Carosone Award: Neapolitan music, from memory to new generations, at the Arena Flegrea on September 30th

Renato Carosone returns to Naples with a grand evening dedicated to his music and artistic legacy. The Carosone Award ceremony will take place on Wednesday, September 30th, at 9:00 PM, at the Arena Flegrea, with a cast spanning generations, languages, and influences of Neapolitan music.

The event was presented at a press conference by Onofrio Cutaia, Campania Region Councilor for Culture, and its creator and artistic director, Federico Vacalebre. The Award is promoted and funded by the Campania Region through Scabec, with Cohesion Funds Italy 21-27.

"Renato Carosone was a great innovator who demonstrated to everyone that Neapolitan song is a living heritage, capable of continually regenerating itself through encounters and cross-fertilization with other musical cultures," Cutaia declared.

This year's edition aims to connect tradition with more contemporary expressions. "The award dedicated to him looks to the future, bringing together different generations, languages, and sensibilities," the councilor added.

Vacalebre recalled the origins of the event, founded in 2002 with the aim of reviving and promoting the repertoire of the "cantapianista" who passed away in 2001. "Twenty-four years later, Carosone is the most performed Italian artist in the world," the artistic director emphasized, explaining how the evening's journey also extends to two figures who passed away in the last year, Peppino Di Capri and James Senese.

The musical thread will therefore start from Carosone and traverse the path of the "Americans of Naples", arriving at Pino Daniele and the following generations, up to Liberato, Nu Genea and Geolier.

On stage, Claudio Mattone will recount his relationship with Carosone and Di Capri, while Fitness Forever will perform "Ischia," Peppino's last song, reinterpreted with a Rio-inspired twist. Gnut and Alessandro D'Alessandro will perform "E mo' e mo'," Lorenzo Hengeller will ideally unite Carosone, Di Capri, and Senese through piano, and Walter Ricci will perform the sound of "Let's Twist Again."

There will also be space for Neapolitan voices: Gigi Finizio will perform "Champagne" and "Maruzzella," Andrea Sannino will perform "Un grande amore e niente più" and Carosono's unreleased "'A signora," while Monica Sarnelli will pay tribute to the maestro with "Nun è peccato" and "Frennesia."

The James Senese tour will instead feature Pietro Santangelo's PS5, with "Campagna" and "Jesc'Allah." Stefano Palatresi will revisit an episode of Sanremo's history with Piero Proietti and Peppino Di Capri, while Enzo Gragnaniello will perform "Signo' dint' a sta chiesa" and "T'aspetto 'e nove" on guitar. Alessandra Tumolillo will perform "Chiammame" by Mattone and "Tiene n'mano," an unreleased song from Lazzaro Felice, launched by the documentary "Pino."

The grand finale will feature three pianos: Gigi D'Alessio will join Lorenzo Hengeller and Walter Ricci for a closing jam session, capping off the evening with a musical interplay. Accompanying the artists will be a backing band led by Gigi De Rienzo on bass, Carlo Fimiani on guitar, Jerry Popolo on saxophone, Claudio Romano on drums, and Pino Tafuto on piano and keyboards. Hosts will be Noemi Gherrero, Maria Elena Fabi, and Gianni Simioli, while Roberto Funaro will introduce the show with his selections from New York.

Admission to the Arena Flegrea is free. Tickets will be available on Etes starting 11:00 a.m. on Friday, September 25th. The Award ceremony will also be broadcast on Canale 21 on Wednesday, October 14th at 11:30 p.m., with a repeat on Saturday, October 17th at 12:00 p.m.