Polish premiere of 'O Lungo Drom'

Boston College Professor of Music Ralf Yusuf Gawlick traveled to Krakow, Poland, this past summer to participate in events and ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the Zigeunerlager, the Romani camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau. The commemoration included the Polish premiere of Gawlick’s oratorio “O Lungo Drom” (“The Long Road”), which traces the history of the Sinti and Roma people. It was performed in the Krakow Philharmonic by the Alban Berg Ensemble Wien and distinguished soloists.

In 2015, in memory of all 500,000 Sinti and Roma who perished in Nazi-occupied Europe—including the last 4,300 Sinti and Roma murdered at Zigeunerlager on August 2, 1944—the European Parliament declared that date the European Holocaust Memorial Day for Sinti and Roma. The 2024 anniversary drew prominent representatives of parliaments and governments from countries around the world.

“O Lungo Drom”—which includes texts from 13 Roma poets across 10 different Romani languages and dialects—is dedicated to Romani Rose, chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, who attended the oratorio’s world premiere in Berlin in 2022 on the 10th anniversary of the inauguration of Germany’s memorial to Roma and Sinti victims of the Holocaust.

Its United States premiere was held last April at Boston College and at the College of the Holy Cross. The renowned recording company Decca Eloquence released the piece to coincide with the American premiere.

Read more about Gawlick's work on BC News