OSCAR MANCINO

XV LA REPUBBLICA del 21/07/2005 ANNALISA LUALDI LA STORIA
…MANCINO, la voce di Napoli Un cd di classici e nuovi suoni Il baritono che all’estero giudicano come l’erede di Caruso... NELLA prestigiosa vetrina del Festival di Edimburgo, dal 5 al 19 agosto prossimi,...sarà presentato come l’erede di Enrico Caruso. ... Il napoletano Oscar Mancino emigrò giovanissimo in Svizzera portandosi nella valigia un talento naturale e l’amore per la canzone della sua terra d’origine, che ha il dono di interpretare con voce camaleontica, spaziando dai sol in chiave di basso ai do di petto tenorili. Allievo prediletto di Mario Del Monaco,e protagonista nel 2003 di uno srepitoso Rigoletto al Teatro"Le Salon" di Ginevra, Mancino presto farà parlare di sé anche in Italia: tra pochi giorni, infatti, esce il suo primo album intitolato “The Voice of Naples ”, prodotto dalla Libero Music Publishing..., interamente registrato alla Mediterranea Studio e masterizzato da Bob Fix a Posillipo. Un disco cui hanno lavorato per tre anni, gomito a gomito, il baritono e due bravi compositori, Louis Siciliano e Tonino Esposito. Dodici brani inediti in napoletano con le eccezioni“Voici Geneve” in francese, “Musica” in italiano e “Amore e lacreme”, in napoletano e francese scritti ed eseguiti con l’accompagnamento di una grande orchestra sinfonica:ottanta orchestrali tra quelli del San Carlo e del Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella, insieme ai migliori elementi della musica etnico folcloristica campana. Ne è risultato un prodotto che coniuga sapientemente originalità e tradizione, affondando a piene mani nelle radici della musica italiana, da quella popolare della “Gatta Cenerentola” di De Simone ai madrigali barocchi di Gesualdo, dal contrappunto della scuola napoletana del ‘500 alle atmosfere by night anni ‘50, senza disdegnare influenze più moderne che ricordano le sonorità grandiose delle più belle colonne sonore affidate al cinema. Non è un caso se gli arrangiamenti dei brani sono stati curati proprio da un musicista che da anni compone musiche per film Louis Siciliano... Special guest il fisarmonicista originario di Pomigliano d’Arco e residente a New York, Tonino Esposito, che collabora stabilmente con la casa cinematografica Orion. Un lavoro minuzioso di concertazione audio in cui ogni strumento ha la funzione di sostegno della voce». E quella di Oscar Mancino è sicuramente particolare: ha un timbro drammatico che ricorda i migliori interpreti del “bel canto” con guizzi inaspettati dal colore popolareggiante, e repentine variazioni di tonalità in ogni brano. Ma “The voice of Naples” emoziona al di là delle indiscusse qualità tecniche, è un canto appassionato che parte dal cuore. «Credo molto nell’interpretazione, vorrei trasmettere il piacere del canto che è un concentrato di istinto e ragione — dice il baritono — Napoli continua ad ispirare le mie canzoni, non ho mai smesso di conciliare la musica classica con la canzone partenopea: due scuole molto vicine». Nell’album si alternano brani nostalgici (“Paesaggio Vesuviano”, “Comme si bella Napule”), ironici (“Cowboy napoletano”, “Me scetaste int’a nuttata”) a canzoni romantiche che sembrano appartenere a una poetica d’altri tempi. Ma ecco prorompere “Maggio” con archi e violini dal sapore barocco e un testo attuale che parla di guerra: “Maggio sta guerra nun vò firnì, ce fa capì, ce fa suffrì, ce fa impazzì, l’hanna fermà”. Gli intermezzi, tra ogni canzone, riecheggiano con i suoni popolari di tammorre, mandolini,nacchere, scetavajasse e putipù. Insomma con la “voce di Napoli” si parte per un viaggio affascinante che ha il pregio di abbracciare un po’ tutta la storia della musica napoletana…............................................... ............................................................ ............................................................ ..................................................OSCAR MANCINO The Voice Of Naples © 2005-2008 Libero Music Publishing/Pomilia Music Original Neapolitan love songs of great musicality, artistry and Vesuvian energy, composed for an exceptional voice, breathing new life into the traditional Neapolitan song, for too long stuck in the groove of 'O Sole Mio'. notes OSCAR MANCINO: "THE VOICE OF NAPLES" Whether it is his favourite operatic role "Rigoletto", a 'bel canto' recital, his commedia dell 'arte production "Pulcinella malgré lui " or an evening of Neapolitan songs, the Maestro's approach is the same.: "Credo molto nell'interpretazione, vorrei trasmettere il piacere del canto che è un concentrato di istinto e ragione - dice il baritono - Napoli continua ad ispirare le mie canzoni, non