http://www.ildivo.com/uk/news/il-divo-new-york-special-message-urs

 

Thursday

31st May 2012

Il Divo in New York - a special message from Urs

Hi everybody,

We're here in New York City, finally starting our US dates. We've had two shows so far at the beautiful Beacon theatre, the third one is tonight. Gosh - it's great to be back in the United States! The audience is absolutely fantastic. The welcome you've given us so far was overwhelming and beyond our expectations. It was so wonderful to see so many familiar faces we remember from back in 2009, when we were touring here last. We received loads of compliments from people saying they loved the new show and the new songs from our latest album “Wicked Game”. I'm sure tonight will be another one to remember. I'd like to thank all our fans who enjoy and support our music and come to our concerts here in the States. If the tour continues like that, then we are the happiest artists in the world. We love you, America!!!

IL DIVO - 680news Radio -From  IL DIVO PERU on Youtube

Il Divo interview Canada AM - Morning News (CTV) / May 23th 2012

http://www.ildivo.com/uk/news/il-divo-new-york-special-message-urs

Il Divo and orchestra set to captivate at NJPAC

If you’ve never experienced the sensational blended vocalism of Il Divo—a multinational, multilingual male quartet of two operatic tenors, a baritone, and a pop singer—then rush for tickets to their June 5 concert, held in NJPAC’s Prudential Hall. You will revel in their splendid lush sound accompanied by an orchestra. Three members are classically trained and regularly perform in opera and musical theatre, but their sleek ensemble presents selections mainly from the pop sector. Thus their designation “classical crossover quartet.”
And what of the fourth member? Sébastien Izambard, born in Paris, led a pop group performing songs largely composed by him, before Simon Cowell discovered him in a two-year search for the perfect combination of male talent. He integrates the group of Il Divo along with baritone Carlos Marín, a Spaniard, Swiss tenor Urs Bühler, and American tenor David Miller. Mr Izambard, speaking perfect English, kindly took time from his schedule in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, headed for concerts in Moncton and Saint John, New Brunswick, to talk to Examiner.com
Examiner.com: What made you want to switch from being a soloist as leader of a pop group to form part of a group where no one is a standout but the outstanding feature is the way you all blend?
Sébastien Izambard: For me it was the challenge of doing something different. I used to compose my own songs and was heavily involved in that. Doing pop songs, I really never had touched opera; I never had any experience in that sense. All of a sudden, they had chosen me to bring the pop side to Il Divo. I remember going into the studio for the first time when we first met after a two-year search. When I first heard all the vibrato in the other voices, it was really strange for me. I wasn’t sure this would work with my type of voice. What convinced me was the songs. When we started recording, I felt as if we had something different from any other band, a unique sound. It was where I think I connected to people, it’s where I felt we were unique and it was going to work. I made the right decision, and I’m really happy I did.
E: Gather four men of diverse backgrounds, nationalities, languages, and customs, and unique challenges are bound to arise. How did you face and overcome such challenges?
SI: Oh, initially it was a bit complicated, with one being American, one being Spanish, another being Swiss, and the other being French. I would say it was very difficult at first, and we tended to argue, to disagree. Even though Spain, Switzerland, and France are very close, somehow our cultures a quite distinct. All of us wanted to deal with each other in English because that is David’s first language. When English is not your first language, you find yourself translating into your native language, but things can get lost in translation. On top of that, our past experiences differ, our education, who we are … Another factor that was a big one is that we are all solo singers. Getting together and being men and learning to share is a bit like my kids when I tell them they’ve got to share their toys; it takes time, you know? I think we grew up, basically all four together, and we’ve reached the point where we find it very easy now.
E: Has Il Divo performed any of your compositions?
SI: No, I wish we had done. Unfortunately, I tried a few years ago. We put a song forward to management and our record company, and to be honest I found it very difficult to make something in the Il Divo style. I remember I went to Guy Chambers and others to try and make some songs. It’s hard when you don’t have enough distance so you can surprise yourselves musically. So I’ve kind of given up on the idea. I’m better at writing pop rock songs or R&B or that type of thing.
E: How much say does each member of Il Divo have regarding song selections or interpretation?
SI: Interpretation is a personal matter that is left up to us. I think the four of us have grown up musically to know what works best for the group. As for the tour, our management makes that work. No one has any power over the group other than the four of us. It’s a democracy. The four of us have equal power—we are like four captains of our own boat.
E: How is it that the group’s Spanish diction is so authentic in the numbers Il Divo performs in that language?
SI: Well, Carlos [Marín] is really good in that way. He’s always helping us to make sure the pronunciation is right, so I’d say he’s our Spanish teacher. But I think we also have a pretty good ear because we speak quite a few languages.
E: When Il Divo performs with a guest artist, say, Celine Dion, who would obviously feature as soloist in the numbers she performs with the group, what musical adjustments does the group make to allow her to perform in a principal role?
SI: It has been a wonderful experience, performing with Celine Dion and other extremely talented artists. How to adjust our part in each number pretty much depends on the producers of the songs; they have worked with us for years. We know our tunes, and they know exactly what our voices can do. If a song is written in the key of A, then they know it’s very likely we’ll be singing a high C during it. But if Celine usually sings that song in a different key or does a key change somewhere, then we will want to do what’s comfortable for her. In some ways it just works by itself. Ultimately we sit down with the producers and decide on the key that works best for everyone, and they have a way of making it work. And I’m sure that Celine does the same thing. It’s really teamwork.
E: You are the proud father of twins, Lucas and Rose, and now a newborn boy, Jude. How has fatherhood affected you as part of an all-male group?
SI: I am very fortunate because the other members of the group are very respectful of my children and of me. They really love my children. I’ve been traveling like mad. Every day is a new place. My family are with me right now in North America. For the next couple weeks they’ll be based in New York, and I will travel back and forth to be with them. There’s a limit where you can’t ask too much of them because they get tired, so they go home.
What if the group tires at some point or runs out of ideas to keep the act fresh for the public or indeed, interesting for themselves? Would a pop rock or R&B album by Sébastien Izambard be just the thing to shake up the group, musically speaking, and renew their fresh approach to other pop classics? Let’s hope he won’t give up all hope of ever getting Il Divo to perform his works.
Multiplatinum Il Divo, in less than ten years, has achieved tremendous success in album and concert ticket sales. The group has also won merit and esteem as “the first-ever recipient of the special recognition ‘Artist of the Decade’ award at the Classic BRIT Awards 2011.” Would-be imitators abound, which is a form of tribute in itself, but Il Divo stands alone in the stature they have attained in their unique corner of the entertainment world.
Newark is fortunate to have landed one of their 60 or so engagements during the next four months, engagements that take them all over Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Europe. Will you be in the audience in NJPAC’s Prudential Hall Tuesday evening, June 5, to see and hear the phenomenon for yourself? Only 2,750 who are fortunate enough to get tickets will have this extraordinary opportunity

