Il Divo - The Classical Fab Four Go From Strength To Strength

"There are so many things to do in London, and it’s the best city in the world. It’s just the weather that’s sometimes difficult!" - Sebastien Izambard

After working solidly for the last 10 months you'd think the boys from Il Divo would take some time off. Not the case! London Calling's Tom Hunter got the chance to catch up with Sebastien Izambard on a rare day off. He told us all about the greatest hits album, the upcoming tour and getting to work with Katherine Jenkins...

London Calling: So you’ve got a new tour planned for the coming months, haven’t you?

Sebastien Izambard: Yeah, apart from promoting the greatest hits album as well, but the tour is the next exciting step. We’ve worked for the last 10 months and been around the world so we thought that the greatest hits could be exposed to various countries and we thought that it would also be nice to change a bit of the formula by inviting Katherine Jenkins to perform with us - something a bit sexy! She’s very nice, beautiful and sings very well.

LC: Are you trying to tell us that the four of you aren’t sexy enough?

Seb: No I’m not saying that, but we definitely don’t have a woman’s voice so we thought it would be nice to have a few duets with her, just to do something different. People always do that with their tours, it’s nice to mix. We did that with Barbra Streisand and it worked so well. We shared the stage with her and sang our songs and sang some duets and it was a great thing, so we thought it would be nice to do it again.

LC: That sounds really good. What can fans expect from the new tour then? Have you worked on the classics and done some good stuff with Katherine too?

Seb: Well we haven’t yet, because she’s about to promote her album as well, so we have to catch up at some point, sit down and just figure out what songs we’re going to do. We haven’t really talked about it but we just know that our voices are going to work perfectly. We did a TV special for ITV together so we’ve already sung two songs together and that actually went very well.

LC: You’ve just mentioned that you’ve done this massive 10 months travelling all over the place and you’ve obviously got a huge fan base. We’ve read comments on your Facebook page from fans and there’s lots of hearts and love there! Are your fans different in different parts of the world?

Seb: Oh yes, absolutely. In terms of culture if you go from the UK to South America to America it’s different of course and that’s what we like; it gives us such diversity. We have tremendous, huge fun around the world and our fans are so respectful, they’re so loyal to us. Japanese people would travel the world to come and see you, it’s amazing, and we always have to pinch ourselves to realise that we’re so lucky and everything is going so well.

LC: Now we have to ask, with such a fantastic fan base like that are they mainly friendly or are there a few strange fans out there in the world?

Seb: Well you always have an awkward one, even in your families, but I’d have to say that 95 per cent of our fans are very respectful of our lives and it’s how you set it up as well. I’ve got three children and the ladies know that they’re yours and they’ve always been so respectful of Renee, my wife and my children. There’s never been a problem, we set a boundary from day one and they love it. They send presents to Renee and my kids, it’s fantastic. I think we’re the luckiest men in the world; we have a lot of success and a huge fan base.

LC: Looking at the tour coming up, it’s obviously going to be a lot of work. Do you guys have any tips, techniques or tricks that you use to keep your performances fresh every night?

Seb: Yeah, we just go out thinking that it’s the last concert we’re ever going to do. We get a lot of rest, drink a lot of water, and drink wine before or after, ha ha! Before the gig I have a lot of water and off I go. I try not to get too stressed, because the stress can take away your ability to just enjoy the gig. I think it’s really important to give 100 per cent of yourself in terms of the concert because it could be your last, you never know.

LC: You’ve got some really big venues, places like the O2 in London, where you finish the tour, so how do you scale up for those really big performances over the more intimate shows?

Seb: Well it’s quite funny, because for me it’s actually easier to play in a big venue rather than a smaller venue. When we play at the Coliseum or other compact places it’s much harder because people are closer to you. In a big arena it’s not as personal as that and somehow you have a bit less pressure. But for me it’s really about making sure that wherever you are you make sure that people have a wonderful time. I try to avoid thinking about these sorts of things too much. The O2 is huge - it’s big, but for me it’s a little bit less scary in some way.

LC: Are there any special things you like to do when you’re not on the clock and performing in front of loads of people?

Seb: I’d be spending a lot of time with my kids, I take my little one who’s one-and-a-half years old to a class where he dances with other kids, I take my kids to school, so I spend a lot of time with my children, that’s important. We go to the park, Hyde Park, I like going out for lunch, there are so many things to do in London, and it’s the best city in the world. It’s just the weather that’s sometimes difficult! But I think that overall it’s a wonderful city. It’s great because you can go anywhere from London and enjoy all the different places in Europe. It’s so accessible and I’m not far from Heathrow - it’s a great city.

LC: What about some of the galleries and museums, do you get a chance to take the kids to see any culture?

Seb: Yeah, I’ve taken them to the museum that’s not far from the French embassy, because there’s children’s stuff there. We like taking them to arts and crafts things as well, but we haven’t done so much recently because I think they would trash it completely! One is four-and-a-half years old, so he’s not concentrated in that yet, but they love seeing dinosaurs and stuff. We try as much as we can, but it’s getting there.

LC: You obviously have your own musical style when you’re performing, but what do like in your personal life? Are there any particular genres or guilty pleasures that you relax to or listen to when there’s no-one else in the house?

Seb: I like pop rock - that’s what I listen to. My background is from the pop side - I listen to Coldplay, I’ve got the latest Muse album, and I think Muse are an amazing band. I listen to a band called Hurts; I listen to lots of music, anything from bossa nova to reggae, South American music. I just love music in general.

LC: So backstage in the dressing room you’re basically rocking out to Muse!

Seb: I drive the guys insane because I’m constantly listening to music. They’re like “oh my god, don’t you ever shut up!” and I’m always singing all the time, but I love it.

LC: You’ve obviously got a lot on, but what are your epic plans for the future?

Seb: Well the big, big step now is preparing the next record for next year and making sure that we’ve got something exceptional. We’ve just released the greatest hits and that’s a mark of a turn in our career and now we want to do something else. So that’s obviously something that’s really important to us and it’s a bit scary in a sense because we are going to have to surprise people with something else. But that’s a big, big step. So it’s how we’re going to make that step and how people will perceive it and if they’re going to like it.

LC: How many tuxedos do you guys get through in a year? You must have a high turnover!

Seb: Well we toured for 10 months and I think we only had one, then a spare one, so that’s two. I think it was probably three or four in total. There aren’t that many tuxedos, but when you do a promo there are a lot of them, but generally it’s not actually as bad as you may think.

