O Lungo Drom (The Long Road) Op.22: Recording on Decca Eloquence 2024 Release

On August 2, 1944, the last 4,300 Sinti and Roma were murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau. In 2015, the European Parliament declared this date the European Holocaust Memorial Day for Sinti and Roma. 

My wife Basia and I traveled to Krakow to participate in the 3-day commemorative events and ceremonies which included the Polish première of O Lungo Drom (The Long Road), my oratorio on the Sinti and Roma people, in the Krakow Philharmonic on August 1, 2024. This year’s 80th anniversary welcomed representatives of parliaments and governments from many countries around the world, including, for the first time, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr. Theodoros Rousopoulos, the President of the German Parliament, Ms. Bärbel Bas, and the Marshal of the Polish Senate, Ms. Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska.

Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State Video statement on the occasion of 2 August 2024, Holocaust Memorial Day for Sinti and Roma

"On August 2, 1944, more than 4000 Roma and Sinti were killed in Auschwitz-Birkenau. On this 80th anniversary of that tragedy, we mourn them, and all the Roma and Sinti killed in Nazi death camps and concentration camps. As we remember the genocide of the Roma, and the lives taken by the Nazis and their allies and collaborators, we mourn everything that was lost with them – the history, the memories, the cultural knowledge, the family stories.  We remember all the lives that were so brutally cut short . . . I think especially of the children who never had a chance to grow to adulthood. We also have to recognize that the genocide of the Roma during World War II has often been neglected by history. We honor those academics and activists who have brought attention to these terrible events while acknowledging they have not been studied, researched, or commemorated in all their depth and complexity.

We must also acknowledge this genocide was the culmination of countless steps to segregate and dehumanize Roma and Sinti. Regrettably, Roma and Sinti continue to face prejudice and discrimination today.  As we remember and honor those killed 80 years ago, let’s also find in their memory the strength to stand against all forms of hatred and bigotry. Let’s pledge to build societies that protect and value all citizens.  And let’s all work together to end racism and the marginalization of Roma and Sinti."

I was born in Germany of Romani-Kurdish descent, and have lived, worked, and studied on both sides of the Atlantic. In the last decades, through my wife, Poland became my adopted country. The multiplicity of these cultural and professional experiences has profoundly helped shape my compositional voice. The structural fabrics, psychological developments, and dramatic intentions of my music seek to engage the listener's emotions and intellect to lead him/her through the essential aesthetic experience.

In my music I wish to address issues of the human condition. This may take the form of sociopolitical criticism, setting musically images of human frailty and strength, of human hypocrisy and glory, of giving thanks, of redemption and hope, and reflecting on matters of spiritual and existential import.

My life experiences and deep involvement with the other arts both inspire and directly resonate in my work. From Kochanowski through Cervantes, Brecht and Eliot, from Stwosz through Raphael, Kollwitz and Matisse, my compositional signatures spring from an encompassing and engrossing artistic vision.