Concert Review - Il Divo: A Musical Affair

Il Divo = Divine Performer in Italian

On Saturday, March 31, 2014,  I had the great privilege of attending the Il Divo Concert that is currently on World Tour.  This concert is titled A Musical Affair and is almost all Broadway songs.   It was a magical experience that I didn't want to end.  I could very easily have sat for hours more and listened to them sing until they ran out of steam or music. This particular concert was held at the Palace Theatre in the Lavec Tower in downtown Columbus.  My seat was on the main level in row EE just off the center aisle.  It was a GREAT seat, and I had my binoculars with me to make it even greater!

Let me tell you about these 4 enchanting men!  Goodness gracious - talk about eye candy - WHEW!  Il Divo has been together for 10 years.  They were originally brought together by Simon Cowell in England, believe it or not.  However, this group is not at all like other groups that have been created by a producer (The Monkees come to mind), as they are all very talented and were successful individually before they came together in Il Divo.   They have actually stayed together - these are all the original members.  One of Cowell's objectives was to create a multi-national "3 Tenors" type group that would make opera accessible to the masses.  He auditioned many singers over about 2 years to find just the right voices.

Here is an interview (one of many on YouTube) with all 4 of the men.  Video Here.

At the left in this photo we have American David Miller.  I must admit that after this concert, David emerged as my favorite of the group.  David was born in 1973 (currently 41) in San Diego.  He grew up in Colorado and then attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio, where he graduated in 1995 with degrees in Vocal Performance and Opera Theatre.  As an amazing tenor, he maintained a career in professional opera until he signed on to Il Divo.  He is married to opera soprano Joy Kabanuck (sometimes listed as Sarah Joy), and they live in Manhattan.  He became my favorite of the group for 2 main reasons:  his voice is thrilling - he has an amazing tenor range, and he added humor to the concert.  He clearly has a natural feel for comedy and is very comfortable on stage.  He was the one who occasionally threw on funny hats or made silly gestures when others were talking or singing.  With my binoculars, he is the one I watched the most.

Here is a wedding photo with his bride from 2009:

David and Joy fell in love when they performed together in La Boheme.  Here is a link to an article about them at the time of their wedding from The New York Times. Article here.  She has been  a performer in a group called The Three Graces which is similar to Il Divo in that it has taken 3 female singers from different backgrounds and brought them together in a cross-over group.  I found a website for them, but it seems that they were only active in 2008, and I can't confirm that they are still performing.

Here is a text interview with David from when he appeared at Fantasy Springs Resort in California.  Article Here.  

For a video that highlights his voice with one of the BEST songs from the concert, Google:  David Miller in Chicago - Bring Him Home.  Video Here.

You will find other videos online as well as him singing with his wife.  

*******************

Pictured 2nd from the left is Sebastien Izambard who came to Il Divo from the solo pop scene in France.  He is the only one of the 4 who is not classically trained, however, he is also a composer and he wants to write songs for the group to perform.  He was also born in 1973.  He is married to Renee Murphy and they have a set of twins and a 3rd child.   Here is a photo of Sebastien and Renee who live in London.  

*****************

Pictured 3rd from left in the group photo is Carlos Marin.  Carlos is the oldest of the group at age 45 (born in 1968), and he also is a classically trained opera baritone who had a successful career in opera before joining the group.  He was born in Germany and lived there until age 12 when his family moved to Spain.  He is currently married to Geraldine Larrosa.  Here are a couple of wedding photos of them:  

Here is a YouTube video that highlights Carlos' rich baritone voice as well as his striking good looks. This is an Il Divo song so the others are included but he is highlighted.  Video Here

Here is another video of Carlos singing a traditional operatic selection with a symphony.  Video Here.

I will say that I found Carlos to be my 2nd favorite after David because of the richness and power of his voice.  He is the one who sounds the most like a classic operatic baritone to my untrained ear.  At times his voice clearly stands out from the others who are all tenors.

*********************

Our 4th and final Il Divo star is Urs Buhler, a 42 year old classically trained tenor from Switzerland.  He was in a rock band in high school, but then he studied opera in Amsterdam and performed a lot of religious requiems.  Here is a photo of him with recent (or current?) girlfriend Kelly Phelan.  Some sources identify her as a girlfriend and other say she is his wife, but I couldn't confirm marriage.  

