Fazıl Say

Fazıl Say (; born 14 January 1970) is a Turkish classical concert pianist and composer. He is known to often play his own compositions in his concerts, on top of a repertoire that includes Beethoven, Chopin, Bach and Mozart (with Say's own cadenzas).

Life and career Say was born in Ankara 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 Ankara State Conservatory. 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: 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 often based on themes from the folk music of Turkey and its neighbours. He drew from local traditional tradition like Béla Bartók, George Enescu and György Ligeti. 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.

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), take up the tradition of composers such as Carl Orff. Say also made frequent use in these works of traditional instruments from Turkey, including kudüm and darbuka drums and the ney reed flute. In 2007 his 1001 Nights in the Harem violin concerto was premiered by Patricia Kopatchinskaja and received further performances in 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 that his planned 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."

Blasphemy charge 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 famous poem of 11th century muslim polymath Omar Khayyam which criticises twisted conception of paradise of some fundamentalist schools and movements. 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."

Honors and awards Winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions (1994) Paul A. Fish Foundation Awards (1995) Le Monde Awards (2000) Echo Klassik (2001) German Music Critics’ Best Recording of the Year Award (2001) Ambassador of Intercultural Dialogue (2008) "Echo" German Record Award (2009) "ECHO Klassik 2013 Special Jury Award with Istanbul Symphony Album Prix International de la Laïcité 2015 (Comité Laïcité République, France) Beethoven Prize 2016 (Beethoven Academy) Duisburger Musikpreis (2017)

Artist / Composer in residence Staatskapelle Weimar, 2022/23 Alte Oper Frankfurt, 2015/2016 Laeiszhalle Hamburg, 2014/2015 Bodenseefestival, 2014 Wiener Konzerthaus, 2013/2014 Hessischer Rundfunk Frankfurt, 2012/2013 Konzerthaus Berlin, 2010/2011 Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival 2011 Merano Festival, 2010 Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, 2010 Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris 2010 Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 2010 Sumida Triphony Hall, Tokyo 2008 Konzerthaus Dortmund, 2005–2010 Musikfest Bremen 2005 Radio France 2003 & 2005

Recordings 1993 CD / (SFB) (Scarlatti–Berg–Say) 1996 CD / Troppenote Records (Say) 1998 CD / Warner Music (Mozart Sonatas) 1999 CD / Teldec (Bach) 2000 CD / Teldec (Gershwin) 2000 CD / Teldec (Stravinski–Le sacre) 2001 CD / Teldec (Liszt–Tchaikovski) 2002 CD / İmaj (Nazım) 2003 CD / Naive (Say/Black Earth) 2003 CD / İmaj (Metin Altıok ağıtı) 2003 CD / Bilkent (Nazım) 2004 CD / Naive (Mozart Concertos) 2005 CD / Naive (Beethoven Sonatas for Piano) 2006 CD / Naive (Haydn Sonatas) 2006 CD / Avex (Live in Tokyo) 2007 CD / Naive (Kopatchinskaja–Say / Beethoven / Bartok / Ravel) 2008 CD / Naive (Kopatchinskaja–Say 1001 Nights in the Harem) 2011 Fazil Say: Pictures (CD / DVD) 2012 Istanbul Symphony & Hezarfen Ney Concerto (CD / DVD) 2019 CD / Warner Bros. (Fazil Say plays Say: Troy Sonata, Yürüyen Köşk, two pieces from Art of Piano) 2019 CD / Winter & Winter (Ferhan & Ferzan Önder play Fazil Say: Winter Morning in Istanbul, Gezi Park – Concerto for two pianos & orchestra, Sonata for two pianos) 2019 CD / Sony (1001 Nights in the Harem: Violin Concerto, Grand Bazaar, China Rhapsody) 2022 CD / Warner Classics (Goldberg Variations BWV988) 2023 CD / Alpha Classics (Kopatchinskaja–Say / Janácek / Brahms / Bartók) 2024 CD / Warner Classics / Oiseaux tristes (Couperin * Debussy * Ravel)

Chronological list of compositions

Source:

Other works

Books Uçak Notları (Airplane Notes) Ankara (1999) Metin Altıok Ağıtı (Requiem for Metin Altıok) (2003) Yalnızlık Kederi (Sorrow of Solitude) (2009) "Fazıl Say: Pianist – Komponist – Weltbürger" by Jürgen Otten (2011)

Videography Fazıl Say – Alla Turca (DVD, 2008) Fazıl Say – Live in Japan (DVD) Fazıl Say – Nazım (DVD, 2001) Fazıl Say – Fenerbahçe Senfonisi (DVD) Fazıl Say – Istanbul Symphony Concert (DVD, 2012) Fazıl Say – Istanbul Symphony Short Documentary (DVD, 2012)