The long journey, Ballad from the opera The Golden Dragon, soprano and piano

Die lange Reise, Ballade aus der Oper Der goldene Drache

The Long Journey, the final monologue of the opera The Golden Dragon based on the eponymous play by Roland Schimmelpfennig, has been given the air of a ballad. A young Chinese works illegally in an Asian restaurant of Anytown. Not having a health insurance, he bleeds to death after a botched dental operation. His colleagues throw his body into the river which runs through the town and carries the body to the sea. He floats back to his home country - this last journey is the theme of the monologue.