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.
lørdag den 25. august 2012
onsdag den 22. august 2012
tirsdag den 21. august 2012
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.
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.
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!"
fredag den 17. august 2012
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.
tirsdag den 14. august 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.
søndag den 12. august 2012
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.
torsdag den 9. august 2012
Il Divo takes risks on 'Wicked Game' album
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."
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.
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.
tirsdag den 7. august 2012
Entertainment: Music
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.
"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 comes to Wolf Trap
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."
onsdag den 1. august 2012
Il Divo seduces MTS Centre
Are they not ladies’ men? They are, Il Divo.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.
tirsdag den 31. juli 2012
søndag den 29. juli 2012
Il Divo Concert Review Vancouver, BC July 25, 2012
July 26th, 2012
The pop-opera group Il Divo performed at Rogers Arena in Vancouver last night in a lavishly lit setting with a full orchestra, and left the predominantly female crowd panting for more. Their formula, now nine years on and perfected in extensive touring, is not only intact but appears unstoppable. Four great voices emanating from four handsome gentlemen in elegant clothes, oozing charm and sex appeal: that was the original concept dreamed up by Simon Cowell when he hand-picked them for the initial recording session. As things turned out, they got along incredibly well and they still do. It shows on stage.
The classical crossover phenomenon has done wonders for record sales and concert halls from London to Russia to China, and Il Divo stands at the head of the class. The amazing thing is that the group is still together after nine years, with not one personnel change. That’s a rarity in the music business, especially considering their gruelling touring schedule. The current tour features songs from their latest album Wicked Game (yes, the Chris Isaak number – though their interpretation is considering more rousing than that of Isaak). After all, the members of Il Divo introduced themselves to the audience as “four caged tigers with a lot of energy to release”. They did just that, performing more than twenty songs (scroll down below to see the setlist) with a mere ten minute interlude.
Best of the evening: a beautifully tender “Dove L’Amore” based on Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, demonstrating conclusively that not of all their numbers are over the top. Their melding of voices was superb, almost overwhelming in its combination of restraint and intensity. This was a truly beautiful piece, exquisitely sung. Also a highlight was their version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”, one of their most effective pieces for the way it maximized the variety in their individual voices. Their Italian version of The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” was particularly glorious, pulling out all the stops and bringing the audience to its feet in unalloyed appreciation. And as for their rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, this may well be a song you think you’ve heard too often, but Il Divo triumphed with this as well, bringing to it both tenderness and restraint.
Somewhat less successful was their Spanish version of Roy Orbison’s “Crying”. Personally I love the fact that they’re attempting this material, but this is a song that requires more subtlety than they offered, but then it may be simply that the original is impossible to match. Many great singers have stumbled over this one and given up on recording Orbison; he was a master at pop opera, perhaps because he sang most of his biggest numbers in a quiet voice, with many shadings, but always leaving his emotional dynamics to the very last. That said, Il Divo quickly bounced back, though, with a very moving performance (in Spanish) of Toni Braxton’s “Unbreak My Heart”, bringing just the right amount of grief, longing and regret to this song.
Special mention must also be made of the opening act, Nikki Yanofsky, one of Canada’s best and most sparkling young jazz singers. With a cohesive swinging band and a highly appealing stage presence, Nikki made the most of her time on stage, particularly in a spectacular powerhouse performance of “I’d Rather Go Blind”, proving that this young star can sing anything in any genre she cares to tackle. Her version of “Drink Muddy Water” closed out her set in a hard-driving blues rocking number that was quite a delicious surprise. And yes, she sings some marvellous jazz too. Hard to believe she is a mere 18 years old.
Il Divo setlist:
Come What May
Dove L’Amore
Adagio
Nella Fantasia
Medley of La Vida Sin Amor/ Ti Amero/Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman/Angelina
Don’t Cry For Me Argentina
Every Time I Look At You
Passera
Unchained Melody
My Way
Senza Parole
Melanconia (Wicked Game)
Si Tu Mi Amas
Mama
Hallelujah
Crying
Ven A Mi
Regresa A Mi (Unbreak My Heart)
Por Que Tu Me Amas
Somewhere
Hi everybody.
