Andrzej Panufnik (1914-1991)

[Harry]

If you can find UKCD 2016 it has Sacra, Heroic and Tragic conducted by Horenstein which I would highly rec....

Right, well my list is filled for now, I go a hunting!

[Robert]

And two more, so advise would be appriciated.

The top one is much better than the bottom one.  The only problem I have with the top one is the symphony sound is not that good it is in mono sound the nocturne and rhapsody are in full sound... Not a bad disc........

[Harry]

Well I will make my decision based on getting the music under my skin, sound is secondary Robert, in this case.........

[Guido]

The Interlude from the Old Polish Suite (on that recent Naxos CD) contains some of the most beautiful uses of suspensions I've ever heard - Its like Renaissance polyphony - not a single chord doesn;t have some kind of suspension on it.

The Cello Concerto is naturally the piece I know best. It was his last work, composed in 1991 for Rostropovich, and I think it is a really brilliant piece - There's a simplicity and directness that I find very appealing, even if some passages do sound a little studied and perhaps contrived. But I think thats being unkind. He was obviously hugely talented, and really represents a unique voice, which is all I ask for in a composer!

[pjme]

I've always like "early" Panufnik. (The later symphonies -those that I've heard :6-7-8- however, I find often dull,too long and pedantic in comparison.
The violin concerto is very beautiful .

Symphonia Sacra was recorded by the Concertgebouw Orchestra ( shortly before Panufnik's death) - on Nonesuch (coupled with the string orchestra suite Arbor cosmica). I think that that recording was made for a ballet on Dutch TV - a really horrible thing -where the symphony was combined with  pop/rock music.

[Maciek]

Sounds ghastly, Peter.

[karlhenning]

Page eight? PAGE EIGHT?! How on earth could we let this happen! The BEST thread on the board sank to page EIGHT of the Composer Discussion!

Panufnik was on p. 30. (Just saying.)

BTW, the thread has fascinating statistics. Top posters:
Maciek 41 posts (42 with this one)
Symphonien 20
Xantus' Murrelet 1
Bonehelm 1

Oh, where do you rustle these up? 

[Maciek]

Oh, where do you rustle these up? 

Oh, I think I'd be embarrassed to say. (Let's just say I had a bit of time on my hands...)

[karlhenning]

I withdraw the question, your worship.

[Lethevich]

Is the numbering system (beginning with his third, as the original nos.1 and 2 seem to be permenently lost?) spurious or usable for the purposes of digital media tagging?

I will give the actual symphonies their titles alone, but to make them simpler to find (and to make the album names less lengthy), is the numbering system Wikipedia uses used by anyone (such as writers on his music) other than the editor of that WP page? The indication that the 10th has no title, I suppose may confirm it - much like Vaughan Williams retroactively titling his first three, but generally CDs seem to simply use the descriptive names rather than the numbers.

[lescamil]

Is the numbering system (beginning with his third, as the original nos.1 and 2 seem to be permenently lost?) spurious or usable for the purposes of digital media tagging?

I will give the actual symphonies their titles alone, but to make them simpler to find (and to make the album names less lengthy), is the numbering system Wikipedia uses used by anyone (such as writers on his music) other than the editor of that WP page? The indication that the 10th has no title, I suppose may confirm it - much like Vaughan Williams retroactively titling his first three, but generally CDs seem to simply use the descriptive names rather than the numbers.

Actually, even with the current numbering system, Panufnik still has 10 extant symphonies. The Sinfonia Rustica (now No. 1) and Sinfonia Elegiaca (now No. 2) are called by the nicknames to distinguish them from the two lost symphonies that precede them. The numbering system on Wikipedia and Boosey are consistently used on all the CDs that I have seen with them on them, and all of the symphonies have been recorded. Still, it seems that most people don't use the numbers, but rather the nicknames. Given how many times he revised his symphonies, I am glad the names are used more.

[Lethevich]

I also prefer the names to numbers on an aesthetic level, but they aren't very helpful for cataloguing. Perhaps it is because the CDs I have access to are old issues, but the majority use the titles only - perhaps copying the format of the original vinyls they came from, prior to the composer's "clarification" by calling his tenth by a number and no title. I guess I'll proceed with using numbers for listing albums as the system is well-based (if not widely-used), but retain the titles (without numbers) for naming the pieces contained within.

I didn't know about the revisions, thanks for pointing this out.

