Laibach’s Alamut adapts Bartol’s novel through symphonic structure
Laibach, the Slovenian collective founded in 1980 in Trbovlje, has released Alamut, a new orchestral work developed in collaboration with Iranian composers Idin Samimi Mofakham and Nima A. Rowshan. The recording, issued by Mute, is available as a double vinyl, double CD box set with sleeve notes, and in digital format. The album was produced in partnership with a/political, an organisation supporting artists working with socio-political themes.
Artist: Laibach
Release Date: 2025-05-09
Genres: Ambient, Avant-garde, Electronica, Experimental Music, Industrial Music
Label: Mute Records
Description: Laibach release Alamut via Mute, a new orchestral work in collaboration with Iranian composers and recorded live in Ljubljana.
Alamut is named after Vladimir Bartol’s 1938 novel, written in Slovene and later translated into several languages. Bartol’s book draws from the history of Hassan-i Sabbāh, leader of the Nizari Ismailis and commander of the stronghold of Alamut in 11th-century Persia. The novel, which includes the phrase “Nothing is true, everything is permitted,” connects religious dogma, personal cults, and the manipulation of ideology. Bartol wrote it during the rise of fascism in Italy. The text has since intersected with a number of cultural fields, including literature, gaming, and music.
Laibach’s version draws from both historical and literary sources. In addition to recontextualising Bartol’s themes, the work incorporates elements of classical Persian poetry, including that of Omar Khayyam and Mahsati Ganjavi. Orchestral arrangements reference Persian instrumentation and minimalism, interspersed with Laibach’s characteristic rhythmic rigidity. The compositions were co-written by Luka Jamnik, Mofakham, and Rowshan.
The recording took place during a live performance at Križanke Outdoor Theatre in Ljubljana, with Navid Gohari conducting the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra. The project was initially intended for performance in Tehran but was blocked due to ongoing restrictions. Instead, the production involved Iranian and Slovenian vocal ensembles: Human-Voice Ensemble (Tehran), Gallina Vocal Group, and AccordiOna, the latter consisting of 60 accordionists.
Laibach is also presenting related visual work at Cukrarna Gallery in Ljubljana until 18 May. The UNTERNEHMEN BARBAROSSA exhibition includes graphics by Nikolaj Pirnat, wartime imagery, a reinterpreted Guernica, and a collaborative carpet project with a family in Kabul.
The track list for Alamut includes:
- Overture
- Secret Gardens
- Fedayeen
- Transition
- Meditation I
- War
- Doors of Perception
- Metaverse
- Meditation II & Epilogue
Laibach continue their Opus Dei Revisited tour, featuring their reinterpretation of Foreigner’s I Want To Know What Love Is.
Laibach originated in the industrial town of Trbovlje, Slovenia, during the Yugoslav era. The group became associated with Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK), a collective formed in 1984, and has been active across music, visual art, and theatre. Their work frequently references totalitarian aesthetics, often using ambiguity and repetition to interrogate ideology. Their discography includes Nova Akropola (1986), Opus Dei (1987), Volk (2006), and The Sound of Music (2018). Over the years, they have collaborated with a range of musicians, including conductor Igor Kuljerić, and performed in North Korea in 2015. Their long-term engagement with political symbolism remains central to their practice.
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