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Gian Francesco MALIPIERO Symphonies 8.570879 bk Malipiero02 2/26/09 4:09 PM Page 5 accord: his first idea had been to set to music certain seems still to have had no idea that he would follow it Antonio de Almeida fragments from the Venetian poet Anton Maria up with other examples of the genre: for a time (he has Lamberti’s Le stagioni (The Seasons). In the end- claimed) he even thought of calling the work “First and Antonio de Almeida enjoyed a distinguished career as a conductor, having appeared with the Chicago, Gian Francesco product all specific references to Lamberti have Last Symphony”. By 1936, however, he had changed Philadelphia and San Francisco orchestras in America, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the London and Royal disappeared; but the idea of the annual cycle remains: his mind sufficiently to produce a Second, although Philharmonic Orchestras. He was responsible for a number of award-winning recordings, including the major Malipiero explained the work’s complete title, Prima eight further years were to go by before he suddenly orchestral works of Joaquín Turina and a recording of original unedited overtures and ballet music by Offenbach, MALIPIERO sinfonia, in quattro tempi come le quattro stagioni wrote the next five symphonies all within the space of a composer on whom he was acknowledged to be a leading authority. His work on behalf of French music brought (First Symphony, in Four Movements like the Four the same number of years. (The Third, Fourth and him, among other distinctions, the award of the Légion d’honneur. Born in France, Antonio de Almeida studied Seasons), by pointing out that “the first movement [...] Seventh numbered symphonies are all recorded on with Paul Hindemith at Yale University and begam his career as a conductor with the Oporto Symphony Orchestra Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 is spring-like. The second [...] is strong and vehement other discs in the present series.) In none of these in Portugal, later making his London début at the invitation of Sir Thomas Beecham with the Royal Philharmonic like summer. The third [...] is autumnal, and the fourth mature symphonies is the resemblance to traditional Orchestra. For Marco Polo he recorded works by Glazunov, Malipiero, Sauguet and Tournemire. Antonio de [...] has the exuberance of the winter carnival season symphonic procedures ever more than superficial: Almeida died in Pittsburgh in 1997 aged 69. Sinfonie del silenzio e della morte and the gaiety of the snow”. It would seem, therefore, Malipiero’s movements seldom end in the keys in that even the simple fact that the movements are four in which they began, and his musical ideas tend (as he number is only coincidentally analogous to traditional himself once put it) “to follow one another Moscow Symphony Orchestra Moscow Symphony Orchestra symphonic practice. capriciously, obeying only those mysterious laws that Antonio de Almeida The “spring-like” first movement is a freely instinct recognizes”. The Moscow Symphony Orchestra, one of Russia’s leading orchestras, was established in 1989 as the first unfolding lyrical piece, moderate in tempo and Nevertheless the Second Symphony, too, is in four independent orchestra in the country. During the following years the orchestra not only survived in the period of predominantly pastoral (though gently astringent) in movements (as are all the next five numbered economic difficulties, but strengthened its position and became one of the top orchestras in Russia. Since the early character. Among its several recurrent motifs one in symphonies), and the sequence of tempi from 1990s it has been a regular participant in the Moscow musical seasons. The orchestra plays annually about twenty particular is to return, transformed yet clearly movement to movement, fast - slow - scherzo-like - concerts in Moscow’s two best concert halls, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and the Tchaikovsky recognisable, at the very end of the symphony. The variable, more closely resembles what one would Concert Hall, and has its own subscription series. The repertoire includes both traditional and less-known classical second movement’s driving rhythmic impetus is expect to find in a classical symphony than was the music, as well as compositions by contemporary composers. Apart from its educational work and its extensive enhanced by some quite bold excursions into dissonant case in the First. Moreover, this time there is no concert programmes the orchestra has been widely recognised for its outstanding recordings, with over a hundred chromaticism – sometimes with frankly “exotic” precise extra musical programme to explain the overall since 1994, principally for Naxos and Marco Polo. For this work the Moscow Symphony Orchestra has received inflections which call to mind the quasi-oriental succession of moods: the Second Symphony’s subtitle several international awards including the CD of the Month by the American magazine CD Review, the prestigious architecture of St Mark’s Cathedral in Malipiero’s “elegiaca” suggests only a general state of mind, and French Diapason d’Or and the Chairman’s Choice in the Cannes Classical Awards. The Economist