Number seven in our countdown to find your favourite Alfie Boe live song leads us into the world of classical music once again and is our first and only entry from Serenata:
It is of course the glorious Addio Sogni Di Gloria from Classic FM Live 2014 – I was lucky enough to be there and Alfie blew the audience away. Magnificent – anyone who was there lives in eternal hope that they’re lucky enough to hear it live again.
The song was voted in at number three in the 2016 poll and number five in this year’s best recorded song poll, although two years ago it reached the top.
The song was originally recorded by Italian singer Luciano Virgili and written by Italian Carlo Innocenzi who wrote music for many Italian films from the 1940’s onward. Translated, the title means Goodbye, Dreams of Glory and the poignancy of the song sits effortlessly against the glorious soaring melody. This has also been sung by Pavarotti but I’ve chosen Giuseppe di Stefano for the simple reasons that Alfie cites him as a favourite and I liked it better!
Serenata is available here:
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As befits a radio station, this performance at the Royal Albert Hall was never broadcast for TV so we only have sound…but what sound!
Addio Sogni Di Gloria was chosen as your favourite Alfie Boe song in 2015 (not even making the top ten this time around) and the second song, Chitarra Romana was also from the album Alfie was promoting at that time, Serenata.
Serenata is available here, if you don’t yet have it:
We have reached numbers three and four in our search to find the fans favourite Alfie Boe Live Song 2016 and number four is a song first heard back in 2012 and recorded for the Storyteller album of that year. The version chosen here though is from the encore of the Storyteller tour of 2013, Rank Strangers (thanks Nikki for sharing):
The song, which was voted in at number eight last year’s Best Recorded Song poll, is an American folk song from the early twentieth century written by Albert Brumley, a musician and singer born in Oklahoma in 1905. After studying at the Hartford Musical Institute, Arkansas, Brumley toured with the Hartford Quartet and went on to write / copyright an astonishing 800 songs. The most famous of these is I’ll Fly Away from 1932. In 1970 he was inducted into the Country Song Writer’s Hall of Fame and his songs have been covered by amongst others, Bob Dylan, who I’m sure introduced Alfie to the song. Click here to see the version by The Stanley Brothers from the 1950’s. I have to confess though, to a liking for a different version, featuring the much loved Al Vosper, Toby Chapman and co (thanks Linda for sharing) from a meltingly hot (in more ways than one) Buxton Opera House:
Completely different to number four is a new entry to the Best Live Song top ten, Addio Sogni Di Gloria from Classic FM Live (thanks Marcia for sharing):
The song was originally recorded by Italian singer Luciano Virgili and written by Italian Carlo Innocenzi who wrote music for many Italian films from the 1940’s onward. Translated, the title means Goodbye, Dreams of Glory and the poignancy of the song sits effortlessly against the glorious soaring melody. This wonderful song is from Serenata and was the one that unseated Bring Him Home from the top spot in the Alfie Boe 2015 best ever song poll.
Next week brings us to the top two spots in this year’s countdown.
Storyteller and Serenata are available here:
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The summer concerts are over and Alfie is in the US to start rehearsals for Broadway’s Les Mis. Ramin Karimloo will be a hard act to follow but I’m sure Alfie will do us proud – look out for the first night review in September.
Now, in case us Alfie Boe fans are likely to be ever so slightly down in the mouth and suffering from post Alfie concert syndrome, here’s a little something to keep you entertained. Back in March, I asked you what your top Alfie moments were and you responded enthusiastically as always. My top Alfie moments included meeting Alfie and hearing him sing Addio Signi di Gloria at Classic FM Live – click here to see the rest.
So, in no particular order, your top ten fan moments are:
Nancy Webb meeting Alfie at the Utah concert in March this year and getting a photo.
Pauline Partridge meeting Alfie unexpectedly outside the Blackpool Opera House and getting a photo.
Marie meeting Alfie (again unexpectedly) in the bar of the Radisson Hotel, Glasgow after the Scottish Proms in the Park, 2013.
Alfie giving his drumsticks to Linda W on the Bring Him Home tour 2011.
The red carpet of the Classic Brits 2013 – Alfie bypassed the waiting press and came straight over to see The Two Linda’s and me. Later that evening he tweeted a photo of the 40th birthday card we had given him.
Cecelia meeting Alfie outside the stage door of the Royal Albert Hall on the Storyteller tour and getting a photo (thanks to Nikki Lewis) – two actually as she spoiled the first one by giving Alfie a peck on the cheek!
Pat, Janet and Cecelia seeing Alfie at breakfast the day the Azura cruise departed.
Bring Him Home with John Owen-Jones at the Royal Albert Hall.
Love reign O’er Me live for the first time.
That show stopping moment when Alfie sang with the Jean Valjean Quartet at the Les Mis 25th anniversary concert – aka the moment most of us were Boed.
You picked some amazing top Alfie moments – again got goosebumps when watching the 25th anniversary video. Other than that, the top moments show how generous Alfie has been when meeting fans – at the Royal Albert Hall on the Storyteller tour, Alfie was actually in the car on the way home when he stopped and got out to sign autographs and have photos.
