Tela sonora - Music and Painting at Capodimonte
Five Fridays of concerts in the Salone delle Feste, where every painting meets its music
About Tela sonora
When a painting begins to play
Tela sonora. Music and Painting at Capodimonte was born from a simple yet ambitious idea: take a painting from the collection of the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte in Naples and build a musical program around it, chosen for its historical, thematic, and conceptual affinities. The result is a journey spanning three centuries of music, from Johann Sebastian Bach to Ludwig van Beethoven, transforming the Salone delle Feste into a shared space for listening and viewing.
The festival takes place in the city of Naples, in the Campania region, within the hilly district that houses the Bourbon palace and its vast historical park. This setting is more than just a backdrop: the chosen works belong to the very history of the museum and the city, and the accompanying music draws largely from the Neapolitan and European traditions of the 18th century.
The project and its promoters
Tela sonora is produced with the support of the Ministry of Culture - Directorate General for Performing Arts (Decree no. 2314 of 19.12.2025) - in collaboration with the Alessandro Scarlatti Association of Naples, a historic city concert institution. Each event is preceded by an introduction from musicologists and scholars, who explain to the audience the link between the image and the scores being performed: a way to ensure the pairing is not just evocative, but deeply understood.
The performers
The lineup brings together some of the most renowned ensembles in the Italian early and chamber music scene:
- Cappella Neapolitana conducted by Antonio Florio
- Ensemble Barocco di Napoli
- Coro Mysterium Vocis conducted by Rosario Totaro
- Gambe di Legno Consort conducted by Paolo Zuccheri, featuring soprano Roberta Invernizzi
- Violinist Gabriele Pieranunzi and pianist Alessandro Marangoni
The painting-music pairings
The common thread remains the same: a work of art, a listening experience. Angelica Kauffmann and her Portrait of the Family of Ferdinand IV call upon the Notturni that Haydn wrote specifically for the King of Naples; Gaspare Traversi's Musical Entertainment paves the way for Telemann's Tafelmusik and a trio sonata by Bach; Giuseppe Bonito's Genre Scene with Mask introduces Adriano Banchieri's Festino nella sera del giovedì grasso avanti cena; Masaccio's Crucifixion accompanies a sacred cantata by Ferrandini; and Lionello Balestrieri's 1900 sketch Beethoven closes the series with two violin and piano sonatas by Beethoven himself.
Not just for adults
Every Friday, the program splits: at 11:00 AM, an open rehearsal takes place as a lecture-concert reserved for schools, while at 4:30 PM, the concert is open to all visitors. This choice makes Tela sonora an educational project, designed to introduce new generations to both live music and the museum's collections.
Part of the Maggio dei Monumenti
The series is part of the Maggio dei Monumenti calendar, the major cultural festival that brings Naples to life every spring with extraordinary openings, itineraries, and concerts. For those visiting the city during this period, Tela sonora offers the chance to combine a visit to the National Gallery, a stroll through the Real Bosco, and a high-level concert in a single afternoon, at no extra cost beyond the entrance ticket.
Why it's worth it
More than just a cycle of museum concerts, Tela sonora is an experiment in listening guided by the gaze. Those entering the Salone delle Feste already know which painting is about to be narrated and can find it shortly after in the collection's rooms: a back-and-forth between sound and image that remains the true added value of the experience.
Tela sonora — edition 2026
Five Fridays between canvases and scores
The inaugural edition of Tela sonora brought live music into the Salone delle Feste of the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, in Naples, for five consecutive Fridays between May and June 2026. The formula remained identical for every appointment: a work from the collection chosen as a starting point, an introduction by a musicologist, and a concert built around that painting.
The journey covered about three centuries of repertoire, from the Renaissance counterpoint of Adriano Banchieri to the violin and piano sonatas of Beethoven, with a strong presence of the 18th-century Neapolitan school. On stage, the Cappella Neapolitana of Antonio Florio, the Ensemble Barocco di Napoli, the Coro Mysterium Vocis, the Gambe di Legno Consort with Roberta Invernizzi, and the duo Gabriele Pieranunzi - Alessandro Marangoni took turns.
