Rahim AlHaj

Program

Rahim AlHaj is a virtuoso on the oud, one of the oldest of all string instruments. Related to the lute but without frets, the oud features in traditional music throughout the Middle East. The earliest image of an oud is found on a seal in Mesopotamia dating back 5,000 years. Born in Baghdad, Rahim AlHaj studied under notable oud player Munir Bashir. Forced to leave Iraq due to his activism against the regime of Saddam Hussein, AlHaj worked in Syria and Jordan before settling in New Mexico in 2000. Widely traveled and recorded, he was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2015.

PROGRAM: 

RAHIM ALHAJ (b. 1968)
Dream
Closeness
Chant
Warm Voice
Dance of the Palm

Intermission

Friendship
Andalusian Spirit
Horses
Flying Birds
Sufi Souls 

About the Artist

Rahim AlHaj, virtuoso oud musician, composer, and human rights activist was born in Baghdad, Iraq and began playing the oud (the grandfather of all stringed instruments) at age nine. Early on, it was evident that he had a remarkable talent for playing the oud. AlHaj studied under the renowned Munir Bashir, considered by many to be the greatest oud player ever, and Salim Abdul Kareem, at the Institute of Music in Baghdad, Iraq. He won various awards at the Conservatory and graduated in 1990 with a diploma in composition. He holds a degree in Arabic Literature from Mustunsariya University in Baghdad. In 1991, after the first Gulf War, AlHaj was forced to leave Iraq due to his activism against the Saddam Hussein regime and began his life in Jordan and Syria. He moved to the US in 2000 as a political refugee and has resided in Albuquerque, NM ever since. In 2015 AlHaj was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor for traditional arts in the USA.

AlHaj has performed internationally (including in Europe, China, India, and Russia) and is considered one of the finest oud players in the world. He has won many accolades and awards including two Grammy nominations. AlHaj has recorded and performed with other master musicians of varied backgrounds and styles including genre-busting American guitarist Bill Frisell, modern accordion innovator Guy Klucevsek, Indian sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and indie-rock pioneers R.E.M. He has composed pieces for solo oud, string quartet, symphony, and beyond. Rahim’s music delicately combines traditional Iraqi maqams with contemporary styling and influence. His compositions evoke the experience of exile from his homeland and of new beginnings in his adopted country. His pieces establish new concepts without altering the foundation of the traditional Iraqi School of Oud.

AlHaj has released ten CDs. Journey (2014), is a retrospective of his music up to the present, including a new track. Little Earth was released in 2010 to remarkable reviews. The two-CD project features AlHaj’s original composition in collaboration with the likes of Frisell, Klucevsek, Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Maria De Barros, Liu Fang, Robert Mirabal, Hossein Omoumi, Santa Fe Guitar Quartet, Yacouba Sissoko, Stephen Kent, and many more, including the Little Earth Orchestra. Ancient Sounds (UR Music, 2009), is a duet recording with Indian sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, which was nominated for a 2010 Grammy in the Best Traditional World Music Recording category. In 2009 he also released a special recording Under The Rose with Ottmar Liebert, Jon Gagan and Barrett Martin, with all net proceeds benefitting Direct Aid Iraq. Home Again (UR Music, 2008), is a tour de force of touching and evocative original compositions portraying his trip to Iraq after 13 years in exile. When the Soul is Settled: Music of Iraq (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 2007) was also nominated for a Grammy in 2008. His earlier recordings include Friendship: Oud and Sadaqa String Quartet (2005), a unique East and West musical collaboration, The Second Baghdad (2002) and the live CD Iraqi Music in a Time of War (2003). AlHaj is featured in the 2009 documentary film on Smithsonian Folkways. Capping off an artistically fruitful 2009, AlHaj was awarded the prestigious US Artist Ford Fellowship Grant. Rahim’s latest release is Infinite Hope (2015) with Amjad Ali Khan, a follow up to their 2010 Grammy-nominated collaboration. AlHaj will also release a new recording on Smithsonian Folkways in early 2017.

Notes

Notes by Neda Kherbik

Rahim AlHaj’s rhythmic and hauntingly beautiful compositions for the oud often tackle complex humanitarian and global issues. Dream is no exception. Composed in remembrance of the near two million Iraqi children who have been displaced or murdered due to the consequences of war, it gives voice to lost dreams. The repetitive melody brings to life a yearning of freedom: the hope of a home without war—a home that is safe—free of death and destruction.

Closeness was composed as a recollection of AlHaj’s first trip to Baghdad. In it, a young AlHaj can be heard knocking on the door when coming home late, combined with a melody that his mother used to love.

Chant is based on an Irish rhythm that came to Iraq during the British occupation of World War I. AlHaj combined the rhythm with a melody created by his mother in order to keep the children quiet.

Warm Voice was composed for AlHaj’s former students in Baghdad. As the fast tempo increases, one can imagine the sound of the school children’s singing in celebration.

In Iraq, the palm tree is abundant; however, from 1980-1988 nearly one million palm trees were destroyed by the harsh realities of the Iraqi and Iranian war. Dance of the Palm is a combination of an Iraqi rhythm called Hewah, and an original melody. This grouping of rhythm and melody captures the moment of joy when the war ended.

Originally written for oud and string quartet, Friendship explores the juxtaposition of eastern and western styles of music. This fusion seeks to build understanding between the two divergent musical traditions, emerging into one beautiful harmony.

Andalusian Spirit recalls a time in Medieval Spain in which Jews, Muslims and Christians lived peacefully together. The piece uses a 10/8 rhythm that makes the melody cold (Samaai).

Horses was the first piece AlHaj composed after he arrived to the United States in 2000. He soon moved to New Mexico where he says he “felt as free as a horse.” This piece explores the feelings that AlHaj had in New Mexico and the freedom of his newfound life.

The ascending melodies in Flying Bird represent the increasing joy and movement of women and children after the war ended.  

Sufi Soul endeavors to capture the silence that everyone has in their life and to transform that silence into beauty in the world.

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