Grote Pianisten: Fazil Say

Fazil Say

It's hard to put a label on Fazil Say. He is a pianist, composer and loves improvisation. In his work he combines Eastern music with Western music and jazz, thus forging diverse musical cultures into one whole. The Ankara-born jack-of-all-trades can be heard in many programs this season, as a soloist, but also as a chamber music partner. Say: 'I try to build a bridge between different cultures, and I want to make that heard in Amsterdam.'

Say and Beethoven

Say is now familiar with Beethoven. In the Beethoven year 2020, when it was celebrated 250 years ago that the composer was born, he released all the sonatas on CD. Beethoven has been like a mentor to him, that's how it felt when Say immersed himself in his piano sonatas for a number of years and then recorded them on CD. 'I learned a lot from him, as a pianist and as a composer.' Which of Fazil Say's own works will be performed tonight remains a surprise.