ABSTRACT
Scarlett went first to London; she managed to obtain a permit to travel there in order to visit her sick father. She left Poland on 6 March and was officially allowed to stay in England until mid-July 1954. In order to avoid raising the suspicions of the Polish authorities, she bought a round-trip ticket and during her stay in London regularly visited the Polish embassy. Andrzej asked her to contact Constantin Regamey who was then living in Switzerland, or the pianist Witold Małcużyński and ask them for assistance in facilitating his departure from Poland. According to Panufnik’s plan, an official invitation for concerts or recordings conducted by him needed to be sent to Warsaw. This invitation should raise no objections from Polish officials, who might be vigilant due to the composer’s wife being abroad. As Panufnik recalled, after Scarlett’s departure he tried to behave in a way that would raise no suspicions about his plans. Most likely no one knew about them, not even Zygmunt Mycielski, 1 who could certainly be trusted and who remained his friend for the rest of his life (as confirmed in the letters that have been preserved). The composer was aware of the danger he would face if his plans were disclosed and, consequently kept them completely secret.
