Romualdo Marenco

Excelsior

The "Ballo Excelsior", a ballet with music by Romualdo Marenco, celebrates the victory of progress over regression in six parts, through allegorical figures such as civilization, light, electrical energy and obscurantism. Andrea Moncalvo presents the famous gallop from it.

"Ballo Excelsior" is a choreographic action in six parts and eleven scenes by Luigi Manzotti (Milan, 1835 - 1905), with music by the Piedmontese composer Romualdo Marenco (Novi Ligure, 1841 - Milan, 1907). The ballet depicts the titanic struggle of progress against regression, which ends with the final victory of civilization over reactionism. All concepts are personified allegorically. The main dancer embodies civilization, followed by light, electrical energy and other figures, including darkness. Beginning with the time of the Spanish Inquisition, the author traces the history of mankind up to the construction of the Mont-Cenis tunnel, highlights events such as the abolition of slavery, recalls historical figures (Volta, Papin, etc.) and celebrates the great works and achievements of the past.

From this Grand Ballet, Andrea Moncalvo chose the most famous piece, the Gallop, which appears in the second scene of the first act and shows light and civilization as the main characters. The arrangement, which is also suitable for small wind orchestras that lack horns and trombones in particular, is based on the manuscript kept in the library of Novi Ligure (Alessandria), the birthplace of Marenco.