Фазиль Сай: Турецкий пианист и композитор

Turkish pianist and composer

Fazıl Say (; born 14 January 1970 in Ankara) is a Turkish pianist and composer.

Fazıl Say was born in 1970. His father, Ahmet Say was an author and musicologist. His mother, Gürgün Say was a pharmacist. His grandfather Fazıl Say, whose name he shares, was a member of the Spartakusbund. Say was a child prodigy, who was able to do basic arithmetic with 4 digit numbers at the age of two. His father, having found out that he was playing the melody of "Daha Dün Annemizin" (Turkish version of Ah! vous dirai je, maman) on a makeshift flute with no prior training, enlisted the help of Ali Kemal Kaya, an oboist and family friend. At the age of three, Say started his piano lessons under the tutelage of pianist Mithat Fenmen. Say wrote his first piece – a piano sonata – in 1984, at the age of fourteen, when he was a student at the Conservatory of his home town Ankara. It was followed, in this early phase of his development, by several chamber works without an opus number, including Schwarze Hymnen for violin and piano and a guitar concerto. He subsequently designated as his opus 1 one of the works that he had played in the concert that won him the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York: the Four Dances of Nasreddin Hodja (1990). This work already displays in essence the significant features of his personal style: a rhapsodic, fantasia like basic structure; a variable rhythm, often dance like, though formed through syncopation; a continuous, vital driving pulse; and a wealth of melodic ideas that may often be traced back to themes from the folk music of Turkey and its neighbours. In these respects, Fazıl Say stands to some extent in the tradition of composers like Béla Bartók, George Enescu, and György Ligeti, who also drew from the rich musical folklore of their countries. He attracted international attention with the piano piece Black Earth, Op. 8 (1997), in which he employs techniques made popular by John Cage's works for prepared piano. After this, Say increasingly turned to the large orchestral forms. Taking his inspiration from the poetry (and the biographies) of the writers Nâzım Hikmet and Metin Altıok, he composed works for soloists, chorus and orchestra which, especially in the case of the oratorio Nâzim, Op. 9 (2001), clearly take up the tradition of composers such as Carl Orff. In addition to the modern European instrumentarium, Say also makes frequent and deliberate use in these compositions of instruments from his native Turkey, including kudüm and darbuka drums and the ney reed flute. This gives the music a colouring that sets it apart from many comparable creations in this genre. In 2007 he aroused international interest with his Violin Concerto 1001 Nights in the Harem, Op. 25, which is based on the celebrated tales of the same name, but deals specifically with the fate of seven women from a harem. Since its world premiere by Patricia Kopatchinskaja, the piece has already received further performances in many international concert halls. The lyrics for his song Insan Insan were taken from a centuries old poem written by Alevi poet Muhyiddin Abdal. The track was orchestrated by Say with vocals from Selva Erdener (soprano), Burcu Uyar (coloratura soprano), Güvenç Dağüstün (baritone) and Cem Adrian ("ethnic vocals"). Fazıl Say is also known for being a passionate supporter of Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü. In October 2023, Fazıl Say said his upcoming performances with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in Switzerland were cancelled after he called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "stand trial for war crimes, genocide and massacres."

In April 2012, Say came under investigation by the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office over statements made on Twitter, after declaring himself an atheist and retweeting a message poking fun at the Islamic conception of paradise. Say then announced that he was considering leaving Turkey to live in Japan because of the rise of conservative Islam and growing intolerance in his home country. On 1 June 2012, an Istanbul court indicted Say with the crime of "publicly insulting religious values that are adopted by a part of the nation", a crime that carries a penalty of up to 18 months in prison. According to Anatolia news agency, Say told the Istanbul court he did not seek to insult anybody, but was merely expressing his uneasiness. The court adjourned the case to 18 February after rejecting his lawyers’ request for an immediate acquittal. “When I read them (Say tweets), I was heart broken, I felt disgraced.” Turan Gümüş, one of the three plaintiffs, told the court. On 15 April 2013, Say was sentenced to 10 months in jail, reduced from 12 months for good behavior in court. The sentence was suspended, meaning he was allowed to move freely provided he did not repeat the offense in the next five years. On appeal, Turkey's Supreme Court of Appeals reversed the conviction on 26 October 2015, ruling that Say's Twitter posts fell within the bounds of freedom of thought and freedom of expression. Although he declared himself an atheist, in 2018, after photos of him praying at his mother's funeral surfaced, he denied those who called him an atheist, saying, "Later we heard that those who accused me of disbelief turned out to be women traders and were imprisoned."

