Napoli Eterna, the final performance of the third artistic residency of Playing Memories, was presented to the public as a world premiere on Saturday 8 February at the cultural centre La Base in Milan, before heading to Paris for a performance on 10 February at Salle Colonne, Boulevard Auguste Blanqui, 94.
“Napoli Eterna” is a sensory journey that explores the deep soul of Naples, a city suspended between past and future, where light and shadow, joy and melancholy, tradition and modernity coexist in constant dialogue.
In this multidisciplinary performance, built on musical reinterpretations of works by Roberto De Simone and Salvatore Di Giacomo, the fusion of dance, poetry, visual art, ancient sounds and electronic music traces the city’s path, telling the story of the indelible marks left by its historical dominations – Arab, Spanish, and French – and culminating in a futuristic vision.
The artistic cast, composed of thirteen students selected from among the top talents of the most prestigious higher education institutions in the arts and music (including three from the “Pôle Supérieur Paris Boulogne-Billancourt”), spent fifteen days at the “La Base” centre in the city of Milan.
There, starting from the original idea of singer Gabriella Di Capua, musical arrangements, choreographies, and video projections were created entirely from scratch, culminating in a performance that not only celebrates the city of Naples but reinvents it, projecting it into the future.
“Napoli Eterna” is part of “Playing Memories”, a project by the Saint Louis College of Music, co-produced with the Conservatorio Alfredo Casella of L’Aquila, the Fondazione Accademia d’Arti e Mestieri dello Spettacolo Teatro alla Scala in Milan, RUFA, and ISIA Rome.
With the special collaboration of the Pôle Supérieur Paris Boulogne-Billancourt.
8 February 2025, 6:00 PM – BASE, via Ambrogio Bergognone da Fossano, 34 – Milan
10 February 2025, 6:00 PM – Salle Colonne, Boulevard Auguste Blanqui, 94 – Paris
ARTISTS / PERFORMERS
Music
Gabriella Di Capua, vocals and artistic project leader
Pietro Intotaro, piano and keyboards
Salvatore Iembo, producer
Zachary Chourki, guitar
Marco Mariano, percussion
Théo Grossi, mandolin
Guillermo Úbeda Ferri, cello
Dance
Martina Verasani, dancer/choreographer
Sveva Sofia De Paolini, dancer
Giulia Angrisani, dancer
Isari Kasahara, dancer
Visual Art
Bianca Polakova
Edoardo D’Olimpio
Tutors
Maria Grazia Fontana, Music
Rosita Mariani, Dance and choreography
Marta Jovanovic, Visual Art
Fabio Cocifoglia, Theatre direction