REVIEW
Who: Il Divo
Where: Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre
When: Last night
Rating: 4 (out of five)
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From the moment a huge white column of curtain dropped at their feet last night like a giant rumpled bed sheet, the four members of Il Divo oozed charm, sex appeal and manly harmonies, and made bedroom eyes at a sell-out crowd of 5,500.
Il Divo is Italian for "divine male performer," and for these seasoned singers it also spells 20 million albums sold, giant crowds, screaming women, tours with Barbra Streisand and a large serving of cheese.
"Our only purpose is to give you pleasure -- by singing -- and all you have to do is surrender," said baritone Carlos Marin, who had a casual curl lolling on his forehead. "We'll do the rest."
The men in black "pleasured" a mostly female audience at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, although there were plenty of men there, too.
They performed a selection of songs from their three hit recordings and the spacious stage was swimming in testosterone thanks to the four Adonis-like singers, an American pianist who warmed up the audience, two solo guitarists, an outstanding drummer and keyboardist -- not to mention a full orchestra.
The best sound came through when the quartet sang solos or in duets, since all four together in the large centre verged on being overmiked, and the big sound tended to become a big blur when the orchestra was in full flight. But no one seemed to mind and few people took advantage of the earplugs being sold on the main floor.
The stage featured five round white platforms -- one for the orchestra and one each for the singers -- but the quartet moved around in ranks, walking to and fro in formation like four musicateers, or sometimes sitting on stools taking turns in the limelight, and offering plenty of male model moments for all the women with cameras.
"Who are these guys?" asked one woman sitting nearby.
"I don't really know," said her friend, "except I hear they are 30 years younger and 30 pounds lighter than either of the Three Tenors."
It was clear that most people in the audience knew exactly who they were listening to, since the tickets were $100 a pop and the fans lapped up the vocal and visual spectacle of the Armani-clad men in their pointy Italian shoes.
The foursome, who bring sweet harmonies and lashings of classical training to the stage, are known for their popera style, and their voices were expertly paired as they sang here for the first time. The concert marks the end of the Canadian leg of their recent world tour.
The music men sang in French, Italian and English, but it all came across in the international language of love.
It must have been hot work for them, because after about 50 minutes they disappeared off-stage for a quick costume change, while the orchestra carried on without them.
The quartet includes German-born but Madrid-raised Carlos Marin who recorded his first album The Little Caruso at age eight; Sebastien Izambard, the only member of the group who was not classically trained but was a pop idol in France before joining up; San Diego-born tenor David Miller who has a master's in opera theatre and has sung leading roles internationally in opera for 10 years; and Swiss-born Urs Buhler, a classically trained tenor who sang with Netherlands Opera.
The four have conquered audiences around the world with their fusion of voices and album favourites.
The show opened with Phoenix pianist, and David Foster discovery, William Joseph who entertained the crowd for half an hour with his original movie-theme style pieces, and a new rendition of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir.
The concert was still in progress at presstime.
