Fazıl Say (; born 14 January 1970) is a Turkish

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

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 ...

who has worked internationally.

Life and career

Say was born in Ankara in 1970. His father, Ahmet Say, was an author and

musicologist Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...

. 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 A child prodigy is, technically, a child under the age of 10 who produces meaningful work in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to describe young people who are extraordinarily talented in some f ...

, 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 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 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 Hunga ...

George Enescu George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanians, Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor, teacher and statesman. He is regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history. Biography En ...

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 music, avant-garde composers in the latter half of the ...

. 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 Extended technique, non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one ...

'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 Metin Altıok (March 14, 1941 – July 9, 1993) was a Turkish poet of Alevism, Alevi faith, who - together with 34 other people, mostly Alevi intellectuals - fell victim to the 1993 Sivas massacre. Life Metin Altıok was born in Bergama, İzm ...

, 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 Carl Heinrich Maria Orff (; 10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator, who composed the cantata ''Carmina Burana (Orff), Carmina Burana'' (1937). The concepts of his Orff Schulwerk, Schulwerk were influential for ...

. Say also made frequent use in these works of traditional instruments from Turkey, including kudüm and

darbuka The goblet drum (also chalice drum, tarabuka, tarabaki, darbuka, darabuka, derbake, debuka, doumbek, dumbec, dumbeg, dumbelek, toumperleki, tumbak, or zerbaghali; / Romanized: ) is a single-head membranophone with a goblet-shaped body. It is ...

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. His first symphony, the ''Istanbul Symphony'' was premiered in 2010 at the conclusion of his five-year residency at the Konzerthaus Dortmund. Jointly commissioned by the WDR and the Konzerthaus in the framework of

Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; , 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 1,160/km2 and a populati ...

in 2010, the work is a vibrant and poetic tribute to the city and its inhabitants. The same year saw the composition of his ''Divorce String Quartet'', based on atonal principles, and commissioned works such as the ''Nirvana Burning'' piano concerto for the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

and a trumpet concerto for the , premiered by Gábor Boldoczki. Say wrote a clarinet concerto for Sabine Meyer in 2011 that refers to the life and work of the Persian poet

Omar Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīshābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131) (Persian language, Persian: غیاث الدین ابوالفتح عمر بن ابراهیم خیام نیشابورﻯ), commonly known as Omar ...

in response to a commission from the 2011

Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival (SHMF) is a classical music festival held each summer throughout the state of Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany. History The festival was founded in 1986 by German concert pianist and conductor Justus Fr ...

, and also a clarinet sonata for the Kissinger Sommer of 2012. His works have been published by Schott. In his three works ''Gezi Park'' from 2013/14 he reflected the suppression of the Gezi Park protests. The lyrics for his song "Insan Insan" were taken from a centuries-old poem written by

Alevi Alevism (; ; ) is a syncretic heterodox Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Islamic teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, who taught the teachings of the Twelve Imams, whilst incorporating some traditions from shamanism. Differing ...

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

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical 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 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

), Burcu Uyar (

coloratura soprano A coloratura soprano () is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile run (music), runs, leaps and Trill (music), trills. The term ''coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, whi ...

), Güvenç Dağüstün (

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

) 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 Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...

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 Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

, after declaring himself an atheist and retweeting a famous poem of 11th century

muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

polymath

which criticises twisted conception of

paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

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) #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)

References

Other sources

Fazıl Say Biography

Istanbul University Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...

External links

*
Warner Classics ProfileSchott-Music Profile

echoklassik.de

Official Fazil Say twitter page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Say, Fazil 1970 births Living people Musicians from Ankara Turkish secularists Turkish atheists Turkish classical pianists 21st-century classical composers Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory alumni 20th-century Turkish classical composers Robert Schumann Hochschule alumni Turkish male classical composers Male classical pianists 21st-century Turkish classical pianists 20th-century Turkish male musicians 21st-century Turkish male musicians Naïve Records artists Turkish composers