Urs Buhler: Success does not come on a silver platter

The world famous pop opera quartet will perform a concert in Panama on May 15 at the Teatro Anayansi Atlapa.

By Rosalina Orocú Mojica 29.04.12

Original article in Spanish El éxito no llega en bandeja de plata

The talent is not enough. It takes passion to succeed. If you want to be a singer, you have to have natural talent and love to sing, but also must work hard and above all, believe in yourself, because it is not easy. It’s a very long career in which you have to prove yourself you can, you are able, without ever failing and for that you should always keep the heart supplied by that passion for music and singing. And so successful will follow.

That’s what life has shown to Urs Toni Buhler, one of the four members of the group Il Divo that will delight with more than 20 songs – the Panamanian public that attend the concert with the pop opera genre at Atlapa in 15 days, at the first concert they offer in our country.

 Success, happiness? What are they for you? What would you say to young people about it? We asked in the interview via telephone at Swedish tenor.

“I think people should not strive only for success. Do not encrypt your happiness in fame or money.You must search within themselves. Be happy with your life and life itself as a gift it is. With people around you to the work, trade or business to which they do. Being rich and being successful are not synonymous with being happy, and do not guarantee happiness. “

He added that if, for example, he is happy with their performances every night and that makes good money, but believes it would also be happy, if he was only a successful singer, but to live with less money in a simple place surrounded family and other loved ones and some very good friends, although they were few, but loyal, because they value what you have.

He said he was “forever grateful for the victory, for this wonderful opportunity to travel the world, to meet people from many cultures to share experiences and so many incredible moments with those people.”

The famed singer did not want to talk about plans in the medium and long term. He has learned to live intensely every minute.

Furthermore, he has enough to entertain, grow and learn from the journey through many countries where fans love their music.

Yes, thinking of later this year, at the conclusion of the tour he will feel so exhausted but so happy for because again he will live and share with his family. Also, he said jokingly, because will be able to sleep soundly two weeks straight if he wanted.

He also said he was pleased by the affection shown to the audience shows them wherever they occur and to enjoy this very heterogeneous world where they have been together for eight years, and they enjoy hearing their music.

For the First Lady of Panama, Ms. Marta Linares de Martinelli had words of thanks for allowing them to be part of the charitable work being conducted, because that is one of the functions of music, to serve as a bridge between cultures and people.

Travel, meet people so different and yet with so much in common is an experience that Toni Urs Bühler “wouldn’t change for anything.”

By PanamaAmerica

Il Divo in Madrid – “La elegancia “dandy” de Il Divo encuentra su lugar en Madrid”

Click here to read the original article in Spanish - elcorreo.com

The quartet Il Divo has conquered their audience tonight in a concert at the Palacio de los Deportes in Madrid, led by their Spanish component, Carlos Marin, who has behaved like a true lover to the thousands of female fans who chanted to the beat of their idols.

After their concert yesterday at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, the international pop-opera group, created by music producer Simon Cowell, landed in the capital tonight in what is their fourth world tour and for the launch of their fifth studio album, “Wicked Game”. They worked on it for more than three years, assured Carlos, baritone, in the nearly full Madrid stadium.

With strong direction, and accompanied only by a symphony orchestra, “Il Divo” has given a lesson in elegance and has shown that it is essential to have great choreography to dazzle your audience, mostly women.

The quartet won the Billboard Award in 2009 for their tour “An Evening with Il Divo,” began the night with the version of “Te Amare” from the movie Moulin Rouge. And with the entrance of the Spanish baritone voice, the audience began to applaud.

After the song, was the first greeting of the group. Being first to speak to the thousands of women gathered tonight, Carlos spent the greeting on the first compliment of the night: “You are like wine, getting better over time.”

After playing “Every Time I Look At You”, and new songs such as the version of “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”, turned their faces to the public to start the next song, a version of “Somewhere ” from the musical ” West Side Story. “ David explained that has been in musical theater, represented by this song, where the musical quartet has found an opportunity to renew itself.

