Vivaldiana, Sette Invezioni, and other works, Marco Polo 8.223397
If you wish to start with the lighter side ofMalipiero, try these works, try this CD, ably performed by the Veneto Philharmonic Orchestra, under Peter Maag.
Impressioni dal vero I-III and Pause del silenzio I-II, Naxos 8.572409
Symphonies nos. 1 & 2, Sinfonie del Silenzio e de la Morte, Naxos 8.570879
Symphony nos. 3 & 4, Sinfonia del Mare, Naxos 8. 570878
Symphonies nos. 5, 6, 8, & 11, Naxos 8.57080
Symphony no. 7, Sinfonia in un Tempo, Sinfonia per Antigenida, Naxos 8.570881
Gian Francesco Malipiero: Beyond Italian Opera 223
These first three CDs in the Malipiero symphony series are indispensable. Only the later symphonies should give first-time listeners any difficulty. The Moscow Symphony Orchestra plays well enough, but tutti passages sound congested and sometimes tubby.
Six Piano Concertos, CPO 777 287-2
Violin Concerto, Supraphon Archiv SU 3904-2
Eight Quartets, Brilliant Classics
Several Malipiero quartets have become favorites of mine, especially in these performances by the Orpheus String Quartet that combine finesse, rhythmic precision, and passion. All eight on this two-CD set are first-rate.
L’Orfeide, TAHRA 190-191[HA38]
For the adventurous, Tahra has released a two-CD set of Malipiero’s opera in a 1966 Florence performance that was conductor Hermann Scherchen’s last. A very intriguing but puzzling work that seems to go out of its way to avoid any operatic conventions.