LC: With that whole image it would be fantastic if you guys could do the theme for the next Bond movie or something. Have you ever thought about that kind of stuff?

Seb: Yeah, absolutely, especially when I heard Adele singing it, I think it would be great. It would be fantastic to be able to do that, a privilege, a dream actually.

For more information and tickets to the tour and how to buy the Greatest Hits album go to http://www.ildivo.com/uk/home

Read more at http://londoncalling.com/features/il-divo-the-classical-fab-four-go-from-strength-to-strength#jQ0KvMTsJshfIxbg.99 

Get ready for A chat with David Miller :

 

 

Il Divo, in common with many of Simon Cowell’s creations, appear to be adored and disliked in equal measure. They are one of the biggest-selling acts (they can count over 26 million albums sold, over 50 number ones and four world tours, the latest of which includes a stop in Dubai on Friday). And yet, when the media deigns to review their albums (not many did) the common refrain is that they are pretty, polished and yet lacking in soul.

You might describe their blend of classical pieces you might play at a wedding and tried-and true pop classics as middle-of-the-road. If so, you’d be bang on, says the band’s tallest member, American tenor David Miller,

“We can’t really step too far outside the zone, for two reasons,” Miller said over the phone from London recently. “One, we don’t want to alienate the public. Two, it’s very difficult to find tracks that accommodate the four of our voices, because the four of our voices do very different things, they have different qualities and different ranges. We need, for lack of a better term, middle-of-the-road songs.”

Il Divo are four multinational male singers — Miller, Frenchman Sebastian Izambard, Swiss Urs Buhler and Spaniard Carlos Marin — brought together in 2003 by Cowell, the man responsible for X Factor, One Direction and Cheryl Cole and the talented quartet are as physically attractive as they are technically accomplished.

Il DivoDescribing how the band arrive at their choice of songs, which on their latest album include Chris Issak’s Wicked Game, Miller says the band themselves listen out for appropriate songs, and also take the input of their creator. “[It’s] Unchained Melody, My Way, and Simon’s 10 favourite songs. Forgive me for saying so, he’s got a middle-of-the-road mentality — which is what works. He’s even said it before: ‘I don’t really know that much about the voice, I just know what I like,’ and that pretty much describes 90 per cent of the population. So if I’m average Joe Shmo and I like it, the people are probably going to like it and buy it too.”

But Miller adds that the Il Divo treatment can do wonders for a song. “At the same time it works for us: that middle-of-the-road piece allows us, with our dynamic ranges, to take it to a place it’s never been to before.”

The Dubai leg of the Wicked Games tour, at the World Trade Centre on Friday, will see a move away from the pop-centric style that characterised the band’s earlier performances, with the addition of a full orchestra and video screens.

“This year we have veered away from our previous format where we tried to straddle pop and classical with a pop band on one side of the stage and a few strings on the other side,” explained Miller.

“There will be an orchestra on stage with us — 35 players, full brass, full woodwind, timpani, every section is there. This time with the full orchestra soundscape, it will be much better. I was skeptical at first. But we are not taking the pop bass or lead guitar out; those will be canned. We have screens that carry video content that we have set as a background to create the mood. Bryan Burke from Cirque De Soleil has created a very artistic, beautiful video to complement the songs we sing. It’s two hours well spent.”

You’ve been on a long tour. How are you and your voice coping?

It’s been fantastic, actually. It has been a gruelling schedule, but that’s par for the course, you have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get on with it. The audiences have been amazing around the world. We usually do five or six concerts a week, and it’s hefty. It’s kind of like being an athlete. In terms of taking care of your voice, sleep is no 1, hydration is no 2. Trying to catch up with jet lag is a pain in the butt, but we’re not hopping between continents too much.

How has the reception to your latest album, Wicked Game, been on the tour?

It’s mixed, really. I think that these are some of our best tracks that we’ve ever recorded and vocally they suit us very well. it’s where the evolution of Il Divo has gone, but people are not that familiar with them. We do a couple of new tracks — Dove l’Amore, which is based on Samuel Barber’s Adagio For Strings, and Senza Parole, which has a light motif of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. The people like them, but they are not familiar with them. So they are not quite as enthusiastic in terms of “Oh yeah, that song, I love when they do that song,” but there’s still a strong reaction. It’s just a question of time for people to have lived with Wicked Game long enough to where these tracks become part of their mental playlist.

You said Il Divo has evolved with this new album. How?

Our voices have been growing as normal, and especially through such a vigorous performance schedule over the last decade, this has been the final maturation cycle of all of our voices. We’ve been really going at it like athletes, so it’s created a great deal of strength and stamina, and the qualities of our voices have gotten richer and deeper over time. That, paired with all of our performance experience, before Il Divo and during il Divo, [means] we are just a whole lot more seasoned, as people, as performers, as musicians. When we went into the studio, we said we can’t just do what we did last time, we are different people, we’re way different people than we were on the first album, so we have to step it up. The idea was to bring it more towards a cinematic feel, a more epic soundscape to support what we do with our voices. As far as the future goes, I am not entirely sure. I mean where do you go from here? Of course, we’ve said that every single album, and somehow, it always works out.

Describe the album making process:

We’re always on the lookout for new material and we don’t want ot repeat ourselves, but we don’t want to step away from what we’ve done and alienate our public. We’re not going to pull a Sting, where he all of a sudden put out a lute album. But he’s Sting and he can get away from that. We can’t really step too far outside the zone.

Do you ever feel creatively constrained?

Not really. As far as my career prior to Il Divo is concerned [Miller was an accomplished opera singer], I’m just an interpreter — I have my classical voice and all my training go out and interpret Mozart and Verdi and all these very codified and standardised things that have been around for centuries. This is a very different system, getting to choose which songs I sing — in an opera, you sing what’s on the page. I like being included in the production of things. I talk to the producers, and I whisper in their ear and say, here’s some things we haven’t done. Sometimes it filters in and sometimes it doesn’t.

Would you ever like to return to opera?

It’s not really a question of returning to opera, I’ve kind of grown out of the confines of “this kind of performer or that kind of performer”. I have the abilities and the experience to really sing whatever I want. I do have a desire to continue singing opera, it’s my first love.