Each day also included an open rehearsal at 11:00 AM in the form of a lecture-concert for schools. Admission to the 4:30 PM concerts was included in the museum ticket, subject to availability. The series, supported by the Ministry of Culture, was part of the Maggio dei Monumenti program.
Programme Tela sonora 2026
Friday, May 8, 2026 - Kauffmann and Haydn
Painting: Angelica Kauffmann, Portrait of the Family of Ferdinand IV. Cappella Neapolitana conducted by Antonio Florio. Program: two Notturni for Ferdinand IV by Haydn, the Chaconne by Niccolò Jommelli, and Symphony no. 6 "Le Matin" by Haydn. Introduction by Dinko Fabris.
Friday, May 15, 2026 - Traversi, Telemann, and Bach
Painting: Gaspare Traversi, Musical Entertainment. Ensemble Barocco di Napoli. Program: Trio and Quartet from the Tafelmusik by Telemann, Trio Sonata by Jommelli, Trio Sonata BWV 1039 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Introduction by Tommaso Rossi.
Friday, May 22, 2026 - Bonito and Banchieri
Painting: Giuseppe Bonito, Genre Scene with Mask. Coro Mysterium Vocis conducted by Rosario Totaro. Program: Festino nella sera del giovedì grasso avanti cena by Adriano Banchieri. Introduction by Gianluca D'Agostino.
Friday, May 29, 2026 - Masaccio and Ferrandini
Painting: Masaccio, Crucifixion. Roberta Invernizzi, soprano, with the Gambe di Legno Consort conducted by Paolo Zuccheri. Program: Il pianto di Maria, ovvero Oh spettacolo pur troppo funesto by Giovanni Battista Ferrandini, a Sonata for viols by Nicolai, the Laudate Dominum by Monteverdi, and a Prelude by Sylvius Leopold Weiss. Introduction by Maria Rossetti.
Friday, June 5, 2026 - Balestrieri and Beethoven
Sketch: Lionello Balestrieri, Beethoven (1900). Gabriele Pieranunzi, violin, and Alessandro Marangoni, piano. Program: Sonata no. 5 in F major op. 24 "Spring" and Sonata no. 9 in A major op. 47 "Kreutzer" by Beethoven. Introduction by Pier Paolo De Martino.
Hours
11:00 AM open rehearsal and lecture-concert for schools; 4:30 PM concert open to the public. Venue: Salone delle Feste.
Highlights Tela sonora 2026
- Five painting-music pairings built on historical and thematic affinities, from Bach to Beethoven
- The Notturni that Haydn composed for Ferdinand IV, paired with the portrait of the royal family by Angelica Kauffmann
- The Festino by Adriano Banchieri performed by the Coro Mysterium Vocis
- Roberta Invernizzi and the Gambe di Legno Consort in front of Masaccio's Crucifixion
- The "Spring" and "Kreutzer" sonatas with Gabriele Pieranunzi and Alessandro Marangoni
- Morning open rehearsals as lecture-concerts for schools
Prices Tela sonora 2026
Practical information — Tela sonora
Where
Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Via Lucio Amelio 2, 80131 Naples - Salone delle Feste.
How to get there
- By train: Naples Central Station, then city buses towards Capodimonte (approx. 30-40 minutes).
- By car: Tangenziale exits Capodimonte or Corso Malta; paid parking inside the Real Bosco and street parking along Via Miano.
- By plane: Naples-Capodichino Airport, just a few kilometers from the museum.
Tickets and hours
Admission to the concerts is included in the museum ticket, subject to availability. Full price 15 euros, reduced 12 euros during early and late hours, 2 euros for EU citizens aged 18-25, free for those under 18 and on free-entry days established by the Ministry of Culture. Open rehearsal for schools at 11:00 AM, concert at 4:30 PM.
Contacts
Phone +39 081 7499130 - [email protected] - ticket office 848 800 288. Updated information at capodimonte.cultura.gov.it.
Tips
Arrive early: seating in the Salone delle Feste is limited and there is no dedicated reservation system. Take advantage of the daily ticket to visit the collection before the concert and enjoy a walk in the Real Bosco.
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Where does it take place — Tela sonora
Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte - Salone delle Feste
Via Lucio Amelio 2, 80131 Napoli