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
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
Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma/Francesco La Vecchia 