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The tenor’s tale Adam Zacharias / 26 September 2012 Urs Bühler from classical crossover behemoths Il Divo tells us about battling a volcano and charming Chris Isaak’s mum SPEAKING SHORTLY BEFORE Il Divo’s first ever concert in Zagreb, Urs Bühler recalls the odd story behind the group’s rendition of Wicked Game, the title track to their 2011 album. Having been presented with a lush string arrangement to Chris Isaak’s signature song, the four members who comprise the world’s foremost classical crossover act were united in excitement. However, this initial elation was swiftly deflated by a procession of administrative niggles – beginning with the fact that Simon Cowell, the group’s creator and label head, wanted to nix the idea from the start. “Simon didn’t get it at all,” says Urs, who hails from Switzerland but lives in London. “He was like, ‘What do you want to do with this?’ Then we approached Chris Isaak’s management team and said we wanted to record the song in Italian, and they refused.” With the idea dead in the water, Il Divo found salvation from an unlikely source – Isaak’s elderly mother Dorothy, an eccentric influence who once claimed she was singing Elvis’ Blue Suede Shoes when she gave birth to her rocker son. “Apparently Dorothy, who is Italian, convinced him to let us record the song, under the condition we do it in Italian,” says the tenor in his cheerily languid tone. “So we put a little thank you on the album to her, because she made it possible.” Making the band Il Divo formed almost nine years ago, after Simon Cowell decided to tap the growing market for pop music with an operatic sheen. An exhaustive worldwide search finally yielded the discovery of Urs, fellow tenor David Miller from California, baritone Carlos Marín from Madrid and Parisian pop star Sébastien Izambard – the line-up which remains in place today. Upon its 2004 release, Il Divo’s self-titled and multi-lingual debut record proved an immediate global phenomenon, shifting close to five million units. Meanwhile the band themselves – who were all in their early to mid-30s at the time – stirred boy band levels of adoration among their slightly older female fanbase, thanks to their pin-up looks and mellifluous voices. Eight years later, the group have released five more studio albums and sold 26 million records – meaning that life for Urs and his bandmates remains as hectic as ever in 2012, with shows in 46 countries across six continents. “We’ve been touring since January and we’re on around show number 115,” Urs tells us. “We’ve got about 20 more to go and we finish in South America at the end of October.” In time for a well-earned rest? “No actually!” exclaims the 41-year-old, revealing that the quartet have little more than one week’s break before they fly to Japan to promote Il Divo’s Greatest Hits. Out on November 26, the record features favourites including Unbreak My Heart and Adagio, as well as four new tracks: My Heart Will Go On (in Italian), I Will Always Love You (in Spanish), Alone (in Spanish) and I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You (in English). A long way from home Urs’ transient lifestyle as a musician has become harder since he became a father to three-year-old daughter Billie with his partner, Il Divo’s British former hair and make-up artist Tania Rodney. “Last time we were on tour, the little one was only just born so we basically just took her around the world along with mummy,” he explains. “Now she’s started going to nursery, so I’ve just got to get myself through with Skype and phone calls. “It’s been hard this year but it’s a choice you make. It’s a way of life and you know it’s not going to last forever.” But the classically-trained performer insists that he has no problem getting invigorated for shows despite the demanding tour schedule and displacement from his family.   “When people come to our concerts they expect a top-notch show,” he says. “They expect you to look good, they expect you to sing well and they expect the show to be interesting and emotional. And you owe them that. I want to – and I have to – give my very best every night, because it doesn’t come for free. “I always say that singing is like a tightrope act. Every note you sing has the possibility to fail, so you always have to apply yourself. That challenge every night automatically invigorates me.” Despiteforever being tied to Simon Cowell, Urs insists that the music mogul has “absolutely nothing” to do with the day-to-day running of Il Divo. “He functions as executive producer on the album recordings and that’s it,” says the singer. “We see him once every year or two. Normally he’ll listen to demos and suggest we give certain songs a shot, and he’ll listen to the songs after we’ve been in the studio and say what he likes and what he doesn’t. That’s all he does.” These days, the group also have a greater deal of autonomy when it comes to selecting tracks for their albums. “It’s a co-operation between the four of us, Simon, the producers and the management,” adds Urs. “Everyone is welcome to give suggestions. Simon will decide, but if we don’t agree with anything then we don’t agree. “If there’s something that’s really close to our hearts and Simon doesn’t get it then we normally manage to convince him. That’s how the dynamic works.” Stuck in      ABU DHABI Il Divo’s upcoming UAE show marks the first time they’ve been here since getting stranded in Abu Dhabi during the 2010 eruption of Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull, which spewed a huge ash cloud over Europe causing chaos among air passengers. “We came from a show in Kazakhstan, and we were trapped in Abu Dhabi,” Urs remembers. “But that wasn’t the worst place to be! We all just hung out at Emirates Palace hotel for a few days, sat by the pool and enjoyed a good meal. “When you’re travelling all the time, sometimes you want to just completely chill and do nothing, and that’s exactly what we did.” For crying out loud... In 1966, The Beatles decided to stop touring as concerts inevitably descended into a wave of screaming from hysterical fans which drowned out the music. While Urs insists that Il Divo’s wildest fans are “definitely in Mexico”, he recalls a concert in Portugal three years ago when the feverish adulation almost pushed him to a similar breaking point as The Fab Four. “We were stood in front of 12,000 people in Lisbon, and at one point I asked myself, ‘What am I doing up here? Nobody’s listening.’ They were just shouting at us – in appreciation, which was wonderful – but wouldn’t you also like to listen?” says Urs. “It’s fabulous that people love you and what you’re doing, but sometimes it really almost tips over that edge.”

IL DIVO - ITV - The Alan Titchmarsh Show

IL DIVO live BBC Proms in the Park 2012 

Il Divo proud of greatest hits

Il Divo are ''proud'' of their greatest hits album.
The opera quartet - Urs Buhler, Carlos Marin, David Miller and Sebastien Izambard - are set to release a compilation of their best-loved work in November and couldn't be happier with the record, which will also feature four new tracks.
Carlos said: ''I am proud of this greatest hits. I love every song on it. It reminds me of everything we have achieved, to have been together for so many years, still selling so many records, playing so many concerts and making such great music together. It is just fantastic people have supported and enjoyed what we do for so long. It is the love of my life.''
Urs added: ''As a singer you can never take for granted what you do, every note is a balancing act. But every night I step on stage so proud of what we do. I have learned so much these past 8 years, had so many wonderful experiences and cherished every moment. This greatest hits release for us and hopefully our fans marks what has been an incredible journey so far.''
As well as a standard release, 'The Greatest Hits' will also be issued in a two disc gift edition and a limited-edition deluxe package.
The special deluxe package is limited to 3,000 signed copies and contains seven CDs, five DVDs, hard cover book and commemorative opera glasses in an Il Divo embroidered velvet bag.
Il Divo's 'Greatest Hits' is released on November 26.

