Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
At last, vindication has come for the Oscar-winning composer who sought to prove that he was as capable of breathing life into Italy’s grand theaters as of gritty Hollywood Movies.
On Friday night, Naples’ Teatro San Carlo will stage Ennio Morricone’s only opera, “Partenope,” a full three decades after its composition. It is inspired by the mythological mermaid who drowned herself after failing to enchant Ulysses, her body washed up on the shore and became a settlement that grew into a seaside town over the millennia. naples,
When Morricone wrote “Partenope” in 1995, he was already a world-renowned creator of the themes for the Spaghetti Western “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and the soundtracks for epic films like “The Untouchables” and “Once Upon a Time in America.”
he earned a oscar for lifetime achievement in 2007, but his compositions never resonated in the hallowed halls of the opera house – in his home country they were seen as musical niches. To its great dismay, the Partenope gathered dust for decades; Morricone died without seeing it performed.
Alessandro De Rosa, a close associate and co-author of Morricone’s autobiography, said in an interview, “In the end, he read the fact as a sign of destiny that he would not make his debut in the world of opera.” “I am sure that if he were alive now, he would have accepted the challenge and would have interacted with the orchestra and director tirelessly like a young child.”
neapolitan sounds
Director Vanessa Beecroft and conductor Riccardo Frizza had to find their way through the visionary work without the benefit of those notes.
Frizza said, “It would have been wonderful to talk to Morricone about his musical tastes… but we had to understand him based on what he left for us and try to interpret them in the best possible way.”
For example, he decided not to use violins in this orchestra, preferring instead flutes, harps and horns, which appear in Greek mythology, Freyja explained.
“Then you have modern instruments, a lot of percussion, with the Neapolitan sounds provided by the tambourine and the putipu,” he said, referencing the friction drums used in local folk music.
The Teatro San Carlo was filled with anticipation on Thursday evening as Neapolitans took part in an open rehearsal. The free tickets sold out within hours.
“It’s been such a long wait, that’s why we’re here today,” said middle-aged Alfonso Inaroso as he entered the theater.
local legend
The mythological Partenope is part of the culture of Naples, with tradition suggesting that her voice represents the enduring spirit of the city. The original Greek settlement was named after him. She is depicted in monuments such as the Fontana della Sirena, a fountain that has become one of the symbols of the city. Young children living in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius in the Bay of Naples learn the legend of the Partenope from their parents.
And like Morricone’s opera, Naples’ has been downtrodden and neglected for decades, but is enjoying a resurgence: the United Nations has recognized its pizza makers as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity; It has been included in lists of must-see destinations in foreign media; Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels were acclaimed bestsellers that became HBO series; And its football team won the country’s top league trophy in 2023 for the first time since Maradona played in the 1980s – then won again in May.
Naples also celebrates its 2,500th anniversary this year, and Morricone’s opera marks the culmination of the celebration. In his adaptation the protagonist is a woman who, after the death of her husband and separation from her best friend, refuses the solace of being transformed into a distant constellation. Instead, she prays to the gods to let her spread her wings over the bay on which an immortal city will be built.
The production explores the connection between the ancient legend and the identity of the modern city, as two sopranos together embody Partenope, reflecting her dual nature as body and myth.
‘Pain’
Morricone originally composed the one-act opera with a libretto by writers Guido Barberi and Sandro Cappelletto for a small festival in Positano, south of Naples on the Amalfi Coast – free of charge. But it was not to be: the festival went bankrupt and the Partenope was closed.
Several attempts have been made to revive his work, including one with Palermo’s Teatro Massimo between 1998 and 2000. But that project ultimately fell into limbo when a director could not be secured.
Barbieri, one of the authors of the libretto, said in an interview, “In those years Morricone suffered from not being accepted as a composer of ‘complete music’, because he was identified with his popular film scores.” Capelletto said that, in a conversation with two writers in 2017, three years before his death, Morricone appeared to be “at peace” with his musical career.
The Partenope has inspired numerous productions over the centuries, including 18th-century operas by renowned composers George Frideric Handel and Antonio Vivaldi and Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino’s 2024 film. Morricone’s work is finally coming to life to join his group.
“It was a great pleasure to hear the music of Morricone, the real hero of this opera,” said cinema student Giovanni Capuano, 26, after Thursday’s rehearsal. “His spirit is back and he has charmed us.”
,
Zampano reported from Rome.