Future Memories: Lotoro's journey in search of music written in concentration camps arrives in Poland and the Czech Republic

Fondazione ILMC
Mar 29, 2024
2 min read

Francesco Lotoro con un manoscritto di Rudolf Karel

Francesco Lotoro 's journey in search of music composed in concentration camps and other places of civilian and military captivity around the world continues in Poland and the Czech Republic . The project "Future Memories: Lotoro's Journey to Save the Lost Music," of which this journey is also part, is promoted by the Fondazione Istituto di Letteratura Musicale Concentrazionaria ETS and supported by the Claims Conference (New York), the Puglia Region, the Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe (London), the Righteous Persons Foundation (Los Angeles), and the Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah (Paris) . The journey was undertaken together with Grazia Tiritiello, vice president of the ILMC Foundation.

From Reggio Emilia they reached Milan by train and flew the next day to Krakow where they met again with Christof Kulisiewicz , who handed over his father's documents and promised to procure further materials from antiquarian bookshops in Krakow.

In the photos: Lotoro in Krakow, with Cristof Kulisiewicz, some musical documents by Aleksander Kulisiewicz

It was then time for a visit to the Auschwitz Museum , where a research session had been scheduled in their Archives to scan musical materials used, produced, or arranged by the musicians of the Auschwitz I Lagerkapelle. After carefully selecting the materials, a scan was requested, which will be sent online upon payment.

On the same day, very important books that are unobtainable outside the Auschwitz Museum were purchased at the Birkenau Bookshop , including all the substantial Księga Pamięci volumes with the lists of those deported to Auschwitz and Birkenau, divided by city and main region of origin.

In the photos: Lotoro at the Auschwitz Museum

After leaving Krakow, Lotoro and Tiritiello traveled by train to Prague , where they met Ivan, son of composer Rudolf Karel, who handed over the entire collection of sheets of light blue tissue paper and notebooks on which his father, Rudolf, had secretly written numerous musical works; a treasure of inestimable documentary, historical, library, and museum value.