Panufnik's first published symphony, the Sinfonia Rustica, celebrated Poland through interpolations of folk tunes. The second, however, is the chalk to its cheese. Sinfonia Elegiaca reflects its composer's experiences in Poland in the Second World War.
'Tragic indeed was the fate of Warsaw', he wrote – 'in 1943, the Nazi destruction of the Ghetto, and in 1944 the Warsaw Uprising, when the Russian Army, right close to the city gates, passively watched the Germans systematically flattening almost the whole of Warsaw, killing over a quarter of a million defenceless Polish men, women and children. During this uprising I lost my Tragic Overture together with every note of music I had ever composed in my first thirty years of life'.
Then, under pressure from above, Panufnik was urged to write a 'Symphony of Peace'. This he completed, but the music was anything but peaceful – and while well received by the public, the authorities were far less certain.
After Leopold Stokowski conducted it in America in 1955, Panufnik rethought the work, turning it into what is now known as Sinfonia Elegiaca, and removing its vocal lines, casting it as a long slow movement with a fast central scherzo.
Christoph Schlüren's booklet notes for a new recording of the piece by the Konzerthausorchester Berlin and Lukasz Borowicz, on CPO, go into much greater detail on Panufnik’s feelings on the piece. 'It has no literary programme, but emotionally it expresses sorrow for the victims of the war, then protest against inhumanity, madness and violence – coming back to the lament for the dead and the bereaved – thus emphasising that their agonising sacrifice brought neither peace to the world nor full freedom to countries such as my native Poland.'
In his biographical chapter on Panufnik in the rewarding Phaidon book A Polish Renaissance, Bernard Jacobson questions the attributes of the finalised piece. 'Eloquent and accomplished though it is, the Sinfonia Elegiaca of January 1957 must also be regarded as in some ways a work of less than complete maturity. Neither here nor in Sinfonia Rustica does the composer achieve or aim for the range of poetic evocation already covered in 1947 by both Nocturne and Lullaby (the latter a daringly original work).'
Thoughts
There is certainly no shortage of feeling in the Sinfonia Elegiaca, whatever its perceived shortcomings. The opening pages are cold indeed, with the strings literally raising the music from the ground as it moves slowly and gradually upwards.
Then there is an aching cor anglais solo, the same instrument used by Shostakovich to convey pain in his own 'war symphony', the Eighth. Here it shows the pain and sorrow Panufnik clearly feels for his native country. Meanwhile the strings' slow chords seems to take their lead from the chorale O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden, which J.S.Bach uses at the start of the St Matthew Passion, though its arrangement and harmonies are much less sonorous.
The profound first movement cuts suddenly to an explosion of anger and resilience in the second section, which is effectively the scherzo of the symphony – though there is very little in the way of humour here. Instead there are shrill brass, volleys of percussion and a more folksy melody from the strings, which does at least supply some hope.
Yet soon this much more energetic music peters out, and we are left once again with the sombre mood of the opening, Panufnik unable to shift his mood and the feeling that the war and the uprising have led to little more than huge, devastating loss.
Verdict
Because of its subject the symphony leaves an empty feeling at the end, but it does so having delivered some very powerful music. The first movement, which is effectively a prayer to the lost, is extremely moving, and although the sudden change of mood is a shock it is entirely in keeping with the swift changes of feelings that so often mark the experience of bereavement. So while Panufnik's symphonic thoughts are still a little ragged, they are strong and meaningful.
Recordings and Spotify link
The new recording from Borowicz certainly does the Sinfonia Elegiaca justice, and is much better played and recorded than the composer's own version with the Louisville Orchestra, though this perhaps not surprisingly shows even keener emotion. The chosen speeds are different, too – Borowicz is much slower in the outer movements and quicker in the middle, heightening the contrast between them.
Panufnik's own recording can be heard on Spotify here
Next up: Sinfonia Sacra
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