Panufnik: Symphonic Works, Vol. 7

PANUFNIK Symphony No. 5 “Sinfonia di Sfere.” Landscape. 1 Bassoon Concerto 2. Love Song 3 • ?ukas Borowicz, cond; 2 Michael von Schönermark (bsn); 3 Sarah van der Kemp (mez); Konzerthaus O Berlin; 1 Polish RSO • CPO 777 686-2 (67: 37) The seventh volume in CPO’s Panufnik series is dominated by the Sinfonia di Sfere , or Symphony of the Spheres, which the composer described in part as “a musical structure influenced by the beauty and mystery of geometry.” Composed in 1974–75, it belongs to a period when Panufnik had turned to numerical or, in this case, specifically geometric formulae to work out the structure of large-scale works built on the most minimal of thematic motifs. (The following symphony, No. 6–– Sinfonia Mistica ­­––shares this approach.) While the Fifth contains highly characteristic passages, such as long-breathed melodies or rhythmically disjointed scherzo sections punctuated by percussion, it is probably not the place to start for an introductio