Fazil Say is not merely a leading pianist, but a rare and multifaceted musician. Although primarily known for his piano virtuosity, it is his compositional work that ranks him as a truly exceptional artist.
On May 29, the Athenian audience had the opportunity to enjoy the Greek premiere of Mother Earth at the Athens Concert Hall: a concerto for piano and orchestra, with the composer himself at the piano, in collaboration with the Athens State Orchestra under the baton of the rapidly rising conductor Tianyi Lu. The work had its world premiere in the spring of 2025, at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan.
Mother Earth is a hymn to nature, but also an artistic act of awakening to the climate crisis and the alarming acceleration of global warming. Say is a creator who systematically speaks about the social and existential issues that concern him. Often at personal and professional cost, but always consistent with his values and ideals, he continues to communicate – through his public stance and his music – what he believes needs to be said.
For this reason, the concert was a valuable experience, as it is rare nowadays to hear – and indeed in its first performance – a contemporary and substantial symphonic work of high musical quality, with such a clear and timely extramusical message.
The work, in the form of a symphonic poem, is framed by a Prelude, an Interlude, and a Postlude. Between them, four main sections unfold, titled: Earth, Forest, Sea, and River. Each section has its own sonic identity, dynamics, motifs, and timbres. At the same time, however, the music flows effortlessly, almost like a single wave, with passion, intensity, and dynamism.
Within thirty minutes, the concerto outlines an apocalyptic vision of the end of an era. The introductory piano melody contains a promise of hope, which prepares for the images of destruction that subsequently emerge: the earth opens and turmoil reigns. Forests are engulfed in flames and animals cry out; seas flood the land and rivers cease to flow. The Interlude and the concluding Postlude even incorporate memories from Say’s early piano work, Black Earth, creating an internal dialogue between his previous and newer compositional language.
Percussion dominates, capturing the power, wildness, and unpredictable energy of natural elements. Together with string techniques, which in many places mimic the sounds of the forest and animals, and with imaginative orchestration, a captivating soundscape is created. At times it evokes images of wild nature, and at others serene, almost romantic ones. The music moves from dark moods to brighter ones, from deafening climaxes to lyrical moments, with effortless flow and a rich alternation of orchestral textures. A significant role in this continuous movement is played by the intense and original rhythmic shifts, which at times allude to oriental and Latin American rhythms, such as tango, adding a subtle folkloric feel.
The piano part, performed by Say himself, moved with impressive flexibility between lighter moments and passages full of tension, anxiety, and dramatic density of high virtuosity. Particularly interesting were the ethereal sonic moments, in which the soloist played only with his left hand, while with his right he intervened directly on the piano strings, transforming the instrument’s sound.
Mother Earth manages to capture simultaneously the beauty of our world and the decay caused by human hands. This dual dimension, the allure and the threat, the admiration and the anxiety, is perhaps the work’s greatest strength.
The evening concluded with Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5, where Tianyi Lu’s energy, passion, and subtlety left a sweet and bright impression. After the density and apocalyptic intensity of Mother Earth, Sibelius acted almost like a breath: a return to a more familiar and luminous symphonic horizon.