Il Divo keeps its ‘Game’ going

New producers, full orchestra, classical approach help hone new release

Il Divo, the four-man group of Carlos Marin, David Miller, Sebastien Izambard and Urs Buhler, rolls into the Halifax Metro Centre for a show Thursday.

AFTER RELEASING a new album, sometimes two, every year since they debuted in 2004, the four voices in the pop-opera phenomenon Il Divo needed to take a break.
It wasn’t because they were tired from touring, or due to any issues with their hard-working vocal pipes, which were still pleasing fans on the three live DVDs released between their last two studio releases, The Promise in 2008 and Wicked Game in 2011.
The dilemma faced by tenors Urs Buhler of Switzerland and American David Miller, Spanish baritone Carlos Marin and French vocalist Sebastien Izambard was finding a way forward without repeating what they’d already done.
“I think the real impetus for Wicked Game, and why it took so long to release, is that after The Promise we felt that we were falling into our own trap, as it were,” says Miller, who is joined by his Armani-clad compadres on Thursday night at the Halifax Metro Centre.
“We wanted to go back into the studio posing the question to ourselves, ‘What if Il Divo had never existed?’ We went back to how we felt making the first album, which was essentially throwing darts at a dartboard in the dark. At that time we didn’t know each other, we were just trying things and seeing what happened.
“We all came from different backgrounds, and had different ideas of what made for good music, so we tried to meet in the middle. We had all these new songs that were written for this crossover idea, and they didn’t work. It wasn’t until we happened upon Unbreak My Heart that we had something that was familiar to us. It flowed naturally and made sense to us; we found a way to balance the song and share the vocals and give a natural build to the song. ‘Aha, we have something now!’”
With the guidance of music talent show maven Simon Cowell, Il Divo tried to bring back the freshness of its first album by working with new producers. When that didn’t work, they teamed up again with familiar producers from previous CDs. But that wasn’t the solution either.
Then they found a film score arranger who brought his knowledge of how to get the most out of an orchestra’s emotional impact on crooning pop songs like the Chris Isaak-penned title track and Roy Orbison’s Crying, and recent fare like Come What May by Shakespeare’s Sister and the Oscar-winning Falling Slowly from the musical romance Once.
“Before, it was a reduced orchestra, or a pop band with strings, that we used on our recordings,” explains Miller.
“This time, it’s all about our voices and the orchestra. For example, Dov’e L’Amore takes Barber’s String Adagio and arranges it for voice with new lyrics. So we were taking as classical an approach as we could without actually dipping into classical music.”
One of Wicked Game’s most striking moments comes from the decision to sing part of Orbison’s Crying a cappella. The original recording has its own highly polished grandeur, but the song still stands up without the lush orchestral backdrop.
“It was a difficult choice, because it’s so different from what we’ve done before,” says Miller, who thinks Crying is one of the highlights of their current tour in the way it gives the audience a chance to breathe.
“Trying to navigate that was let’s just say it was a difficult track in general. That’s one of the ones that we started working on with the producer we ended up not using, and his arrangement didn’t really work. When we first tried doing it all a cappella, it didn’t gel, then we made it a duet with Rebecca Del Rio, and then it started to take shape and became something we could put on the album.
“Obviously (Rebecca’s) not on tour with us, so we had to rearrange it all over again so we could do it in concert because we’ve gotten a great response to it.”
Miller promises an Il Divo show that has “a hint of Vegas” in its staging with LED screens and other bits of icing on the cake, plus the biggest orchestra they’ve ever taken across Canada — one of the quartet’s most appreciative markets.
As usual, any time there’s a new album and subsequent tour, a year of their lives goes by in a flash, and outside projects have to be put on hold. But the San Diego-born performer hopes he’ll be able to get back into a character role and work on his dramatic as well as operatic chops after the Wicked Game tour crosses the finish line.
“Given the time it takes to put on a production, you can’t just poke your head in the door of any opera company and say, ‘Hello, I’m here, I’m available! Wanna do a show?’” Miller says, imitating the voice of a showbiz old-timer looking for work.
“I did get a chance last April to do a production of The Magic Flute in Detroit. I knew it was going to be a recording year, so I held those dates and asked the rest of the boys and our management if they would be OK with it, and it turned out we had time.
“So that was a lucky stroke, and let’s just say I have some other plans and designs in the works that, if the opportunity presents itself, I’ll be ready to go.”

Written by Darlene altmann and Photographs by Ray Williams
It was A very warm and summery like long weekend evening in May, as people’s patience starting to wear a little thin outside the Air Canada Centre (ACC)with a slight delay, and then another small delay just to get to your seat. But it wasn’t until approx eight o’clock when all that anxiousness and hostility started to dissipate. Canadian jazz-pop sensation Nikki Yanofsky, 18, opened for Il Divo at the Canadian shows, which include stops in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, Moncton and Saint John, N.B., Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and London, Ont.
Yanofsky's phenomenal voice and jazz style made her an international success at age 15 and she catapulted onto the international stage with her performance during the 2010 Winter Olympics' opening ceremonies.
The Il Divo world concert tour will see the phenomenal quartet of Carlos Marin, Sébastien Izambard, David Miller and Urs Buhler perform at leading venues and they are expected to hit six continents with a number of countries in Europe and in the UK. After the first song, Sébastien Izambard told the audience that was there 2nd stop of the North American part of the tour, and there like “caged tigers” and “tonight’s going to be a good night” most of ladies in the front stood and gave a standing ovation.
David Miller got the audience excited as he flirtatiously loosened his tie and draped around his neck. And that’s when he started the next song of the set “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”
Carlos claimed to be the only single one of the four, he ask how many single ladies out there? Then asked how many ladies know how to dance the Salsa? Roses where thrown on stage.
The 35-piece orchestra was placed on both sides of the platform steps, the same steps that Miller almost tripped down during “My Way”
I was expecting 90min performance from this Pop opera group Il Divo, but what the audience got was great entertainment! The group said that they all have special ladies in their lives and dedicated “Mamma” to all the mothers in the audience. Izambard sang Frere Jacques and Wheels On The Bus as a tribute to his son that turns one year old the day after.
I enjoyed the concert, they sang some old and new songs from their recent album Wicked Game.
Standouts during the first set included “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”, “Unchained Melody”, and “My Way”. After a 25-minute intermission they cover Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah (Aleluya)”, Roy Orbison’s “Crying (Llorando)”, “Pour Que Tu M’Aimes Encore (What It Takes)”The night ended on a high with “Time To Say Goodbye”.

