As part of the UK/Poland Season 2025, the British Library invites you to an afternoon celebrating the rich intersection between Polish music and folk art. Andrzej Panufnik and The Art of Wycinanki brings together live performance, expert discussion, and rare archival materials to explore one of Poland’s most important 20th-century composers through a striking visual tradition that helped shape his work.

Panufnik’s Return and His Third String Quartet:

Polish-British composer Andrzej Panufnik wrote his String Quartet No. 3 in 1990, shortly after his first visit to Poland since leaving in 1954. The work is infused with emotion, memory, and deep cultural reconnection.

In his own words, written before the quartet’s premiere:

“My Quartet No. 3 emerged from my lifelong attachment to the rustic art of Poland – especially the paper-cuts (‘Wycinanki’ in Polish) – symmetrical designs of magical abstract beauty and naive charm.”

These traditional paper cut-outs (wycinanki)—delicate, geometric, and vividly expressive—inspired Panufnik’s interest in symmetry, structure, and the interplay between shape and sound. The event will illuminate these artistic connections through manuscripts, visual examples from the British Library’s collections, and the music itself.

Live Music and Expert Insights:

We are delighted to welcome the Fiora Quartet, who will perform Panufnik’s String Quartet No. 3, as well as Roxanna Panufnik’s moving tribute “O tu Andrzej” from Memories of My Father.

Alongside the performances, curators Olga Topol (Slavonic and Eastern European Collections) and Chris Scobie (Music Manuscripts & Archives) will share manuscripts, archival documents, and rare examples of the wycinanki tradition, offering a deeper look at the cultural world that shaped Panufnik’s music.

Programme:

• Andrzej Panufnik – String Quartet No. 3
• Roxanna Panufnik – O tu Andrzej, from Memories of My Father

Featured Guests:

• The Fiora Quartet – formed in 2021 at the Royal College of Music
• Roxanna Panufnik – award-winning British composer and daughter of Andrzej Panufnik
• Olga Topol – Curator of Slavonic and Eastern European Collections, British Library
• Chris Scobie – Lead Curator for Music Manuscripts & Archives, British Library

Practical Information:

Date: Thursday 27 November
Time: 14:00–15:15
Location: Foyle Suite, British Library Conservation Centre

Tickets – click here