REVIEW: The Dallas String Quartet — ROMANI: The Untold Story (EP)
There are few parts of European life, particularly ethnic groups, untouched by Hitler’s bloody twelve-year reign as Nazi Germany’s leader. One rarely discussed group who suffered his wrath are the Romani people, particularly those in the German homeland, and an estimated 80 percent of those men, women, and children, close to 1.5 million, died in the Nazi regime’s brutal concentration camps.
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Ion Zanca, founder of the esteemed Dallas String Quartet, acutely feels this loss. His Romani ancestry inspired him, following a visit to the infamous Dachau Concentration Camp, to conceptualize and bring ROMANI: The Untold Story to life. The five-song EP features collaborative work with a bevy of world-class musicians and the London Symphony Orchestra’s robust force further fleshes the project out. You won’t hear another release like this in 2024.
The Dallas String Quartet opens ROMANI: The Untold Story with “Brewing Conflict”. The obvious implication is that this track suggests that it documents the growing sense of dread the Romani felt as they watched the Nazis take over and their increasing invective directed towards various groups. Counterpointing instrumental lines of violin accompanied by dramatic percussion blend the dread with a palpable sense of panic that should engage every listener. One of the supreme achievements of this and other ROMANI: The Untold Story performances is how Zanca and his cohorts condense musical ideas of genuine gravitas into digestible outings eschewing any unnecessary fat.
“Letters of Pain” has a different stylistic flavor. Strings lighten the compositional mood while continuing to embrace the same serious intent heard in the opener with gorgeous melodic flair. However, it’s never overstated. Class and artistry dominate each of the EP’s five tracks. “Key of Heaven” works in the same general area. The demeanor is more downcast here than in the preceding performance. The Quartet and their collaborators never mire these tracks in despair; the Dallas String Quartet’s skill invokes the redemptive powers of musical art in ways that overcome knee-jerk emotional reactions.
The penultimate cut “Sangre Gitana” travels in brighter territory. Lively yet always eloquent guitar work pulls you in from the outset. Zanca and his creative partners don’t stop there. This song celebrates life rather than bemoaning loss as intensely rhythmic percussive passages play off the guitar. The Dallas String Quartet drops in several other surprising musical additions sure to tickle the listener’s interest. The track’s length suggests that it is the centerpiece of the collection, and its life-affirming qualities acknowledge, yet refute, Hitler’s attempt to murder the human spirit.
“Rhapsody for the Romani” offers listeners a rousing conclusion. It sounds akin to a phoenix rising from the ashes with its swirling instrumental interplay that scales impressive peaks, glides, and then ratchets itself up again. The Dallas String Quartet’s ROMANI: The Untold Story gains a great deal from its collaborative spirit, highlighted by the presence of the London Symphony Orchestra, but this is ultimately Ion Zanca’s first unadulterated masterpiece. The Quartet has always produced impressive work, but this particular outing reaches higher than any of its esteemed predecessors. It’s well worth hearing today.
Colin Jordan
