The Festival dei Due Mondi remembers Roberto De Simone

The Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto pays tribute to Roberto De Simone, the musical genius who passed away yesterday at the age of 91. A world-renowned composer, playwright, and ethnomusicologist, De Simone was a leading authority on traditional and popular forms of expression.

On July 7, 1976, he made his debut at the Festival dei Due Mondi with La Gatta Cenerentola, a milestone that marked his international breakthrough. Inspired by the 17th-century fairy tale from Giambattista Basile’s Lo cunto de li cunti, the production was a remarkable result of De Simone’s passionate ethnomusicological research into the folk traditions of southern Italy.

De Simone played a pivotal role in recovering and revitalizing the cultural heritage of Campania’s oral and written traditions. With the Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare, which he founded, the stage production featured Isa Danieli, Peppe and Concetta Barra, Antonella Morea, and Fausta Vetere.