ho mai smesso di conciliare la musica classica con la canzone partenopea: due scuole molto vicine" "Believing strongly in interpretation, I want to transmit the pleasure of the song, that is an amalgam of instinct and reason ... Naples continues to inspire my songs, I have never stopped conciliating classical music with the Parthenopean song: two schools closely linked".An innovative CD with memorable songs such as "Comme si Bella Napule ...", written by Oscar Mancino himself. An ever-green which is sure to become the anthem for Naples - nostalgia for the native land being the trademark of all Italians at home or abroad!"Ammore e lacreme" written 8 years ago carries with it the pain and the defiance of lost love."Cowboy Napulitano" by Tonino Esposito, the bitter-sweet taste of exile."Tu" grandiose waves of emotion ...Each song contains a story to discover absolutely. The message being 'love', in all its manifestations. ***** "THE VOICE OF NAPLES" An Italian 'Buena Vista Social Club' with the Neapolitan Song as its star: not neglected musicians but a neglected art form, stuck in the groove of O Sole Mio! THIS IS THE STORY OF 3 NEAPOLITANS: 1. A lyric artist living in Switzerland and France. 2. A sound engineer living and working in Naples and Rome. 3. A pianist, established composer and professor of comparative literature, living in New York. What they had in common: - All three were born and bred in Naples. -All 3 were multi-talented classically trained musicians -All three had composed original Neapolitan songs - How they came into contact: - A music-loving Swiss resident, (the president of Recitar Cantando, a non-profit making association for the promotion of Italian music), in her search for a recording studio to produce a CD of Oscar Mancino singing traditional Neapolitan songs 'chose' (that is another story!) and contacted a recording studio in Naples. It could have been any studio in the UK or in Italy. What followed: The chief sound engineer, Luigi Siciliano, turned out to be a great enthusiast of the traditional Neapolitan art form. Once he had heard recordings of Oscar Mancino's voice, he picked up his guitar and drove all the way to Geneva, where he declared the Maestro to be the new Caruso, the only Neapolitan left who could do justice to the Neapolitan song, and proceeded to sing two songs which he (LS) himself had composed many years earlier, but had felt too protective towards to entrust to any of the singers on the current music scene.. In the following days he contacted an old friend, Tonino Esposito, in New York, to give him the good news of his discovery, where-upon Esposito also reveals his own hidden treasures, which he had refused to give to some well-known singers, for whom he had written other songs. He had also been waiting for a worthy interpreter. The result: The three artists teamed up with a most enthusiastic and dynamic band of classically trained virtuoso Neapolitan musicians to record 12 magnificent songs, in Naples, which saw their UK premiere at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Presentation of the Maestro OSCAR MANCINO: YOU HAVE HEARD OF CARUSO,YOU HAVE KNOWN PAVAROTTI,NOW DISCOVER OSCAR MANCINO… Oscar Mancino, a lyric artist with a voice that has marked him as a great 'Rigoletto', and earned him the title of 'The Voice of Naples' from his compatriots. He is not only an exceptional classical and operatic singer, but like all great Neapolitans, such as Caruso, he has Naples and its volcanic energy running through his veins. An extraordinary voice, with a range from bass through baritone to dramatic tenor; a worthy heir and unique flag-bearer of the Neapolitan tradition on the current world music scene. For the UK premiere of his CD, "The Voice of Naples", at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Oscar Mancino was accompanied by seven of his most accomplished virtuoso Neapolitan musicians. On the CD he is backed by 80 such musicians. A great production, marrying symphonic and ethnic. A most successful and enchanting mixture of the traditional and the modern, using a wide selection of instruments, bringing the Neapolitan art form into the 21st century. A product wholly 'made in Naples', guaranteed to put the sunshine of Italy into the coldest of hearts, and the broadest of smiles on every face. 12 songs, and 3 instrumental interludes, covering every human emotion, with the main message being, as always, love in its many manifestations. And don't forget to listen out for the songs of Vesuvian birds! ***** BRIEF BIOGRAPHY of OSCAR MANCINO Born in Naples, the son of a famous singer and performer, painter, national athlete and