Fazıl Say / Serenad Bağcan

Favourite poems

The name Fazıl means virtuous and morally strong. Which is very apt when it comes to Fazıl Say, the Turkish composer and pianist: he has paid a high price for his criticism of his homeland’s government, but his principles have never moved an inch. And Serenad? Anyone with this wonderful name was destined to make music. Serenad Bağcan’s entire family is musical, and her aunt is one of the country’s most famous singers. Serenad also eventually became a singer, even though she initially studied pharmacy and was even the Turkish table-tennis champion at one time. Fazıl Say is particularly pleased that she eventually focused on music. Back in the late 1990s, he began putting his favourite poems to music. But none of the voices he knew was quite right. When he heard Serenad, however, he knew he’d found the right partner, and they recorded the album »İlk Şarkılar« (First Songs) together. May many more albums follow!