Naples in mourning for the passing of Maestro Roberto De Simone. The famous musicologist, composer, director and anthropologist passed away at the age of 91, leaving an unfillable void in Italian culture.
Having been ill for some time, De Simone died in his Neapolitan home, surrounded by his family: his sister Giovanna, his nephew Alessandro (a musician and teacher at the San Pietro a Majella Conservatory), and a few close friends.
With his death, an era ends. De Simone was a beacon of Neapolitan culture, a central figure of the twentieth century and the beginning of the new millennium. Founder in 1967 of the New Society of Popular Singing, brought back to light the expressive power of the Neapolitan and Southern musical tradition, with a cultured, theatrical and anthropological style.
Artistic Director of the Teatro di San Carlo from 1981 to 1987 and Director of the Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella between 1995 and 1999, the maestro explored musical languages with academic rigor and popular passion.
He rediscovered and relaunched forgotten works of eighteenth-century Naples, staging them with innovative visions and a deep respect for the roots.
Among his most famous masterpieces "The Cinderella Cat", a seminal work that marked the rebirth of popular musical theatre in the 70s, and then “The Opera Buffa of Holy Thursday”, “Masaniello”, “Neapolitan Mystery”, “The Piedigrotta Festival”. In a more strictly musical context, compositions such as the “Requiem in memory of Pier Paolo Pasolini”, the cantata “People's Progress”, and the "Lauda Around the Stabat".
But De Simone was also the author of memorable shows for the Teatro di San Carlo: from the “Theatrical Party” for the 250th anniversary of the Neapolitan Massimo to the poignant "Stabat mater" with the voice of Irene Papas, up to “Eleonora”, work dedicated to the Neapolitan revolution of 1799, with Vanessa Redgrave in the role of Eleonora Pimentel Fonseca.
He has worked with some of the greatest conductors, including Riccardo Muti, and brought his visions to the stage between La Scala, San Carlo and the most prestigious Italian and European theatres. Always with a careful eye on the cultured and popular theatre, capable of speaking to everyone, making the strings of southern and universal identity vibrate together.
Italian and international culture loses one of its most authoritative, creative and profound voices. A true maestro, capable of making the memory of the past dialogue with modernity, the sacred with the profane, refinement with the emotion of the people. With him, Naples loses one of its most enlightened sons. But his legacy will continue to live in music, theater, books and in the hearts of those who knew how to listen to him.
Article published on 7 April 2025 - 10:11
This is very sad news, Roberto De Simone was a great artist and gave so much to Neapolitan culture. His death leaves a great void and he will surely be remembered for his important works and for his contribution to music.