Penny Homer, Bachtrack, 7th February 2014
★★★
“…The pairing of Dvořák and Panufnik is perhaps explained by their nationalism, although both composers framed it in different ways. Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony is subtitled “From the New World”, as if looking across to his Czech homeland from New York. It is only really in the second movement that […]
Tim Ashley, The Guardian, 6th February 2014
★★★★
“Sinfonia Sacra, with its ricocheting percussion, assertive brass and ritual string chants, seethed with tension…
Among the most remarkable and original of Panufnik’s scores, [Lullaby] was exquisitely done – a perfect performance.”
Richard Fairman, Financial Times, 6th February 2014
★★★★
“…The Sinfonia Sacra, probably his best-known work, is typically clear-headed and direct. Four solo trumpets at the corners of the stage announce the start with a volley of fanfares. A medieval Polish chant inspires music of hallowed simplicity, interrupted by a short, sharp movement of violent rhythmic energy, […]
