# Andrzej Panufnik



## Neo Romanza

Andrzej Panufnik was living proof that genius is exportable. Without compromising his Polish roots, he became a British citizen, and eventually reached full stature as a composer in his adopted country, but it was not an easy transition.

Son of a leading violinmaker, he studied with Sikorski at the Warsaw Conservatory and Weingartner in Vienna. After the Nazi invasion of Poland, he kept the creative spark alive in the Polish underground, where he became a friend of Witold Lutoslawski and was conductor of the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra from 1945 to 1946. His first serious work, the Tragic Overture, composed in 1944, was followed in 1949 by Homage to Chopin, for soprano and piano (or -- an early example of Panufnik's readiness to encourage freedom of musical expression -- for flute and strings).

By 1954, Panufnik was Poland's leading composer, but Russian domination was making artistic freedom impossible; in 1956, while on a recording trip to Switzerland, he boarded a flight to London with no intention of returning to his native country. For some years, he was treated coldly by the British musical intelligentsia. His style was neither traditionally tonal nor fashionably serial; but it certainly sounded "un-British," and for nine years, none of his music was broadcast by the BBC. (American audiences were to prove more responsive).

At his home in Twickenham near the River Thames, Panufnik continued to work on symphonies constructed from small cells of two or three notes arranged in geometric forms, somewhat akin to Webern. By the end of his life, Panufnik had written ten symphonies, including Sinfonia Elegiaca, premiered in Boston in 1957 by Stokowski.

Much of his work reflects the sufferings of the war and its aftermath. It is easy to see why Panufnik would not have survived as an artist under a Stalinist dictatorship. The composer exacted his own bleak revenge: Katyn Epitaph (again premiered by Stokowski in 1968) exposed the massacre of 15,000 Polish officers executed on Stalin's orders. Sinfonia Votiva (premiered in Boston by Seiji Ozawa in 1982) celebrates the popular uprising against Communist rule in the form of a votive offering to the "black Madonna," a statue in Gdansk where the first blows for Polish freedom were struck. After the solo cadenza that opens the Violin Concerto written in 1972 for Yehudi Menuhin, the soloist is (unusually) allowed to decide both the tempo and overall interpretation of the whole work, perhaps yet another symbol of the freedom Panufnik had demonstrated by his own self-exile.

After the collapse of Communism in Poland, Panufnik's reputation there was quickly re-established, and his music became part of the militant modernism for which the country was noted in the liberalization that followed. In Britain, where he conducted the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra from 1957 to 1959, his music was gradually becoming better-known, with performances in London of the Symphony of the Spheres (1976) and Ninth Symphony (1987). The Tenth Symphony was premiered in Chicago in 1990.

When his last work, a cello concerto written for Rostropovich, was played in London in 1990, Panufnik had achieved full recognition in his adopted country. In 1987, he wrote a revealing biography called Composing Myself.

[Article taken from All Music Guide]

I didn't see a composer thread for Panufnik so I decided to start one!  What does everyone think of his music? Any favorite works? He's certainly a fascinating composer. I'm still learning his style even after a few years listening to his music. I've been really enjoying CPO's orchestral series so far.


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## Neo Romanza

Looking on Wikipedia reveals that Panufnik was quite prolific just look at all the orchestral music he composed:

Symphony No. 1 (1939, lost 1944, reconstructed 1945, subsequently withdrawn and destroyed by the composer)
Symphony No. 2 (1941, lost 1944)
Sinfonia Rustica (Symphony No. 1) (1948, revised 1955)
Sinfonia Elegiaca (Symphony No. 2) (1957, revised 1966, incorporates material from the discarded Symphony of Peace)
Sinfonia Sacra (Symphony No. 3) (1963)
Sinfonia Concertante (Symphony No. 4), for flute, harp and small string orchestra (1973)
Sinfonia di Sfere (Symphony No. 5) (1974-75)
Sinfonia Mistica (Symphony No. 6) (1977)
Metasinfonia (Symphony No. 7), for solo organ, timpani and string orchestra (1978)
Sinfonia Votiva (Symphony No. 8) (1981, revised 1984)
Symphony No. 9, Sinfonia di Speranza (1986, revised 1990)
Symphony No. 10 (1988, revised 1990)
Symphonic Variations (1935-36, lost 1944)
Symphonic Allegro (1936, lost 1944)
Symphonic Image (1936, lost 1944)
Little Overture (c. 1937, lost 1944)
Tragic Overture (1942, lost 1944, reconstructed 1945, revised 1955)
Divertimento for Strings (adapted from music by Felix Janiewicz, 1947, revised 1955)
Lullaby (1947, revised 1955)
Nocturne (1947, revised 1955)
Old Polish Suite, based on 16th and 17th century Polish works (1950, revised 1955)
Heroic Overture (1952, revised 1969)
Rhapsody (1956)
Polonia (1959)
Autumn Music, for three flutes, three clarinets, percussion, celesta, piano, harp, violas, cellos, and double basses (1962, revised 1965)
Landscape, for string orchestra (1962, revised 1965)
Jagiellonian Triptych, for string orchestra (based on early Polish works, 1966)
Katyń Epitaph (1967. revised 1969)
Concerto Festivo, for orchestra [without conductor] (1979)
Concertino, for timpani, percussion and string orchestra (1979-80)
Paean, for brass ensemble (1980)
Arbor Cosmica, for twelve string soloists or string orchestra (1983)
Harmony, for chamber orchestra (1989)