+Chronological list of Fazıl Say's compositionsOpusCompositionFormYearCityPhrigian for PianoEarly Works1984AnkaraSonata for PianoEarly Works1984AnkaraBallade for Cello and PianoEarly Works1985AnkaraPreludes for PianoEarly Works1985AnkaraPreludes for Flute and PianoEarly Works1985AnkaraGuitar ConcertoEarly Works1986AnkaraSuite for PianoEarly Works1986AnkaraSchwarze Hymnen for Violin and PianoEarly Works1987Ankara4 Stücke for PianoEarly Works1987DüsseldorfPaganini Jazz 1. Version for PianoPiano1988DüsseldorfSeidenstrasse for Piano soloEarly Works1989DüsseldorfDebussy Preludes OrchestrationEarly Works1990Düsseldorf1Nasreddin Hoca’nın dansları for PianoEarly Works1990DüsseldorfReflections for Piano Violin and OrchestraEarly Works1990DüsseldorfPaganini Jazz 2. Version for PianoPiano1990Düsseldorf3 Maerchen for Piano and Chamber OrchestraOrchestral1991DüsseldorfAlt Anatolisches Tagebuch for PianoEarly Works1991DüsseldorfMelodien for PianoEarly Works1992BerlinLiszt Sonata OrchestrationOrchestration1992Berlin3Symphonia Concertante for Piano and OrchestraOrchestral1993Berlin5aAllaTurca Jazz ( Mozart )Piano1993Berlin2Fantasiestücke for PianoPiano1993Berlin4Silk Road for Piano and Chamber OrchestraChamber1994Berlin5bPaganini Jazz 3. VersionPiano1995Berlin5cCadenza Mozart K 467Orchestral1995Berlin5d25 SongsSong1995Berlin5eConcerto for Guitar in dConcerto1996New York6Chamber SymphonyChamber1997New York8Black Earth for PianoPiano1997New York7Sonata for Violin and PianoChamber1997New York5fYeni bir Gülnihal Jazz Variations for PianoPiano1997New YorkSonata for Piano Silence of SoutheastPiano1998New YorkGershwin arrangements for sixtettPiano1999New YorkUÇAK NOTLARIBook1999New YorkPieces for world jazz quartettChamber2000New York11Silence of Anatolia Piano ConcertoConcerto2001New York10Cadenza Beethoven No 3Piano2001New York9Nazım OratorioOratorio2001New York123 Ballades for PianoPiano2002Istanbul13Metin Altıok AğıtıOratorio2003Istanbul14Rhapsodia Uzun ince YoldayımChamber2004Istanbul15Cadenza Mozart KV 537Piano2004Istanbul16Thinking Einstein for Piano and OrchestraConcerto2005Istanbul17Patara Ballet for Ney–Flute, Soprano, Percussions and PianoDance2005Istanbul18Ultimathule Film MusicCinema2005IstanbulDVD / İmaj ( Nazım Oratorio )Recording2002Istanbul19Bach Say Passacaglia ( Transcription)Piano2005Istanbul20Summertime Phantasy GershwinPiano2005Istanbul21Pianist the WolfyCinema2006Istanbul22İnsan insanCinema2006Istanbul23Fenerbahçe ProjectOrchestral2007Istanbul24Bach Say Fantasia in g ( Transcription )Piano2007Istanbul251001 Nights in the Harem Violin ConcertoConcerto2007IstanbulYalnızlık kederiBook2009Istanbul26Princess of Lykia for 2 GuitarsChamber2009Istanbul27WatercolorCinema2009Istanbul28Istanbul SymphonyOrchestral2009Istanbulİmaj ( Fenerbahçe Project )DVD2010Istanbul29String QuartettChamber2010Istanbul30Nirvana BurningConcerto2010Istanbul31Concerto for TrompetConcerto2010Istanbul32Variations for 2 Pianos and PercussionChamber2010Istanbul337000 yıllık uçan halı ( 7,000 Year Old Flying Carpet )Theatre2010Istanbul34Cleopatra for solo ViolinChamber2010Istanbul35Woodwinds Quintett “Alevi dedeler rakı masasında” (Alevi Fathers at the Raki Table)Chamber2010IstanbulNazım Oratorio 2010 VersionReduction2010IstanbulYeni bir Gülnihal – Jazz VariationsReduction2010IstanbulNirvana BurningPiano Excerpt2010IstanbulTrompeten KonzertPiano Excerpt2010Istanbul36Concerto for Clarinet “Khayyam”Concerto2011IstanbulFazıl Say: Pianist – Komponist – Weltbürger by Jürgen OttenBook2011Istanbul37“4 Lieder” – “4 Songs”Songs2011Istanbul38Symphony No. 2 “Mezopotamya” (Mesopotamia) for large orchestraOrchestral2011Istanbul39Hezarfen Concerto for Ney and OrchestraConcerto2011Istanbul40SESSong2012Istanbul41Sonata for Cello and Piano – “4 Cities” ( Dört Şehir )Chamber2012Istanbul42Sonata for Clarinet and PianoChamber2012Istanbul43Symphony No. 3 “Universe”Orchestral2012Istanbul446 SongsSong2012Istanbul45“Water” for Piano and OrchestraConcerto2012Istanbul46Space Jump for Trio (Piano, Violin, Cello)Chamber2013Istanbul55Suite for Alto Saxophone & PianoChamber2014IstanbulConcerto for Percussion and OrchestraConcerto2018