Fazıl Say (; born 14 January 1970 in

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

) is a Turkish

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

Life and career

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 with whom he shares the same name with was a member of the Spartakusbund. Say was a

child prodigy A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to young people who are extraor ...

, 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 "" (, English: Oh! Shall I tell you, Mama) is a popular children's song in France. Since its composition in the 18th century, the melody has been applied to numerous lyrics in multiple languages – the English-language song "Twinkle, Twinkle, Lit ...

) 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

. 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 Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

and its neighbours. In these respects, Fazıl Say stands to some extent in the tradition of composers like

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hu ...

, George Enescu, and

György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde composers in the latter half of the twentieth century ...

, who also drew on 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 John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading f ...

'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 ''Kudüm'' is one of the most fundamental rhythm instruments in classical Turkish music. The person playing it is called ''kudümzen''. It is grouped with the ney, rebap, and halile as one of the four main instruments in Mevlevi music. It cons ...

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 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length&nb ...

, 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. Fazıl Say scored a further great success with his first symphony, the

Istanbul Symphony ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_ ...

Op. 28 (2009), premiered in 2010 at the conclusion of his five-year residency at the

Konzerthaus Dortmund Theater Dortmund is a theatrical organization that produces operas, musicals, ballets, plays, and concerts in Dortmund, Germany. It was founded as the Stadttheater Dortmund in 1904. Supported by the German Government, the organization owns and ope ...

. Jointly commissioned by the WDR and the Konzerthaus Dortmund in the framework of

Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...

. 2010, the work constitutes a vibrant and poetic tribute to the metropolis on the

Bosporus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

and its millions of inhabitants. The same year saw the composition, among other pieces, of his Divorce

String Quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinist ...

, Op. 29, (based on atonal principles), and commissioned works like the Piano Concerto Nirvana Burning, Op. 30, for the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Ama ...

and a Trumpet Concerto for the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, premiered by

Gábor Boldoczki Gábor Boldoczki (born 1976 in Szeged, Hungary) is a Hungarian trumpeter who plays Classical music. He played first trumpet in 2004 in the Salzburg Festival. He has been a professor of trumpet at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music The Liszt Fer ...

. For

Sabine Meyer Sabine Meyer (born 30 March 1959) is a German classical clarinetist. Biography Born in Crailsheim, Baden-Württemberg, Meyer began playing the clarinet at an early age. Her first teacher was her father, also a clarinetist. She studied with Otto ...

Say has also written a Clarinet Concerto, Op. 36 (2011), that refers to the life and work of the Persian poet

Omar Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīsābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131), commonly known as Omar Khayyam ( fa, عمر خیّام), was a polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, an ...

in response to a commission from the 2011 Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and a Sonata for clarinet and piano (op. 42) for the Festival Kissinger Sommer in 2012. Fazıl Say's works are issued worldwide by the renowned music publishers

Schott Music Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe, and is the second oldest music publisher after Breitkopf & Härtel. The company headquarters of Schott Music were fo ...

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

. In his works ''Gezi Park 1,2'' and ''3'' (op. 48, op. 52, op. 54) from 2013/14 he musically processed the violent suppression of the protests at the Istanbul Gezi Park. The lyrics for his song ''Insan Insan'' were taken from a centuries-old poem written by

Alevi Alevism or Anatolian Alevism (; tr, Alevilik, ''Anadolu Aleviliği'' or ''Kızılbaşlık''; ; az, Ələvilik) is a local Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Alevi Islamic ( ''bāṭenī'') teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, w ...

poet Muhyiddin Abdal. The track was orchestrated by Say with vocals from Selva Erdener (

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880& ...

), Burcu Uyar (

coloratura soprano A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs, leaps and trills. The term '' coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component o ...

), Güvenç Dağüstün (

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

) and

Cem Adrian Cem Filiz (born 30 November 1980), better known by his stage name Cem Adrian, is a Turkish musician of Bosniak origin, singer-songwriter and record producer. Early life His father was a merchant, while his mother was a housewife. Adrian was born ...

("ethnic vocals"). Fazıl Say is also known for being a passionate supporter of Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü.

Blasphemy charge

In April 2012, Say came under investigation by the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office over statements made on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

, after declaring himself an atheist and retweeting a message poking fun at the

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

ic conception of

paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in para ...

. 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’s 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.

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

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, 2022/23https://www.nationaltheater-weimar.de/de/programm/stueck-detail.php?SID=3128 *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

& 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)

Chronological list of compositions

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)

References

Other sources

Fazıl Say Biography

Istanbul University , image = Istanbul_University_logo.svg , image_size = 200px , latin_name = Universitas Istanbulensis , motto = tr, Tarihten Geleceğe Bilim Köprüsü , mottoeng = Science Bridge from Past to the Future , established = 1453 1846 1933 ...

External links

*
Charges against Turkish Star Pianist Fazil Say: Facing Trial for Joking on TwitterSchott-Music Profileechoklassik.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Say, Fazil 1970 births Turkish atheism activists Living people Musicians from Ankara Turkish secularists Turkish classical pianists Turkish classical composers 21st-century classical composers Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory alumni 20th-century classical composers Robert Schumann Hochschule alumni Male classical composers 20th-century atheists 21st-century atheists Male classical pianists 21st-century classical pianists 20th-century male musicians 21st-century male musicians Naïve Records artists Turkish composers