 

Motorcycles sound right note for Il Divo star

 Urs Bühler
•Profession:
Classical tenor with Il Divo
•Age:
40
•Hometown:
Lucerne, Switzerland
•Il Divo’s self-titled debut album went multiplatinum in 2004
•II Divo means “Divine Perfomer” in Italian; the group also includes American David Miller, Sebastien Izambard of France and Carlos Marin of Spain
 My Car
Two cars as fit as a fiddle •Kicked off their North American tour in Canada on May 18; there are 12 performances taking place in Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Saint John, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Saskatoon
•The group’s latest release is called Wicked Games
Tenor Urs Bühler is part of an international singing sensation, the musical quartet Il Divo.
Since the group was created by music mogul and TV reality star Simon Cowell in 2003, it has transformed opera into a cool, contemporary genre, winning numerous awards, while selling more than 25 million albums and performing at packed concert houses around the globe.
But when Bühler returns to his country home in Switzerland, he doesn’t flaunt his success with flashy cars. He rides one of his 13 vintage motorcycles, which include a 1971 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide and a 1975 Honda Goldwing.
What sparked your interest in motorcycles?
I’m actually quite a motorcycle enthusiast. I come from a little village in Switzerland, which is not really in the mountains but in the hills with loads of farms around. As soon as you’re allowed, or even before, the boys from the farms take the motorcycles and scooters and go to school. It’s affordable transport for everybody there.
We have about 6,500 inhabitants in the village and there are five motorcycle clubs in that village.
How old were you when you started to ride?
It was the year before I was allowed to.
In Switzerland you can pass your riding test at 18 for a motorcycle up to 125 cc. I did that immediately on my 18th birthday. I bought my first motorcycle about six months before, obviously against my parent’s knowledge. I took it sometimes at night and drove it up and down the road. It was an Enduro – just a little cross bike from an Italian brand called Gilera.
How did you pay for it?
It wasn’t very expensive at the time. About 2,500 Swiss francs, I think.
Since I was about eight years old, I’ve always worked on my school holidays. I always had a job somewhere. I worked for it and saved my money.
What do you own now?
I’ve got Harley Davidsons and old Goldwings – big old heavy bikes. I’ve got 13 of them – the oldest I got is a ’71 Electra Glide, which is my year of birth. It’s in black and red, which are my favourite colours. That’s why I bought it.
I got quite a few bikes from the mid-’70s, two or three Harleys – I like the ’76. The Goldwings – I’ve got one of each year of the first ones – I’ve got a ’75, ’76, ’77 and a ’78.
I recently sent pictures to a friend of mine and she said, “I think you have a problem.”
How do you decide which ones to ride?
To be honest, most of them don’t even run.
They’re just lying around in my garage in pieces and I have so little time since I’m in Il Divo to work on them. I love restoring them.
You do the work yourself?
Oh yeah. Big time. With the timberlands on, the mechanic gloves and my Harley Davidson baseball cap so my hair doesn’t get in the way. I get really dirty early in the morning hours.
What does a vintage Harley say about you?
Maybe it’s a bit of a valve – a way to try and escape from a bit of a square life.

