Roxanna Panufnik talks us through her inspo for Four World Seasons – a work that takes us around the globe.
Fun fact: we premiered this piece with Tamsin Little in 2012.
Do you have a favourite season, and is this reflected in your composition?
I love Spring – all the joy, hope and excitement as everything bursts into life. It was huge fun to create a tentative melody (in the Japanese ‘In’ mode) starting with the double basses poking tentatively through the soil. It finishes with an astronomical cacophony of birdsong (Japanese Bush Warbler) leaving you in no doubt where you are and in what time of year!
It finishes with an astronomical cacophony of birdsong (Japanese Bush Warbler) leaving you in no doubt where you are and in what time of year!
What drew you to the parts of the world you depict in Four World Seasons? Are they places you have visited, or musical traditions you have studied?
It seemed obvious to me which countries were best known for a particular season. Autumn made me immediately think of the US Fall but a chance conversation with a Kosovan cabbie friend changed my perception as did some stunning folk music he played me from the south of the country. This time of year is packed with religious, cultural and historical celebrations – celebrated by Christians and Muslims together. A fantastic traditional wedding dance as harvest is celebrated but ends with a poignant love song from Flora taking us into a quiet and still Tibetan Winter.