European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 15, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                I t a l y night atthe opera a pair of boxing gloves might be in order Here by Jeff Matthews if you go to the opera at san Carlo theater in Naples Italy it s quite easy to slip into the splendor of things. First above the main Entrance there is the presidential Box which used to be where the Kings and Queens of Naples sat then the tier on tier of gilded boxes spiralling up beneath a magnificent vaulted ceiling decorated with Cammarano s painting of Apollo presenting the great poets of the world to Minerva. Then there s the stage curtain painted by Mancinelli in 1854 showing the muses and Homer with 80 poets and musicians. So now the House lights dim the curtain goes up and. Wait is that someone booing already maybe you la get More than you bargained for but first a Little history san Carlo was built by the Bourbon King Charles Iii and opened in november of 1737. By the time the Century was out it was the most renowned opera House in Europe and one which put Naples easily on a Par with the other great music capital of that Century Vienna. San Carlo was the Birthplace of the Best loved form of operatic entertainment in the 1700s, the comic opera Light hearted fluff which featured lots of old lecher rolling their eyes while they chased virgins around the stage. The names of a few of the works tip you off the servant mistress the secret marriage the enamoured Monk. Hundreds of such operas were written and almost none survive. Fluff was fun but by the year 1800, it had Given Way to More serious things like revolution heroism passion Napoleon and Beethoven. In the Early 1800s, san Carlo was the workshop of Bellini and Donizetti founders of italian Lyric romantic opera. Also the great Gioacchino Rossini was musical director and House composer of san Carlo during those years. San Carlo burned to the ground in 1816, but was rebuilt in a few months time and was even More spectacular than the original. Stendahl wrote that he Felt As if he has been transported to the Palace of some Oriental emperor. My eyes were dazzled my soul enraptured. There is nothing in the whole of Europe to compare with  by 1850, a Northern italian composer had appeared on the scene Giuseppe Verdi. In spite of the prestige of the Naples theater censorship in the kingdom of Naples convinced him to take his operas elsewhere. Even after the unification of Italy its greatest composer continued to regard Naples As a provincial Backwater. Is Jeff Matthew thus by the late 19th Century the emphasis in opera in Italy had shifted to the North Arturo Toscani took Over the direction of la Scala in Milan in 1899 and assured that City s supremacy in the world of opera. In 1901, a Young neapolitan Enrico Caruso Sang the role of Nemorin in Donizetti s l Lisier d Arnore for a few weeks at san Carlo. Incredible As it now seems the voice subsequently judged the greatest operatic Tenor in history did t go Over Well with the Hometown crowd. He got bad reviews in the papers and vowed never to sing in Naples again. He kept his Promise. He went to America one of the tired poor and huddled masses recording for Ria what you mean they booed the great Caruso yes. At your own night at the opera maybe you la be fortunate enough to see real opera hooligans in action. Even when Mozart visited Naples in the 1770s, he complained about the noise and bad manners of the Public. They like to heckle and have indeed been known to Catchall the scenery at the opening curtain. Besides driving Caruso away at the turn of the Century More recently the san Carlo audience was so unforgiving to the Soprano in Madame Butterfly that she gave them spend a night at the opera in Naples above. Inside note the presidential Box where the Kings Ana Queens of Naples sat All the local version of the Finger the horns right from Center stage. Also Tenor Franco Corelli once actually ran off the stage to go after a heckler. And when the baritone in / Pagliacci delivered the opening line of the opera a rhetorical question to an on stage audience assembled for a carnival is put May i begin someone in the real life audience at san Carlo shouted no similarly a line toward the end of la 06/ieme has the Tenor singing i can no longer stay someone in the upper boxes shouted out so Leavel the most recent such episode happened last year. In a performance of Cilea a or Ana Recouvreur Tenor Nunzio Todisco was so upset at being upstaged by the Soprano that he got into a shouting match with the audience. Then a fist fight erupted Between rival hecklers. So that could be nicer than relaxing to Fine music and letting your eyes be dazzled and your soul enraptured amid 18th-Century opulence and with a Little Luck. How to get there the opera House is a Mere 10 minutes walk from the main port of Naples and is adjacent to the Royal Palace itself quite Worth visiting. As Well san Carlo is located centrally to the main shopping Street via Toledo. Schedule Luciano Pavarotti opened this year s Schmo ule dec. 1 with six performances of Verdi s masked Ball. That production ends dec. 20. Individual ticket prices for Pavarotti Start at 40,000 lire about $2 7. And goes to 400,000 $270. The opera season generally runs through june picking up for a final month in september. San Carlo alternates opera and Ballet during the season so besides la Traviata die Fleder maus Moses in Egypt Manon Lescaut and other operatic presentations this season patrons will also be Able to see Tchaikovsky s Swan Lake Ballet. Tickets season tickets begin at 150,000 lire about $100 for Balcony seats. The most expensive tickets go for 1,800,000 lire about $1,200 which guarantees opening night for every performance throughout the year and seats Are located on rows 1 through 10. Single ticket performances Cost Between 25,000 lire about $17 and 250,000 $170. The Box office phone number is 081/797-2331 or 797-2412. Itt can also sell single and season tickets. Their Telephone number is Dan 625-4165 and civilian 081/724-4165. When calling from outside Italy dial your International Access code the country code 39 and drop the first 0. Jeff Matthews a France writer living in Naple Italy december 15, 1994 stripes Magazine 11