Fazıl Say concerto to premiere in Germany

ANKARA-Anatolia News Agency

Pianist Fazıl Say has composed the Hezarfen Ney Concert for the Mannheim Orchestra. He will make the world premiere of the work on March 5 in Mannheim. Hürriyet photo

Turkish pianist and composer Fazıl Say will make the world premiere of his Hezarfen Ney Concerto, which tells the story of Ottoman aviator Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi’s attempted flight across the Bosphorus from Galata, in the German city of Mannheim.

The concerto, commissioned by the Musikalische Akademie des Nationaltheater-Mannheim Orchestra, will be performed on March 5 at the Rosengarten-Mozartsaal Mannheim. Flute player Burcu Karadağ will be the soloist, while the orchestra will be conducted by Dan Ettinger.

The concerto is made up of four parts, “Istanbul 1632 Spring,” “Galata Tower,” “Flight,” and “Algeria Exile.”
The first tells of Hezarfen’s worries on the morning of the day of the flight while the second part tells of his arrival at Galata Tower for the flight. In the third part, Hezarfen falls from the tower while the last part relates his exile to Algeria.

Say uses today’s newest instruments such as waterphones, ufodrums, sansulas and vibratones, along with the classical ones. The work will also be performed March 6 at the same venue.

Before the premiere in Germany, Say will perform at a benefit concert, the revenue of which will be donated to Turkish Red Crescent and the Klasse 2000 Project.

In addition to Say and Karadağ, Tamara Banjesevic, Atsuko Kinoshita, Andrei Rosianu, Julien Heichelbech, Friedemann Döling and Johannes Dölger will take the stage at the concert.