Excelsior

Luigi Manzotti's 1881 ballet Excelsior portrays the eternal battle between Light (played here by Marta Romagna in a white tutu) and Darkness (Riccardo Massimi in a skeleton costume and skull makeup), with the conflict depicted against several significant technological advances of the time, including the invention of the steamboat, the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, Alessandro Volta's experiments with electricity, the building of the Suez Canal, and the linking of Italy and France via the Cenisio tunnel. Not surprisingly, Light invariably saves the day and inspires the innovators, while Darkness inevitably slinks off in snarling frustration. This 2002 Italian television production directed by Tina Protasoni and featuring the orchestra and corps de ballet of Milan's Teatro alla Scala suggests why this work is rarely revived. Exacerbating the heavy-handed symbolism of the original are garish costumes, dancers whose pantomime acting is overdone, and a vigorous presentation of the inventive Romualdo Marenco score (conducted by David Coleman) that repeatedly overwhelms Manzotti's elemental choreography (interpreted here by choreographer Ugo Dell'Ara). Before long, Excelsior devolves into a self-important 19th-century artistic statement that plays like clueless kitsch for contemporary audiences. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, and PCM stereo, this is not recommended. Aud: P. (P. Hall)