Iraqi Music in a Time of War

Rahim AlHaj (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Rahim AlHaj
• Audio CD (October 10, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Voxlox
• ASIN: B000142MXS
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #398,348 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Man, in a Time of War, October 3, 2008

By 

Giordano Bruno (Wherever I am, I am.) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Iraqi Music in a Time of War (Audio CD)

Rahim Alhaj plays the oud, an instrument similar in shape to a European lute, and he plays it very well. The sound is throatier than the lute; the strings are thicker and slacker, and the instrument is not fretted. Iraqi classical music uses bent pitches and fractional pitches - quite subtle tunings that take some time to sound "right" - and relies on the sensitive improvisation of the player to make its musical impression.

This is not the best CD to hear Rahim Alhaj's musical range and skill. For that, I recommend his CD "When the Soul is Settled." The numerous short 'songs' on this CD are all, I think, Rahim's own compositions, but what makes this CD distinct is that he introduces each song, in English, by describing the conditions of his country that he wants to reflect in music. The intros are short - a minute, a minute and a half - but poignant.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, September 16, 2007

By 

MatthewT (Urbana, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Iraqi Music in a Time of War (Audio CD)

I recently heard Rahim in concert, and the experience was fantastic. I picked this CD because it is a live recording (rather than a studio recording). I'm very happy with the quality, and also like the format (keeping the spoken introductions, but also keeping them separate so you can skip them after you've heard them a few times).