I  I love sitting on a big, powerful bike. I don’t need to ride fast. But on a big Harley you feel very powerful and they got a lot of torque. You control that with your little hand and a twist of the throttle. I find that a great feeling and when you’re out on the beautiful countryside in the wind it’s wonderful. It’s such a feeling of freedom.
It’s cleansing for my brain as well. When you’re riding motorcycles you need to focus on what you’re doing otherwise you get yourself in a lot of trouble.
When you’re navigating sharp hills on your bike in Switzerland, is it similar to how you navigate the passagio in your tenor voice?
It is, actually. It is, especially if you don’t know it.
There are bends that start nice and smooth and close in all of a sudden and you have to react and that’s exactly the same with your voice.
If you hit a note, especially in the passagio, and you do it on certain vowels – certain vowels are easier, certain vowels are more difficult – depends where you come from if you have a big jump from low. There are always possible little points where you can just slightly be out of the ideal line.
It’s very comparable actually.
Have you got into any trouble?
I’ve fallen a couple of times. Nothing severe.
Do you get the same high from riding as you do from performing on stage?
You know it is somehow similar because when you’re performing you can not allow yourself to think of anything else than the song, the music, or the notes you’re singing. You want to transmit an emotion – a message in a song. If you’re not in it, your audience will not get it.
We perform for the audience – we perform not for ourselves. You’ve got to be in there 100 per cent or otherwise it doesn’t work.
What’s your best riding story ever?
I was in my early 20s and I was working as a fork truck driver and starting my studies as a music teacher and classical tenor. Friday afternoon, after I finished a shift, I met up with two friends of mine.
We packed our saddlebags. It was actually raining, but we said we have this weekend and we just went for a ride. We hit the road and rode down to France and made it across the border on the first night and we slept by the side of the road in the grass just underneath the bike. Then we drove further down on Saturday into France and all the way back home on Sunday.
We sat on the bike for 2-1/2 days. It was an incredible experience for me.
How about adding a new bike to the garage?
At the moment I’m torn. When I see somebody along on a brand-new Harley I think I should buy one brand new Harley. But I do like the old bikes.
I think they’re more beautiful and they’re also simpler to work on – there’s no fuel injection, no ABS in the bikes from the 1970s. I can completely rewire a ’70s Harley without having a plan. It’s fairly straight-forward and there aren’t many components. I love doing that.
I don’t know if I would buy a brand new motorcycle. I don’t think I would enjoy working on it.
I could add another bike everyday. But I swore to myself, if I buy another bike, I have to sell one first. I made that a rule for myself

Il Divo at The Marilyn Denis Show - Canada - Thursday / May 17th 2012

Il Divo : Canada AM - CTV News -

Of the Bell Centre Tuesday, May 22, the quartet Il Divo has allowed viewers to live a pure moment of emotion. We offer songs in Spanish, Italian, English and even French, they will surely shift in the memory of fans came to watch their show.
Composed of Urs Bühler (Switzerland), Sebastien Izambard (France), Carlos Marin (Spain) and David Miller (USA), Il Divo training was greeted with thunderous applause from the audience wild. We were then offered the room Come What May from the movie Moulin Rouge, which was interpreted us in Spanish.
"Tonight, for sure, we have a lot of energy," then we will tell Sebastian Izambard, delighted to speak French. From the first notes, it was obvious that we would spend a wonderful evening. The voices, the harmonies, everything was set up to allow an escape paradise.
Before starting the song La Vida Sin Amor, Carlos has invited the public to get up to dance. Therefore, we have seen here and there of people in the audience who responded to the request, as well as couples who took the opportunity to dance a sweet salsa.
A concert like that offered by Il Divo makes us realize that it is not necessary to know how to speak Spanish or Italian to enjoy music, and especially feel strong emotions listening to the songs.
The public seems to have been undoubtedly won because it offered no fewer than seven standing ovations, including parts for Argentina, Unchaine Melody, My Way, Crying and especially for the song That you still love me. Il Divo has made an evening at the beautiful and talented public.Franchement friendly, they let us feel their pleasure in being together and being in front of the Montreal public. Ranging from pop and opera, quartet in this regard may reach a wide audience.
For the first part, this is the refreshing Nikki Yanofsky who opened the evening with his powerful voice "jazzy", performing some classics and his own songs. The singer said he was very happy to realize a dream when she is older than 18 years.

