Rahim Alhaj
Letters from Iraq: Oud and String Quintet (CD)

SFW-CD-40577

Letters from Iraq expresses the love and pain of lives lived by the people of war-torn Iraq. Actual mailed letters and their stories are transposed into eight gripping programmatic compositions by Iraqi-American composer and oud player, Rahim AlHaj with string quintet (2 violins, viola, cello, contrabass) and percussion. He says, “Music can make us laugh, make us cry, make us march into war. I want to make music to make us realize peace.” These recordings are of deep emotion and great beauty, melding mastery of Iraqi and Western classical genres alike to form something entirely new. 70 minutes, 40-page booklet with bilingual notes in English and Arabic.

Track listing:

1.Letter 1. Eastern Love – Sinan Rahim Alhaj 6:54
2.Letter 2. Forbidden Attraction – Tiama Rahim Alhaj 12:17
3.Letter 3. Running Boy – Fuad Rahim Alhaj 13:07
4.Letter 4. The Last Time We Will Fly Birds – Riyadh Rahim Alhaj 9:25
5.Letter 5. Going Home – Rahim Rahim Alhaj 7:42
6.Letter 6. Unspoken Word – Laila Rahim Alhaj 6:17
7.Letter 7. Fly Home – Fatima Rahim Alhaj 8:36
8.Letter 8. Voices to Remember – Zainab Rahim Alhaj 5:22

Published: 2017

Genre: Arabian & Belly Dance & Turkish
Label: Smithsonian Folkways