Introduction
In his notes for the work Panufnik says that he initially wanted to write a virtuoso work for a virtuoso orchestra, but in the end he went against his instincts and wrote a work 'to demonstrate their supreme sound quality, show off their collective musicianship and humanity, and their ability to convey their intense and profound feeling'.
Once again there are geometric principles at work, however, Panufnik describing how 'the musical material of Symphony No.10 consists of tonal melodic lines with a simultaneous flow of reflected and transposed 3-note cells'. As with symphonies 7 & 9 he operates within a single movement, though this one is in four sections.
Verdict
The Tenth Symphony - Panufnik's first without a nickname - begins with a clarion call from the brass, a fanfare that soon finds itself complemented by bullish strings.
The smaller structure suits Panufnik, who keeps things moving quickly - especially in the third movement, whose percussive thrust recalls the best moments of the Sinfonia di Sfere.
Yet the most effective moments are the quietest, as the last of the four sections introduces a string chorale that alternates softly and thoughtfully before ebbing away into the distance.
Panufnik's farewell to the symphony may not be as substantial as some of the earlier works in his output, but it does leave its understated mark.
Recordings and Spotify Links
Panufnik himself can be heard conducting the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra here. Meanwhile the consistently excellent Lukas Borowicz conducts the Tenth with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin here, part of an album including the Sinfonia Elegiaca and Sinfonia Sacra.
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