[ ClassicalX ] ‘Ten Tenors’ sing their way back to Naples and the fans who love them

Let yourself drift back through the recesses of your memory to a meaningful time in your life. The first time you saw your true love's face, birth of a child or travels to exotic lands. And as life would have it, some of the most fervent memories are bittersweet, intertwined with tragedies that helped shape who you are today.

Throughout our lives, music we hear stays with us. It attaches itself to our souls, soothes us and marks milestones. Music is all about nostalgia, wistfulness and longing for days gone by. Music jogs our memory and in so doing, can make us laugh or cry.

When the Ten Tenors perform in Naples on May 23 at the Philharmonic Center for the Arts, the theater will be filled with the soundtrack of your life.

Their current tour is aptly called “Nostalgica” and features classics from the 20th Century. The group calls the new album of the same name a romantic journey of musical discovery inspired by and dedicated to all their fans, of which they have many in Naples.

The Ten Tenors are one of the world’s most successful touring acts, typically performing about 250 shows a year. This will be their third trip to Naples after playing twice before to sold-out audiences, an experience that tenor Ben Clark says makes all the difference to the group.

“It’s a joy and a pleasure to play in Naples, a town where we have had so much success,” said Clark. “Anytime we come to Naples, where we get this kind of support from our fans, it makes our experience that much more personal for us.”

Indeed. Anyone who has experienced the Ten Tenors live knows there is no fourth wall between the tenors and the audience. Every seat is filled with a body who believe the tenors are singing only to them. And that’s the way the tenors like it.

“One of the things we love about this tour is having the chance to introduce new people to the band, and get reacquainted with our old friends we’ve played to before,” said Clark. “Playing in places like Naples where we have such an amazing fan base gives us that much more energy and drive.”

And with the “Nostalgica” tour, the Ten Tenors are tearing down even more of the separation between stage and seating by presenting music that has defined so many eras of the past one hundred years. The music is about people, places and important times in history, with songs that are meaningful to their fans.

The music ranges from post-war classics to jazz, to opera and everything in between. They’ve also kept their most requested song, the Irish favorite “Danny Boy,” among others.

A departure from their last album, “Here’s to the Heroes,” the “Nostalgica” album and tour was a musical journey that resulted in selecting music the band and their fans loved.

The album was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Simon Franglen in collaboration with musical directors Drew Graham and Craig Hendry, and backed by the orchestral majesty of Steven Baker.

“On fire with emotion.” “Spellbinding.” “Melodic.” “Hypnotic.”

These are words that have described the Ten Tenors. But don’t let their music fool you. The group is an alliance of humble beginnings. Original members began as students at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and performed to earn pocket money.

Roughly 77 million fans later, you can still expect them to laugh at themselves and with you between vocals that defy gravity.

Do certain songs make you suddenly look up from your desk or out of your car window to remember with longing a time long ago? Perhaps entangled in the words of the songs and the melodies of the Ten Tenors upcoming concert are some of your memories waiting to be rediscovered.

Source: Naples News