Yep, they’re lining up in the streets for this second volume of Panufnik orchestral music. Well, maybe not, but there’s a great deal to enjoy here even if the composer hasn’t earned the same fine reputation as his countrymen Szymanowski, Lutoslawski, and Penderecki. There were political reasons for this (he left Poland after World War 2 and had to reestablish himself in England), but if there’s ever going to be a reason for a reappraisal of his output as a whole then this series should offer one. His style got much gnarlier and more difficult as he aged, but there’s nothing here that poses difficulties even for relatively conservative listeners.
The pastoral First Symphony has plenty of charm, memorable ideas, and attractive scoring, and yet there’s a modern sensibility at work here that prevents the music from sounding merely derivative. The Sinfonia Concertante is finer still: we hear Panufnik moving away from tonal melody, but the discourse is still ear-catching and gripping. Polonia is a suite of folk dances very much in the style of Bartók’s similar efforts–the ethnic flavor is there, but with a contemporary twist. The program ends with the Lullaby, which provides a gentle conclusion. As with the first volume in this series (type Q12982 in Search Reviews), Lukasz Borowicz and his Polish Radio players set a new standard of excellence in performances of these works. So far, Panufnik has proven himself worthy of your time and attention. [9/29/2010]