May 23, 2012 

 

Il Divo set to bring Halifax fans to their feet

Imagine, even with all of Il Divo’s successes worldwide, fear it will all suddenly end.
No more adoring fans. No more bringing people to their feet over their incredible musical talents.
But as large crowds gather across the United States and Canada, including in Halifax on Thursday night, for the group’s latest North American tour, the quartet can sleep well knowing they still got it.
“I never realize how popular we are,” Il Divo’s Sebastian Izambard said in a recent phone interview with Metro. “I know we are touring and there are people that come see us but I’m always worried that we’re not popular anymore, I’m a little paranoid.”
Fresh from Tea with The Queen in honour of her Diamond Jubilee, Il Divo is performing tonight at the Metro Centre for their latest album, Wicked Game. As experienced through their previous work, the album is a collection of original and popular pieces that have undergone a “pop-ra” makeover.
The brain child of Simon Cowell, of reality television producing and judging fame both here and across the pond, Il Divo is a unique combination of four operatic male voices. Scouting for over two years in 17 countries, Izambard came to the group from the French pop world.
“I was working in France as a pop singer and composer,” he said. “When I heard the songs they were working with I thought this will either never work or will be a tremendous success.”
Meant to be The Three Tenors for the modern generation, Il Divo’s producers capture the technique and romance of opera through accessible favourites such as Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah or the Broadway-turned-Blockbuster Evita’s, Don’t Cry for me Argentina.
“All of these songs are already covered so we have to keep the quality at that level,” Izambard said. “With our original songs, they are written by our three producers already with our individual strengths in mind.”
As the only member who is not classically trained, Izambard’s hesitant nature has slowly dissipated.
“It’s much easier than I thought it would be because I had worked so in pop music so going into the studio was second nature,” he said. “What I found difficult was the amazing vibrato of the other members because I wasn’t use to it but over time, we found the balance and eventually blended together and it worked.”

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May 24, 2012 Updated: May 24, 2012 | 11:29 pm

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Il Divo brings the romance to adoring fans at Halifax Metro Centre

By Jenna Conter For Metro Halifax

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.

An evening of true talent romanced the Metro Centre on Thursday night. It began with songstress Nikki Yanofsky. Though just 18 years old, she
belted out blues standards from the great Aretha Franklin with the maturity of a seasoned veteran.
After a brief set, a full orchestra quickly filled the stage and the nearly packed house felt the operatic pulse of the quartet Il Divo. Not since 2009 has this world-renowned group been in front of a Halifax crowd and both sides were thankful for their return.
“We are very happy too have you host us in your great city,” Il Divo member Sébastien Izambard warmly addressed the crowd. “It has been a long time and we are like caged tigers filled with energy ready to release it tonight,” said baritone Carlos Marin playfully, growling like an animal, which delighted the mostly-female audience.
The concert commenced with Come What May (Te Amare) from their latest album, Wicked Game. Their original ballad, Dov’è L’Amore, followed. Though labeled an operatic ensemble, their eclectic mix of both opera and pop music sets them apart.
“Eight years ago we started and were told there was pop music, opera, then Il Divo in the middle,” American tenor David Miller said to adoring fans.
“But we soon found another style of music that fit our talents — musical theatre.”
An inspiring rendition of Don’t Cry For Me Argentina brought the audience to their feet, earning the group their first standing ovation of the night.
Frank Sinatra’s My Way, the Righteous Brothers’ Unchained Melody, and Il Divo’s first original hit Every Time I Look At You followed as the group continued to combine music with casual conversation for their audience.
“This city makes me feel so romantic,” Izambard said.

