Fazıl Say won the Young Concert Artists International Audition in New York in 1994, leading to guest appearances in countless countries.
Instruments
Two different Steinway grand pianos were used for this recording: a D-274 for the Troy Sonata and an O-180 for the Ballads and Black Earth, to match their differing characters.
Compositional Technique
Fazıl Say's Black Earth, based on a Turkish folk song, incorporates microtones, modal turns, jazz elements, and prepared keys to imitate the sound of the traditional Saz lute.
Recording & Production
The idea for this recording was born after a theatrical double bill in Kempten, Germany, which combined Christa Wolf's play Cassandra with Fazıl Say's Troy Sonata.
Performer Biography
Nataliya Tkachenko, the pianist, made her debut at age 17 with Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto in C minor.
Composer Biography
Fazıl Say, the composer, received his first piano lessons from Mithat Fenmen, who had studied with Alfred Cortot in Paris.
Composer Biography
The French newspaper Le Figaro called Fazıl Say, the composer, 'a genius and the greatest artist of the 21st century'.
