Watching Il Divo is a feast for the ears and the eyes. They've got charm and good looks, but what grabs you is their "popera" style of singing, or "pop opera".

The novelty lasts about a minute or two before you are converted by the exceptional live performance of the vocal group, which has been awarded Artist of the Decade at the Classical Brit Awards. They have sold more than 26 million albums worldwide.

The four members of Il Divo, all "divine male performers", are French pop singer Sbastien Izambard, Spanish baritone Carlos Marn, American tenor David Miller, and Swiss tenor Urs Buehler. Together, they brought the Beijing audience hit songs such as Every Time I Look at You, My Way and Mama, plus new tunes from their new sixth album, Wicked Game.

As they sang, dreamlike images of misty forests and starry nights flitted across the huge LED background screen. On the multilevel stage, the group shifted in perfect choreography into geometric formations.

Accompanied by a Chinese symphony orchestra, they sang solos, then in duets and then as a quartet. Their well-known harmony was a good platform for their operatic repertoire.

Il Divo has made its reputation by blending pop and opera, two very different styles. They should be credited for their combination of solid classical techniques and the mass appeal of pop.

All dressed in dark suits, the three of them showed off their individual styles with bow ties and in the case of Carlos the Spaniard, an open collar with a hint of chest hair.

The Spanish Casanova piles on the charms, and in the chatter between songs, he advertises his state of singlehood as the only eligible bachelor in the group.

Il Divo ends the night with their signature love songs, Somewhere and Time to Say Goodbye and extracts all the romance from these songs before they, too, say farewell at the MasterCard Center.

You may contact the writer at zhangzixuan@chinadaily.com.cn.

China Daily

(China Daily 03/04/2012 page15)