Abstract
The composer Hans Werner Henze noted in 1958 that everything noisy in Naples «has to do with singing, comes from singing and ends in singing». Music has always played a major role in the cultural melting pot of Naples, from the canzona napulitana to opera performances in the Teatro San Carlo, the oldest opera house in the world still in existence today. At the beginning of the 18th century, the composers of the Neapolitan School, including Alessandro Scarlatti and Nicola Porpora, had a decisive influence on the development of opera. One hundred years later, Gioachino Rossini and Gaetano Donizetti celebrated great successes in Naples. In a musical journey through time, the Orchestra La Scintilla, its artistic director Riccardo Minasi and the soprano Maria Grazia Schiavo travel from the 16th to the 20th century, and invite you to discover the musical culture of Naples from its well-known and lesser-known side.