Tim Smith admits that there was “a certain air of propaganda” about the Iraqi National Symphony’s Washington debut, but he says that the music-making won out in the end. “The considerable variance in technical ability among the Iraqi players, who range in age from 23 to 72, was unmistakable, but so was the commitment and energy behind the notes… As the music gently unfolded, it was impossible not to think of all those, Iraqi and American, who have died – and will continue to die – in this conflict. But the evening was most about the future, the promise of what a reinvigorated cultural life could bring to a country that has seen so much pain.”