Anouar Brahem: Honorary Prize

Tunisian oud master and composer Anouar Brahem is the recipient of the “2026 Honorary Award” by the association of German record critics PdSK (Preis der Schallplattenkritik):

The annual committee of the German Record Critics’ Award presents honorary prizes to outstanding individuals who, as performers or producers, have made significant contributions in the field of audio or video recording.

From the jury statement:

“Anouar Brahem’s art unfolds in many ways: when he plays the short-necked oud, which originates from the Middle East, as a soloist or in harmony with other musicians, and in his encounters with non-European cultures. […] Brahem’s work crosses borders and defies conventional categories such as world music, ethnic music or jazz. He always follows his own idiosyncratic, experimental path, where Arabic and European sounds meet with improvisational influences from jazz. […] Anouar Brahem tirelessly interrogates the expressive possibilities of his instrument – in haunting explorations that we hope to hear from him for a long time to come.”

Brahem’s most recent recording, After the Last Sky, with Anja Lechner, Dave Holland and Django Bates, is also nominated for a Grammy, more specifically for the album’s liner essay by London Review Of Books editor, writer and journalist Adam Shatz. The album was recorded at Lugano’s Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI in May 2024, produced by Manfred Eicher, and released on ECM in March 2025.