Four years after his last solo recital disc of piano sonatas by Haydn (V5070), this is the much-awaited new project for Naïve by the celebrated pianist Fazil Say. The three pieces featured here, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Janacek’s Sonata “1.X.1905” and Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No.7 are powerful and intense works composed between 1874 and 1942, frequently performed by Fazil Say in concert. Also included is a bonus DVD which features a concert performance of “Pictures” and some behind the scene footage.

The Turkish pianist and composer Fazil Say was born in Ankara and studied piano and composition at the State Conservatory of his home city. At seventeen he was awarded a scholarship enabling him to work for five years with David Levine at the Robert Schumann Institute in Düsseldorf. Fazil Say’s discography includes a recording of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the New York Philharmonic and Kurt Masur, a Bach recital, and Stravinsky’s four-hand arrangement of The Rite of Spring, in which Say plays both parts himself. This recording brought him several international awards, including the 2001 Echo Preis Klassik and the German Music Critics’ Best Recording of the Year.

His first recording with Naïve was entirely devoted to his own music, while the second featured three Mozart concertos performed with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra conducted by Howard Griffiths. A CD of Beethoven piano sonatas was released in 2005, and a selection of Haydn sonatas in 2007. Fazil Say is not only a solo pianist, but also a composer, improviser and regular collaborator with award winning violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja.

DVD Content:
1. Concert recorded in February 2011, MC2: Grenoble (Filmed by Jean-Pierre Loisil)
2. Bonus: “Behind the scenes of the recording” “Hinter den Kulissen”

DVD specifications:
Region: 0 (All Regions)
Rating: Exempt from Certification
Duration: 80 minutes
Picture Format: NTSC