Roxanna Panufnik: Celestial Bird – Ex Cathedra

   in Choir & Organ (Nov, 2018)
This programme is intended to convey the sheer range of Roxanna Panufnik’s choral music as she celebrates her 50th birthday. It is by no means all sacred in character. Alongside the St Pancras Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, there is the opening Unending Love, which features Indian musicians and a Carnatic singer, and also the gloriously romantic Since We Parted, set from a Kathleen Coates poem. Jeffrey Skidmore doesn’t attempt to reposition the voices for different material, which means that what could have been a shapelessly eclectic programme works in a very unified way, and confirms that underneath her diversity Panufnik has a very distinct and welcoming musical personality. Quite lovely …