The last two weeks of our US tour have been a madhouse. Playing on the West Coast is always very intense because there are a lot of friends and business people coming to the concerts, so before and after show is always very busy.
On top of that we spent quite a few days in Las Vegas, not only performing two sold out shows at the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace, a venue which we've been aspiring to for some time now, because of all the world famous people who are so identified with it; Celine Dion and Elton John are just two to be mentioned here.
But we also spent a very long day doing a photo shoot all over town including some very special locations usually "off limits" that gave us a great perspective of the city. It was wonderful to work with Max Dodson and his team again. We know each other so well by now, and he always manages to capture us like nobody else.
Between all that I've been driving from Vegas to LA, to Phoenix and back up to Vegas. I always wanted to do a road trip in the States, and because the routing worked out that way, I thought I'll take the opportunity and get a little taste of what it would be like. The experience has only strengthened my decision to make that wish come true one day. I thoroughly enjoyed myself driving through the Nevada and Arizona desert, and California has always been one of my favourites. I just need a bit of free time to be able to stop where ever I want and go at my own pace...
The crowning highlight for me was of course being able to celebrate my birthday in Los Angeles where I've got so many dear friends, and as it fell on the show day, the boys did not let me down either, got me a wonderful cake on stage and sang happy birthday for me...!
I'm sitting on the plane to Seattle now, still trying to let all the turbulence settle in my brain and get my head around all that's happened over the last two weeks. What a wonderful life we live!
And on that note I would like to thank all of you lovely people out there who come to our shows, enjoy our music and make it possible that the four of us in Il Divo can travel the world like this and do what we all love most in life: Singing!
Urs
The last two weeks of our US tour have been a madhouse. Playing on the West Coast is always very intense because there are a lot of friends and business people coming to the concerts, so before and after show is always very busy.
On top of that we spent quite a few days in Las Vegas, not only performing two sold out shows at the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace, a venue which we've been aspiring to for some time now, because of all the world famous people who are so identified with it; Celine Dion and Elton John are just two to be mentioned here.
But we also spent a very long day doing a photo shoot all over town including some very special locations usually "off limits" that gave us a great perspective of the city. It was wonderful to work with Max Dodson and his team again. We know each other so well by now, and he always manages to capture us like nobody else.
Between all that I've been driving from Vegas to LA, to Phoenix and back up to Vegas. I always wanted to do a road trip in the States, and because the routing worked out that way, I thought I'll take the opportunity and get a little taste of what it would be like. The experience has only strengthened my decision to make that wish come true one day. I thoroughly enjoyed myself driving through the Nevada and Arizona desert, and California has always been one of my favourites. I just need a bit of free time to be able to stop where ever I want and go at my own pace...
The crowning highlight for me was of course being able to celebrate my birthday in Los Angeles where I've got so many dear friends, and as it fell on the show day, the boys did not let me down either, got me a wonderful cake on stage and sang happy birthday for me...!
I'm sitting on the plane to Seattle now, still trying to let all the turbulence settle in my brain and get my head around all that's happened over the last two weeks. What a wonderful life we live!
And on that note I would like to thank all of you lovely people out there who come to our shows, enjoy our music and make it possible that the four of us in Il Divo can travel the world like this and do what we all love most in life: Singing!
Il Divo with Nikki Yanofsky
July 29
The Il Divo world concert tour will see this phenomenal quartet- Carlos Marin, Sebastien Izambard, David Miller and Urs Buhler – perform at leading venues across Europe, UK, Australia, South Africa, Japan & Asia in advance of their stateside shows.
