DK Travel : Naples & the Amalfi Coast : Top 10 Opera Legends

Naples & the Amalfi Coast : Top 10 Opera Legends

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1. Teatro San Carlo

The oldest working opera theatre in Europe, 40 years older than Milan’s La Scala.
2. Inauguration

On 4 November 1737 the San Carlo was inaugurated with Metastasio’s opera Achille in Sciro .
3. Castrati

An 18th-century Neapolitan speciality, renowned castrati who sang at the San Carlo included Caffarelli (Gaetano Majorano), Farinelli (Carlo Broschi) and Gian Battista Velluti.
4. Fire

In February 1816 fire destroyed the San Carlo. In a few months the theatre had been rebuilt with perfect acoustics.
5. Ballet

San Carlo shares with La Scala the record for the first Italian ballet school (1812).
6. Gioacchino Rossini

The composer wrote some 50 operas and was artistic director of the opera house between 1815 and 1822.
7. Gaetano Donizetti

Donizetti composed 16 operas for the San Carlo, including Lucia di Lammermoor .
8. Vincenzo Bellini

In 1826 Bellini was asked to stage his first work at the San Carlo, Bianca e Gerlando .
9. Giuseppe Verdi

The “god” of Italian opera wrote his first opera for the theatre, Alzira , in 1845.
10. Enrico Caruso

Arguably the most famous tenor ever, Caruso was born in Naples in 1873. His 1901performance at the San Carlo was so heavily criticized that he never sang in Naples again.