Roxanna Panufnik takes time out of her preparation for The Welsh Sinfonia to chat to Lowri Martinson about her musical influences, her upcoming performance of Orchestrapeadia, her views on 21st century classical music and the centenary of her father Andrzej Panufnik.
words LOWRI MARTINSON
Growing up, who would you say inspired you to pursue a career in music (other than your father Andrzej Panufnik)?
That’s a really difficult question. I had a fantastic head of music at my secondary school called Jonathan Wilcox, who was the son of David Wilcox, the big choral conductor and arranger. Jonathan was the most fantastic composition teacher, so I ended up starting to write music while I was at school and Jonathan would get the choir to try out my compositions. So he was a massive influence!
Your music is highly inspired by the intensity of faith and spiritual love, do you feel that the fact you weren’t directed towards any one religious tradition as a child is responsible for your open-minded approach to religion?
Yes. I think it’s a mixture of things really. Although I wasn’t brought up in a religious household, the music that I was singing in choirs tended to be faith based like Bach and Mozart, so that obviously had a huge influence on me. But then I became a Catholic in my early twenties and that was all about gut instinct. Somebody sent me to mass to find some Catholic hymns for their wedding and I couldn’t find any hymns because Catholics aren’t hot on the musical front a lot of the time, but I did come out (without believing in God at that stage) with an amazing sense of happiness, peace and calm and then it was when I was pregnant with my first daughter when 9/11 happened, which made me really look outwards to other faiths and I was determined, and still am 11 years later, to introduce everybody to the beautiful side of these faiths, their music and their cultures. We don’t see a lot of that. What we see between different monotheistic faiths is the strife and the conflict. We all believe in the same one God, but most of the wars at the moment are between those three faiths. It’s crazy. So I just want to bring out the beautiful side of it all.
Religion can sometimes be regarded as an anachronism in modern society, would you say that your music helps to bring religion a modern appeal?
I disagree. I don’t think that is the case. I come across a lot of young people, alright I have to ‘fess up here that my children go to a Catholic primary school, so faith is a daily part of their lives. But I recently saw a fascinating program on Channel 4 about young women converting to Islam and also Jewish families are born into a culture that affects every aspect of their daily lives. So people that have not come from religious households are probably not going to find out much about it, it’s all about where you are from isn’t it? But that’s what culture is for really, for showing people things that they might not necessarily come across in their day-to-day lives and showing them the joy and the beauty.
What are your thoughts and feelings as The Welsh Sinfonia approaches? How do you prepare for a performance?
I’m very excited. We’ve been planning this piece for a long time and I can’t believe that it’s next month, it’s amazing! I’m really excited about working with the players. When I was writing the piece, I visualised people playing the instruments and now I’m wondering if they are going to look and sound the way that I had them in my head. Playing orchestral instruments is a very physical thing, so I’ve pictured what sort of size a person might be. It’s always that sort of terrifying moment of wondering if the players are going to throw their hands up in horror when they see their part. It’s a real privilege to come to a Welsh audience to show my take on this beautiful Welsh folk song, maybe it’s a little bit presumptuous of me, so there is always just before the piece starts a moment of terror on how everyone is going to react. As long as you can convince your players to like it, then I think everyone else tends to like it. It’s very exciting. I always love this part.
Your compositions for your new album Love Abide is an eclectic mix of traditional religious melodies, what in particular did you enjoy about each religion’s traditional sound that made you want to incorporate it into your work?
I have always loved world music and particularly Middle Eastern music. I love the way the melody moves and I love finding out what makes a country different to the country next to it, it’s fascinating!
What do you think makes your sound unique?
It’s the hardest thing to be objective about. Can we ask Anne that please? (Anne speaking) It’s terribly easy to get at, it’s always beautiful crafted and it tells its stories really well and there’s often a wicked bit of humour involved which is nice. It’s never po-faced, even when it’s sullen, for someone listening to a new piece they are coming at it completely fresh and as an audience member they will hear it the once on that occasion before they hear it again. So it’s got to work straightaway and I think Roxanna’s things always do. Her compositions are always very direct in their subtly. (Roxanna interjects) Also, I’m not afraid to wear my heart on my sleeve and I always do it in a big way. I don’t know whether that is the Polish side of me or the woman side of me.
Your brother Jem has illustrated the instruments of the chamber orchestra to be shown at ‘The Welsh Sinfonia’ and Mischa Giancovich has animated your music videos, how do you think the use of imagery illuminates your music?
We live in a visual age. As Anne was saying, the audience are only going to hear it once, so I want to provide that extra bridge between the listener and the performer. I think we have all sorts of wonderful music combined with very visual art like ballet and opera. I think there was a survey done in the Southbank in London 15 to 20 years ago that said an amazing percentage of a listener’s attention is on what they are seeing rather than what they are hearing. Which is why it is important for the performers to look as though they are enjoying what they are doing and what they are playing. I’ve been to some concerts where the performers just look like they are just longing for the concert to be over.
Do you find it hard to stand out in the plethoric music industry?
No, I’ll tell you why. Particularly in classical music, proportionately there are much less female composers so that helps. My parents always used to say to me that integrity is the main thing and to always be yourself and to never try to be anybody else. In being yourself you do stand out from the crowd.
Do you regard the 21st century approach to classical music to be a postmodern one?
I think we are post-postmodern now. What I love is that for the classical, contemporary composer many styles are acceptable. When I was studying composition in the 1980s, there was a particular style of music you were expected to write, the avant garde and the cutting edge which were quite abrasive actually. And I think what developed in the last 20 years is the freedom to be yourself and to write the kind of music that you yourself might want to sit down and have a listen to.
Do you think being involved in social media helps to bring your music to a modern audience?
Yes, definitely. I love Facebook and Twitter. When this piece was commissioned, I couldn’t think what to call it. We went through all sorts of names, like ‘Anyone’s Guide’ or ‘Everyone’s Guide’ instead of ‘Britten’s Young Person’s Guide’. So I actually tweeted for help. And I go loads of answers. The winning answer was from somebody called Bob Wild and he came up with ‘Orchestrapeadia’, and he’s been credited in the program.
Are your children fans of your music or classical music in general?
I took my daughter Ellie to the dentist the other day and it just so happened that I had an article in Classical Music and she was telling the receptionist and everyone in the waiting room, “Do you realise my mum is really famous?” In her little world, I’m very famous, but in a dentist’s waiting room, we’re all the same. Aren’t we?
What have been the highs and lows of your career so far?
The highs I think would be was my big break with Westminster Mass, but I also loved writing an opera for The Polish National Opera. Orchestrapeadia is a massive high, being associate composer with the London Mozart Players is a massive high, being signed by Peter’s Addition is a massive high. I think the biggest low was getting some very mixed reviews after my opera for Polish National Opera came to Covent Garden and I think I was low for like a couple of hours. Someone wrote in the Guardian that it was the worst opera they had ever seen. And then I went to eat an enormous tub of Häagen-Dazs. But then another reviewer later wrote how wonderful it was.
What have you got planned next?
The big thing next year is my father’s centenary and my remaining two commissions this year are in memoriam to him. I am recording my next CD in May and it’s coming out at the end of this year, so lots of fun things coming up.
Orchestrapaedia, Royal Welsh College Of Music And Drama, Cardiff, Thurs 18 Apr
Tickets: £15/£13. Info 029 2039 1391 / www.rwcmd.ac.uk
