Middle Eastern

Time and time again we are reminded of music's ability to bridge divides, expose injustices and to give hope to people who find themselves facing hard times. One such person is the young Iranian musician Mehdi Rajabian, imprisoned and fined in 2016 for (as reported by Al Jazeera), ‘insulting Islam, spreading propaganda against the regime and publishing “unauthorised”music.’ While spending two years in prison, he endured a 30-day hunger strike and is still barred from publishing any music or leaving the country. But, this has not deterred Rajabian from masterminding this graceful and powerful album, comprised of contributions from almost 100 musicians from 12 countries including Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Iran and Palestine.

Together, and with the arranging skills of Rajabian, they present an array of regional styles. Despite never meeting each other, their ‘coherent sadness,’ which Rajabian speaks of, can be heard connecting one piece to another. On traditional instruments such as setar (lute), rebab (spike fiddle), percussion and textural vocals, the musicians, some of whom recorded their parts during bombing raids or on boats as fleeing refugees, utter a musical cry to the world in a work of painful beauty.