My Hazara People

'My Hazara People is a setting of two texts, the title work by Shukria Rezaei, a young Afghan poet, and Lalai, lalai, babe bacha shikar rafta (Baby's father went hunting), a traditional Hazari lullaby. Although theircharacters are entirely different, the two poems share much in common.

The importance of family and home, and beyond that connection with country and heritage are at the centre of both. Shukria's poem is a directexpression of love and despair for Afghanistan with intimate moments of terror - a cup falling from her mother's hand during an explosion, her aunt fainting - set against the suffering of Hazaras across the world. In the contextofthis devastating contemporary experience Lalai lalai is nostalgic and poignant - open gates, straw latches, a sleeping child.

The tune of the lullaby is heard in two highly contrasted versions. For Shukria's wordsit is dark and restrained, a repeating rhythm illustrating the Hazara's seemingly never-ending pain, and for Lalai lalai it is bright and joyful with sounds of the hunt, a crackling fire and a gentle chorus as the child is rocked.A further thread runs through the music - a quotation of my favourite traditional Afghan Herati lullaby Allah Hu (God is great), reflecting Shukria's reference to her people's religious heritage.

I have adaptedthe text at the end of Lalai Lalai to bring it into the Shukria's world, a reminder that each innocent person caught up in conflict is a mother, a brother, a sister, a father, a daughter .... kids like us.

Thework exists in two versions, for voice and piano and voice and strings. The former was premiered by Charlotte Tetley (mezzo-soprano) and Graeme Bailey (piano) on 20 June 2018 at Somerville College, Oxford as part of a paneldiscussion on women refugees.

The work was commissioned by the Orchestra of St. Johns. I am indebted to Shukria for allowing to set her poem and to Cayenna Ponchione for inviting me to be part of this