[Continued from Part 1]

SS:  Which ingredients (other than your voices) do each of you add to the special sauce that is Il Divo?

DM:  Well, what I think Carlos [Marín] brings, is an instinctual approach to music.  He knows what he likes, when he hears it.  He allows things to evolve; and is very kinesthetically driven, by music.  For Carlos, singing is exceedingly visceral.

Now, Sébastian [Izambard] comes at music from a very emotional place: He’s very heart-driven.  He knows what moves him, in that emotional realm; whether something makes him happy, or makes him melancholic.  Since that’s kind of how Sebastian swings through his life, that’s how he treats music.

I’d say that Urs [Bühler] is the most cerebral member of the group: His Swiss background certainly predisposes him to logic.  His love for the early composers is further proof of this.  He likes theory and counterpoint.

And as for me, I find music to be a more spiritual experience.  I find that music is more about the vibrations of the music, and the quality of those vibrations; as well as theory and counterpoint.  And while I studied at conservatory, I don’t find theory and counterpoint to be the endgame.  For me, theory and counterpoint are the tools for achieving the palate of colors that will reach people beyond language, and beyond education.  Music, to me, transcends class.  It transcends borders.  It transcends social conventions.  So, I guess that makes me the spiritualist of the group.

SS:  To say that Il Divo has collaborated with some of the greatest artists in the world, is not hyperbole.  Which of your collaborations do you look back on most fondly?  Who really just knocked your socks off?

DM:  We went out on tour with Barbra Streisand, and that was the one time we were really given the opportunity to know the other artist; and the only time we really got to spend any quantifiable amount of time with another artist.  Even though she’s somewhat reclusive, she was amazing.  I mean, you got to see a divine gift, in action.  Beyond being a consummate professional, and beyond being this big name; she’s a person, underneath all of it.  As are we all.  And I think one of the things that becomes so challenging about being an artist, then getting that recognition, and then getting more recognition, and then being at the very top of the game, and then becoming a film director, and then…  And for her it’s always been what’s next, what’s next, what’s next?  And that perception of her, becoming an atomic bomb, and everything she touches turns to gold – there’s a real challenge with perception, on both sides.  But that audience perception of who she is as a person (because what they know of her, has nothing to do with her as a person; but is really just her name, and her accomplishments as an artist).  And that, for a person (knowing that, now, first-hand) can be really difficult to take, psychologically; especially when people can’t see you, because they can’t see past their own internalized projection of who they think you are.  And that’s very lonelyifying (and that’s not a real word, but you know what I’m saying).

And it creates this sense of increased solitude, because you think “People don’t really know who I am;” but at the same time, you still have your artistic muse, and your impulses to create.  And the more things you create, the more challenging it becomes to find people who treat you as a real person.  And then this perception evolves, that you’re somehow, a fucking bitch.  That you think you’re some sort of untouchable elitist.  And it’s really not their fault, because how could they know?

Meanwhile, all of this is a very verbose way of saying that we got to experience a side to Barbra Streisand that most people don’t even know is there.  We got to see the human side of her.  You know, she would show-up in a black outfit that was several layers of yoga-clothes, and a hat, and sunglasses.  And you think “Oh, God: The artist is here.”  And then she doesn’t come up, on stage with us, for the rehearsal; and we’re all freaking out, like “Oh, great; she’s gonna be that kind of person.”  And we could see her, clearly, sitting in the dark, several rows back from the director; and we’re convinced we’ve fucked the whole thing up.  And then someone asks her “Hey, Barbra: You wanna come meet the guys?”  And she’s like “No.”  So, now we’re all “Oh, Jeez…”  Then they ask her “Why not?” And she replies “Because I’m fully intimidated.”

And the whole thing drops.  All of our perceptions, and our preconceived notions, just fell to the floor.  And we’re all like “Uh…  What?”  To which she replies “Yeah, you guys are totally intimidating.  I don’t wanna get up on stage, with you guys.  I’m gonna look like a yutz!”  What a tremendously humbling moment!

Concluded in Part 3...

Il Divo: This Is Your Night
The Venetian Theatre | The Venetian Las Vegas
Wednesday, September 20th – Saturday, September 30th
Click HERE for info and tickets

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