Pianist Fazıl Say on stage with ‘İzmir Suite’

ISTANBUL

Turkish composer and pianist Fazıl Say will perform “İzmir Suite,” a piece he composed in dedication to the 150th anniversary of the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, for the first time on Oct. 30 at the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center. 

According to a statement by the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Say will be performing at the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the municipality, which started operating on Sept. 23, 1868. 

Say will perform the “İzmir Suite” on the evening of Oct. 30. 

“İzmir Suite, opus 79 for piano” is comprised of seven works, including “Gulf Waves,” “Brahms in İzmir,” “Silent Morning in Kordon,” “Chopin in İzmir,” “Urla Poetry,” “Rachmaninov in İzmir” and “Zeybek.” 

In the statement Say was quoted as saying that he lost inspiration this year to compose because he was grieving his late mother, who he lost a while ago, but “İzmir Suite” made him feel better. 

“I wanted to compose something on İzmir that people would like to listen to. In the finale of the work, there is a Jazz Zeybek work, which will attract the interest of jazz lovers. A 20-minute suite that was born with love, which I think my fellow colleagues would like to add to their repertoire,” Say said.