We reach him by phone before he sets off on tour. Nino, even knowing you are an icon of Neapolitan song, did you expect all this appreciation in Zurich? “I am overjoyed! I realise I am much loved abroad and I know that, thanks also to an ethnic evolution of some songs, there will be an audience that is not strictly Italian, but foreign too. For me it is a return to the Volkshaus, a theatre where I made my debut 35 years ago, so it is a source of immense pride to know that after all this time my fans will be even more numerous.”
See the photos of the concert in Zurich
Photos: Gloria Bressan and Manuela Sarcinelli
The expatriates will come to listen to the man considered a symbol of the Neapolitan city… “The role played by my well-known face I sense every day. When, for my 60th birthday, I treated myself to the concert at the San Paolo, the warmth, above all of the young people, was the celebration of a triumph that filled my heart. You know, mine is a love affair: Naples has me in its veins and I have Naples in my veins.”
Did your personal story also help to create the image of a person to be admired and identified with? “My story is that of someone who made it despite growing up in a disadvantaged neighbourhood. It is a story of willpower, but also of hope. I came out of anonymity thanks to my talent, but above all thanks to the Neapolitans. They gave me the strength to make it while staying myself, without ever denying the very traits of my Neapolitan blood for which people began to love me. It was not easy to face the difficulties, the racism and the prejudices, but I overcame them with the dignity and the abilities that set me apart.”
You remain a positive symbol even though the trend of the moment is to portray a city with negative heroes who, unlike your experience, leave little room for personal redemption… “Of course, it is a cliché I do not want to indulge, not to deny the obvious, because Naples, objectively, is not only Gomorra. The city’s problems are undeniable, but why is the very high cultural level and the value of its artistic beauties not celebrated? Naples is breathtakingly beautiful! I wonder: why don’t they make a more romantic series in a location like Capri?”
Talking with Nino D'Angelo, you get the feeling that, on this tour whose shows are “sold out”, he is starting his career all over again with the overwhelming enthusiasm of his beginnings. And after 45 years in the business, it is a satisfaction for him to be able to gather the fruits of his success serenely and share it with his audience.
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