A very serious spiritual task

Bureau report - Turkish Daily News - Ankara,Turkey

Monday, December 25, 2006

Acclaimed piano virtuoso Fazıl Say said he wanted to compose a piece on Sufi philosopher and poet Mevlana Jelaladdin Rumi, the 800th anniversary of whose birth will be marked all over the world in 2007, designated the Year of Mevlana.

But the pianist-composer says this is a "very delicate topic" and adds that he first has to do in-depth research and totally grasp the essentials of Mevlana and his philosophy before starting work on a piece inspired by the Sufi tradition and its founder.

Fazil Say, who was in Konya over the weekend for a New Year's concert as part of Selçuk University's culture and art activities, told the Anatolia news agency that he has received numerous offers to compose a piece on the occasion of the Year of Mevlana, such as a Mevlana Symphony, but said he has refused those offers since he thought this was not a simple task to be easily completed.

“I have always been impressed with Sufi music all throughout my musical career; therefore I studied Sufi rhythms and style. I have a good knowledge of Dede Efendi's Sufi rituals. I want to create a work inspired by Mevlana but as this is a very delicate topic, one should prepare well. I regard this as a very serious spiritual task. When I feel I'm ready, I will definitely compose a piece on Mevlana,” he said.

On his concert in Konya, Say said he was delighted and astounded with the amount of interest shown him. “The students who came to listen to me had to sit on the floors because all the seats at the concert hall were occupied,” he said.

Fazil Say, who achieved worldwide fame after winning first prize in two international contests in 1994 and in 1995, said his concert schedule for the next year was ready. He said he planned to perform around 100 concerts in numerous European and Asian countries throughout 2007, but added that most of them would take place in the United States.