Il Divo Release Definitive Greatest Hits

18 Tracks Including 4 New Songs Released November 26th on Syco

Spread the Social Love: The one and only Il Divo celebrate eight years of unprecedented global success with the release of their definitive Greatest Hits collection featuring four brand new tracks Nov 26th on Syco.
The world’s first and still the best classical crossover group – Urs Buhler, Carlos Marin, David Miller and Sebastien Izambard – have sold over 26 million albums, enjoyed over 50 number ones, chalked up 160 gold and platinum sales in over 33 countries and staged 4 world tours.

Il Divo have been on one sensational journey since their debut album exploded in November 2004 creating musical history and cementing their place as the first ever classical crossover artists. Their savvy mix of classical and pop have made them worldwide superstars. Last May the UK Classic Brits gave Il Divo the prestigious ‘Artists of the Decade’ Award to mark them spearheading a whole new genre of music.
Their second album, ‘Ancora’, released November 2006 in the UK magnified their success when it was released in the USA, January 2007, it went straight to number one in the Billboard charts, a feat to this day that has not been repeated by any classical or crossover artist.
Similarly they have become a global touring phenomenon, with their first world tour a sell out, playing 68 cities across 18 countries in 2006. Following the Billboard Breakthrough Award for one of the highest grossing tours in 2009, their current fourth world tour sees them perform an incredible 134 shows across 46 countries on 6 continents this year.
Their amazing career knows no bounds. Highlights include appearing at the opening and closing ceremony of the 2006 Fifa World Cup, touring as special guests to Barbra Streisand, a 2009 performance at President Obama’s Purple Inauguration Ball and earlier this year at a special concert for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee at Windsor Castle.
‘Il Divo Greatest Hits’ will be released as a standard 18 track CD and a 2 Disc Gift Edition. Many of the tracks have been chosen by their fans all over the world and include favourites ‘Somewhere’, ‘Unbreak My Heart’, ‘Unchained Melody’ and ‘Adagio’. They’ve also recorded four songs especially for this release: ‘My Heart Will Go On’ (in Italian), ‘I Will Always Love You’ (in Spanish), ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ (English) and ‘Alone’ (Spanish).
The Gift Edition features an additional 13 tracks (see full track listing). A Deluxe Edition will also be available featuring 7 CDs, 5 DVDs, a hard cover book, and commemorative opera glasses in a specially embroidered velvet Il Divo bag.
‘I am proud of this Greatest Hits,” says Carlos. “I love every song on it. It reminds me of everything we have achieved, to have been together for so many years, still selling so many records, playing so many concerts and making such great music together. It is just fantastic people have supported and enjoyed what we do for so long. It is the love of my life.”
Urs says “As a singer you can never take for granted what you do, every note is a balancing act. But every night I step on stage so proud of what we do. I have learned so much these past 8 years, had so many wonderful experiences and cherished every moment. This Greatest Hits release for us and hopefully our fans marks what has been an incredible journey so far.”
Fans round the world wholeheartedly agree with those sentiments.
That beautiful blend of voices has been widely imitated since their inception but never bettered. There is only one original. There is only one Il Divo.
Full Tracklisting for Il Divo – ‘The Greatest Hits’
Standard edition
1. ‘My Heart Will Go On’*
2. ‘I Will Always Love You’ *
3. ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’*
4. ‘Alone’*
5. ‘Unchained Melody’
6. ‘Amazing Grace’
7. ‘Hero’
8. ‘Unbreak My Heart’
9. ‘Somewhere’
10. ‘Passera’
11. ‘All By Myself’
12. ‘Mama’ ‘
13. ‘Adagio’
14. ‘Without You’
15. ‘Caruso’
16. ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’
17. ‘My Way’
18. ‘Time To Say Goodbye’
*new track
Gift edition
Disc 1
18 tracks as per standard
Disc 2
1. ‘Nights In White Satin’
2. ‘Nella Fantasia’
3. ‘Ave Maria’
4. ‘La Vida Sin Amor’
5. ‘Everytime I Look At You’
6. ‘The Power Of Love’
7. ‘You Raise Me Up’
8. ‘Crying’
9. ‘She’
10. ‘Hallelujah’
11. ‘Pour Que Tu M’aimes Encore’
12. ’ The Impossible Dream’ (live)
13. ‘O Holy Night’
Deluxe edition
A full retrospective of the band’s work, containing 7 CDs, 5 DVDs, hard cover book and commemorative opera glasses in an Il Divo embroidered velvet bag. This is limited to 3000 signed copies.

Frenchman Sebastien Izambard, expected in Bucharest on September 23, along with his colleagues from Il Divo, testified that the band has gone through hard times.

 Sebastien IzambardSometimes already beaten paths are the best and most effective solution. That learned the hard way and four members of the band "Il Divo" when it came to record the new album. Came after the success of "The Promise" in 2008 and wanted something as spectacular. But lets wait a let inspiration. "It happened about three years ago. Walked, disciplined, the studio and yet we all feel we have reached a point mort.Parca us around in circles. We were unable to find direction. We do not like songs you already clocking and I wanted to give the album "remembered Frenchman Sebastien Izambard.

 Il Divo,"I felt like" I Do not Want to Miss a Thing "from Aerosmith, goes to" Hurt "Christina Aguilera song was beautifully arranged, but have text too thick," said the artist, who in Like his colleagues, David, Urs and Carlos was pestered by his label once scoada market long-awaited album.
"The pressure was huge. I re-entered the studio and started looking for songs that fit us, "he told Sebastian. Together with the other three members of the band listened to dozens of songs Frenchman gave up "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaac's. "I realized immediately that this was the right song to set the tone for the album. I knew the risk, relying on the past, but it was the right decision, "he remembered Izambard. Slowly, Il Divo has found the way and managed to find songs for the new album, as other than "Wicked Game", and that already sold millions of copies.
On September 23, fans from Romania will be able to see them from the four artists Il Divo in Constitution Square, in an exceptional concert. Tickets to the event cost between 122 and 750 lei.

