Respighi, Malipiero: Italian Piano Music 1900-1920

Featuring

Norberto Cordisco Respighi
Gian Francesco Malipiero
Ottorino Respighi

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Composition History

Respighi and Malipiero, along with three other composers, signed a manifesto in 1911 titled 'For a new Risorgimento', an early attempt to establish an Italian school of instrumental music.

Composer Biography

Neither Gian Francesco Malipiero nor Ottorino Respighi received formal piano training, with Respighi being a virtuoso violinist and Malipiero considering the piano his 'strange enemy'.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Respighi's music, unlike Malipiero's, is a reflection of his vision of the external world, translating landscapes and historical monuments into sound, without the sense of crisis found in Malipiero's work.

Composer Biography

Gian Francesco Malipiero and Ottorino Respighi, two composers featured on this album, were part of the 'generation of 1880', a group of five Italian composers who revived Italian instrumental music.

Compositional Technique

Respighi's 'Three Preludes on Gregorian melodies' mark the beginning of his significant use of Gregorian chant, which he viewed as an additional harmonic and melodic tool within the traditional tonal system.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Malipiero's music often reflects a dark side, with modern elements like chromaticism and dissonance associated with destructive forces and the feeling of crisis before World War I.