Gian Francesco Malipiero may be considered the most original and inventive of the generation of Italian composers born around 1880 (the so called “generazione dell’Ottanta”). This first Naxos issue of the cycle of 11 numbered and 6 unnumbered symphonies features the early Sea Symphony and two of the very best, the Third and Fourth, written during World War II. Inspired by the tolling bells of St Mark’s Cathedral to signify the German invasion of Italy in 1943, the remarkable Symphony No. 3 “delle campane” evokes, in the composer’s words, “… from the lagoons, Venice all vibrating with bells… [becoming] a huge musical instrument”. At the heart of Symphony No. 4 “in memoriam” [Natalie Koussevitzky] lies the eloquent slow movement, surely the most beautiful of any Malipiero symphony.