Their most recent "An Evening With Il Divo" tour, which spanned most of 2009, saw sold out shows across 130 cities. Il Divo received the Billboard Breakthrough Award for one of the biggest grossing tours of the year. With a new show designed by Creative Director Brian Burke (Artistic Director of 'La Reve' and Celine Dion's 5 year run of 'A New Day' at Caesars Palace, both in Las Vegas), and performed with the Il Divo band and famed orchestras across each city, the 2012 tour promises to incorporate a stunning visual and musical mix of fan favourites as well as premiering songs from their eagerly anticipated new album Wicked Game.
"Il Divo is the perfect modern fusion of opera, theatre and concert performance. It is a privilege as a director to create a visual landscape inviting the audience on a theatrical journey of their music," said Brian Burke.
Il Divo singers stick to their musical guns
The members of Il Divo have discovered just how much of a wicked game the music business can be.The multinational group of crossover classical pop vocalists had to fight back against a reinvention of the quartet by a producer and some record company executives prior to the recording of their latest album, Wicked Game.
"The first vision before it was even called Wicked Game was, 'Let's throw the baby out with the bathwater and pretend Il Divo never existed before today. What would you do?'" says David Miller, the only American in the group.
None of the ideas presented clicked and ultimately the hunky Armani suit-wearing group -- Miller, Sebastien Izambard of France, Urs Bühler from Switzerland and Carlos Marin from Spain -- stuck to their guns and continued mixing pop, symphonic and operatic music together for covers of Chris Isaak, the Swell Season and Roy Orbison, the Broadway favourite Don't Cry for Me Argentina, the Andrea Bocelli hit Time to Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiro) and some originals written for the group.
"We can't start from zero: there is a known template; there is an Il Divo," Miller says. "The thing that makes Il Divo work is a massive juggling act. You've got four voices, you've got four countries and you've got four personalities. There are pop elements and orchestral elements. The beginnings of the songs start in an intimate place and end up as an operatic scream fest."
The first producer, who was eventually let go, was trying to get the group to head in a jazzier direction in the same vein as Michael Bublé, but that didn't work for the guys. Miller is pleased with the results, but would have liked to have even more pop elements on the album, he says.
"This isn't a classical group, it's a crossover group," he says. "I like having the variety of sounds and approaches to different songs. It's blending a new approach to traditional techniques. When one side gets out of balance from the other it takes away from the balance we're trying to achieve.
"I miss the pop elements: the bass guitar coming in, the drums; some of the pop elements that give it the colour and lighting shade. We had multiple producers as well with different people with different ears coming in with their approach. It added more balls to the juggling mix."
One of those jugglers is British record executive Simon Cowell, who assembled the four classically trained opera stars and created Il Divo (Italian for "divine male performer") when he was making his name in the United States as the tell-it-like-it-is judge on American Idol.
Cowell still has a say in the band's direction but is less hands-on than he was initially due to his busy schedule, Miller says.
"It's not like it was -- he simply doesn't have as much time as he did (with) all of his TV shows and being on different continents," he says. "He spends most of his time in the air going back and forth between London and L.A."
Cowell's idea to form an adult-contemporary classical crossover group, and help popularize the genre known as popera, proved to be a good one. Since releasing its debut in 2004, Il Divo has sold more than 25 million copies of its seven albums, toured with Barbra Streisand, recorded the single I Believe in You with Celine Dion and released five concert DVDs.
Winnipeggers will get the chance to see them again when the group performs at the MTS Centre Tuesday backed by a full orchestra. Teenage Canadian jazz artist Nikki Yanofsky opens.
The new concert production was designed by Brian Burke, the creative director of Dion's Las Vegas show, A New Day, and the Wynn Las Vegas circus show, Le Reve.
"He had a clean vision of what Il Divo was about: us, the orchestra and the music, everything else was a supplement to that," Miller says. "It's a very clean presentation of what we do and frees us up to be ourselves. We've got some fancy schmancy LED screens that move in and out to create mood, but no actual fire pots going off."
torsdag den 26. juli 2012
Pop-opera group Il Divo certainly knows how to push the right buttons in concert, and for two hours Wednesday evening at Rogers Arena, they did exactly that for their mostly middle-aged and largely female fans.
