Fazıl Say is crowning this year’s traditional end-of-year gathering with two major premieres. The concert, which art lovers have been eagerly awaiting, will take place on Saturday evening, December 27, at Volkswagen Arena. Say’s piano concerto Mother Earth, which traces the path of ecological awareness, and his major work Mozart and Mevlana, which brings East and West together on the same stage, will be heard by audiences in Turkey for the first time.
A Musical Call to Action on the Climate Crisis: “Mother Earth”
Mother Earth, featured in the first part of the concert, is a work that premiered worldwide in Japan in 2023 and serves as a powerful warning about the future of our planet. This piano concerto, which stands out for its dramatic structure, soundscape reminiscent of nature, and intense emotional layers, will be performed for the first time in Turkey by Fazıl Say on piano, accompanied by the Fazıl Say Festival Orchestra conducted by Nil Venditti, one of the most promising conductors of the younger generation.
“Mozart and Mevlana”: One Story from Two Worlds
In the second half of the evening, Fazıl Say’s Mozart and Mevlana, which he has refined over the years and which carries great depth both musically and intellectually, will be performed on stage in Turkey for the first time. The work brings together Mozart’s universal melodic genius and Mevlana’s call to humanity, uniting two cultures in a powerful dramaturgy.
The Turkish premiere features a large cast on stage: soprano Görkem Ezgi Yıldırım, mezzo-soprano Ezgi Karakaya, tenor Mert Süngü, bass Burak Bilgili, Burcu Karadağ on the ney, Aykut Köselerli on the kudüm, and the Fazıl Say Festival Orchestra & Choir, conducted by Nil Venditti and Choir Director Volkan Akkoç.
Fazıl Say’s year-end concerts have long been one of Turkey’s most popular musical events. However, this year’s program goes beyond a concert, with Mother Earth listening to the cry of nature and Mozart and Mevlana building a bridge between cultures, promising audiences a spectacular and thought-provoking night at the end of the year.
