Long-Lost Ennio Morricone Opera Debuts in Naples After 30 Years

Vindication is finally at hand for an Oscar-winning composer who sought to prove he was as capable of bringing life to Italy's grand theaters as to the gritty films of Hollywood.

On Friday night, Naples' Teatro San Carlo will stage Ennio Morricone's only opera, "Partenope," three decades after its composition. It is inspired by the mythical siren who drowned after failing to enchant Ulysses; her body washed ashore and became a settlement that grew over millennia into the coastal city of Naples.

When Morricone wrote "Partenope" in 1995, he was already the world-famous creator of the spaghetti Western theme for "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and of captivating scores for epic films like "The Untouchables" and "Once Upon a Time in America."

He won an honorary Oscar in 2007, yet his compositions never resonated in the sacred halls of opera houses, seen in his native country as the most elitist musical tier. To his great regret, "Partenope" gathered dust for decades; Morricone died without seeing it performed.

"In the end, he took it as a sign of fate that he would not debut in the opera world," said Alessandro De Rosa, a close collaborator who co-wrote Morricone's autobiography, in an interview. "I am sure if he were alive now, he would have accepted the challenge and would have dialogued with the orchestra and the conductor, tirelessly, like a child."

Neapolitan Sounds

Director Vanessa Beecroft and conductor Riccardo Frizza had to find their way through the visionary work without the benefit of such notes.

"It would have been wonderful to be able to talk to Morricone about his musical choices... but we had to understand them from what he left us and we tried to interpret them in the best way," said Frizza.

For instance, he chose not to use violins in this orchestra, preferring instead flutes, harps, and horns, which appear in Greek mythology, Frizza explained.

"Then you have the modern instruments, many percussions, with the Neapolitan sounds provided by tambourines and the putipù," he added, referring to a friction drum used in local folk music.

The Teatro San Carlo was filled with anticipation on Thursday evening, as Neapolitans attended an open rehearsal. Free tickets were sold out within hours.

"It was such a long wait, that's why we are here today," said Alfonso Ieneroso upon entering the theater.

Local Legend

The mythical Parthenope is part of Naples' culture, tradition suggesting her voice represents the city's enduring spirit. The original Greek settlement was named in her honor. She is depicted in monuments like the Fontana della Sirena, a fountain that has become one of the city's symbols. Young children along the Gulf of Naples, living in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, learn the legend of Parthenope from their parents.

And much like Morricone's opera, Naples itself spent decades depressed and overlooked but is enjoying a resurgence: the U.N. recognized its pizzaiuoli as an intangible cultural heritage; it has appeared on foreign media lists of must-see destinations; Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels were hailed as bestsellers that became an HBO series; and its soccer team took the national league trophy in 2023 for the first time since Maradona played in the 1980s, then won again in May.

Naples also celebrated its 2,500th anniversary this year, and Morricone's opera marks the culmination of the festivities. The heroine in his adaptation is a woman who, after her husband dies and she is separated from her best friend, rejects the consolation of being transformed into a distant constellation. Instead, she asks the gods to let her extend her wings along the gulf over which an immortal city will rise.

The production explores the link between the ancient legend and the city's modern identity, as two sopranos embody Parthenope simultaneously, reflecting her dual nature as body and myth.

Torment

Morricone originally composed the one-act opera, without charge, to accompany a libretto by authors Guido Barbieri and Sandro Cappelletto for a small festival in Positano, just south of Naples on the Amalfi Coast. But it never came to fruition; the festival went bankrupt and Partenope was archived.

There were several attempts to revive his work, including one between 1998 and 2000 with Palermo's Teatro Massimo. But that project ultimately foundered when a director could not be secured.

"In those years, Morricone had the torment of not being accepted as a composer of what he called 'absolute music,' since he was identified with his popular film scores," said Barbieri, one of the libretto's authors, in an interview. Cappelletto said that in a conversation with the two authors in 2017, three years before his death, Morricone seemed "at peace" with his musical career.

Parthenope has inspired several productions over the centuries, including operas by renowned composers like George Frideric Handel and Antonio Vivaldi in the 18th century, and a 2024 film by Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino. Morricone's work finally comes to life to join their ranks.

"It was a great pleasure to hear Morricone's music, the true protagonist of this opera," said Giovanni Capuano, a 26-year-old film student, after Thursday's rehearsal. "His spirit has returned and has enchanted us."