Auditorium Novecento
Naples: complex, melancholic, warm yet intricate.
A city that has always been the beating heart of art and music, nurturing its niches with care and treasuring its projects as if they were its own children.
In 1901, Mr. Raffaele Esposito founded the Società Fonografica Napoletana, which, in 1910, changed its name to officially become Phonotype Record—the oldest Italian record label, still active today. Its musical catalog encompasses a significant portion of traditional Neapolitan songwriters and performers, from the earliest artists of the 1920s, such as Fernando De Lucia, Ria Rosa, Gilda Mignonette, and Enrico Caruso, to legends like Sergio Bruni and Renato Carosone, to name but a few. In essence, it is the history of music in Italy.
After three generations, the Esposito family (owners of the label and the building housing the renowned recording studio with its 130-square-meter hall) decided to pass the torch. A consortium of four partners, some already active in the music industry, took over the premises with the aim of reviving the recording activity and opening the Auditorium to the public, enabling everyone to enjoy live concerts in a space with outstanding acoustics. Thus, Auditorium Novecento was born.
Nick Drake live at Auditorium 900 in 2022, shot by Vladimiro Vacca via Lost Highways © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Numerous internationally acclaimed artists have crossed the threshold of this auditorium—among them Corey Harris, Alvin Youngblood, Alain Johannes, Calibro 35, and Geolier. Moreover, its live performances boast names such as Manu Delago (Bjork), Paolo Angeli, Alexander Hacke and Danielle de Picciotto, and Daniela Pes, to mention a few.
In 2023, two of the partners at Auditorium Novecento, Paolo De Rosa and Fabrizio Piccolo, acquired Phonotype Record with the vision of renewing this historic label and continuing its legacy of music production. We interviewed Paolo De Rosa, sole administrator of Phonotype Record, to learn more about this vast, powerful, established, and above all, quintessentially Neapolitan institution.
"Neapolitan music, like the Neapolitan language, is constantly evolving.
Artists such as Renato Carosone used the Neapolitan language and traditional songs, blending them with genres and rhythms that were popular in the United States at the time—his famous song Tu vuò fa l'americano is a prime example. Similarly, in the 1970s and 1980s, we witnessed the emergence of the 'Neapolitan Power' movement, led by artists like James Senese and Pino Daniele. Today, many successful rappers are Neapolitan and use a completely different language from that of traditional singers like Roberto Murolo.
As for our choices, we primarily aim to produce artists with distinctive originality (in other words, those who are not mere imitations of famous artists or who draw too heavily on the sounds of other successful songs) and quality throughout their artistic journey. We are open to all genres; for instance, we produced the electronic music album A Large Space in a Small Room by an artist named Noklan. We also released the performative drumming album Armamentario Sonico di una Domenica by the incredibly skilled drummer Stefano Costanzo, and the album Canzoni per tornare insieme o per lasciarsi per sempre by the Neapolitan singer-songwriter Nero Nelson. In short, our selection is diverse—we are deeply passionate about music and its unique value."
Naples has always been a crossroads of artistic influences. Despite this, spaces dedicated to art are scarce. Yet, there is another Naples—one that thrives. It’s not just about music but also slam poetry, talks, and a recording studio. Auditorium Novecento is filling this gap in artistic spaces, becoming a catalyst for both the underground and mainstream music scenes.
"At this moment in history, Naples is undergoing a transformation due to the increase in tourism and the resulting growth of related activities (B&Bs, street food, etc.).
As Auditorium Novecento and Phonotype Record, our goal is to become a key hub for music in Naples—both the music produced by our label and the live performances through an international-level artistic program. Among our goals is the creation of a small interactive museum path to showcase this important heritage to everyone. Of course, we don’t want to focus solely on Neapolitan music, to avoid becoming self-referential. In other words, we aim to preserve the past while looking toward the future."
Naples is a city that has always sung, even in its darkest moments. If it were to have a voice today—considering the challenging historical context we are in (partly due to overtourism, which is cannibalizing the city and creating a sugar-coated and toxic narrative)—what kind of melody would Naples sing? And what song would you like to see born here, within the walls of Auditorium Novecento?
"Regarding overtourism and its effects (which have been well known for years in many cities across Italy and the world), we should remember that tourism has created a flourishing economy, for the first time in many years. Many people have found jobs and opened new businesses. It is certainly crucial to establish balanced rules and to guide tourists—first feeding them with culture and then with traditional cuisine—while being mindful of preserving traditional artisan activities, promoting cultural sites and events appropriately, and improving transportation services. To answer your question, the song Funiculì Funiculà from 1880 comes to mind. It was commissioned as a true advertising jingle to promote and encourage the use of the funicular railway to climb Mount Vesuvius. The song was a resounding success, as was the funicular railway. Was that perhaps the beginning of overtourism? All jokes aside, we hope that after this initial phase of large tourist flows, for which the city was unprepared, we can find appropriate solutions for healthy and sustainable tourism."
A project that looks to the future while staying firmly rooted in its past.
"For the near future, we hope to complete the renovation of our headquarters and the restructuring of the spaces, as mentioned earlier, with the creation of an interactive museum path. Additionally, we aspire to continue releasing new musical productions and to restore Phonotype Record to the prominent role it deserves in the national music scene.
Finally, our dream—like that of every record producer—is to see the artists in our roster achieve great success."