We haven't even got into his concertante works yet! Wow, he was a busy guy.


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## Neo Romanza

Here's another cool picture of Panufnik:


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## samurai

I fully intend to explore this composer's works on Spotify, solely based on that awesome pipe he is pictured smoking. :lol:
Thanks, Neo. :wave:


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## Neo Romanza

I don't smoke, but I'd love to have that pipe!


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## Neo Romanza

By the way, samurai, Spotify has many Panufnik recordings uploaded. The whole symphonic series on CPO is there. This is an excellent series to explore his music.

Also, of interest, is Panufnik's website:

http://panufnik.com/

Lots of great information here.


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## millionrainbows

Sorry I haven't posted sooner on this thread. I have two CDs of Panufnik:_ The Violin Concerto/Hommage à Chopin/Bassoon Concerto_ (Conifer Classics), and _Symphony No. 9/Piano Concerto_ (Conifer). Of the other significant Polish composers, Lutoslawski, Gorecki, and Penderecki, I like Panufnik the best. He's a "quadrivium" thinker, like me. His _9th Symphony_ uses a 3-note cell to generate all the ideas. Further reading on Panufnik can be found in the excellent series of Phaidon Books, one called _A Polish Renaissance_, which also covers the other two composers.

I notice that Panufinik is not afraid to be "quiet." In the _Ninth,_ as well as in the _Bassoon Concerto,_ there are extended areas of very quiet music. I like this contrast with louder sections. His music is hard to characterize, containing diverse elements.


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## Neo Romanza

I'm glad you enjoy his music, millionrainbows. He's certainly worth exploring IMHO. I listened to _Sinfonia Votiva_ and found it disappointing. I felt the music didn't express anything and it went nowhere, but I can listen to _Sinfonia Sacra_ or _Sinfonia di Sfere_, for example, and get something out of the music. Yes, I agree that his music is hard to pin-down. It's quite enigmatic in this sense, but I always loved a good mystery.


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## MagneticGhost

Just noticed this thread. Don't frequent this part of the board so much.
I only know a small handful of Panufnik's works. 
The Sinfonia Sacra I would count among one of my favourite works. I find it very difficult to describe his music and there is no-one who sounds quite the same. 
On the same disc I have Arbor Cosmica which is worth a listen.
He also wrote a fine Cello Concerto. Rostropovich has recorded this. He may be the only one. I've yet to explore further.


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## Neo Romanza

MagneticGhost said:


> Just noticed this thread. Don't frequent this part of the board so much.
> I only know a small handful of Panufnik's works.
> The Sinfonia Sacra I would count among one of my favourite works. I find it very difficult to describe his music and there is no-one who sounds quite the same.
> On the same disc I have Arbor Cosmica which is worth a listen.
> He also wrote a fine Cello Concerto. Rostropovich has recorded this. He may be the only one. I've yet to explore further.


Yes, his music is very difficult to describe as it's so unique and different.

Do give _Sinfonia Rustica_, _Sinfonia Elegiaca_, _Autumn Music_ (incredible piece of music), _Katyn Epitaph_, and _Nocturne_ a listen sometime. I think you will find a lot of enjoy in these.


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## Head_case

His cello concerto was actually marketed as a CD single with no other tracks. Sadly it never made Top of the Pops.

The Chilingirian Quartet is also the only recording of his ethereal Messages for string quartet. I'm not sure why I don't listen to these any more than I do. Time to....


