Ralf Yusuf Gawlick: The Long Road

O Lungo Drom translates as 'The Long Road' in Romanes. This large-scale work, scored for a chamber ensemble including soprano, baritone, flute, clarinet, cimbalom, piano and string quartet, integrates texts from all around the world into an oratorio to create a Lied of the scattered Sinti and Roma. Members of the minority have lived in Europe for over 700 years. Since that time, they have been subjected to constant discrimination and persecution - punctuated by infernal periods of enslavement and genocide. 'The Long Road' is a road of longing, of yearning, a path that leads to and from remembrance; each step and footprint on this road, imbued with a profound sense of Fernweh, embraces hope and beauty through resilience and consolation. O Lungo Drom sets the words of thirteen different poets and writers from this minority in ten languages and Romanes dialects. Full texts and translations are included.