Work of the Week - Fazil Say: Sonata for Violin and Piano

Fazil Say's Sonata for violin and piano will be performed at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées Paris on 9th February with the violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja and the composer himself at the piano. The successful pairing of Kopatchinskaja and Say has already been recognised when they were awarded the ECHO Klassik award in 2009 for best chamber-recording with a disk which included Say's  Sonata.

Four days later on 13th February, the sonata will be heard in a different light as part of the Hessisches Staatstheater ballet production "Once upon a time…".  Choreographer Yuki Mori has used the Sonata along with Say’s Black Earth for solo piano and the piano concerto Silk Road, in the work “Story behind the Story” which contemplates the origin of fairy tales.

The Sonata is in five movements with both the first and last titled "Melancholy".  The central movements "Grotesque", "Perpetuum Mobile" and "Anonymous…" move abruptly away from the romantic sound world of the opening into the realms of folklore.

• Fazil Say - profile
• Further information on the ballet production “Once upon a time…”
• Additional information on the sheet music edition of the Sonata