The song “Funicluli – Funicula” was written by the journalist Peppino Turco and set to music by Luigi Denza in 1880 to celebrate the funicular which was built that year to the summit of Mt. Vesuvius. Although the song was written only in a few hours, it soon met with international success and contributed to a diffusion Neapolitan song all over the world.
The rhapsody by the famous Japanese composer and arranger Yo Goto is based on this song, and commands immediate excitement with unmuffled percussion and colorful fanfares that lead into a tarantella and trombone soli. The main motif wanders through all sections with effective changes of meter and harmony.