voted the native city. The most evocative movement, however, is more particularly the fact that the work ends in a mood orchestra’s recording of film music by Bernard Herrmann (Naxos 8.570186) one of the ten best records of the year. surely the autumnal third, which is rich in fresh, of quiet, valedictory meditation. Of the two wholly fast The orchestra has also recorded music tracks for several Hollywood films. Since 1991 frequent tours have taken radiantly melancholy sonorities and images: here his movements, the first is notable for its many incidental the orchestra to most European countries, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and the United States. The orchestra has also early enthusiasm for Debussy and his life-long chromatic twists and passing dissonant clashes, which been a regular participant in international music festivals in Germany, Austria and Cyprus. The chief conductor involvement with old Italian music have interacted to generate a subdued but pervasive restlessness; while and artistic director of the orchestra is Vladimir Ziva. produce a result that is uniquely his own. The playfully the brief, scherzo-like third movement is more light- exuberant finale culminates unexpectedly but heartedly exuberant in its mercurially unpredictable imposingly in a brief, massively jubilant coda, in rhythms. This symphony’s expressive heart, however, which the above-mentioned motif from the first indeed resides especially in its elegiac music: in movement is proclaimed and developed in surprisingly addition to the exquisite closing pages, one should grandiose terms. The pomp and circumstance of this mention the superb last eleven bars of the second conclusion may show Malipiero responding (for once movement, in which two motifs that have previously in a way) to the flamboyant pageantry of Italian been heard separately are superimposed (as melody fascism, which at that time was all around him. Yet in and bass) to create a quiet climax of affecting, plaintive purely musical terms the effect is undeniably beauty. exhilarating. When he completed the First Symphony Malipiero © 1993 John C. G. Waterhouse 8.570879 5 8.570879 6 8.570879 bk Malipiero02 2/26/09 4:09 PM Page 2 Gian Francesco Malipiero (1883 - 1973) foreshadows some of his forthcoming theatre quiet sections (evidently evoking “the silence”) which Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 • Sinfonie del silenzio e della morte compositions. repeatedly feature whispering superimposed tremolos Gian Francesco Malipiero (1883 - 1973) The first movement bears the title Danza tragica, on muted violins. Half way through the movement Though less widely known than his near-contemporary Earlier still, however, during the little-known which is supplemented in the score by an adapted Malipiero introduces the “ancient dance”, which turns The Symphonies • 2 Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936), Gian Francesco formative phase that preceded the appearance of the quotation from Edgar Allan Poe (as translated into out to be an orchestral version of one of his own early Malipiero has been regarded by many of his first Impressioni dal vero (which in later life he French by Baudelaire), referring to “the Masque of the piano pieces – the Gavotte from the Tre danze antiche, countrymen as the most original Italian composer of his regarded as his earliest work of lasting importance), Red Death [...] his vesture dabbled in blood”. The published in 1910 but probably composed earlier. generation. The quality of his enormous output is, Malipiero had written no fewer than three substantial second movement is entitled Sinfonia [in the singular Before this self-quotation has run its course, however, Sinfonie del silenzio e della morte 32:50 admittedly, variable; yet his best compositions reveal a orchestral pieces whose titles do include the word this time!] del silenzio, supplemented by an it is contradicted (albeit briefly) by stormier sounds – hauntingly distinctive musical personality and a “sinfonia”, either in its singular or in its plural form. unattributed quotation (possibly from D’Annunzio) the “tumult of an ancient tragedy”, after which the 1 Danza tragica 12:28 stimulatingly non-conformist cast of mind, which have The earliest of them, the Sinfonia degli eroi (1905), stating that “the silence conjured up an ancient dance, initial “silence” music returns. In the symphony’s won him the reverence of important musicians who though performed when it was new, was subsequently it conjured up the tumult of an ancient tragedy”. The finale, the “Mill of Death” is graphically represented 2 Sinfonia del silenzio 10:57 came after him. His most notable younger Italian repudiated by the composer and he claimed to have title of the third movement, Il molino della morte (The by (among other things) obsessive, machine-like 3 admirers have included Luigi Dallapiccola (1904-75), destroyed it, although the manuscript eventually turned Mill of Death), is likewise reinforced by an anonymous patterns on the xylophone, timpani and other Il molino della morte 9:25 who sometimes rated him astonishingly highly; Bruno up after his death, hidden in a box in the cellar of his quotation: “..
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