The Other Europeans is an international gathering of 14 leading klezmer (Yiddish) and lautari (Roma) musicians. Created and directed by Alan Bern, this new intercultural supergroup is creating powerful, deeply emotional and virtuosic music that restores a centuries-old cooperation between two groups who cohabited the same space in present-day Moldova before being torn apart by war, holocaust and immigration.
Bringing together some of the most distinguished soloists from seven countries, The Other Europeans is building new cultural relationships between two peoples who are often considered marginally European, but have played a major role in creating and transmitting European musical traditions.
Much has been said about the Jews and the Roma. Now musicians from both worlds have joined, researching and demystifying their connected cultures to create a new heritage, an exciting contribution to a shared new European identity.
The Other Europeans was first produced by Other Music Academy e.V. Weimar, as part of the the EU-funded Other Europeans Project in cooperation with the Cracow Festival of Jewish Culture and the Klezmore Festival Vienna, with help of the Culture Fonds of the European Union.