boxing champion, Michele di Potenza. He studied piano and singing at the Geneva Conservatory, at the Modena Conservatory and elsewhere in Italy, under such great Masters as Mario Del Monaco, Paride Venturi, Arrigo Pola and Gianni Raimondi. He was one of Del Monaco's favourite students and was at the great master's bedside when he died. He won his first of many singing prizes at the Rovigo conservatory and embarked on a successful operatic career, with a vocal range from baritone to dramatic tenor. Favourite operas: Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto and 'Don Carlos'; Rossini's Barber of Seville; Donizetti's Elisir D'Amour and Don Pasquale, Mozart's 'Don Giovanni'. ***** PRESS COMMENT ITALIAN PRESS La Repubblica : In the prestigious showcase of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, from the 7th to the 14th of August, he will be introduced as the heir to Enrico Caruso. The Neapolitan Oscar Mancino, now in his forties emigrated, at a young age, to Switzerland carrying in his suitcase a natural talent and the love for the song of his native country, which he has the gift to interpret with a chameleonic voice, roving from G bass clef to tenor high C. A favourite student of Mario del Monaco, and protagonist in 2003 of a grandiose "Rigoletto" at the 'Théâtre Les Salons' in Geneva, Mancino will soon have people talking about his album also in Italy: A CD on which, the baritone and two other composers, Tonino Esposito. and Louis Siciliano have worked elbow to elbow for three years. Twelve original songs in Neapolitan (with the exceptions of "Voici Geneve" in French, "Musica" in Italian and "Ammore e lacreme", in Neapolitan and French) written by the three and accompanied by a great symphonic orchestra: eighty musicians between those from Saint Carlo and the Conservatory of Saint Peter of Majella, with the best elements of ethnic-folkloristic music. The result is a product that conjugates learned originality and tradition, dipping into the roots of Italian music, from the popular of the "Gatta Cenerentola" of De Simone to the baroque madrigals of Gesualdo, from the counterpoint of the Neapolitan school of the 500's to the 50's by night atmosphere, without scorning huge, and more modern, influences that recall the sonority of the most beautifulst cinematique sounds. A most notable aspect of the CD is in the sophisticated technology applied to give great natural spontaneity to voice and orchestra. The acoustics of the disc has been subordinated to new technology: that is to say we have what is recreated virtually, through the perfect acoustics of "Concert Gebouw" of Amsterdam- a meticulous job of audio concertation in which every instrument has the role of supporting the voice. And the voice, that of Oscar Mancino is surely exceptional: it has a dramatic stamp that is reminiscent of the best interpreters of "bel canto", with unexpected apparitions of popular colour and variations in tonality in each number. But "The Voice Of Naples" , indisputable technical qualities apart, is sung with a passion that emanates from the heart. "With a great belief in the importance of interpretation, I want to transmit the pleasure of singing that is an amalgam of instinct and reason " says the baritone, " Naples continues to inspire my songs, and I have never ceased reconciling classical music with the song of the Parthenon: two schools very closely linked."In the album they alternate the nostalgic - "Paesaggio Vesuviano","Comme si bella Napule..." -the ironic - "Neapolitan Cowboy", - with the romantic songs that seem to belong to the poetry of another time.The intermezzi of the songs resonate with the rich and popular sounds of (Neapolitan percussion instruments): the tambourine, mandolin, castagnettes, scetavajasse and putipù. In short with "The Voice of Naples" you set off on a fascinating journey with the privilege of embracing the whole history of Neapolitan music. ANNALISA LUALDI 21st July 2005 La Repubblica XXXXX EDINBURGH REVIEW of Maestro Mancino's show "Napoli e Basta!" featuring songs from his latest CD "The Voice of Naples" Name of publication: Three Weeks August 2005 OSCAR MANCINO in "Napoli E Basta!" "Music, like a torrent you flood my soul, and around me I fly free in space without end." Music from Naples is unashamedly emotional, and as such, needs a passionate performer in order to pull it off. Luckily, Oscar Mancino is just that type. Each song is delivered with emotion and depth, and although I don't understand Italian I can just about get the gist of them. A great performance is also given from the musicians in the Ensemble Recitar Cantando... wonderful music. XXXXX