A labor of love
The United States weekend premiere of a profoundly personal composition by Professor of Music Ralf Yusuf Gawlick—the oratorio “O Lungo Drom” in Romanes or “The Long Road”—will be presented at Boston College on April 6 at 7 p.m. in Gasson 100.
The oratorio’s title reflects the 15-year odyssey which led to its creation: a labor of love inspired by Gawlick’s adult journey to find his birth mother. Through travels with his wife Basia—a part-time Music faculty member—that spanned from Germany to Turkey, he learned that his mother was not Kurdish as he had always believed, but of Roma descent. A distinct ethnic and cultural group, the Romani people have historically faced prejudice and persecution in Europe; discrimination continues today.
One of three “extraordinary and singular” concerts [see schedule below], according to Gawlick, the “O Lungo Drom” presentation will include a pre-concert guest lecture, an interview with Gawlick, and a reception.
“For nearly a quarter of a century, I have been fortunate to share my artistic journey with Boston College and the wider community,” said Gawlick, a prolific and internationally acclaimed composer. “Every musical premiere presents a deeply and uniquely felt moment—a personal and intimate, never-yet-heard statement unfolding in time and space between the listener, performer(s), and composer.”
But he acknowledged that this performance of “O Lungo Drom” is of special personal significance, because the oratorio was created “after I discovered that I was ethnically Roma.”
That revelation led Gawlick to refocus his work and write the oratorio, which traces the history of the Roma and Sinti (a subgroup of the Romani people) through the actual words of Roma poets and writers.
I set the words of 13 different Sinti and Roma poets in 10 languages and Romanes dialects. I hope that listeners will embrace these words and reflect on ‘O Lungo Drom’ of this ethnic minority, their worlds of melancholy, grief, suffering, nostalgia, desire, remorse, and exultation—their long road of remembrance and hope.
“O Lungo Drom” pays tribute to his Roma heritage, honors the Romani people and culture, and contains many significant “firsts,” he noted: the first oratorio on a Romani subject, the first that sets multiple texts by Romani authors, including three Romanes dialects, and the first composed by a Rom. It also features the cimbalom, a traditional Roma instrument from the dulcimer family.
“The important thing about this oratorio is that it’s the first time the Roma speak from within,” Gawlick explained in an interview with Boston College Magazine. “Their voices are heard directly. What has generally happened, from time immemorial to now, is that people have written works about the Roma.”
The oratorio was commissioned, and will be presented on campus, by the Alban Berg Ensemble Wien, an international cast of musicians who are also featured on the world premiere recording of “O Lungo Drom,” recently released by Decca Eloquence to coincide with the concert. At BC, the ensemble will be joined by soprano Clara Meloni, baritone Christoph Filler, and Hungarian cimbalomist László Rácz.
Gawlick hopes “O Lungo Drom” resonates with the audience. “I set the words of 13 different Sinti and Roma poets in 10 languages and Romanes dialects. I hope that listeners will embrace these words and reflect on ‘O Lungo Drom’ of this ethnic minority, their worlds of melancholy, grief, suffering, nostalgia, desire, remorse, and exultation—their long road of remembrance and hope.”
The oratorio is dedicated to Romani Rose, chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma and Germany’s leading Sinti and Roma human rights activist. Rose attended its October 2022 world premiere in Berlin, held on the 10th anniversary of the inauguration of Germany’s memorial to Roma and Sinti Holocaust victims.
“O Lungo Drom” will continue to be showcased internationally, including in the Krakow Philharmonic on August 1, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the Zigeunerlager, the Romani camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Gawlick’s compositions—which includes solo, chamber, orchestral, electro-acoustic, film, and choral music—have been commissioned and championed by a wide range of artists and organizations, attracting international acclaim from audiences and critics. His work involves multiple styles and often explores aspects of his complex international heritage.
His transformative journey continues to fuel his creative passion. He is currently working on “Die Ursitory,”an opera based on Matéo Maximoff’s novel of the same name, which also focuses on Roma culture. And, like his oratorio, the opera contains many “firsts”: Die Ursitory is the first novel written by a Rom on a Romani theme, and to be set to music by a Romani composer.
“In this way, Maximoff’s seminal story receives a unique realization from within, rather than being viewed through the lens and stereotypes of non-Roma, as in all previous operas with Roma themes,” he explained.
For more on Gawlick’s work, visit ralfyusufgawlick.com.
CONCERT SCHEDULE
All events are free and open to the public.
“Works for Violoncello and Harpsichord by Antonio Vivaldi and Johann Sebastian Bach”: April 3, 7 p.m., St. Mary’s Chapel
Internationally renowned harpsichordist Peter Watchorn, a part-time Music faculty member, and critically acclaimed cellist Florian Berner will perform seminal works by Bach and Vivaldi. Berner is a member of the Alban Berg Ensemble Wien, which will present the U.S. première of “O Lungo Drom.”
“O Lungo Drom (The Long Road)”: An Oratorio on the Sinti and Roma People: April 6, 7 p.m., Gasson 100
A performance by the Alban Berg Ensemble Wien, with soprano Clara Meloni, baritone Christoph Filler, and the renowned Hungarian cimbalomist László Rácz, who will also perform the following day in the Annual Family Concert.
“In BC’s entire concert history, never before has there been a concert involving a cimbalom, an elaborate string instrument of the dulcimer family used prominently in the music of the Roma,” Gawlick noted.
This event includes a pre-concert lecture, “Past Silence: Understanding the Romani Holocaust Today,” by Siv B. Lie of the University of Maryland; an interview with Gawlick by Ioanida Costache of Stanford University; an 8 p.m. performance of the oratorio; and a closing reception. In concert with BC, Holy Cross will host a joint U.S. premiere of the oratorio on April 5. [See separate article for more on “O Lungo Drom.”]
Annual Family Concert: Hungarian Rhapsody, Jazz, and More: April 7, 4 p.m., Lyons 423
Directed by Barbara Gawlick, a part-time Music faculty member, this program features Rácz as well as BC faculty and students. The concert includes Rácz’s own arrangement of Liszt’s virtuosic “Hungarian Rhapsody No.2” for cimbalom and strings conducted by Associate Professor of the Practice Anna Wittstruck, BC Symphony Orchestra conductor and Chamber Music Program director, alongside traditional cimbalom music and jazz standards performed by a BC student jazz trio.
“These concerts unite in contributing international diversity of talent and artistic skill in service to the Boston College community,” Gawlick said. “It’s really a mini-festival presenting music from the 18th century right though the present.”
The concerts are sponsored by the BC Institute for the Liberal Arts, Center for Human Rights and International Justice, and Music and History departments. For more information contact concerts@bc.edu or visit events.bc.edu.