The Virtuosi di San Martino were born in Naples in 1994, when they debuted at the Teatro Cilea in Naples with “Cosima e altre storie”, a show dedicated to the famous author couple Pisano and Ciuffi, directed by Francesco Silvestri.
A quintet (flute, violin, cello, guitar and voice) that aims first and foremost to revisit repertoire material drawing on the tradition of popular songs from the 1930s, in a formula that nods to “cultured” music and theatre. Greeted immediately and in a more than flattering way by critics and the public, the Virtuosi embarked on a research path on those very materials, a path that resulted in the proposition of a trilogy that from the first show, through “Ciccio Concerto” (1994), comes to “Nel nome di Ciccio”, (1995) a show that brings them to theatres all over Italy, from which they self-produce a live CD. In the following year (1996) “So’ tribbale” debuted at the Teatro Nuovo in Naples, written by Roberto del Gaudio (lyrics), and Federico Odling (music).
From now on, the Virtuosi will dedicate themselves to staging shows based on original material of their own composition. In 1996 they participated in the play “Piedigrotta Lunaire”, by Pasquale Scialò, in which they proposed a micro-one-act play dedicated to Rodolfo de Angelis and Ettore Petrolini (debut in Naples, Sala dell’ex Lazzaretto). “Blu Carogna” (1997) was born, debuting at the Benevento Città Spettacolo Festival in Benevento, and “Carogna Suite” (1997-98), debuting at the Juvarra Theatre in Turin. In the 1998-99 season, the collaboration with Enzo Moscato, for the show “Arena Olimpia”, by Moscato himself, debuted at the Benevento Festival. In the same years, he began to take part in various radio programmes (Le stanze della musica – Radiotre; In aria – Radiodue; etc.) and on television (Maurizio Costanzo Show, Buona Domenica – Canale 5; Come si ride all’ombra del Vesuvio – Raitre; Convenscion a colori –Raidue, etc.).
