Christoph Eschenbach conducts Fazıl Say and Bartók — With Friedemann Eichhorn

Concert pianist, composer, and former Artist in Residence of the Konzerthaus Berlin, Fazıl Say displayed an exceptional musical talent from a very young age, composing his first piano sonata at just 14. Raised in Ankara and educated in Germany, Say sees his music as a uniting force between East and West. His compositional style is characterized by colorful orchestral writing, virtuosic violin passages, and references to his country’s musical folklore, which are all reflected in his most recent violin concerto, which bears the subtitle Karantina günlerinde bahar sabahları (Spring Mornings in the Days of Quarantine).

Say’s world premiere is followed by one of Bartók’s most popular works, his five-movement Concerto for Orchestra (1943). The title itself is unconventional, with the concerto genre typically highlighting a solo instrument with orchestral accompaniment. By positioning the orchestra itself as the soloist, Bartók treats each instrumental section in a soloistic, individual way. Written in the USA, where the composer and his wife fled to escape the war, the piece successfully mixes Western musical tradition with Hungarian folk music; the result is a turbulent, resonant, and lyrical masterpiece that orchestras all over the world love to perform.

Photo: Christoph Eschenbach & Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin © Marco Borggreve