The pleasure of pleasing
 Il Divo knows perfect happiness. The classical-pop quartet, which has sold over 26 million albums, traveling the world since the beginning of the year with songs from her new album, Wicked Game. The success continues.
Urs Buhler, Sebastien Izambard, Carlos Marin and David Miller, who come up on stage at the Bell Centre Tuesday, had the opportunity to sing on Sunday for Queen Elizabeth II.
They participated with Joss Stone and Susan Boyle, the first activities to mark the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen of England at Windsor Castle.
"We were invited to tea with the Queen of England. It'll be crazy, "commented Sebastien Izambard, days before the presentation of the horse show with 500 horsepower and 800 dancers retracing the travels of the Queen.
The members of Il Divo, despite the success, are grateful and realize that fame is often fleeting.
"We never expected to like this a success. I'm always petrified when releasing a new album. I never know if people will always welcome us and love our music. I feel very privileged and I appreciate. I thank all Canadians and the world to give us that chance every day. This is extraordinary! "He has dropped.
Hard work
The quartet said they worked hard for Wicked Game, which was launched last November.
"It was very important not to repeat. We felt when we started working on parts of our new record, we were spinning in circles. We decided, with our record company, not to get these new songs that had nothing special. It is impossible to give pleasure to people if you you're bored, "he remarked in a telephone interview.
Il Divo wanted, with this sixth studio album, to try things and surprise his audience. The suggestion of their record label to resume Wicked Game by Chris Isaac was the starting point of this new collection of songs.
"I was very skeptical when we went into the studio to record this piece. I am a fan, but I wondered how it was to ring with the voices of my fellow opera singers. We changed the settings and wow! we ended up in another dimension. We had never done anything like that. It was more masculine and more charismatic. This song gave direction to our new album, "said Sebastien Izambard.
Then there were pieces of Shakespears Sister Stay, Falling Slowly from the film Once, Crying by Roy Orbison and Come What May from Moulin Rouge.
"The songs were all different and we had so much fun recording this disc. It was pure happiness ", he advised.
On the road
The quartet has been touring since last February with an orchestra of 35 musicians.
"It's a tour that is very different from those we have made in the past. There is more interaction with the audience and I think it's warmer than before. There are fewer special effects and everything is based on our voices. This is our best tour so far, "he said.
Montreal singer Nikki Yanofsky has been selected as the first parts of the seven performances of Il Divo in Canada. The quartet may have a surprise for presentation at the Montreal show.
"We'll see if the current passes when we meet and it would be great to do a song together if the chemistry works and if it's possible. Nikki Yanofsky has a unique style and is full of talent, "he said.
Consecration
Il Divo was devoted artist of the decade at the gala Classic Britt in 2011.
"That just gave me a shot of old. I took 10 years in the face with this award as an artist of the decade. This is fantastic! I live in London and this is my home for 10 years. The press in England tends to get you down when you know success. It was she who gave us this honor and it is an honor. I am delighted and what makes me prouder still, is to give as much happiness to so many people. I hope my children will be proud of me, "began laughing the father of twins four years and a new kid, Jude, to be a year tomorrow.
Il Divo is at the Bell Centre on Tuesday at 20 pm, with Nikki Yanofsky in the first part

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Home » ArtsLife » ArtsLife » Il Divo keeps its ‘Game’ going

Il Divo keeps its ‘Game’ going

 

New producers, full orchestra, classical approach help hone new release

Il Divo, the four-man group of Carlos Marin, David Miller, Sebastien Izambard and Urs Buhler, rolls into the Halifax Metro Centre for a show Thursday.

AFTER RELEASING a new album, sometimes two, every year since they debuted in 2004, the four voices in the pop-opera phenomenon Il Divo needed to take a break.
It wasn’t because they were tired from touring, or due to any issues with their hard-working vocal pipes, which were still pleasing fans on the three live DVDs released between their last two studio releases, The Promise in 2008 and Wicked Game in 2011.
