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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. |
I had the pleasure
some time ago of sitting in the very historic setting of
the