Il Divo 2012. september 20., Budapest Arena

The world's premier classical crossover music team, Il Divo new album in November last year occurred on 20 September to give a concert in Budapest Arena stage.
This phenomenal quartet - Carlos Marin, Sebastien Izambard, David Miller and Urs Buhler - most impressive album to date produced the debut album from 2004, which the band has created a new style of music.
The Il Divo "Wicked Game" on Chris Isaak's classic drama version he performed on September 5, the British Red or Black TV program, and close on 7 September in America, America's Got Talent in Final surprise the audience with this wonderful szerzeménnyel.
In May, the UK Classical Brit Awards, the Il Divo received the prestigious "Artist of the Decade" award. In early August, the taste of two of the all-new concert album of the band on the stage of the London Coliseum, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In November, the concert recording of two versions will be on store shelves: a stand-alone DVD booklet as well as a CD + DVD package in the form of a sheet.
The new album, produced works of Per Magnusson and David Krueger attached to the name of Richard "Biff" Stannard addition. In addition to the title track was a huge hit in the processing of new disc as Roy Orbison "Crying" in song composition by Samuel Barber and the "Adagio For Strings".
Carlos Marin, said of the album: "It's incredible - can really hear the evolution. And that's the relationship between them and the partnership that makes it spells becomes stronger than ever. "
Urs Buhler, this disc will be impressed with their fans as well as themselves. "We think this is the greatest thing I've ever made."
David Miller, Il Divo, the secret lies in the fact that "four of them in four different tone is heard."
Sebastien Izambard developed a special relationship with the public key held. "This is the greatest merit. The fact that we see a lot of fans in front of the stage for greater recognition than any prize you can win. And they've been here for 6 years! "
The ground-breaking success of Il Divo took a brand new sound of modern music scene and created a new music style is widely recognized.
More than 25 million copies sold, 150 gold and platinum discs, over 2 million sold concert tickets and a classical crossover album - the "Ancora" - which the U.S. Billboard Top200's List debuted - after all Il Divo would be able to laurels. But it has never been their style.

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A Special Announcement from Il Divo

Il Divo's hometown hero talks up life as opera pop star

KUSA - Il Divo fans had quite the treat over the weekend in Denver. This internationally known group of men who bring opera to the masses performed at the Wells Fargo Theatre.
For one of them, it was quite the homecoming.

David Miller, the only American in the group, has Colorado roots. He's a '91 grad of Heritage High in Littleton, and lots of his friends and family, including his mom, turned out for the show.

He said having that kind of support was wonderful, though he admitted he had butterflies before taking the stage.

"I find it more nervewracking, actually, to perform in front of friends and family," he said. "They know me offstage. When I'm off on tour playing random cities around the world, people only know my stage personality. Friends and family know me since I was knee high."

Miller joked that his talent for music probably started in the womb. He said his mother used to listen to classical music all the time during her pregnancy. As a child, he tried piano, then trombone, before settling on choir when he hit middle school.

High school productions followed, and then it was on to the highly regarded Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio were he excelled.

In December 2003, he joined Il Divo along with Swiss operatic tenor Urs Bühler, French pop singer Sébastien Izambard, and Spanish baritone Carlos Marín.

Recently named Artist of the Decade at the Classic BRITS, Il Divo has sold more than 25 million albums and helped pioneer the classical crossover genre. The group has more than 150 gold and platinum awards in 33 countries.

Their first four albums, Il Divo, Ancora, Siempre and The Promise have achieved 50 #1 album chart positions internationally.
Their most recent, Wicked Game, was the basis for much of their Denver performance. Miller says a new album is due in September.

Someday, Miller is hoping Il Divo will play at one of his most favorite venues in the world, Red Rocks. "We haven't played Red Rocks yet, and that's primarily because of the size constriction. We bring a very large show, and Red Rocks has a fairly compact proscenium," he said.

"I hope we will at some point, 'cause none of the guys have ever seen it!"

Silenced: ASO used as musical “prop,” audience hears recorded music at Il Divo concert

Sunday night’s concert at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre was billed as “Il Divo and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra,” but what the audience heard over the sound system was not the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Instead, it heard prerecorded audio tracks by an entirely different orchestra.
The Il Divo singers were live, but the orchestra was relegated to the role of visual window dressing.
According to sources, the musicians were informed at the beginning of a three-hour rehearsal in the afternoon that another orchestra’s audio tracks would be heard by the audience. The tracks included instruments that were not present on stage, such as a synthesized bass guitar.
Melissa Sanders, the ASO’s senior director of communications, confirmed late Monday that the ASO management on site at Verizon also didn’t find out until the rehearsal that while the orchestra would perform the music live, the audience would hear the prerecorded orchestra. Sanders said the ASO played live during the entire performance with live microphones hanging overhead.
Nevertheless, the ASO was not in the mix piped to the audience through the sound system. The decision to use the prerecorded music was made entirely by the Il Divo tour, not by anyone from the ASO.
“I was shocked,” said one ASO musician. “There was a sense of disbelief. I wondered why on earth they wanted to book the Atlanta Symphony for this gig if they didn’t want to hear the Atlanta Symphony.”
According to sources, as the Il Divo conductor announced to the ASO musicians that they would go unheard, he explained that this was the first show Il Divo had worked with a major symphony orchestra. He said that, because so many of the local orchestras they use aren’t skilled enough to read or play the music for Il Divo, the company had prerecorded the orchestral parts to ensure consistent quality.
Those audio tracks are loaded onto a computer wired into the sound system, and a special program plays the recorded parts in the appropriate places. It’s a practice that’s widely accepted in television production, and in pop and country music, but it’s rare to have an orchestra on hand as a musical prop.
For those who missed the bus and don’t already know, Il Divo is the operatic crossover vocal quartet created in 2004 by “American Idol” fixture Simon Cowell. In many ways, the four male singers are meant to emulate the success of the Three Tenors, supplemented by a conspicuous “beefcake” factor: French pop singer Sébastien Izambard (some think intended by Cowell to be an avatar of himself), Spanish baritone Carlos Marín, American tenor David Miller and Swiss tenor Urs Bühler. Il Divo has sold more than 26 million records worldwide and has hordes of mostly female fans.
Without question, the 5,000 or so people at Verizon Amphitheatre on Sunday were there to see and hear, perhaps in that order, the men of Il Divo, not the small contingent of ASO musicians as a backup band. One cannot blame the musicians, however, who felt disrespected. After all, the ASO’s own recordings have earned 27 Grammy Awards and the ASO was part of the bill.
It was the first time the ASO has ever served as an “air orchestra” synced to a recording by another orchestra. Its outdoor performances at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta were prerecorded and that audio was used for the television broadcasts. But those recordings were of the ASO itself, not another group.

