Excelsior - Preview for Young People

Teatro alla Scala Production

Young people aged up to thirty will have the possibility to attend an exclusive preview of the ballet. The methods of purchase are available on the website; for more detailed information visit the LaScala UNDER30 website (Italian version only).

Running Time: 2 hours 20 minutes intermissions included

Notes on the performancesOpen: In 1881, La Scala’s curtain opened for the first time on Excelsior, “a choreographic composition, historical, allegorical, imaginary, in six acts and eleven scenes” celebrating the triumph of Light and Civilization over Obscurantism. To a libretto and choreography by Luigi Manzotti, score by Romualdo Marenco and sets by Alfredo Edel, the ballet features the steamship, Volta’s battery, telegraphy, the Suez Canal and the Mont Cenis Tunnel in a celebration of the achievements of scientific and industrial Progress, uniting humanity in a common bond.

Excelsior was an extraordinary success, enjoying a run of more than 100 performances in its first season at home and a series of tours abroad, thanks to its symbolic and allegorical worth, which embodied the spirit of the age.

The new 1967 Crivelli/Dell’Ara/Carpi/Coltellacci production, in performance at La Scala since 1974, offers a lighter version of the original in its construction, orchestration, mime and cast (originally numbering over 500 performers) while maintaining the creativity of Manzotti’s ballet and the nostalgic flavour of the Italian spirit in dance.