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| Fazıl Say: Turkish composer and pianist Photo source |
I came to know of this world-renowned musician and composer this last month, thanks to a Turkish friend of mine. You can learn more about him at fazilsay.com.
The composition that most drew me in was his Nâzım Oratorio, the words of which are the poems of Nâzım Hikmet, one of Turkey's greatest poets.
You can read some of these in English here, and if you want to know more about his life, which was a fascinating one, a quick search will yield lots of results.
Here, though, is a brief synopsis: A poet, playwright, novelist, and memoirist, Hikmet was known as a romantic communist and revolutionary, and is seen by many as a great patriot, for he dearly loved his country. Despite this, his political beliefs landed him in prison on more than one occasion, and he spent much of his life in exile, eventually passing away in Moscow, Russia (then the Soviet Union), in 1963 at the age of 61. His poetry, from what I've read so far, makes profound statements about living, prison, the pain of war, and ties to one's homeland and family, among other things.
I found that the combination of Say's musicality and the purity and poignancy of Hikmet's words made for an exquisite experience. I turned this on as study music, but once I started reading along with the oratorio's translation, I couldn't stop. It is well worth watching the whole performance, although if you're pressed for time, break it up into a few sittings.
Enjoy:
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