Il Volo Brings Down the House at Hard Rock Live In Hollywood, Florida and Brings Me Back to My Sicilian Roots

By Joanie Cox Henry

Photo By Larry Marano

My grandfather, Leonardo Magazzolo, was a Sicilian tenor. When I was a little girl, he used to sing “The Impossible Dream” to me. On November 10 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, Il Volo’s voices rose through that familiar melody, and I cried through the song. For a few minutes, my grandfather was with me again and it was a moment I wanted to cling to.

I interviewed Ignazio Boschetto nearly 18 years ago, when Il Volo was just getting started. Hearing him now alongside fellow tenor Piero Barone and baritone Gianluca Ginoble, I was struck by how much personality each brings to a sound that depends on their ability to listen to one another. Barone and Boschetto can send a phrase soaring, while Ginoble’s baritone gives it somewhere to land. Between songs, they teased one another and thanked the fans who have been with them for years. The jokes came easily, and so did the gratitude.

Their breathtaking “’O Sole Mio” brought the full house to life. “Funiculì, Funiculà” had a bounce that made sitting still feel like a tall order, and “La donna è mobile” gave the evening a shot of operatic mischief. “Nessun dorma” supplied the grandeur, while “Caruso” had the ache that can make a room full of people go quiet. The warmth carried over to social media, where fans praised the trio’s elegance, vocal power and easy rapport with the audience. Growing up in a Siclian family, these songs were the soundtrack for much of my younger years. My grandfather would sing these songs and I had the privilege of getting a front row seat to this magic. I look back and I get goosebumps when I think about what a gift that was to be introduced to this music from before I could walk.

Il Volo gave Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” the sweep it calls for and let loose on an Elvis Presley medley. Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” was more poignant for the space they gave it. In a show with so much vocal horsepower, that restraint stayed with me.

Mexican soprano and songwriter Maura Nava a Latin Grammy nominee, joined Il Volo for one number and had the stage to herself for another. The trio also performed two selections from Our Christmas, released November 6. Among them was “Adeste Fideles,” whose familiar melody in three-part harmony made Christmas feel a little closer and the classic "Angels We Have Heard On High."

I uploaded a reel of "The Impossible Dream" on Facebook, and it drew more than 40,000 views in 24 hours. Then dozens of comments began to flow it from other people who watched it and were moved to tears of joy and felt genuine amazement. That's the power of music. And Il Volo harnesses that power in a huge way.

At Hard Rock Live, three singers gave “The Impossible Dream” enough power to bring a piece of heaven to earth and it's a moment everyone in the audience was collectively feeling. It's an impossible dream to fathom it any other way.