At the end of the first act they performed “My Way” by Frank Sinatra, came the story of the night, where the American has suffered a small setback, setting off laughter in the audience.

After a break of twenty minutes, “Il Divo” changed their wardrobe for a sung to the piano of “Moonlight” by Beethoven accompanying “Senza Parole”, which belongs to the album they were showed tonight in Madrid. They included “Hallelujah” and the acclaimed “Return Regresa A Mi” from previous albums. After the latter came the highlight of the night when Carlos Marin, Spanish quartet, returned to take the microphone and announced to be the only bachelor of the group and asked how many single girls wanted to be with the handsome madrileño, causing all to rush to the full security fence at the stage and one to throw up a manila shawl.

The end of the night was “Pour Que tu M’aimes Encore” where the Palacio de los Deportes in Madrid again responded with applause and “Somewhere”, a song by the French component, Sébastien Izambard, represents ” the essence of the group have been able to find somewhere between pop and opera. “ After the threat of leaving, the four dressed in morning coats, and played their farewell with what better anthem “Time To Say Goodbye” from their latest album “Wicked Game”.

Carlos Marin, the star of the night, was proud to return home. We do not know if he will have found his place among the thousands of female fans who were still walking the stage applauding the performance of this quartet. 

Il Divo perform ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in Barcelona – in Spanish!

Here in ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ in Spanish by Il Divo – as it should have always been!

Il Divo canta ”No llores por mí Argentina” en español en Barcelona. Tan maravilloso!

Il Divo to perform at BBC Proms in London September 8

By Radio Times 27.04.12

Kylie Minogue will headline the BBC Proms in the Park event in London this autumn, the BBC has announced.

The pop superstar will perform in Hyde Park on Saturday 8 September at the top of a bill that includes tenor Alfie Boe, classical quartet Il Divo and The London Community Gospel Choir. 

Proms in the Park, which features a mixture of popular and classical performances at the end of the Proms season, will be hosted by Sir Terry Wogan and feature music from the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Earlier in the evening, Tony Blackburn will introduce a range of performers including Björn Again, Gypsy Queens, the cast of Let It Be and the BBC Big Band.

Simultaneous events will take place in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, all of which will culminate in a Royal Albert Hall sing-along as the Last Night of the Proms reaches its climax.

Tickets can be obtained from the official BBC Proms website.

Original article - RadioTimes

Singing stallion

By the New York Post, 25.04.12

WIREIMAGE

“Do you mind if I take my jacket off?” sexy tenor Vittorio Grigolo asked guests including Anna Wintour, Muffie Potter Aston and Lauren Santo Domingo at the Carnegie Hall Medal of Excellence Gala before cueing his guitarist to playfully strum the theme from “Sex and the City” for the benefit of Sarah Jessica Parker. Grigolo then launched into tunes from “Rigoletto” and “West Side Story,” throwing in “Volare” and the Gipsy Kings’ “Bamboleo” for good measure. He even did a dance with a pink rose in his teeth and called out to Parker, “Jessica! Jessica!” “He was supposed to sing three songs, but you never know where Vittorio’s going to go,” said a source. Another guest at the Waldorf Astoria black-tie bash honoring society fotog Bill Cunningham added, “I think he wasn’t going to leave the stage till he’d made love to every woman in the room by singing!” The Italian stallion later reappeared in a black T-shirt, tux and Ray-Bans at an after-party where he pulled gala co-chair Mercedes Bass onto the floor. The recently divorced opera patron was game and the two boogied big-time to DJ Cassidy. When Bass took a breather, she even pumped her hands in the air at a table, and Grigolo jumped to songs by Rihanna and Ke$ha. The night raised $1.5 million for Carnegie Hall, and Cunningham made a tearful speech after being introduced by Annette de La Renta and Sanford Weill. He even worked the room, taking pictures of partiers at his own event.

Original Post: New York Post