Piano symphonique – Fazil Say

by Varun Swarup

Arriving at the Centre Pierre-Péladeau on a dreadfully cold Sunday afternoon, I was a bit surprised to see a huge crowd gathered in front of the concert hall. It seems the event organisers at Pro Musica were equally impressed with the turnout, expressing their excitement in their opening remarks. But perhaps it’s no surprise really.

Fazil Say has distinguished himself as a world-class performer in his 25 year tenure as a concert pianist. With 1.2 million followers on his social media accounts he has done what might be the envy of every concert pianist, bridging the gap between classical music and a popular audience. Hailing from the Turkish capital of Ankara, Say attracts scores of his countrymen wherever he tours, many of whom no doubt came out to see him perform here.

Taking to the stage with a relaxed stride, Mr. Say quickly makes himself at home and within a few seconds, the nebulous and crystalline harmonies of Claude Debussy fill the hall. One quickly gathers from watching Mr. Say performance is how attuned he is to sound and its manipulation. Throughout his performance he would often gesture to the strings of the piano as if he were conversing with the piano itself, or at least the sound hovering about it. Thus the most virtuous aspect about Say is not necessarily his technique per se, but his ability to create such fine nuances in the dynamic. In this respect, the inclusion of Debussy in the repertoire was an excellent choice and made for wonderful synergy between composer and performer. The first half of the programme culminated in a performance of Clair de Lune, which is such a masterful composition that it will arguably never lose its charm.

While the second half was enjoyable, things took a decidedly more romantic turn. With compositions from Beethoven and Liszt, this romantic repertoire with its dramatic and grave tone, as the romantic, dramatic, tended to evade the clarity and delicacy of Say’s playing. Still, by all means, Say displayed formidable command of this repertoire and it was particularly nice to hear the programme end with a composition from the performer himself. For this piece Say took more liberties with the piano, playing with the strings, drawing out some percussive and arabesque melodies before getting a bit jazzy. Finally by the end, the audience could let out all the enthusiasm and appreciation they had been holding, and Say certainly revelled in his encores and his standing ovations. A fine start to the Piano symphonique series !