy
winner Edgar Cortazar, also allows Il Volo to show off their multilingual
prowess, as they sing it in English, Spanish, French and Italian (they also sing
in German on the album), with beautiful orchestration from the Czech
Symphony.
Signature song or not, “We Are Love” hardly stands alone. Il Volo and Gatica
again turned to Diane Warren: The album’s lead track “Questo Amore,” besides
being the perfect vocal opener, is a fresh Italian take on Warren’s huge hit for
Aerosmith, “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing,” thanks to a production that takes a
180-degree turn from guitar rock ballad toward the classical side of Il Volo.
Warren also supplied the exquisitely sensitive English song “I Bring You To My
Senses.”
Another outstanding—and surprising—cover choice is U2’s “Beautiful Day,” here
given a lush and energetic English ride upon Il Volo’s soaring vocals. Splendid,
too, is “Splendida,” with music by the song and film composer Bill Ross, who is
the Barbra Streisand’s musical director and arranger and worked on the previous
Il Volo album.
The outstanding “Luna Nascosta,” on the other hand, is an actual movie theme,
from the romantic Mexican film Hidden Moon. It was penned by Argentine
Oscar-winning (Il Postino) film composer Luis Bacalov and is so affecting that
Gatica watched Hidden Moon’s writer/director José Pepe Bojórquez break into
tears upon hearing Il Volo’s recording.
We Are Love features another film song in “Historia De Un Amor,” by Panamanian
songwriter Carlos Eleta Almarán. A choice of many international artists
including Nana Mouskouri and Cesaria Evora, it appeared in the 1956 Mexican
movie of the same name.
But the new album also spotlights a pair of songs embellished by guest
artists. “Cosi’” offers the contrasting vocal of its co-writer, International
Superstar singer-songwriter Eros Ramazzotti, who also co-produced it with his
co-writer Luca Chiaravalli. And in “Il Canto,” the great Placido Domingo lends
his voice—thanks to the urging of his grandson—an ardent Il Volo fan; the
performance, incidentally is dedicated to the late Luciano Pavarotti, who used
to sing it and was a major influence on Il Volo.
Both duets have been artistically created and executive produced by Michele
Torpedine (Il Volo's manager who discovered Andrea Bocelli and managed him for
17 years and also currently manages Eros Ramazzotti).
We Are Love closes fittingly with a power ballad, “Non Farmi Aspettare" written
by Saverio Grandi (Latin Grammy composer winner with Laura Pausini's song),”
which also further underscores the album’s seamless sequencing between songs of
varying energy and emotional levels.
Inevitably, Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca fly high, for themselves and their fans.
After all, they took their name Il Volo from the Italian for “flight.”
(Copied from Ilvolomusic.com official website)
worldwide rise of Il Volo three short years ago, the young Italian pop vocal
trio was able to record a follow-up to its immensely successful eponymous debut
album that not only lives up to Il Volo’s promise but builds upon it.
This time Piero Barone (19), Ignazio Boschetto (18) and Gianluca Ginoble (17)
have gone well beyond the classic songs that gave Il Volo its solid foundation.
Rather, We Are Love on Interscope Records focuses more on the contemporary, both
in fresh interpretations of more recent pop standards and songs that were either
written expressly for the group—or are delivered as if they were.
But both albums retain the trio’s self-proclaimed governing
principle: “Three voices, one soul.” This single Il Volo vocal soul was already
evident in 2009, when the three teenage Italian singers’ flawless rendition of
the Neapolitan standard “O Sole Mio” on the popular talent show Ti Lascio Una
Canzone dazzled television viewers, and propelled them on a whirlwind of
international activities culminating with special guest appearances on Barbra
Streisand’s SRO tour.
Along the way, Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble signed a
worldwide recording contract with Universal Music Group and became the first
Italian artists to sign with a U.S. label in the U.S. They then recorded their
self-titled debut album Il Volo in Los Angeles and Rome, as well as at London’s
famed Abbey Road Studios.
Released in November, 2010 in Italy—where it was certified platinum—and
worldwide in 2011, Il Volo was soon followed by an invitation from none other
than Quincy Jones to represent Italy by singing on the charity single “We Are
The World: 25 for Haiti”—joining such superstars as Celine Dion, Josh Groban,
and most auspiciously, Barbra Streisand. A few days later they performed during
the 60th annual Sanremo Music Festival, a prestigious event attended by such
luminaries as Queen Rania of Jordan.
