entry Sept 2005
Mario Maglione
I had the pleasure some
time ago of sitting in the very historic setting of the
Palazzo Doria d’Angri (the
building where Garibaldi strode out onto the balcony in
1860 to proclaim an end to the Kingdom of Naples) and
listening to a bit of Naples that is immune to trivial
things such as military conquest —the Neapolitan Song, performed by
one of the foremost living exponents of that music, Mario Maglione. Often called
the spiritual heir to the great Roberto
Murolo (1912-2003), Maglione
is an explosive interpreter of the Neapolitan song, with
a well-trained voice and an approach to singing that
best captures the extreme sentiments and passions of the
repertoire.
Mario
Maglione was born in Mergellina,
the small fishing port one mile east of the main body of
Naples. From the medieval poet Jacopo Sannazzaro
(1458-1539) to more recent dialect poets such as Salvatore Di Giacomo
(1860-1934), Mergellina has been immortalized in the
verses and songs of her poets and musicians. It is
precisely here, among the local fishermen of Mergellina
that Maglione feels at home. He has recorded original
compositions that give voice and life to the fisherman as
an archetype--a kind of father figure risen to
mythological status.
Maglione's
musical roots can be traced to his adolescence and the
encouragement he received from the Capuchin friars of
Naples, who gave him the chance to perform in the small
monastery theater. Developing into a solid interpreter of
the Neapolitan repertoire, he performed in Elvio Porta's Masaniello
(a musical based on the life of that 17th-century
Neapolitan revolutionary). Maglione broke out of national
boundaries to perform recitals and gain recognition not
only in the Europe of Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland,
Hungary, and Holland, but on a worldwide stage as well, in
Japan, Australia, and Canada.
Maglione's CD's include: Suonno, Novecento Napoletano,
Scapricciando,
Ricordi di Napoli,
Napule Doceamare,
and Napule è na
Canzone, representing, together, a virtuoso
presentation of the classical Neapolitan song. He
has appeared on television many times, notably on the Maurizio Costanzo Show,
gaining the admiration of the host, Costanzo, one of
Italy's best known personalities and an undisputed
connoisseur of Italian show business. Other notable appearances on Italian
television have included Domenica In, Ciao Week-End, Radio Anchio,
Fantastica Età, 7 scenari per il 2000,
Buon Compleanno
and Tappeto Volante.
Roberto
Murolo, the foremost performer of the genre in the
20th century and absolutely the greatest scholar, ever, of
the music, clearly regarded Maglione as his musical heir.
In presenting one of Maglione's CDs to the public, Murolo
cited the singer's extraordinarily original and powerful
ability to communicate, supported by technical mastery and
a powerful, harmonious voice. Murolo was convinced that he
had found in Maglione one who could carry the traditions
of the classical Neapolitan Song into the future. That
judgment by Murolo is the best that Maglione, as well as
the rest of us, could have hoped for.
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