The dilemma faced by tenors Urs Buhler of Switzerland and American David Miller, Spanish baritone Carlos Marin and French vocalist Sebastien Izambard was finding a way forward without repeating what they’d already done.
“I think the real impetus for Wicked Game, and why it took so long to release, is that after The Promise we felt that we were falling into our own trap, as it were,” says Miller, who is joined by his Armani-clad compadres on Thursday night at the Halifax Metro Centre.
“We wanted to go back into the studio posing the question to ourselves, ‘What if Il Divo had never existed?’ We went back to how we felt making the first album, which was essentially throwing darts at a dartboard in the dark. At that time we didn’t know each other, we were just trying things and seeing what happened.
“We all came from different backgrounds, and had different ideas of what made for good music, so we tried to meet in the middle. We had all these new songs that were written for this crossover idea, and they didn’t work. It wasn’t until we happened upon Unbreak My Heart that we had something that was familiar to us. It flowed naturally and made sense to us; we found a way to balance the song and share the vocals and give a natural build to the song. ‘Aha, we have something now!’”
With the guidance of music talent show maven Simon Cowell, Il Divo tried to bring back the freshness of its first album by working with new producers. When that didn’t work, they teamed up again with familiar producers from previous CDs. But that wasn’t the solution either.
Then they found a film score arranger who brought his knowledge of how to get the most out of an orchestra’s emotional impact on crooning pop songs like the Chris Isaak-penned title track and Roy Orbison’s Crying, and recent fare like Come What May by Shakespeare’s Sister and the Oscar-winning Falling Slowly from the musical romance Once.
“Before, it was a reduced orchestra, or a pop band with strings, that we used on our recordings,” explains Miller.
“This time, it’s all about our voices and the orchestra. For example, Dov’e L’Amore takes Barber’s String Adagio and arranges it for voice with new lyrics. So we were taking as classical an approach as we could without actually dipping into classical music.”
One of Wicked Game’s most striking moments comes from the decision to sing part of Orbison’s Crying a cappella. The original recording has its own highly polished grandeur, but the song still stands up without the lush orchestral backdrop.
“It was a difficult choice, because it’s so different from what we’ve done before,” says Miller, who thinks Crying is one of the highlights of their current tour in the way it gives the audience a chance to breathe.
“Trying to navigate that was let’s just say it was a difficult track in general. That’s one of the ones that we started working on with the producer we ended up not using, and his arrangement didn’t really work. When we first tried doing it all a cappella, it didn’t gel, then we made it a duet with Rebecca Del Rio, and then it started to take shape and became something we could put on the album.
“Obviously (Rebecca’s) not on tour with us, so we had to rearrange it all over again so we could do it in concert because we’ve gotten a great response to it.”
Miller promises an Il Divo show that has “a hint of Vegas” in its staging with LED screens and other bits of icing on the cake, plus the biggest orchestra they’ve ever taken across Canada — one of the quartet’s most appreciative markets.
As usual, any time there’s a new album and subsequent tour, a year of their lives goes by in a flash, and outside projects have to be put on hold. But the San Diego-born performer hopes he’ll be able to get back into a character role and work on his dramatic as well as operatic chops after the Wicked Game tour crosses the finish line.
“Given the time it takes to put on a production, you can’t just poke your head in the door of any opera company and say, ‘Hello, I’m here, I’m available! Wanna do a show?’” Miller says, imitating the voice of a showbiz old-timer looking for work.
“I did get a chance last April to do a production of The Magic Flute in Detroit. I knew it was going to be a recording year, so I held those dates and asked the rest of the boys and our management if they would be OK with it, and it turned out we had time.
“So that was a lucky stroke, and let’s just say I have some other plans and designs in the works that, if the opportunity presents itself, I’ll be ready to go.”

