Carefully restored to its former splendor, the San Carlo is the oldest working theatre in Europe (41 years older than Milano's Scala and 51 years older than Venice's Fenice) its regular seasons having only been interrupted once, in 1874 and 1875 - due to a lack of funds.

Teatro di San Carlo was built by King Charles of Bourbon who wished to endow his capital city with a grand house to replace the old and crumbling San Bartolomeo which belonged to the Casa degli Incurabili. On March 4th, 1737 a contract was signed with architect Giovanni Antonio Medrano and contractor Angelo Garasale for the construction of the theatre. The cost was fixed at 75,000 ducats and the completion term given for the end of that same year.
This contract was fulfilled with astonishing precision: as early as November 4th, 1737 - the king's name day - San Carlo was inaugurated with Metastasio's opera Achille in Sciro, set into music by Domenico Sarro, who also conducted the orchestra, and with two ballets as intermezzos created by Grossatesta.

JANUARY 2009 

January 25th (7:00 pm,) 27th (8:30 pm,) 30th (6:00 pm) opera
Peter Grimes
Benjamin Britten
Orchestra and Chorus of San Carlo Theatre
Conductor - Jeffrey Tate

January 26th (8:30 pm) concert
Recital
Grigory Sokolov piano
Music by Ludwig van Beethoven

 

FEBRUARY 2009 

February 1st (5:00 pm,) 3rd (6:00pm) opera
Peter Grimes
Benjamin Britten
Orchestra and Chorus of San Carlo Theatre
Conductor - Jeffrey Tate

February 7th (8:30 pm,) 8th (6:00 pm,) 9th (8:30 pm) concert
Orchestra and Chorus of San Carlo Theatre
Conductor - Riccardo Muti
Chorus Master - Marco Ozbic
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter"
Giuseppe Verdi, Stabat Mater; Te Deum

February 18th (8:30 pm,) 19th (6:00 pm,) 20th (time t.b.e,) 21st (6:00 pm,) 22nd (5:00 pm,) 24th (8:30 pm,) 25th (time t.b.e,) 26th (6:00 pm) ballet
Giselle
Guest Stars
Roberto Bolle
Alicia Amatriain
Orchestra and Corps de Ballet of San Carlo Theatre

MARCH 2009

March 9th (8:30 pm) concert
Nikolaj Znaider violin
Robert Kulek piano
Francis Poulenc, Sonata for violin and piano
Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata for violin and piano No. 5 in F major, op. 24 “Primavera”; Sonata for violin and piano No. 7 in C minor, op. 30
Maurice Ravel, Tzigane
 

March 18th (8:30 pm,) 20th (6:00 pm,) 22nd (5:00 pm,) 24th (8:30 pm,) 26th (6:00 pm) opera
La Damnation de Faust
Hector Berlioz
Orchestra, Chorus and Children's Chorus of San Carlo Theatre
Conductor - George Pehlivanian

March 25th (8:30 pm,) 27thh (6:00 pm) concert
Orchestra and Chorus of San Carlo Theatre
"Buffo ma… non troppo"|
Conductor - Gianpaolo Bisanti
Bass - Bruno De Simone
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Don Giovanni - ouverture K527; Aria K541 - "Un bacio in mano"; Aria K433 - "Maenner suchen stets zu naschen"
Domenico Cimarosa, Le Astuzie femminili - "Le figliuole che so..."
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Le Nozze di Figaro, ouverture K492; Le Nozze di Figaro - "Aprite un po’ quegli occhi"; Le Nozze di Figaro, "Hai già vinta la causa..."
Gioachino Rossini, Il Viaggio a Reims - "Medaglie incomparabili", La Gazzetta - "Costa grazia"; Tancredi - sinfonia; La Cenerentola - "Sia qualunque delle figlie"
Gaetano Donizetti, L'Elisir d’amore - "Udite o rustici"
Gioachino Rossini, Matilde di Shabran - "Intanto Armenia"

March 28th (8:30 pm) concert
Orchestra Mozart
Conductor - Claudio Abbado
Flauto - Jacques Zoon
Harp - Letizia Belmondo
Clarinet - Alessandro Carbonare
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Double concert in C major for flute, harp and orchestra K299; Concert in A major for clarinet and orchestra K622; Symphony No. 38 "di Praga" in D major K504

APRIL 2009

April 9th (8:30 pm) concert
Chorus and Children's Chorus of San Carlo Theatre
Concert in collaboration with Alessandro Scarlatti Association
Conductor - Ingo Metzmacher
Mahler Jugendorchester
Chorus Master - Marco Ozbic
Children's Chorus Master - Stefania Rinaldi
Mezzosoprano - Jane Irwin
Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 3 in D minor for contralto, Women's Chorus, Children's Chorus and orchestra

April 18th, 21st, (8:30 pm,) 23rd (6:00 pm,) 26th (5:00 pm,) 28th (6:00 pm)
Die Entfuehrung aus dem Serail (Il Ratto dal Serraglio)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Orchestra, Chorus and Chorus of San Carlo Theatre
Conductor - Jeffrey Tate

April 22nd (8:30 pm,) 24th (6:00 pm) concert
Orchestra of San Carlo Theatre
Conductor - Jeffrey Tate
Violin - Gabriele Pieranunzi
Piano - Nelson Goerner
Alban Berg, Kammerkonzert for piano, violin and 13 wind instruments
Richard Strauss, Metamorphosen, study for 23 bow soloist
 

MAY 2009

May 9th (8:30 pm) concert
Concertgebouw Amsterdam Orchestra
Conductor - Daniel Harding
Piano - Lang Lang
Fryderyk Chopin, Concert for piano and orchestra No. 2, op. 21
Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 2, op. 73

May 12th, 13th (8:30 pm,) 14th, 16th (6:0- Teatro San Carlo
Napoli, zompa e vola
Corps de Ballet of San Carlo Theatre
Choreography - Amedeo Amodio
Corps de Ballet of San Carlo Theatre

 

If you would like to book any of the listed concerts, operas or ballets at the San Carlo Theater or would like additional information please contact our concierge: Valentina