For 30 years, the British recording label “NMC Recordings” has specialized in recording works by living composers from the British Isles. A veritable national archive for new and contemporary music, it marked its 20th Anniversary in 2009 with a special project. It commissioned the “NMC Songbook,” asking nearly 100 composers to write a song on the theme of “Britain” for a single voice or duet and a range of accompanying instruments. The project turned out to be a huge success, and it even received the Gramophone Contemporary Award in 2009.
Roxanna Panufnik © Benjamin Ealovega
It was absolutely no surprise that the Songbook sought a contribution from Roxanna Panufnik, an exceptional composer able to make deep emotional connections with audiences around the world. Panufnik selected the poem “That mighty Heart,” by William Wordsworth, which carries the subtitle, “Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802.” Panufnik relates, “Its atmosphere of breathless awe and wonderment at the majestic beauty of the City and river, in the early hours of the morning, was clearly a stirring sight to him.”
Roxanna Panufnik: “That Mighty Heart”
Hotel Chocolat
But what is truly remarkable about Panufnik’s contribution to the Songbook is the fact that she wanted to be paid in confectionary, preferably Hotel Chocolat or Lindt! A bona fide chocoholic, Panufnik loves to eat chocolate while working on her compositions. More than once, Panufnik relates, “I consumed so much chocolate that I flirted with a diabetic coma.” And predictably, she has her favorite flavors, namely mint chocolate and milk chocolate with nuts or caramel. The extent of her chocolate addiction is clearly articulated in one of her favorite sayings, “Anyone who says they can stop after just one piece of chocolate is either mad or lying.” No wonder that her scores unfold in silky smoothness and rich elegance, interweaving her direct emotionality with elegant harmonies. In one word, yummy!
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