In Holland, protagonist of 10 live shows with the Orchestra Nederlands Blazers Ensamble entitled NAPOLITANA!
From 1 to 16 February 2023 Amsterdam, Groningen, Heerlen, Helmond, Wageningen, Haarlem, Dordrecht, Den Haag, Utrecht, Enschede.
"Naples, a port city of breathtaking beauty on the Mediterranean Sea ," Dutch media wrote recently, " at the foot of Vesuvius, was a triumph of emotion and music. Music by the great masters that Naples has spawned, Domenico Scarlatti and Giovanni Pergolesi. The special guest of the NBE – Nederlands Blazers Ensemble is the living legend Peppe Barra, who sings traditional Neapolitan music like no other, full of drama and humor."
Maestro Peppe Barra, accompanied by guitarist Paolo del Vecchio, will be the protagonist of 11 shows in as many cities in Holland, entitled Napolitana! with the Dutch Orchestra NBE – Nederlands Blazers Ensamble founded in 1959 and which includes musicians from all the main symphony orchestras in the Netherlands.
The tour started on February 1st from Amsterdam and is continuing to touch the cities of Groningen (February 3rd), Heerlen (February 4th), Helmond (February 5th), Wageningen (February 8th), Haarlem (February 10th), Dordrecht (February 11th), Den Haag (February 12th), Utrecht (February 15th), Enschede (February 16th).
The show is a long journey into the history and musical tradition of Naples by great masters such as Ruggero Leoncavallo (Gypsies, Pagliacci), Domenico Scarlatti (Sonata K.8, K. 32, K. 141), Andrea Falconieri (The first book of songs ...), Gaetano Donizetti (A furtive tear, The Elixir of love), Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (Stabat Mater), Domenico Cimarosa (Pulcinella's Serenade), Eduardo Di Capua ('O sole mio) and Barra himself (Ballad of Vallarinio, La Ciorta, War/Black Tammurriata, Song of the Sanfedisti, Snow).
“I would never have expected such a great success in Holland – says Peppe Barra – every evening the audience, always attentive and polite, stands up to applaud. This tour in the Netherlands has turned out to be a splendid adventure, just as I have discovered fantastic theatres. The Dutch want to hear the musical and cultural heritage of Naples, they welcome it with love and respect. The Nederlands Blazers Ensamble Orchestra has then created beautiful arrangements, giving life to a show of great suggestion and immersion. This is an Orchestra of true professionals, which makes contamination its 'creed', welcoming in its staff also a Turkish musician, an Armenian who with the duduk, the ancient traditional Armenian instrument, embroiders for example with new colours 'Una furtiva lacrima' by Donizetti. This show should also come to Italy. I am honoured to have brought my story and that of my land to this place”.
PEPPER BARRA
Actor, singer, extraordinary character, for over fifty years he has been one of the most authoritative voices of Neapolitan theater and popular song. He is a respected artist in the world, ambassador of a culture that thanks to figures like his, continues to be known, spread and safeguarded over time.
But Barra is also an experimenter, since the time of the Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare, capable of giving new life to musical and theatrical texts dating back hundreds of years, as well as distorting, making them his own, traditional songs and recent compositions.
He recently released the double album Cipria e caffè (Enjo y All Music/Soundfly) which contains 13 songs, with the artistic production of Mario Conte and Paolo Del Vecchio, long-time collaborators of Barra both in the studio and on stage.
