Annabelle Fernandez
Italian opera seems to have garnered a younger fan base since the likes of Josh Groban and Russell Watson, but 14-year-olds? These are drawn by teenage Italian singers Il Volo, which means The Flight in English. Their place as new idols has been sealed by their appearance in American Idol May 19 this year.
Performing at a private showcase at The Fullerton Hotel on Jul 25, before being part of the President’s Star Charity show Jul 31, the trio got into the business after winning a popular Italian talent show Ti Lascio Una Canzone in 2009.
The tickets were very exclusive, you couldn’t even buy one, as these were only available from That CD Shop, SingtelAMPed, Gold 90.5fm and Symphony 92.4fm
Among the many who came down as early as 6pm, was Vanessa Chew, 14 a student and her family who bought Il Volo’s CDs from That CD Shop, so they could catch this once in a lifetime opportunity. The 14-year-old said she first got hooked on them after having listened to an advertisement of their album on television, before going on “to Youtube them and saw their clip from American Idol”.
Another die-hard fan Katrina Pang, 18 a student “listen[s] to them every day”. She added that it is amazing that Il Volo, “being so young, they have such a big voice”.
When the two doors opened, fans filled up the ballroom. The emcees for the evening, radio presenters Hossan Leong and Maggie Lim from Gold 90fm kept the audience hyped up and entertained by bantering between themselves and getting to know which Il Volo member the audience liked the most in the meantime.
As Piero Barone (18), Ignazio Boschetto (16), and Gianluca Ginoble (16) graced the stage, looking not too shabby, given that they had little rest, they were adorned with casual yet formal wear as the crowd cheered, applauded and scream.
The Intense Trio
They kicked the showcase off with a really grand and graceful rendition of the classic track – ‘Il Mondo’. They performed 4 other songs (Painfully Beautiful, Smile, This Time, Ole Sole Mio) along with their instrumental tracks. This powerful performance made the once chatty ballroom silent in awe.
As they hit the notes perfectly, you could see the three of them in bright smiles with fingers snapping in exhilaration. The audience applauded when the magic moments of high notes and coloratura were achieved.
During the 30-minute showcase, they sang their 4 songs one after the other. Their set list included ‘Painfully Beautiful’, ‘Smile’, ‘This Time’ and crowd pleaser ‘Ole Sole Mio’, a tribute to the sun.
The connection that Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca had with music and among themselves was utterly astounding. Throughout the showcase, they often gave and received confidence boosts and reassurance from one another.
The Adorable Trio
Before they sang ‘Ole Sole Mio’, Inganzio shared how people stereotyped Italians. In his heavily accented English, he said, “people ask where we’re from. Italy? Spaghetti? Ole Sole Mio?”
It was amazing to see these young talented teenagers to have fun when they were doing what they love (opera singing). It added a fun element to something we often consider dead serious and boring.
When they finished their set and inevitably brought the audience to heaven, the emcees, together with their translator joined them on stage for a short question and answer. They shared what they’ll be up to after this showcase – going on a packed tour, touring to Malaysia, back to Singapore, Taiwan and Germany. Quite abruptly, Piero shouted “Silence please!” as there were loud murmurs amongst the audience. Piero then directed a Mandarin message to the girls of Singapore – “Wo Ai Ni” which translates to “I love you”, sounding a little cheeky.
This message made many girls gush and squeal. Carissa Yow, 17, said, “I was excited, especially to see Ignazio,” And echoing the wishes of other fans in the room, she added, “There should be a real concert, this showcase was too short.”
Photo courtesy of Laura Anne