World premiere for LMP associate composer Roxanna Panfunik for London 2012 Cultural Olympiad

The LMP’s newly appointed Associate Composer, Roxanna Panufnik, introduces us to her most recent work, Four World Seasons which received its world premiere run over the weekend of 2/3 March, conducted by LMP Music Director Gerard Korsten.  Four World Seasons, performed at The Anvil, Basingstoke on 2 March, before being performed again at Fairfield Halls, Croydon on 3 March, formed part of the Cultural Olympiad’s Music Nation weekend.  It featured acclaimed violinist Tasmin Little, with whom Panufnik has a long-standing creative partnership.

Panufnik writes “In early 2008, the violinist Tasmin Little rang me to ask whether I’d write a series of short pieces for her, accompanied by chamber orchestra. Considering a world where global concern for climate change and seismic shifts in international political landscapes affect us all, we decided to take Antonio Vivaldi’s much-loved 1725 Four Seasons and give the concept a 21st-century twist, creating an entirely new work with each season (lasting approximately 5 minutes) influenced by a country that has become culturally associated with it.”  Spring in Japan, an Indian Summer, Autumn in Albania and a Tibetan Winter form the music in this celebration of music across the world, reflecting the many cultures descending on London for the 2012 Games.