The group masterminded by former American Idol judge and musical mutations mogul Simon Cowell, the man responsible for such worldwide phenomenons as teen-pop sensation One Direction, is a cross between boy band appeal and the classical operatic gusto of The Three Tenors.
Carefully tailored and groomed for the pop-opera stage, Il Divo’s four members were recruited in a global search that spanned two full years a decade ago. Singing in multiple languages including English, French, Spanish and Italian, the group has sold over 25 million albums worldwide, their latest being last year’s Wicked Game, whose title is lifted from the song made famous by Chris Isaak.
Decked in formal attire and spending most of the evening amidst a cloud of dry ice mist, Swiss tenor Urs Bühler, French pop singer Sebastien Izambard, Spanish baritone Carlos Marin and American tenor David Miller, who are now all in their late ‘30s and early ‘40s, took little time to start doing what they do best: Emote.
In a set heavy on the strings, thanks to a full-sized orchestra accompanying the group, Il Divo wasted no energy on subtleties.
Seeing Il Divo live Wednesday night was witnessing an exercise in controlled melodrama: The quartet’s concert was one big build-up after another, and from Moulin Rouge’s Come What May to Dove L’Amore and Evita’s Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, it was all grandiose gestures and over-the-top vocals.
“We are like four caged tigers looking to be released tonight,” Izambard said early on.
Tacky banter was par for the course throughout the evening, yet the crowd seemed to eat it up.
Female fans got a kick out of Marin (the single one) predictably playing up his European Dean Martin crooner side and declaring, “There are so many beautiful ladies in Vancouver, I think I’m going to have to stay a while longer.”
Technically, however, the concert was flawless.
The full-sized orchestra layered the singers’ spine-tingling harmonies with plenty of heartfelt pomp, sending the songs soaring high, and the sound was pretty sharp, though the vocals sometimes came out a bit muddled in the rare softer moments.
Partial LED screens moved above the stage with the music, projecting a snow-covered landscape, fire and flames, evoking Renaissance art, or showing nighttime cityscapes depending on the mood.
And let’s not forget Il Divo’s most important prop: The stairs.
The dual set of steps at the center of the stage played an important role in the group’s presentation, the four members often strategically positioning themselves for the camera angles shown on the video screens on each side of the stage.
Actually, it sometimes felt like the group was performing as if a television taping was taking place, which gave the performance a surreal, artificial gloss.
Miller managed to get a few laughs when he took a break to undo his bow-tie, a fan telling him to take off more.
“You’ll have to buy me dinner first,” he quipped with a smile.
The first of two acts ended with operatic renditions of Unchained Melody and My Way, two songs perfect for those larger-than-life, emotional Il Divo build-ups, and which had the crowd on the floor on its feet.
The second half of the show featured the four men in more casual wear, though the tone was still very much the same for songs like Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game (sung in front of a wall of fire, singers knee-deep in smoke), tearjerker Mama, Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, and Roy Orbison’s Crying.
For all the bombast and earnestness of Il Divo’s performance, which to be fair was a superbly executed and choreographed a pop-classical crossover show, the concert somehow ultimately lacked a real emotional connection.
In the opening slot, 18-year-old singing sensation Nikki Yanofsky showed off a vocal reach way beyond her years. (It’s actually strange to hear her talking between songs, her singing voice carrying such power compared to her childlike banter.)
The young vocalist from Montreal surprised many when she did the Beatles’ Oh Darling justice, hitting all the flourishes with her sharp, crisp tone, something Paul McCartney apparently complimented Yanofsky for in the past.
Her set wouldn’t have been complete without a rendition of Olympics anthem I Believe, which despite having been much overplayed in and around 2010, still managed to get an enthusiastic response.
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