He repeats it forcefully even when he is on stage: «The darkness is enveloping us. The fear and horror of wars overwhelm us like evil waves. But as Armentius says in the 'Cantata of the Shepherds': he who seeks war must go deep into the depths. We also owe towards the light, not towards the dark. And war is dark».
Peppe Barra brings his recital-show “Christmas enchantment” in the Basilica of Santa Restituta in Lacco Ameno and reiterates the strong message of hope and humanity of the late seventeenth-century work written by Andrea Perrucci, which has become the heritage of Neapolitan theater and popular culture that the centuries have not erased.
«Like the truest and most authentic traditions, those that have determined my life as an actor, as an artist, as a singer, as a researcher. The enchantment of Christmas resides in the hearts of those who celebrate the birth of Christ, a spiritual Christmas, not a commercial or food one. At my age I'm no longer allowed to tell lies. Only the truth».
Accompanied on stage by musicians and traveling companions who have supported him for years such as Paolo Del Vecchio guitar-mandolin, Luca Urciuolo piano-accordion, Ivan Lacagnina on percussion, Sasà Pelosi on bass, Francesco De Cristofaro on ethnic flutes, the 80-year-old artist, together with the soprano Angela Luglio and the countertenor Enrico Vicinanza, he won over the audience who came to Lacco Ameno thanks to an extraordinary stage personality, a inimitable, and a deep and passionate knowledge of those popular traditions that make every Peppe Barra show special. An appointment that promptly becomes a tribute to his artistic journey that began more than fifty years ago.
«I'm happy to be in Ischia because the traditions are still alive here» he confesses. «Like the feast of Santa Restituta, with its ancient rites and a popular devotion that is still strong, heartfelt, authentic. Elsewhere it is no longer like this: young people have renounced traditions and woe betide them! Not here. They cultivate them, they protect them, they are our roots, our sword to hold against the darkness of the present. I gladly come to this island also to absorb the strong energies that are circulating».
During the concert, Barra re-proposed the most classic pieces of the Cantata (from “Sogno di Arenzio” to “Leggenda del lupino”, from “Canzone di Razzullo” to the poignant “Quanno nascette Ninno”) retracing the journey of Giuseppe and Maria made impossible from the dangers of the underworld and intertwined with the grotesque misadventures of Razzullo and Sarchiapone, the comic figures of the Representation.
There was no shortage of romantic villanelles such as “Vurria adventare pesca d'oro” or excursions on his solo path (“Viandante”, taken from the album “Guerra”). And finally, the last thrill: the time that passes and takes everything away in the homage to Pino Daniele with his “Cammina passate”, a poignant melody about solitude chosen from that treasure chest that was “Terra mia”.
“With 'Christmas Enchantment' we wanted to offer an appointment with great popular art that can excite and take us into a dimension of strong spirituality and sharing”, declared the deputy mayor and councilor for culture Carla Tufano. «Not only to pay homage to an artist like Peppe Barra who, through the rediscovery of a language and a tradition, has strengthened the deepest roots of our land and our culture, but to better welcome the profound spirit of Christmas as a moment of solidarity , hope, reflection and rebirth. Culture, music, theatre, popular traditions are the best antidote against war and misunderstandings. And we in Lacco Ameno try to keep them alive.”
‘Christmas Enchantment'produced by Aquadia, was organized by the Municipality of Lacco Ameno and included in the “Billboard of metropolitan events 2024/2025” of the metropolitan city of Naples.