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

Il Divo Brings Excitement to ASO Crowd

The quartet performed a blend of pop and musical theater tunes in their concert at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, using their classical crossover approach to put a new spin on songs.

Il Divo performed its 100th show for an appreciative audience in Alpharetta on Sunday night, as approximately 7,000 audience members listened to the classical crossover quartet, backed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
This was the second Simon Cowell "creation" at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre this month. Kelly Clarkson was in town on Aug. 8 with The Fray. The American Idol had to face Cowell as one of the judges on that show's inaugural season. He was also a co-producer of the show, and helped bring it from Great Britain to the United States.
Cowell also helped create Il Divo, according to their website. The quartet – consisting of Swiss tenor Urs Buhler, baritone Carlos Marin from Spain, the French pop artist Sebastien Izambard and tenor David Miller from the U.S. – first came together in 2003. Since then they've won Artist of the Decade recognition at the Classic Brits at the Royal Albert Hall earlier this year, sold 25 million albums, 150 gold and platinum discs, more than 2 million concert tickets sold and released the only crossover classical album – ‘Ancora’ – ever to enter the US Billboard Top 200 at No 1.
Their current album is "Wicked," and the group included several songs from it on their set list. Their rendition of Roy Orbison's "Crying" had to be rearranged as it had been intended as a duet with Rebecca Del Rio. But it still won the crowd over early in the show.
Heading into musical theater, the quartet blended their voices next on "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," the song made famous in the musical, "Evita." At times their voices are overpowering, and for the most part the arrangement seems to use this at the right time.
It wouldn't be an Il Divo concert if they didn't perform "Every Time I Look at You." For the 100th time, they sang it, having included it in every concert they've ever had.
Hearing The Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" and many other songs in a language other than English was part of the experience of an Il Divo concert. When I couldn't quite remember the lyrics in the only language that I've (sort of) mastered, I was just slightly frustrated. It's important to know that they sing in many languages – English, Italian, Spanish and French – which I did.
After performing one of Frank Sinatra's classics, "My Way," the quartet and the ASO headed backstage for intermission.
Once the break was over and the lights dimmed again, Il Divo was back into popular music, performing Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game."
One of the highlights of the concert was when Carlos Marin asked for all of the single ladies who knew how to salsa to get up and dance. It was a small number of ladies who answered the call, with ages perhaps from the 20s to the 60s or 70s, but they seemed to be having a great time.
I wasn't especially thrilled with their version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," but I favor a version that emphasizes solos if more than one singer is involved. So that's a matter of personal taste, not a reflection on the quality of the singing.
Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart" just sounded like an odd choice for the quartet, though they did better than a passable job with their own rendition. The audience surely enjoyed it.
Shortly it was time for the last song (at least before the encore). Reaching back to musical theater, they sang a quartet version of "Somewhere" from "West Side Story." Il Divo's voices rose and fell with the lyrics of the song, putting emotion into the phrases.
Overall, the concert was very enjoyable and the audience was extremely appreciative. I especially appreciated American David Miller saying "Hello Alpharetta" early in the concert. Most acts just say Atlanta, and never acknowledge the actual city where the venue is located.
A good sign on the night: Very few people left early, a sign of how well received Il Divo was. And the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra provided excellent backing.

Il Divo comes to Kansas City

If you ask Il Divo singer Sébastien Izambard about his globally known pop opera group’s current tour — which will make its to the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 16 — he’ll tell you it’s the “most personable” yet.“People are getting to know us like they never have before,” says Izambard, a native of Paris, France. “It’s a far more relaxed show.”These warm, friendly concerts mark a significant change from Il Divo’s early tours. When the quartet was assembled by producer and current “X-Factor” judge Simon Cowell in 2003, Il Divo (which translates to “divine male performer” in Italian) was largely shrouded in mystery and mystique. The vocalists rarely gave interviews and few knew of their off-stage personalities. Yet pop and classical music fans from all over the globe grew fascinated by this international supergroup, which includes French pop singer Izambard, Spanish baritone Carlos Marín, American tenor David Miller and Swiss tenor Urs Bühler.
Il Divo’s enigmatic disposition was far from intentional, Izambard says. It was simply the result of the musical equivalent of arranged marriage. After all, Cowell — at the height of his “American Idol” powers — pieced together Il Divo as if he were Dr. Frankenstein.
“At the beginning, we didn’t speak English apart from David. That’s why we didn’t do many interviews,” Izambard says with a chuckle. “And it took time for us to get to know each other’s personalities. It took us a little bit of practice.”
Il Divo truly became Cowell’s monster — at least as far as album sales are concerned. Despite the secrecy, or perhaps partly due to it, Il Divo’s self-titled debut went multi-platinum in 2004. The record shot to No. 1 in the charts in 13 countries around the world and achieved top 5 placing in a total 25 countries.
In the eight years that have followed, the well-traveled quartet’s six albums have sold more than 26 million copies worldwide; essentially making Il Divo the face of classical crossover music. In that time, Izambard, Marín, Miller and Bühler have wowed audiences with their impressive vocal performances of reworked versions of pop classics like Toni Braxton’s “Unbreak My Heart” and The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody.”
But “Wicked Game,” the group’s latest album, which was released in 2011, might be the one that Izambard is most proud of. He says “Wicked Game” captures Il Divo’s growth and self-reflection in a way that no other album has before.
“It’s very masculine, very dramatic and occasionally very dark,” he explains. “It’s kind of a turn in our life somehow. It’s something exceptional.”
Rather than Il Divo’s rich vocal performance throughout the record, Izambard attributes the hardy drama to the album’s song selection itself. The album includes covers of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game,” Roy Orbison’s “Crying” and Andrea Bocelli’s “Time to Say Goodbye (Con te partirò).”
That last one wasn’t the easiest to pull off. When people think of “Time to Say Goodbye,” Bocelli always comes to mind. And when they think of Bocelli, “Time to Say Goodbye” is the tune he’s most commonly associated with. Few things are quite as intimidating for a vocalist as tackling a tune that has already been performed to near-perfection, but Il Divo proved up to the challenge. It was all an issue of mind over matter.
“When we’re singing these almost unreachable tunes, we go into the studio not thinking about who sang them before,” Izambard says. “We just put ourselves into it and actually bring something new to those songs that are known by everyone.”
Although he wouldn’t give any details, Izambard says that Il Divo is working on a new record that will be released later this year. And, in case you’re curious, Simon Cowell won’t be doing much with the upcoming record. Over the course of nine years, the notoriously snarky and honest producer has scaled back his input for Il Divo. He’s a busy guy, after all. But Izambard says he’ll always appreciate the shot Cowell gave him.
“Being a part of this has been the most amazing thing ever,” he says. “(Simon) definitely opened doors for us. But, truthfully, I don’t think it would have lasted only due to Simon.”
Indeed. Il Divo seems to be doing just fine on its own.