I also found indications that Urs has a daughter named Billie.  Her mother is hair and make-up artist Tania Rodney.  Here is a photo of Urs with baby: 

********************

The woman pictured with the guys is Lea Salonga who is traveling with them on this tour.  She is 43 and is originally from the Philippines.  I will admit I had not heard of her before this concert, but she has quite a list of performance accomplishments.  She has played the lead of Kim in Miss Saigon (1989), and she was also the first Asian to play both Fantine and Eponine in Les Miserables on Broadway.  She has also been the singing voice of 2 Disney Princesses:  Jasmine in Aladdin (1992) and Fa Mulan in Mulan (1998) and Mulan II (2004).

I enjoyed her performances in this concert.  I can see how it is an asset for the 4 men to have a woman to sing with them.  It provides a nice variety, and possibly offers them song options that they wouldn't attempt on their own.  It also gives them a break from being on stage for the entire concert.  

 *******************

Here is a link to an article from Mail Online from 2007 which indicates that while the guys are "like brothers" they do have their differences.  They each had solo careers before joining this group, and putting their egos aside can be difficult at times.  Article Here.

*****************

Now that I have teased you with all this information, I will tell you that people have (illegally, I might add) posted videos of almost the entire concert online.  If you Google it (Il Divo: A Musical Affair 2014), you will find it.  I'm not going to link to it here.  

Here is a list of the songs performed which I found with the video, but it was not in the program that I purchased at the concert:

SET LIST
1. "Tonight" (0.25) *
2. "Some Enchanted Evening" (3:10) *
3. "If Ever I Would Leave You" (6:27) *
4. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (9:20)
5. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" with Lea (13:05) *
6. "Defying Gravity" Lea Solo (16:53)
7. "Memory" with Lea (20:25) *
8. "I Will Always Love You" (24:32)
9.  "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (not in the video)
10. "Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore" (28:36)
11. "Somewhere"-Partial ( 32:21)
** INTERMISSION**
12. "The Winner Takes It All" (36:24)
13. "Bring Him Home" (40:10) *
14. "Love Changes Everything" (43:27) *
15. "Who Can I Turn To" (47:05) *
16. "A Whole New World" with Lea (50:18)
17. "Back to Before" Lea Solo (52:51)
18. "I Dreamed a Dream" and "On My Own" Mashup Lea Solo (56:21)
19. "Music of the Night" with Lea (1:01:21) *
20. "The Impossible Dream" (1:06:07)
21. "You'll Never Walk Alone" (1:09:53) *
ENCORES
22. "My Way" (1:13:58)
23. "Con Te Partiro" (Time to Say Goodbye). (1:18:03)

As you can see, the concert featured 23 songs.  The CD that was released for this concert has only 12 songs on it (the ones with * at the end).  Lea is not singing on the CD but the guys do sing with other women on the CD.  There are also 2 songs on the CD that weren't in the concert:  "All I Ask of You" and "Who Wants to Live Forever".  

For my final evaluation of the musical selections, it is very hard for me to pick one favorite song because I love almost all of these songs by themselves.  I would have to say that one huge highlight was "Somewhere" from West Side Story.  As the Act I finale, it gave me goose-bumps.  I would also say that "Bring Him Home" from Les Miz and "Music of the Night" from Phantom were HUGE for me, partly because I love both of those shows so much, but also because of the way the guys sang them.  Then of course, there is "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel which never fails to make me cry.  (Although this time, the tears might have been because I feared this was the last song!)

Technically, the show went very well.  There were a couple of minor times when there was feedback from the microphones, but that was fixed quickly each time.  Also, in the last song, the volume of the orchestra was so loud that it distorted the sound and also almost drowned out the singers!  I think I may have failed to mention that there was a full orchestra on stage throughout the concert.  As far as the 4 members if Il Divo go, I see David and Carlos as the leads while Urs, with his very shy style, and Sebastien, with his slight nasality are like back-up singers to the leads.  Together the 4 of them make an amazing musical experience that I will never forget!  If I ever have the chance to see them LIVE again, I will jump on it!

Wow - this was a long one, huh!?  If you've made it this far thank you and congratulations!  If you are an Il Divo lover too, let me know your thoughts!

Thanks for reading!

:) Amy