[lescamil]

I also prefer the names to numbers on an aesthetic level, but they aren't very helpful for cataloguing. Perhaps it is because the CDs I have access to are old issues, but the majority use the titles only - perhaps copying the format of the original vinyls they came from, prior to the composer's "clarification" by calling his tenth by a number and no title. I guess I'll proceed with using numbers for listing albums as the system is well-based (if not widely-used), but retain the titles (without numbers) for naming the pieces contained within.

I didn't know about the revisions, thanks for pointing this out.

For my cataloguing, I always put the date of composition (including revisions). I actually do this for all pieces without an opus number that I catalogue, particularly for contemporary music.

[Mirror Image]

I'm in the process of becoming better acquainted with Panufnik's music. I have heard only one work in it's entirety and it was called Tragic Overture and what a, if may use the word in this context, rocking piece! That percussion section towards the end of the work just bangs away like a bunch of savage madmen. I love it! Anyway, I'm trying to gain more insight into his music by researching his and he's had quite a life.

[Mirror Image]

Here's a list of his compositions:

Orchestral:

Symphonies
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 sixteenth and seventeenth 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)

Concertante:

Concerto in modo antico, for solo trumpet, two harps, harpsichord and string orchestra [originally titled Koncert Gotycki, "Gothic Concerto"] (based on early Polish works, 1951, revised 1955)
Piano Concerto (1962, revised 1970, re-composed 1972, first movement Intrada added 1982)
Hommage à Chopin, for flute and small string orchestra (1966 arrangement of 1949 vocal work)
Violin Concerto (1971)
Bassoon Concerto (1985)
Cello Concerto (1991)

Vocal:

Psalm, for soloist, chorus and orchestra (1936, Panufnik's diploma piece, lost 1944)
Five Polish Peasant Songs, for sopranos or trebles, two flutes, two clarinets and bass clarinet (1940, lost 1944, reconstructed 1945, anonymous Polish text)
Four Underground Resistance Songs, for voice or unison voices and piano (1943-44, Polish text by Stanisław Ryszard Dobrowolski)
Hommage à Chopin, vocalises for soprano and piano, originally titled Suita Polska (1949, revised 1955)
Symphony of Peace, for chorus and orchestra (1951, subsequently withdrawn and not included in the composer's symphonic canon, setting of Polish text by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz)
Song to the Virgin Mary, for unaccompanied chorus or six solo voices (1964, revised 1969, anonymous Latin text)
Universal Prayer, for soprano, alto, tenor and bass soloists, chorus, three harps and organ (1968-69, setting of English text by Alexander Pope)
Invocation for Peace, for trebles, two trumpets and two trombones (1972)
Winter Solstice, for soprano and baritone soloists, chorus, three trumpets, three trombones, timpani and glockenspiel (1972, English text by Camilla Jessel)
Love Song, for mezzo soprano and harp or piano (1976, optional string orchestra part added in 1991, setting of English text by Sir Philip Sidney)
Dreamscapes, for mezzo soprano and piano (1977, wordless)
Prayer to the Virgin of Skempe, for solo voice or unison chorus, organ and instrumental ensemble (1990, setting of Polish text by Jerzy Peterkiewicz)

Ballets:

While Panufnik's music has been used often for dance, two ballet scores were prepared by the composer using adaptations of existing works with new material.

Cain and Abel (1968, a reworking of Sinfonia Sacra and Tragic Overture with new material)
Miss Julie (1970, a reworking of Nocturne, Rhapsody, Autumn Music and Polonia with new material)

Chamber:

Classical Suite, for string quartet (1933, lost 1944)
Piano Trio (1934, lost 1944, reconstructed 1945, revised 1977)
Quintetto Accademico, for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon (1953, revised 1956, lost, was rediscovered in 1994)
Triangles, for three flutes and three cellos (1972)
String Quartet No. 1 (1976)
String Quartet No. 2 Messages (1980)
Song to the Virgin Mary, for string sextet (1987 arrangement of 1964 vocal work)
String Sextet Train of Thoughts (1987)
String Quartet No. 3 Wycinanki ("Paper Cuts") (1990)

Instrumental:

Variations, for piano (1933, lost 1944)
Twelve Miniature Studies, for piano, originally titled Circle of Fifths (1947, Book I revised 1955, Book II revised 1964)
Reflections, for piano (1968)
Pentasonata, for piano (1984)

Pieces for Young Players:

