Bach’s Goldberg Variations like new

When pianist, composer and improviser Fazıl Say sits behind the grand piano, it doesn’t matter if the music is new or centuries old; every piece sounds as if it was composed yesterday, or even as if it is conceived in the moment. Even a three-hundred-year-old piece like Bach’s Goldberg Variations sounds – without repeats – like new when Say plays it. 

Perfect mastery and the spontaneity of an improviser are rarely found together. Say possesses both of these qualities, and at an exceptional level. He uses his creative talent as a composer when he plays the piano in his concerts. Say’s compositions and the Goldberg Variations are linked in this program by one essential element: Fazıl Say as the performer.