Accompanied by the hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra), Turkish classical pianist Fazıl Say performs George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, a 1924 musical composition for solo piano and jazz band, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. Conductor: Miguel Prieto. Recorded live at Alte Oper Frankfurt on January 18, 2013.

Accompanied by the hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra), Turkish classical pianist Fazıl Say performs George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Conductor: Miguel Prieto.

George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue

Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the Rhapsody in Blue was orchestrated by Ferde Grofé several times, including the original 1924 scoring, the “theater orchestra” setting published in 1926, and the symphony orchestra scoring published in 1942, though completed earlier. The piece received its premiere in the concert, An Experiment in Modern Music, which was held on February 12, 1924, in Aeolian Hall, New York, by Whiteman and his band with Gershwin playing the piano.

The editors of the Cambridge Music Handbooks opined that “The Rhapsody in Blue (1924) established Gershwin’s reputation as a serious composer and has since become one of the most popular of all American concert works.”

Fazıl Say

Fazıl Say (born January 14, 1970, in Ankara) is a Turkish pianist and composer.

He wrote his first piece – a piano sonata – as early as 1984, at the age of fourteen, when he was a student at the Conservatory of his hometown Ankara.

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.

Say performs George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue
Fazıl Say performs George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue at Alte Oper Frankfurt on January 18, 2013.

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 and its neighbors.

In these respects, Fazıl Say stands to some extent in the tradition of composers like Béla Bartók, George Enescu, and György Ligeti, who also drew on the rich musical folklore of their countries. He attracted international attention with the piano piece Black Earth (1997), in which he employs techniques familiar to us from John Cage and his works for prepared piano.

After this, Say increasingly turned to 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, clearly took up the tradition of composers such as Carl Orff.

In addition to the modern European instrumentation, Say also makes frequent and deliberate use in these compositions of instruments from his native Turkey, including kudüm and darbuka drums and the ney reed flute.

This gives the music a coloring that sets it apart from many comparable creations in this genre. In the year 2007 he aroused international interest with his Violin Concerto 1001 Nights in the Harem, 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 further great success with his first symphony, the İstanbul Symphony, which premiered in 2010 at the conclusion of his five-year residency at the Konzerthaus Dortmund. Jointly commissioned by the WDR and the Konzerthaus Dortmund in the framework of Ruhr.

In 2010, the work constitutes a vibrant and poetic tribute to the metropolis of the Bosphorus and its millions of inhabitants. The same year saw the composition, among other pieces, of his Divorce String Quartet (based on atonal principles), and commissioned works like the Piano Concerto Nirvana Burning for the Salzburg Festival and a Trumpet Concerto for the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, premiered by Gábor Boldoczki.

In response to a commission from the 2011 Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Say has also written a Clarinet Concerto for Sabine Meyer that refers to the life and work of the Persian poet Omar Khayyam. Fazıl Say’s works are issued worldwide by the renowned music publisher Schott Music of Mainz.

Sources

M. Özgür Nevres

Published by M. Özgür Nevres

I am Özgür Nevres, a software engineer, a former road racing cyclist, and also an amateur musician. I opened andantemoderato.com to share my favorite music. I also take care of stray cats & dogs. This website's all income goes directly to our furry friends. Please consider supporting me on Patreon, so I can help more animals!

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