Letters from Iraq

Rahim AlHaj learned to play the oud (lute) as a schoolboy in Iraq and went on to study under Munir Bashir, one of Iraq's all-time masters of the instrument. AlHaj's opposition to the Ba'ath regime in his home country, however, led to imprisonment and beatings. Forced into exile, he ultimately settled in the US in 2000. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, AlHaj made new friends who, noticing his talent, arranged a concert for him. It was the start of a remarkable rebirth, leading to several acclaimed albums, two Grammy nominations, and collaborations with the likes of Kronos Quartet and indie rockers REM.

AlHaj's latest album, Letters from Iraq, is a masterful blending of oud, string quintet (violins, viola, cello and bass viol) and percussion. Inspired by actual letters from war-torn Iraq, every piece tells a different tale, from the difficulties of falling in love across the Sunni/Shi'a divide to the basic challenge of staying alive amid ongoing war. The album feels like a meeting point: not only between Iraqi and Western musical traditions but also between the extremes of the human condition, whether they be love, pain, hope or fear.