Malipiero: String Quartets No. 1 + 8 / Symphony No. 6

The quartets and so-called "Symphonies" by the one-of-a-kind Italian composer Gian Francesco Malipiero belong to the very best that 20th-century music has to offer. The eccentric composer began as a late Romantic but largely rejected his early works after the scandalous premiere of Stravinsky's Sacre (at which Malipiero was personally present) and established an Italian neoclassicism. Later, he transformed his style once again into an unmistakable musical idiom all his own, which in its eccentricity and originality can really only be compared with composers such as Charles Ives, Heitor Villa-Lobos, or Havergal Brian. Among the extreme rarities on the recording market are above all Malipiero's "Symphonies". Symphony No. 6, subtitled Degli archi ("for strings"), belongs to the most beautiful symphonies of modern classicism, standing at all times on equal footing with Prokofiev, Honegger, Stravinsky, Martin?. It is a scandal that this important work, composed in 1947, has hitherto been available in only a single recording (namely the world premiere recording by NAXOS). Now Tactus has taken up the piece and presents the new reference recording: sonically perhaps not 100% successful as a live recording, but immensely filled with devotion and soulful playing, this recording shows that Malipiero's beautiful piece is still truly loved in Italy. Two of Malipiero's best string quartets have also made it onto the album, which is thus a hot tip for all lovers of moderately modern 20th-century music. I am (as you can probably tell) completely enthralled!