Two Lyric Pieces [1: woodwind and brass, 2: strings] (1963)
Thames Pageant, cantata for young players and singers (1969, English text by Camilla Jessel)
A Procession for Peace (1982-3)

[lescamil]

Nice to see this thread bumped again. I am really anticipating the new releases in CPO's new Panufnik set. I think Łukasz Borowicz is a great, young conductor who is suited to the music (despite some interpretations on the set that don't live up to older predecessors). I really, really think that Metasinfonia and Sinfonia di Sfere, my two favorite symphonies (aside from Symphony No. 10) need new recordings. The only recording of Metasinfonia is only available on LP right now, and it has a few problems. It could be taken a bit faster, in my opinion, and there are some tuning problems with the timpani in it. Jennifer Bate is an excellent organist in it, though. As far as the Sinfonia di Sfere goes, the recording with Atherton would be hard to improve on, from an interpretative standpoint. It is excellently conducted, but I feel the age of the recording makes it suffer a bit. There are some things in the score that I think could be clearer, especially in the string parts. The modern recording of it on Ondine is extremely weak and has poorly chosen percussion instruments, in my opinion.

The pianist in me wants another recording of the complete piano works, but I really can't see them getting played any time soon. Perhaps I should them? Heh. I really do like the Pentasonata and Reflections.

[Mirror Image]

Nice to see this thread bumped again. I am really anticipating the new releases in CPO's new Panufnik set. I think Łukasz Borowicz is a great, young conductor who is suited to the music (despite some interpretations on the set that don't live up to older predecessors). I really, really think that Metasinfonia and Sinfonia di Sfere, my two favorite symphonies (aside from Symphony No. 10) need new recordings. The only recording of Metasinfonia is only available on LP right now, and it has a few problems. It could be taken a bit faster, in my opinion, and there are some tuning problems with the timpani in it. Jennifer Bate is an excellent organist in it, though. As far as the Sinfonia di Sfere goes, the recording with Atherton would be hard to improve on, from an interpretative standpoint. It is excellently conducted, but I feel the age of the recording makes it suffer a bit. There are some things in the score that I think could be clearer, especially in the string parts. The modern recording of it on Ondine is extremely weak and has poorly chosen percussion instruments, in my opinion.

The pianist in me wants another recording of the complete piano works, but I really can't see them getting played any time soon. Perhaps I should them? Heh. I really do like the Pentasonata and Reflections.

I'm just going to collect the CPO recordings as they come for now. I'm not going to overdo it on Panufnik as I have on other composers in the past.

[cassandra]

One composer I am surprised not to have seen mentioned among the highways and byways of this site is Andrzej Panufnik. 2014 is his centenary year. He was the most highly respected composer in Poland until his defection in 1954. In Poland he became a non-person. In Britain he was virtually ignored as he was not modern enough. I have liked his music for many years, but after his death in 1991 he has slipped off everybody's radar, it seems apart from the cpo label, currently releasing his orchestral music - which includes 10 symphonies, a violin concerto for Yehudi Menuhin and a cello concerto for Mstislav Rostropovich. He even wrote a piece for the LSO for their 75th anniversary without a conductor! He wrote about it:

"Using a system of cues, I composed this work to be performed, on this particular festive occasion, without a conductor. My idea of a conductorless piece is not a gimmick; it is my highest compliment to the superb virtuosity of the London Symphony Orchestra."

Sadly, the LSO has not returned the compliment by programming much of his music since his death. Nor do I think Boosey & Hawkes have championed him much either. I guess he isn't a "best-seller".

If you don't already know his work, I would suggest either the Sinfonia Sacra (No. 3) or Arbor Cosmica as a good starting point. His music is built up from small cells. There is a sense of something tonal (though it is not written in any particular key). His musical thought is as rigorous as Webern, but with the humanity of Berg. I hate trying to sell it in this way, but I do want more converts to the cause!

He had two children, Roxanna who has made her way in the classical field, and Jeremy (Jem) who works in a different musical field altogether, which, I confess is not to my taste!

There is precious little on YouTube, so I don't know how to get you to hear his music, apart from urging you to seek out the CDs, downloads, getting his autobiography "Composing Myself" or CDs or LPs second hand.

[Mirror Image]

Hey Cassandra, there's already a thread on Panufnik here:

http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,388.0.html

[cassandra]

I'm new to this site and couldn't find anything. You old hands know all the tricks!