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Premiere of the Month: Roxanna Panufnik’s new work for strings and voices

2023-08-07T09:08:00

roxanna 1 pc Benjamin Ealovega Photography

Voice and strings combine for a poetic lullaby

‘It’s meant to soothe,’ says British composer Roxanna Panufnik about Floral Tribute, her new work for string quartet and eight-person choir. ‘It will be performed at a late-night Prom called “Mindful Mix”, so it’s meant to be calming.’ The five-minute piece is based on Simon Armitage’s 2022 poem of that name, written following the death and in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth II. ‘The warmth and gentleness of the poem immediately conjured up a sort of lullaby,’ says Panufnik. ‘So it was wonderful to have the string quartet creating a gentle rocking motion alongside the choir.’..

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