by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

The substantial fifth edition of the Festival du Monde Arabe de Montréal continues this week with something to do each and every night. On the musical side, there is of course the Exode show, fusing klezmer and Turkish music, at Place des Arts tonight (8 p.m., $25). Tomorrow night, Friday, Nov. 5, sees Zàrani at Place des Arts, again 8 p.m., $25. Zàrani is the brainchild of Beirut-born, Paris-based pianist/composer of note Zad Moultaka. A collision of European composition and Arabic melody and detailing, the work reflects the push and pull between the two schools of musical thought. Moultaka is backed up by Lebanese singer Fadia Tomb El-Hage as well as Jihad Al-Chemaly on oud and Pierre Rigopoulos on the zarb, a Persian drum.

Saturday, Nov. 6, again at Place des Arts (8 p.m., $25), is Chemins. Classical Persian poetry is brought to life by Iran's Hossein Omoumi, a master singer and player of the ney flute. Omoumi is joined by the brothers Kiya and Ziya Tabassian, of the local group Constantinople, on traditional Persian instruments.

A joyful counterpoint to the parade of bad news out of Baghdad of late is the concert called Le Luth de Bagdad, at Salle Pierre-Mercure on Sunday, Nov. 7, 8 p.m., $29–$49. At the helm is Nassir Shamma - a guy many call "the oud player of the century." It was Shamma who, after the first Gulf War, revolutionized his instrument by developing a one-handed playing style that could be adopted by kids whose hands had been amputated due to war wounds. For the Le Luth de Bagdad concert, Shamma and his ensemble will tackle the repertoire of Ziryab, the celebrated court singer of the famous Baghdadi caliph Haroun Al-Rashid.

Then, on Tuesday, Nov. 9, the Salle Pierre-Mercure hosts the Quart du Temps concert (8 p.m., $20–$30), a two-for-one affair. First off is Ziya Tabassian again, this time joining Montreal frame drummers Ganesh Anandan and Patrick Graham, for Rencontres fugitives, a percussive interweaving of Persian, Carnatic and other styles. The second performance, Mémoire en transe, focuses on Syria, specifically the rich musical tradition of the city of Aleppo. L'Ensemble oriental d'Alep, under the direction of Ghassan Amouri, explore the transcendental mysticism of Sufism and cultural intermingling that is Aleppo's historical treasure.

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