Partenope (Morricone)
| Partenope | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Ennio Morricone | |
| Other title | Musica per la sirena di Napoli ("Music for the siren of Naples") |
| Librettist | Guido Barbieri and Sandro Cappelletto |
| Language | Italian |
| Based on | The legend of Parthenope and the founding of Naples |
| Premiere | 12 December 2025 Teatro di San Carlo, Naples |
Partenope is an opera in one act with music by Ennio Morricone to an Italian libretto by Guido Barbieri and Sandro Cappelletto.[1] Its subject is the legend from Greek Mythology of the siren Parthenope.[2] After failing to lure Odysseus to his death, Parthenope drowned herself. Her body washed ashore in Southern Italy, where Greek colonists founded a city named in her honor. That city would eventually become Naples. The opera was written and composed in 1995, but was first premiered on December 12, 2025, five years after Morricone's death.[3]
Composition and premiere
The opera was commissioned in 1995 for a festival in Campania. However, the festival did not end up happening.[3] The opera premiered on 12 December 2025, the year Naples celebrated 2,500 years since its founding.[3] The premiere starred Jessica Pratt in the role of Partenope 1, Maria Agresta in the role of Partenope 2, Désirée Giove in the role of Persefone, Francesco Demuro in the role of Melanio, and Mimmo Borrelli in the role of the Narrator.[1] The premiere was directed by Vanessa Beecroft and conducted by Riccardo Frizza.[4]
Score
The score calls for mostly wind instruments, with no violins.[3] Additionally, the score utilizes percussion instruments used in Neapolitan folk music, including tammorra and tamburello (variations of tambourine), and putipù.[3] Morricone drew on the modal music of Ancient Greece for the score.
References
- ^ a b "Partenope - Teatro di San Carlo". 31 May 2025. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
- ^ Zampano, Giada; Laporta, Salvatore (12 December 2025). "Oscar winner Morricone's lost opera debuts in Naples after 30 years". AP News. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Povoledo, Elisabetta (12 December 2025). "From 'Spaghetti Western' Scores to the Opera Stage". Retrieved 14 December 2025.
- ^ "Ennio Morricone: The Operatic Debut". European American Music Distributors Company. Retrieved 14 December 2025.