Renowned Turkish pianist Fazıl Say staged yesterday a well-attended concert at the Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Centre (AASSM) in the city of İzmir, on Turkey’s west coast, to mark 50 years of his piano career.
The concert, according to Turkish media reports, was attended by prominent authorities and public figures including the mayor of İzmir, Cemil Tugay, and his wife Öznur Tugay. During the event the pianist performed some of his new works such as ‘Klaros, the Temple of Prophecies’, inspired by the ancient city of Klaros, or ‘Küçük Kara Balık’ (The Little Black Fish), composed inspired by the work of Iranian writer Samad Behrangi.
Another piece heard during Say’s performance was ‘Bosphorus Romance’, composed for piano and flute, for which he was accompanied by the famed Turkish flautist Aslıhan And.
Before the concert – for which tickets were sold out in a short time – Turkish pianist Fazıl Say expressed his happiness at being able to play on what is considered one of Turkey’s most prestigious stages, and to do so just 50 years after his first piano performance: on 5 January 1975. ‘My aim was to take you on an imaginary journey back in time to thousands of years ago,’ said the artist after finishing his performance, which lasted for an hour and a quarter and, after which, he received a standing ovation from the entire audience.
Licensed in tourism, Laura loves travelling and discovering new places, cultures and people; and of course, one of her favourite places to enjoy a good holiday is Turkey, where she even worked as a tour guide. There are few places in Anatolia that she hasn’t visited… so she is the one who advises the rest of us when we travel.
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