Fazıl Say facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fazıl Say
Fazıl Say recording at Mozarteum Salzburg in 2019
Background information
Born	(1970-01-14) 14 January 1970 (age 55) Ankara, Turkey
Genres	Classical, Contemporary classical, Jazz
Occupation(s)	Composer, pianist
Instruments	Piano
Years active	1984–present

Fazıl Say (born 14 January 1970 in Ankara, Turkey) is a famous Turkish pianist and composer. He is known for his amazing piano playing and for writing many different kinds of music.

Life and Music Journey

Fazıl Say was born in 1970. His father, Ahmet Say, was a writer and music expert. His mother, Gürgün Say, was a pharmacist. Fazıl was a very talented child. At just two years old, he could do math with big numbers. His father noticed him playing a song on a homemade flute without any lessons. So, he found a friend, Ali Kemal Kaya, who was an oboe player, to help. When Fazıl was three, he started piano lessons with Mithat Fenmen, a pianist.

Early Compositions

Fazıl Say wrote his first piano piece in 1984. He was 14 and studying at the Conservatory in Ankara. After that, he wrote more music for small groups of instruments. One of his first important works was "Four Dances of Nasreddin Hodja" (1990). He played this piece when he won the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York.

His music style was already clear then. It was often like a free-flowing story or a fantasy. His rhythms were lively and often like a dance. He used many melodies that came from the folk music of Turkey and nearby countries. In this way, Fazıl Say is similar to composers like Béla Bartók and György Ligeti. They also used their countries' rich folk music. He became famous around the world with his piano piece "Black Earth," Op. 8 (1997). For this piece, he used special piano techniques.

Big Orchestra Works

Later, Say started writing music for large orchestras. He found inspiration from the poems and lives of writers like Nâzım Hikmet. He wrote pieces for solo singers, choirs, and orchestras. His oratorio "Nâzim," Op. 9 (2001), is a good example.

In these works, Say often uses traditional Turkish instruments. These include kudüm and darbuka drums, and the ney reed flute. These instruments give his music a special sound. In 2007, his Violin Concerto "1001 Nights in the Harem," Op. 25, gained international attention. This piece tells the stories of seven women from a harem. The famous violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja first performed it.

Modern Symphonies and Concertos

Fazıl Say had more success with his first symphony, the "Istanbul Symphony" Op. 28 (2009). It was first played in 2010. This symphony is a lively and poetic tribute to the big city of Istanbul. In the same year, he wrote his "Divorce String Quartet," Op. 29. He also wrote the Piano Concerto "Nirvana Burning," Op. 30, for the Salzburg Festival.

For clarinet player Sabine Meyer, Say wrote a Clarinet Concerto, Op. 36 (2011). This piece is about the life and work of the Persian poet Omar Khayyam. He also wrote a Sonata for clarinet and piano (Op. 42) in 2012. The music publisher Schott Music publishes Fazıl Say's works worldwide.

In his works "Gezi Park 1, 2," and "3" (Op. 48, Op. 52, Op. 54) from 2013/14, he used music to express his feelings about the protests at Istanbul's Gezi Park.

The words for his song "Insan Insan" come from a very old poem. It was written by the Alevi poet Muhyiddin Abdal. Say arranged the music for this song. It features singers like Selva Erdener and Cem Adrian.

Fazıl Say is also a big fan of the Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü sports team.

In 2018, photos of him praying at his mother's funeral appeared. Even though he had said he was an atheist, he explained that those who called him a non-believer were later found to be involved in bad things and were put in prison.

Awards and Recognitions

Fazıl Say has received many honors and awards for his musical talent:

• 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" for his Istanbul Symphony Album
• Prix International de la Laïcité 2015 (from Comité Laïcité République, France)
• Beethoven Prize 2016 (from Beethoven Academy)
• Duisburger Musikpreis (2017)

Artist and Composer in Residence

Being an "artist in residence" means a musician spends time at a specific place, like a concert hall or festival. They perform, compose, and work with others there. Fazıl Say has been an artist in residence at many famous places:

• 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

Music Recordings

Fazıl Say has released many recordings of his performances and compositions. Here are some of them:

• 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)
• 2023 CD / Alpha Classics (Kopatchinskaja–Say / Janácek / Brahms / Bartók)
• 2024 CD / Warner Classics / Oiseaux tristes (Couperin * Debussy * Ravel)

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)

Videos

• 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)

See Also

• Bilkent University
• Bilkent Symphony Orchestra
• Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra
• Konzerthaus Dortmund

External Links

• Fazıl Say Biography
• Fazıl Say biography, Istanbul University