conductor Lt. Col. Massimo Martinelli
MUSICAL BAND OF THE CARABINIRI CORPS
The Band of the Carabinieri is known all over the world for the variety of its repertoire, for the formal perfection of its performances and the appeal aroused by its orchestra members, with their splendid uniforms, the magnificent composure, the profound musical vocation. Public participation at the Band’s concerts remains one of the many aspects of the natural liking that drives citizens to listen to the Police. In Piedmont, following the new order given to the Army by Carlo Alberto in 1831, it was established that there would be 18 musicians for each regiment of the line, and 24 for the "Compagnia Guardie del Corpo di S.M.". With subsequent determinations, all matters connected to the service of the "military music" were regulated, reaching an extensive, complete form of organization. It was in those years that the Carabinieri Corps had its first trumpeters, the original core of musicians, that gradually, with subsequent staff rearrangements and availability of instruments, gave rise first (in 1862) to the "Fanfare" and then to the "Music". Finally, the "Band" was founded from there, and after successive refinements took on the present day features.
Since July 1, 2001, the band has been conducted by Maestro Massimo Martinelli. Today, with its 102 musicians, who are recruited and selected through open competitive exams, the Musical Band of the Carabinieri Corps constitutes a complex structure that interprets the most celebrated compositions.
Its very rich repertoire ranges from traditional military marches to classical pieces, to modern and contemporary. Wherever it performs, concert halls, theaters, radio and television, the Band gathers success and receives approval from the harshest of critics.
Today, the Band of the Corps can therefore be considered a full orchestral formation, that is profusely harmonious and engaged in a constant search for the best musical preparation.
Not by chance, in fact, some journalists have called it "a symphonic Band that sounds like an orchestra" and "an orchestra of wind instruments".
However, most people agree with Paolo Monelli’s conclusion, who has pinpointed the secret of such perfection "in the fact that these musicians are just Carabinieri and bring, the heart-warming dedication that animates every specialty of the Force, with its manifold tasks, into the execution of their duties".
TEN. COL. MASSIMO MARTINELLI
He was born in Rome on June 20, 1965 and completed his musical studies at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory where he obtained degrees in Composition, Conducting and Band Instrumentation.
He also has a diploma in Choral Music and Choir Directing, and Piano. He specialized in Orchestra Conducting in Vienna. In 1993-1994 he taught Choral Directing at the Conservatory "L.Canepa" of Sassari and previously to that, worked as a piano accompanist at the National Academy of Dance in Rome.
In 1994 he won the first contest for Archivist in the Band of the Guardia di Finanza Corps where he worked until June 1996. In July of the same year he was appointed to the post of Deputy Conductor for the Central Band of the Military Navy.
In May 1997 he won the competition as Conductor of the same prestigious band, a post he held until June 2000. On July 1, he was appointed Conductor of the Band of the Carabinieri Corps.
