Gian Francesco MALIPIERO (1882 - 1973)
Impressioni dal vero: I (1910/1) [13:19]; II (1914/5) [19:11];
III (1921/2) [9:53]
Pause del silenzio: I (1917) [12:51]; II (1925/6) [24:47]
Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma/Francesco La Vecchia
rec. Auditorium Conciliazione, Rome, 22-23 March 2009 (Impressioni I-III)
and 2-13 December 2010 (Pause del silenzio I and II)
NAXOS 8.572409 [79:53]
Gian Francesco Malipiero led a long and prolific life. His large and varied
output is inevitably uneven in quality. His works composed before World War
II were his finest and his most coherent in various aspects. Some of his later
output was rather more run-of-the-mill but - again - this is just a personal
reaction.
Malipiero had a great love of both nature and animals, and some of his works
such as Impressioni dal vero I depicting three
birds or his Eighth String Quartet “L'arca di Noe” clearly allude
to this. Indeed the three movements of Impressioni dal vero I
relate to the blackcap, the woodpecker and the scops owl whose nocturnal cry
gave the bird its Italian name, the chiù. The resulting triptych consists
of two slow, fairly calm outer movements framing an animated, rather percussive
Scherzo suggesting the woodpecker. The music has an unmistakable impressionistic
character perfectly suited to the evocations of nature suggested by the work's
title and its three movements. On the other hand, both Impressioni dal
vero II (1914/5) and Pause del silenzio I (1917) were
composed during World War I. These pieces are clearly made of sterner and
more dramatic stuff. Some time later Malipiero confided that he did not love
the second and third sets of Impressioni while not disowning them.
“They are not reproductions of things seen or heard; they are the musical
echo of my feelings in response to life and nature.” Impressioni
dal vero II is not only longer than any of the other two but also
denser. It is also at times more violent even if the titles of the movements
may suggest otherwise. The second movement I cipressi e il vento (“the
Cypresses and the Wind”) is almost of Mahlerian intensity. At the time
of composing this very score Malipiero could see from afar the air-raids on
Venice. Concerning the somewhat enigmatically titled Pause del silenzio
(“Breaks in Silence” although I would probably prefer “Breaks
of Silence”) Malipiero commented that “it was difficult to find
silence during the war; and, if you found it, you were terrified of interrupting
it, even musically”. Pause del silenzio I actually shares
many common characteristics with Impressioni dal vero II - no
doubt the impact of World War I again. This fairly substantial score is in
one large single movement in several linked sections of varying character.
Impressioni dal vero III, the shortest of the three, is also
the slighter although it is still very attractive. It is clearly less imposing
and far-ranging than its immediate predecessor. On the other hand Pause
del silenzio II relinquishes the single-movement structure for a more
elaborate one consisting of five differentiated movements. This Malipiero
described as “reflecting an adventurous journey undertaken in winter
1925-1926 without leaving my house” although the subliminal programme
- if there was one - was never clearly expressed. It seems however that this
substantial score had some deep, intimate meaning for the composer. “Perhaps,
it sleeps the sleep of the just, and its true title should be Unbroken
Silence” was the composer's comment when considering the scarcity
of performances of this big piece of music.
As mentioned earlier, Malipiero's music can be uneven, but the five works
recorded here undoubtedly are important and highly personal statements. This
is particularly so in the impressive Impressioni dal vero II
and the equally significant Pause del silenzio I. These that
rank amongst his finest works.
I have been waiting for a recording of these works for many long years. I
am happy to report that this generously filled release fills an important
gap in Malipiero's discography. This is particularly true now that all the
symphonies have been re-issued on Naxos (3,
4; 5,
6, 8, 11; 7;
9,
10; see below). Both performances and recording are quite good. The whole
may be safely commended to anyone who has investigated this composer's often
idiosyncratic symphonies and who wants to know more about this important,
if at times enigmatic and unsettling musical personality.
Hubert Culot
see also review by Nick
Barnard
A splendid release and the perfect complement to the Naxos series of Malipiero
symphonies.
Reviews of Malipiero works on Naxos
8.570878:
Symphonies 3 & 4, Sinfonia del mare
8.570880:
Symphonies 5, 6, 8 & 11
8.570881:
Symphony 7, Sinfonia in un tempo, Sinfonia per Antigenda
8.570882:
Symphonies 9 & 10, Sinfonia della zodiaco
8.570883:
Tre commedie goldoniane, Stradivario, La Cimarosiana, Gabrieliana