Il Divo takes risks on 'Wicked Game' album

Sometimes going back to the drawing board really does prove best.
That's what operatic-pop group Il Divo learned during the making of its latest album "Wicked Game."
The quartet, the result of an extensive Simon Cowell search about a decade ago, was knee deep into making the follow-up to the 2008 album "The Promise" when it scrapped all plans.
"We went into the studio three years ago and it was like a turn in our career," says singer Sebastien Izambard, who hails from France. "Like every artist, we reached a point in our career where we felt we were turning in circles, where we said we gotta find a direction. We didn't like the songs we recorded a few years ago and we decided we didn't want to put (the album) out."
Those original recordings included a cover of Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" that "just didn't work" to Christina Aguilera's "Hurt," which was "beautifully arranged but too wordy."
The record label was pressuring the group to put out the album, but Izambard says Il Divo just wasn't ready.
"You go into the studio and you try things. That's the whole aim. We really wanted to nail it," he says.
Izambard says the band started from scratch with a new mission to find the greatest songs. One of the first it selected was Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game," which helped set the tone for the album.
"I realized this was the type of song where we were taking a little bit of a risk and that's exactly what we wanted to do," he says. "For a lot of people it was unexpected but it sounded amazingly well to us and it gave a masculinity to our songs."
He says taking on "Wicked Game" was a challenge because he has always been a fan of Isaak, who wasn't too keen on Il Divo recording the song.
"He doesn't want a bad copy of his song, understandably. But his mother is Italian and a fan of ours and she said to let us try it. When he heard our version he said he loved it," Izambard says. "I read that in a newspaper a few days ago."
The album also includes "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," "Come What Me (Te Amare)," and "Crying." The Roy Orbison classic was recorded with Rebekah del Rio.
"My wife is actually a big fan of Roy Orbison and she heard the song 'Crying' sung by Rebekah and said it would be a great idea. We presented it to the record company and ended up recording it but we thought something was different. Rebekah was missing. We asked her would it be possible for her to record it with us. We went into the studio and it was just fantastic."
In addition to new song choices, the song arrangements are different, more mature with fresh elements brought in. such as French horns.
Il Divo's Izambard, Swiss tenor Urs Buhler, Spanish baritone Carlos Marin and Colorodo-bred tenor David Miller are a far cry from when the four voices first came together. Izambard says coming from four distinct countries initially proved difficult.
The language and cultural barriers were evident when they first hooked up in the studio.
"Even when you come from the same town it can be hard to understand each other," he says. "It took us time to realize this is a band and we have to work together. Instead of fighting over our differences we use our differences to make something special."

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Elegant and romanticIl Divo will romance Georgia in complicity with the Atlanta Symphony OrchestraAlberto Rodriguez Brown | 8/8/2012, 2:51 p.m.
 passionate. Il Divo, comprised of (from l. To r.) Carlos Marin, David Miller, Urs Buhler and Sébastien Izambard has successfully following the formula of the Three Tenors in the nineties. | Photo: Mr Doi_Il Divo Tours International 2012 The quartet of opera / pop will perform a program covering the main musical hits like 'Back to Me', 'Somewhere' and 'My Way'.
The romance of Il Divo, the group of classically trained singers that addresses the international popular music and singing in Spanish, French, Italian and English, come to Atlanta this August 12 to give a concert accompanied by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
The quartet, composed of French singer Sébastien Izambard, Spanish baritone Carlos Marin, American tenor David Miller and 
 the Swiss tenor Urs Buhler, was formed in 2003 by British producer Simon Cowell and among his achievements include selling more 
 of 20 million records sold.
In a telephone interview with MundoHispánico from the Canadian city of Vancouver, Marin spoke about his current tour, the most curious anecdotes along his musical adventure and pride to sing in Spanish, among others.
Questions
and Answers
MundoHispánico: How important is this tour in the career of Il Divo?
CARLOS MARIN: We supercontentos because it has been a hit since we started last January in South Africa and have traveled Australia, Japan, China, Korea, Europe and USA. It is especially close with the public to be able to show the personality of each one of us. Joke on stage to create a more intimate setting. We're wishing you were in Atlanta.
MH: What are the challenges faced by sharing the stage with the most brilliant musicians of the world?
CM: To act with the most respected orchestras in each country means that we must try harder. But that's precisely the idea, offering the public the best that we have.
MH: Could you mention some of the most curious stories you remember from your tours?
CM: There are moments simpatiquísimos. On this tour, I remember that after commenting that I'm the only single-was the first to marry and divorce, began flying bras and underwear. On the tour we had with Barbra Streisand, during a show at Madison Square Garden appeared in the clubhouse and Hillary Clinton said it was fan of Il Divo, who would like their picture taken with us, and that would be great If we make a tour with her husband, a good saxophone player.
MH: What do you consider to be the key to their success?
CM: Our voices and repertoire. We are four men with personality, we are four captains who share the helm. At first we had trouble finding the drive. We are like brothers. Through social networks we asked the public what they like to take it into account in our productions.
MH: What is it that increasingly include more songs in Spanish?
CM: Because our voices, to be more lyrical, Spanish lends itself very well and sounds sexier.
MH: Il Divo is characterized by its elegance, who is your designer?
CM: Armani has always been, but sometimes change a jacket from Dolce & Gabbana. We believe it is the designer who best knows how to dress the man.

Entertainment: Music

Il Divo comes to Wolf Trap

August 6, 2012 Il Divo means "divine male performer" in Italian, a fact that fans of the quartet declare true.

Since Simon Cowell brought the singers together a decade ago, six of their seven albums have climbed the Billboard charts and sold nearly 30 million. Freshly arrived in the U.S. from engagements in Mexico, they will stop at Wolf Trap to perform songs from "Wicked Game," the latest recording that was two years in development.
Each member of the ensemble enjoyed individual success long before Cowell urged them to unite. In addition to the renowned Spanish baritone Carlos Marin, Il Divo boasts classically trained tenors Urs Buhler from Switzerland, American David Miller and French pop singer Sebastien Izambard.
Izambard laughed as he recalled his introduction to the concept. "Simon's right hand man approached me after hearing about me through Simon's ex-wife," he said. "I told him that I wasn't interested in moving from Paris to London, but he insisted that I audition. I was happy doing what I was doing and didn't care about making any changes, so I went to the audition just for fun. While there I heard others auditioning with strong operatic voices and thought there was no way I'd fit in. But in the end, they chose me and finally convinced me that the exposure and the travel would be a once-in-a lifetime experience. It certainly has been just that.