Il Divo is joined at the Metro Centre on Thursday by Nikki Yanofsky. Showtime is 8 p.m. and ticket prices range

MONTREAL - The quartet Il Divo has transported the audience from the Bell Centre in its universe mixing pop and opera on Tuesday night, while outside protestors dispersed the last of tens of thousands who had invaded the downtown Montreal , earlier in the afternoon, and that others were preparing to take back possession of the street.
If, in the early evening, the metro hot spots of the metropolis were still clogged with people, calm gently resumed its rights, under a drizzle, when Sebastien Izambard, Carlos Marin, David Miller and Urs Buhler appeared on scene in a cloud of smoke, dressed in black tuxedos, a soothing smile on his face. Stakeholders, the opening bars of Come What May were enough to make us forget that, outside, began a new march of protest.
The approximately 7,510 spectators in the cave of the Canadian seemed indeed to ignore the tensions that currently rocking Quebec. Be soothed by the warm and solemn generated by the music of Il Divo, the audience - composed mostly of elderly people - has moved the slightest subtleties of group members, also charismatic and generous.
"It feels good to speak French, has happily launched tenor Sébastien Izambard early in the course. For too long we're coming to Montreal and tonight we are full of energy! "
In frequent bursts of applause, singers, accompanied by a full orchestra, have époumonés on the pieces of their latest opus, Wicked Game, released last November, as well as other songs that made them famous over the years. The Italian is mixed with the English over the Dove L'Amore, Do not Cry For Me Argentina, Unchained Melody, My Way, Senza Parole, Wicked Game (Melancolia) and other Hallelujah. Good players, our men had kept their hit Time To Say Goodbye to the recall. Several ladies tenderized by the talent and charm of the four lads have smashed a tear over the delivery.

Irresistible Nikki
The hushed atmosphere of the show was introduced by opening, for the young jazz sensation Nikki Yanofsky, who, from his 18 years, has charmed the audience with the power of his voice, available on all of his classics on own songs.
Candide, the petite singer had fun, early delivery, accent "Franglais", and has cracked the crowd with a charming "Do you dance, please?", Just before to push its final score and slip away. The last visit to Montréal Nikki Yanofsky was in July last, while the brown artist had produced on the stage of Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts, in the International Jazz Festival of Montreal.