In the U.S., Il Volo virtually exploded on the scene following a show-stopping
appearance on American Idol: Il Volo came in at No. 6 on the Billboard Top 200
Charts and was a Top Ten CD on its Classical Crossover Chart throughout 2012.
The boys have since appeared on major TV shows including The Tonight Show with
Jay Leno, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Talk, Ellen and Rachel
Ray—and made a surprise appearance on the final episode of the HBO Series
Entourage.
Meanwhile, their DVD Il Volo Takes Flight--Live From The Detroit Opera
House has now been shown on PBS outlets nationally over l,500 times.
So the pressure was on for the threesome to match
the success of their debut album—even at a time when Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca
couldn’t be any busier.
Il Volo, Michele Torpendine, the band’s manager, veteran producer
Humberto Gatica, whose credits include the likes of Josh Groban and Celine and
Oscar nominated singer/composer Tony Renis organized the repertoire and managed
the recording of We Are Love, which was recorded in Rome, Prague, London and Los
Angeles. Gatica again teamed with Renis in producing the sophomore disc, this
time with greater involvement in song selection from the boys.
But they had their work cut out for them, as the first album thoroughly
showcased the young singers’ astonishing vocal talent and interpretive gifts
within a context of both classic and new compositions (including “O Sole Mio,”
the “E Più Ti Penso” medley of Ennio Morricone film soundtrack songs, Charlie
Chaplain’s “Smile,” and Diane Warren’s “La Luna Hizo Esto” and “Painfully
Beautiful”--both written specially for Il Volo).
Aside from providing a stunning vocal framework, “We Are Love,” by
songwriter/producer Mark Portmann (Celine Dion, Josh Groban) and Latin Grammy
winner Edgar Cortazar, also allows Il Volo to show off their multilingual
prowess, as they sing it in English, Spanish, French and Italian (they also sing
in German on the album), with beautiful orchestration from the Czech
Symphony.
Signature song or not, “We Are Love” hardly stands alone. Il Volo and Gatica
again turned to Diane Warren: The album’s lead track “Questo Amore,” besides
being the perfect vocal opener, is a fresh Italian take on Warren’s huge hit for
Aerosmith, “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing,” thanks to a production that takes a
180-degree turn from guitar rock ballad toward the classical side of Il Volo.
Warren also supplied the exquisitely sensitive English song “I Bring You To My
Senses.”
Another outstanding—and surprising—cover choice is U2’s “Beautiful Day,” here
given a lush and energetic English ride upon Il Volo’s soaring vocals. Splendid,
too, is “Splendida,” with music by the song and film composer Bill Ross, who is
the Barbra Streisand’s musical director and arranger and worked on the previous
Il Volo album.
The outstanding “Luna Nascosta,” on the other hand, is an actual movie theme,
from the romantic Mexican film Hidden Moon. It was penned by Argentine
Oscar-winning (Il Postino) film composer Luis Bacalov and is so affecting that
Gatica watched Hidden Moon’s writer/director José Pepe Bojórquez break into
tears upon hearing Il Volo’s recording.
We Are Love features another film song in “Historia De Un Amor,” by Panamanian
songwriter Carlos Eleta Almarán. A choice of many international artists
including Nana Mouskouri and Cesaria Evora, it appeared in the 1956 Mexican
movie of the same name.
But the new album also spotlights a pair of songs embellished by guest
artists. “Cosi’” offers the contrasting vocal of its co-writer, International
Superstar singer-songwriter Eros Ramazzotti, who also co-produced it with his
co-writer Luca Chiaravalli. And in “Il Canto,” the great Placido Domingo lends
his voice—thanks to the urging of his grandson—an ardent Il Volo fan; the
performance, incidentally is dedicated to the late Luciano Pavarotti, who used
to sing it and was a major influence on Il Volo.
Both duets have been artistically created and executive produced by Michele
Torpedine (Il Volo's manager who discovered Andrea Bocelli and managed him for
17 years and also currently manages Eros Ramazzotti).
We Are Love closes fittingly with a power ballad, “Non Farmi Aspettare" written
by Saverio Grandi (Latin Grammy composer winner with Laura Pausini's song),”
which also further underscores the album’s seamless sequencing between songs of
varying energy and emotional levels.
Inevitably, Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca fly high, for themselves and their fans.
After all, they took their name Il Volo from the Italian for “flight.”
(Copied from Ilvolomusic.com official website)