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## quack

My favourite work of Panufnik is his _Arbor Cosmica_ a long work in 12 parts for 12 piece string orchestra, a meditative mystical sounding work which explores trees, hence it's name. A beautiful, if faint, work that kind of lingers on the edge of your conciousness, rather like trees themselves, enriching you but not disturbing you. His violin concerto, as played by Menuhin, was the first work I heard to spark my interest in him, the symphony 4 for flute harp and stings seems interesting, I will have to look that one out.


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## Vaneyes

Thank you, quack. *Arbor Cosmica* is my favorite Panufnik work.

Since realizing and appreciating Neo Romanza's passion for this composer, I thought I should revisit some works and newly listen to others. The aforementioned was a pleasant surprise from the others.

Though I'm not overwhelmed by his extensive body of work, I do fervently admire what he accomplished in overcoming many hardships. Some of which were just plain bad luck.

His luck changed immeasurably, when he met Camilla Jessel. And it continues to this day, as she champions to keep his name alive. She'll play a big role in next year's Centenary celebrations. :tiphat:


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## PetrB

The musical line continues:
Roxanna Panufnik - Zen Love Song


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## starthrower

Listening to symphony no. 10 on YouTube. Anybody know which recording this is?


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## starthrower

After listening to several pieces on YouTube, I'm sold on Panufnik. I ordered some CDs featuring symphonies 9 & 10, piano concerto, violin concerto, bassoon concerto, Autumn Music, and Sinfonia Sacra.


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## Neo Romanza

starthrower said:


> After listening to several pieces on YouTube, I'm sold on Panufnik. I ordered some CDs featuring symphonies 9 & 10, piano concerto, violin concerto, bassoon concerto, Autumn Music, and Sinfonia Sacra.


Good to hear, starthrower. What recordings did you end up buying?


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## starthrower

The Conifer CDs Million mentioned, and a used JVC CD by Seattle Symphony w/ no. 10; Autumn Music; Sinfonia Sacra. I like the cello concerto too, but there's only the 19 minute CD by Rostropovich. The Bauer CD is not available.


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## Neo Romanza

starthrower said:


> The Conifer CDs Million mentioned, and a used JVC CD by Seattle Symphony w/ no. 10; Autumn Music; Sinfonia Sacra. I like the cello concerto too, but there's only the 19 minute CD by Rostropovich. The Bauer CD is not available.


Surprised you didn't go for any of the recordings in the ongoing series on CPO. These are uniformly excellent recordings.


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## starthrower

CPO should offer a Panufnik box like they do for some of the other composers. That's how I bought the Sallinen recordings.


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## Neo Romanza

starthrower said:


> CPO should offer a Panufnik box like they do for some of the other composers. That's how I bought the Sallinen recordings.


They probably will once they finish their Panufnik series. They currently have six volumes released. Panufnik wrote quite a bit of orchestral and concertante works, so it might take them a bit longer.


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## MagneticGhost

Neo Romanza said:


> They probably will once they finish their Panufnik series. They currently have six volumes released. Panufnik wrote quite a bit of orchestral and concertante works, so it might take them a bit longer.


I'll be first in line for a Panufnik boxset, if and when it comes available.


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## MagneticGhost

^^^^^^
Actually - this is Panufnik's Centenary year. So perhaps someone will have the foresight to commision a box or something celebratory this year. 
I'm hopeful of some representation at this year's Proms as well. 

I listened to his Cello Concerto again last week and it's a tremendous piece.


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## millionrainbows

This is a reissue of an older recording from the 1970s. It is excellent, perhaps better than the Conifer recordings.


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## starthrower

A few years back I mentioned a desire to see this box released and here it is!










https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/8424891--panufnik-complete-symphonic-works


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## Manxfeeder

starthrower said:


> A few years back I mentioned a desire to see this box released and here it is!
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> https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/8424891--panufnik-complete-symphonic-works


Thanks for the update!


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## CnC Bartok

Too late for me!! Bought all eight CDs (direct from jpc, it was a lot cheaper!) as they came out.

I do hope the box contains the same excellent notes of the original eight CDs.

They are indeed all excellent, he's a composer I'm hooked on as well.


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## starthrower

Robert Pickett said:


> I do hope the box contains the same excellent notes of the original eight CDs.


I'm assuming it will. CPO boxes are usually nothing more than the original CD jewel cases placed in a thin cardboard shell. And Amazon vendors are selling it for half the price of Presto Classical.


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