If there's one things American audiences have proven about our tastes for opera (or, more accurately, opera lite), is that we love it when it comes in a poppier package.
What these artists and their ilk have offered is, to their credit, accessible in a way that allows fans to focus on the beauty of a particular song or voice. It doesn't take a lot of intellectual unpacking or much knowledge of a dramatic plot to enjoy Bocelli's voice taking flight. Of course, the good looks and press-savviness don't hurt, either.
Now, a new group of this sort surprises because it's aiming for an even younger set of fans. The three members of Il Volo (which translates as "the flight") were born between 1993 and 1995, and straddle several intergenerational, aesthetic lines. Musically, the trio of Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble often favor old standards and sentimental fare. Sartorially, meanwhile, they come across as true '90s babies, with chubby-cheeked boyish good looks and a vaguely rock-influenced fashion sense akin to that of the latest Disney stars. Add to that the fact that the boys also record in Spanish, and, well, we're looking at potential global saturation.
As proof, take the fact that Il Volo was originally slated to perform in South Florida, at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, just once, next Tuesday, September 18. After that show sold out, another performance was added for tomorrow, Thursday, September 13. Tickets are still available, and we suggest bringing a hanky if you go moist-eyed easily.
Il Volo. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, September 13 and Tuesday, September 18 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. Tickets cost $39.50 and up. Click here.
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