Fazil Say: 1001 Night in the Harem, Grand Bazar, China Rhapsody

Featuring

Howard Griffiths
Iskandar Widjaja
Iraz Yildiz
ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien
Fazil Say

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Compositional Technique

In Fazil Say's "China Rhapsody," the piano is transformed into a guzheng, a traditional Chinese instrument, by placing a pencil on its strings.

Composer Biography

Howard Griffiths, the conductor, first heard about Fazil Say as an "incredibly gifted boy" from Say's teacher Mithat Fenmen in the 1970s, before meeting him two decades later.

Performer Biography

Iskandar Widjaja plays a Stradivarius Stephens from 1690 and a JB Vuillaume from 1875.

Recording & Production

This album features two world premiere recordings: Fazil Say's "GRAND BAZAAR" and "CHINA RHAPSODY."

Composer's Artistic Vision

Fazil Say, the composer, combines Western and Eastern elements in his compositions and incorporates ideas from other musical styles like jazz.

Performer Biography

Iskandar Widjaja, the violinist, is of Arab/Dutch and Chinese/Indonesian descent and has a career in both classical music and show business.

Interpretation

Iskandar Widjaja, the violinist, describes learning Fazil Say's Violin Concerto "1001 Nights in the Harem" as like learning a new language, requiring him to expand his spectrum of tone colour.