The Pooh's Opera Seconda Makes it to New York

(CLICK HERE TO WIN 4 free tickets for the Pooh concert in NYC on November 19, 2013). 


Roby Facchinetti, Dodi Battaglia and Red Canzian, aka The Pooh. Yes, Italy's favorite pop trio, is coming to the Highline Ballroom with “Opera Seconda in Tour,” the show featuring the greatest songs of their immense repertoire. Produced and organized by Franco Cusolito for Cose di Musica, “Opera Seconda in Tour” debuted in October 2012 and has taken the band all through Italy. There are two North American dates: November 17 in Toronto, and November 19 in New York City.


As the dates are approaching and the buzz is growing and growing, i-italy had a chance to ask a few questions.

How was “Opera Seconda,” your show with the orchestra, featuring your greatest hits conceived?

It was a desire we've had since the early 70's, when the Pooh had a few concerts with a big orchestra. Then, two years ago, we had two concerts in Toronto performing with the Rock Symphony Orchestra and one concert Sofia with the Bulgarian national orchestra... that's when we realized that our music successfully marries with the pure sound of an orchestra. The rest is history, we had the idea to put together a record and also to tour Italy with the Ensemble Symphony Orchestra directed by Giacomo Loprieno.


The show has been a huge success... we are talking about over 120.000 spectators and 70 performances in one year. What do you expect from the performances to be held here in North America?

Once the tour ends, in Italy, we will have reached a total of 100 shows. Unbelievable! Unfortunately, we are unable to bring the whole orchestra to the upcoming North American shows. We will bring only five pieces (among them Danilo Ballo, keyboards and  Phil Mer, drums), but the sound will not be different because all the orchestral arrangements will be reproduced by Danilo Ballo's keyboards. Danilo is our music arranger and he plays with us. We expect the wonderful American public to embrace us as they always do.

Of all the “Opera Seconda” shows held in the past year, are there any that have left something behind... a special memory...

It has been a wonderful tour and it continues to be so. A few nights ago, in Padua we had a wonderful audience...Another unforgettable concert was the one held in Taormina at the Teatro Antico. And obviously the show we had in Treviso at the Teatro Comunale, where we have taped the live DVD of “Opera Seconda.”

What has changed, in you and in your audience, since the Pooh's beginnings?

Everything has changed, the world has changed!!! Luckily for us, our way of conceiving music has not changed. The Pooh continue to play with the same enthusiasm and the same drive as always plus we nurture a never ending respect for all those who come to listen to us in our concerts.

How do you achieve your constant modernization?

We live through a continuous renewal because we deeply love our job and we always keep up to speed with what is happening, we are curious, eager to learn and we also update our “music machines”year after year.


At the end of  October you launched the Pooh Box. Tell us about it and about its dedication to Valerio Negrini, the group's lyricist and founder, who recently passed away.

The “Pooh box”  is a box set filled with fantastic and exciting treats! The is a 200 page booklet with colored drawings by Gianni D'Angelo, a great graphic artist from Turin, that tells our story. It starts with a drawing dedicated to Valerio Negrini and it ends with a different image of him. It's our homage to him. The box includes the DVD of a live Opera Seconda concert and two CDs of the concert. There is another DVD recorded backstage where we talk about how a concert is born and how life on tour really is. There is another CD where some of Italy's greatest actors read the lyrics of 28 of our songs. Obviously, Valerios' lyrics become the framework of 28 short films with a soundtrack that is inspired by the original music... it really is something unique.

At the end of the tour you will take a two year hiatus, and then in 2016 you will celebrate your 50th anniversary... what should we expect? And what's the secret of your success?

We need a two year break because we are preparing something worthy for the celebrations of our fiftieth. Lots of different ideas are on the table but for the moment, we cannot really say much. Of course it will not be something small, it will be grand! And the secret of our success is simple: we work hard to carry forward our childhood dream.

What do you find to be fascinating of today's music?

We are fascinated by music's international language... it can take you anywhere and wherever you are you can communicate your emotions and be understood.


For tickets: www.highlineballroom.com

(CLICK HERE TO WIN 4 free tickets for the Pooh concert in NYC on November 19, 2013).