Onstage

Il Divo

» Where: Wolf Trap Filene Center, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna

» When: 8 p.m Thursday

» Info: $50 to $55 in-house, $30 lawn; 877-965-3872; wolftrap.org

"Our concert will feature songs from 'Wicked Game.' When we began working on it more than two years ago, we didn't want to repeat anything we had done in the past but to make challenging tracks that were a little bit out of the box. Since we began performing it for live audiences, people love it. It has all the classics they love to hear in a variety of languages. We sing 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina' in English, but the others are in Spanish or Italian. Sometimes a song that's been popular in English doesn't work in this format, while a song sung in Spanish is always sensitive and sexy."
Il Divo has been on four world tours, traveling from the architectural wonder of the Great Wall of China to Windsor Palace to join Queen Elizabeth for tea during her Jubilee. Izambard refers to that opportunity to be part of history as the experience of a lifetime. In September, Il Divo heads back to London to perform at Great Britain's Proms before launching the next world tour with concerts in Eastern and Central Europe.
"Wherever we perform, we want the audience to discover the four different personalities of Il Divo," Izambard said. "They can see by our stage presence and hear in our songs that we are very different people, but together we make a whole. I'm a family man who loves children, while David is an American who lets out his feelings. What I especially love about performing in America is the way our audiences don't hold back from expressing themselves."

Il Divo seduces MTS Centre

Are they not ladies’ men? They are, Il Divo.

Hey, don’t take my word for it. Ask your mom. Or your wife. She and about 6,500 women just like her (many dressed to the nines, with a few accompanied by dutiful husbands and sons) spent the evening at MTS Centre, being expertly seduced by the multi-cultural popera quartet. And the ladies loved every minute of it.
No wonder. After all, the gentlemen of Il Divo — opera singers Carlos Marín, Urs Bühler and David Miller, along with pop vocalist Sébastien Izambard — clearly have what the women want. And after sitting through their latest two-hour, two-act extravaganza, I have deciphered their secrets. And I’m going to share. Here’s what the Divos have that you and I don’t:
They Have Class
Their current tour — tellingly titled Il Divo and Orchestra in Concert — features a full symphony of strings, horns, percussion and more. What it doesn’t feature: The elaborate production of their 2009 tour, which boasted a massive wraparound stage with runways, a giant post-modern chandelier and elaborate video accompaniment (and which drew 9,000 people to MTS Centre). Size and numbers notwithstanding, this production was still a fairly lavish affair, what with the mobile puzzle-piece video screens, majestic lighting and large staircases at the rear of the stage. But of course, that was all just window dressing for the Divos, who took the stage in complementary tuxedos and later switched to Armani suits. When was the last time you dressed like that?
They Sing Like Angels
Make no mistake, these dudes can wail. Their impressive 21-song set — roughly divided between new selections and repeats from last time around — seamlessly flowed between operatic works, show tunes, Vegas standards and lushly reworked multi-lingual versions of pop tunes from Toni Braxton's Unbreak My Heart to Roy Orbison’s Crying. On paper, it sounds like a horrible cheesefest. And sure, there was a certain amount of Velveeta on the menu during covers of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game and Leonard Cohen’s overworked Hallelujah. Also, there’s not denying that a lot of their songs follow a fairly standard template: They start out quiet and tender, then slowly build until a lung-busting harmonic crescendo. But surprisingly, they make most of it work most of the time with their perfectly balanced vocal blend: Carlos is the romantic baritone belter; Sébastien and Urs possess creamy tenors; and David handles many of the the breathy, delicate parts. Put it all together, and they’re basically a boy band for big girls.
They’re Graceful
Their stage moves seemed languid and casual, but were clearly as meticulously choreographed as a synchronized swim routine: Each singer glided slowly around the stage, relinquishing the spotlight so that every member got a dose of star time, and changing positions so that every women in every part of the audience got some face time with her favourite. Even when things didn’t go quite as planned — David stumbled a bit coming down the stairs during My Way — they made the most of it by playing it for laughs as he examined and kicked the offending step, eventually heading back up to redo his entrance.
They Have Winning Personalities
David is the American, with the spiky hair easygoing charm of the boy next door (“The four of us already have four special ladies in out lives: Our mothers.”) Urs is the Swiss sophisticate, with diamond-cutting cheekbones and an urbane manner (fun fact: He’s actually a metal fan). Sébastien is the good-natured Frenchman and proud papa — he used one of his spotlight moments to sing Frere Jacques and If You’re Happy and You Know It. And then there’s Carlos — “last but certainly most,” as David introduced him. The Latin lover was clearly the crowd favourite. With a twinkle in his eye, his shirt perpetually opened midway down his chest and one Superman kiss curl rakishly hanging over his forehead, he was the one the ladies openly ogled. And he obligingly ogled right back, making eye contact with every single woman he could — along with nodding, grinning, winking, mugging and essentially doing everything he could to convince every female in the house that she was his one true inamorata. And that he would call her.
They’re Sexy — Especially Carlos
“Look at all the ladies here tonight,” Carlos purred early on in the show. “I’m going to stay here forever in Winnipeg.” Later, the 43-year-old Spaniard helpfully pointed out that he’s the only member of the group who’s still single. “What a depressing life I have,” he lamented. “Always surrounded by beautiful ladies.” Naturally, he once again asked all the single Winnipeg ladies to dance for him during the flamenco guitar-accented La Vida Sin Amor. “Then I can see who is most sexy and choose the right one,” he explained. Not surprisingly, several women took him up on it — but not as many as last time around, when their larger stage allowed for more audience interaction. So ultimately, it certainly wasn’t the biggest Il Divo show this town has seen. And thanks to a few technical glitches with those video screens and lights, it might not have been their best show. But that didn’t bother the ladies. They went home happy after closing renditions of Celine Dion’s Pour Que Tu M'Aimes Encore (which garnered a standing O), West Side Story’s Somewhere and an encore of Time to Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiro). And I doubt it bothered the men either — especially the husbands who got to finish what Carlos started.