If you have any more fan memories you’d like to share, please leave a comment – we’d love to see them.
Twitter is a wonderful thing – it tells you things you always wanted to know, like today is International Day of Happiness! You really all wanted to know that, didn’t you?
Thinking about this made me think about all the happy moments I’ve had with Alfie and his amazing fans – this is definitely one of the top:
Love this photo! Oxford Street HMV, November 2013
Watching my fellow fan and fabulous friend Cecelia scuttle across the room towards Alfie at this same event also counts in my top 5 Alfie moments!
Some of my other top Alfie moments are:
Another fab friend and fan Sally sitting on the front row at Symfunny – she notoriously hates being at the front!
Chatting to Alfie outside the Royal Albert Hall after Symfunny – amazing
Hearing Alfie sing Addio Sogni di Gloria at Classic FM Live – spine tingling
Hearing most of Trust at the Royal Festival Hall in December 2013
Seeing Alfie pop in to the Queens Theatre via the stage door (in Feb 2013) when we were least expecting it – the we being Costa Linda, one of the “two Linda’s”
Would love you to tell me what your top Alfie moments are – in person or not! Let me know in the form below:
…I’m sure that you don’t need reminding that it was Alfie Boe’s Best Live Song (as voted by you), Don’t Stop MeNow, on Gary Barlow’s New Year’s Eve Celebration:
What a great end / start to the year that was!
So, to round off the year, I’m looking back at my top ten thoughtsofjustafan moments (in no particular order) – hope you enjoy.
1 – Alfie’s best ever recorded song countdown – some great songs nominated (click here for the longlist) and while the result was never really in doubt, some of the top ten were very unexpected. This was my most commented on post of the year!
2 – Michael Boe’s interview and the release of the track list for his next album – great news, Michael told me that him and Sean will shortly be back in the studio! The release of the track list was the 3rd most viewed post!
3 – Serenata – my favourite track changes all the time. The first post about the new album was the 2nd most viewed post this year, sandwiched between the Alfie on the Royal Variety Show and Michael’s new album.
4 – Caruso live at Newcastle (thanks Linda for sharing):
5 – Symfunny stage door – so lucky to be able to chat to relaxed Alfie! But it was so cold…in June!
6 – Getting published on the Huffington Post UK! Such a thrill!
7 – Hearing Addio Sogni di Gloria at Classic FM live (thanks Marcia for sharing):
8 – Quadrophenia on tour – roll on Royal Albert Hall next July:
9 – Laura Wright’s interview.
10 – Two (!!!) interviews from James Morgan – such a lovely man.
Last, but not least, thank you for all the support that you have given me since day one of this blog. Thank you doesn’t seem adequate somehow but a huge big thank you hug for each and every one of you – some I’ve met, some I haven’t but your support is very much appreciated. In particular, thanks to:
Debbie Bannigan for her unstinting support, encouragement and willingness to share her amazing fount of knowledge – thoughtsofjustafan truly would not exist in its current form without you xxx
Sue Black for sharing every single blog post ever published! xxx
Linda Wellington, Nikki Lewis, Marcia Studley for sharing their Alfie videos xxx
Carole Hunt for letting me use the banner photo of Alfie on the site xxx
Claire Smith and Michelle Keogh for sharing my Alfie survey on their facebook sites – and thanks to all who filled it in xxx
Cynthia Shepherd, Cecelia Powell, Linda McCann and Annie Lloyd for being my top commenters xxx
What are your top ten moments – leave me a comment!
Happy New Year to you all
xx
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I first heard songs from Alfie Boe’s Serenata at the Symfunny concert in June and it’s fair to say I’ve been in a state of excitement since then at hearing the whole album – I assure you I’m not exaggerating. Regular readers will know that Serenata has crept into pretty much every post since the summer and I can honestly say I’ve spent a considerable number of hours thinking and writing about this album – just as well then that now I can finally listen to the whole thing,
I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On the first listen through, the first track, Serenata Celeste was my favourite of the tracks I hadn’t already heard but I think now that I have a soft spot for Feneste Vascia. Alfie was 100% correct in wanting to do these songs with an accordion – they sound so authentically Italian and perfectly support Alfie’s sublime vocals. Having listened once or twice more since this morning (!), the tracks I love the most are, apart from the two already mentioned, Firenze Sogna, Addio Sogni Di Gloria and Rondine Al Nido. A quick mention of the more well known numbers on Serenata, my favourite is Arrivederci Roma although Volare and Mambo Italiano are top dancing tunes.
I would love to hear and publish more of your reviews so leave me a comment! Carole Hunt is the first guest reviewer – thanks Carole for this gem:
Serenata must be one of the most eagerly anticipated Alfie albums of recent years. It was recorded many months ago and the teasing campaign has been keeping us dangling on a string for what seems like forever. I first heard some of the content sung live for the first time during the P & O cruise back in May and since then at Symfunny and Classic FM Live, both at the Royal Albert Hall over the summer. You could sense his excitement then that he had recorded something really special and was clearly impatient to share it with fans.
