Work of the Week - Fazil Say: Variationen

The music of Turkish composer-pianist Fazil Say stands out in many ways and one of these is its connection between the Western-Europe and Turkish musical traditions. This trait is a focus in his newest work Variationen which will receive its world premiere on 4th August in Flensburg, Germany at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival 2011.

Variationen is scored for two pianos with percussion. The Piano-Duo Ferhan and Ferzan Önder with percussionists Martin Grubinger will perform the work in a programme alongside well-known arrangements of the even more well-known Carmina Burana by Carl Orff and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Say’s distinctive rhythms over an ascending bass line with elements of Arabian folk music defines the main theme making it an ideal companion piece for these modern classics.

More of Say’s music will be featured during the festival and other highlights will be the premiere of Vier Lieder on the 14th August in Pronstorf and a performance of Istanbul Symphony on 25th August in Kiel.

Further performances of Variationen are planned for 5th August in Neumünster and 19th October in Cologne.

• Fazil Say - Profile
• Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival

_{photos: Felix Broede (Grubinger, left), Thomas Rabsch (Piano-Duo Ferhan and Ferzan Önder, right)}