I have to admit to being unsure if it would be “my thing” but I always held onto the fact that Alfie has never let me down yet and thankfully he has more than proved me right. It is a huge departure from recent albums and showcases his voice in its purest form. I almost don’t realise that he’s mostly singing in a language I don’t understand, so clear is the diction and passion in his delivery. Over the 13 tracks the accompanying strings and accordion sometimes give a light , laid back continental feel and then the orchestra swells to give punch and high emotion .
His newly created lyrics on “My Heart is Yours” are beautiful and resonate even more knowing that he wrote them for his daughter. For lovers of those big notes, Addio Sogni Di Gloria has one particular jaw dropping moment that had me in shock the first time I heard it (I think only Alfie could get there!) and is my favourite track. Rondine Al Nido has all shades of emotion from tenderness, to that juggernaut of a voice at its finest and back again. And it’s impossible not to twitch those hips to Volare and Mambo Italiano!
It is no wonder that so many of us have fallen in love with “the voice” and Alfie has never shown us its nuances, clarity, power and vast range better than on this album. Hope you all get yours soon!
Our second reviewer is Sue Redfern:
I love all things Alfie he could sing the phone book and I’d listen! Serenata though is Alfie at his best. It matters not a jot that I don’t understand most of the words, his voice is all I need. Can’t choose a favourite track, I love the whole thing, and one added bonus is that my hubby does too! Well done Alfie, this is the one I’ve been waiting for.
Serenata is available on the link below:
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Monday is often a “oh no, not again, yuck” kind of day so let’s countdown to the release of Alfie Boe’s new album Serenata by celebrating a Magic Monday Moment.
The clip below is audio from Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall on 23 September this year – a performance I was privileged to attend – and has been uploaded by Marcia. Thanks for sharing! I have shared it here before but as it is two tracks from Serenata I thought it made perfect sense to share with you all again. When you share this on twitter or facebook please use either of these two hashtags:
#AlfieBoeUKTour
#AlfieBoeSerenata
If we keep using these hashtags hopefully Alfie’s fan power can get him trending by the release of the album and again when he goes on tour! Alfie Boe fans are awesome – I know we can do it!
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This post is dedicated to wishing Alfie a very happy 41st birthday – hoping you had a lovely day Alfie! With any luck you’ve had the day off as you really have been working hard lately…which is all good for us Alfie Boe fans! Just this week we’ve had the pleasure of listening to Alfie on BBC Radio Devon and the absolute beauty of Addio Sogni and Chitarra Romana at Classic FM Live (thanks to Marcia for sharing):
I asked Alfie fans to choose a song that Alfie would like on his birthday blog and thank you to Sylvia who remembered that he picked Song to the Siren as a favourite in a recent interview (don’t ask me which one). And then I remembered Alfie’s own video featuring this song, so this time it’s thanks Alfie for sharing!
As usual, Alfie Boe celebrates his birthday this year by asking fans to donate to Nordoff Robbins charity. And a massive shout out to Alfie fans from as far away as Alaska who are walking the Cotswold Way, starting today and raising money for Nordoff Robbins!
Yesterday evening saw Alfie Boe headline Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall and it’s fair to say that he wowed the whole audience. Performing at the end of the evening, Alfie’s magnificent voice shone through Addio Sogni and Chitarra Romana. Of the two songs, both from Alfie’s forthcoming album, Serenata, we as an audience are much more familiar with Chitarra Romana as Alfie has sung it on a number of occasions in recent years. It is also of course, featured on his previous album of Neopolitan songs, La Passione. Addio Sogni, however, is much fresher and it was the stand out song for me. Easily filling the Royal Albert Hall, Alfie’s wonderful tones soared effortlessly over the orchestra; it was a hairs on the back of your neck moment. I should say that he was supported brilliantly by Matt White on guitar.
Although Alfie’s performance was the highlight, the whole evening was a triumph. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Timothy Henty, was a delight, particularly the triumphant end, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture. The performances of Milos Karadglic, Julian Bliss and Ji Liu (classical guitar, clarinet and piano respectively) were masterpieces to watch and listen to, while Sol3Mio showed huge talent. They are supporting Alfie on his arena tour at the end of the year and their amusing stage presence promises a fun show, especially if Alfie sings with them too.
To round off the evening perfectly, another cold wait at the stage door (it is never warm!) was rewarded by an appearance by the man himself, spending approximately ten minutes signing, posing for photos and chatting. A couple of early birthday cards were handed in before the show and he confirmed he got them so thank you staff at the Royal Albert Hall!
No video that I’m aware of but click here for the link to Classic FM – the concert will be broadcast on Saturday 12-3pm. In the meantime, here is Alfie talking to Classic FM presenter Jane Jones (click here)
Nice to hear Alfie elaborate on his differing fan bases and showing them different genres of music.
Serenata can be pre-ordered from Amazon and La Passione is still available – just click on the images to order:
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