New Life Piano Sonata

Fazıl Say, “New Life”, Piano Sonata, Op. 99

“New Life”, Op. 99 piano sonata is one of the new works of composer and pianist Fazıl Say composed during the pandemic period. It is a 11-minute work, featuring three movements: I-Introduction & Allegro, II-Pesante and III-Finale.

Fazıl Say reflects on the pandemic period in this sonata. The work is about hope where the music depicts the process of recovery and coming back to life again after the pandemic period which affected the whole world and shut down our lives.

“New Life” is the third sonata of the artist which features a lot of experimentation and timbres that people will hear for the first time from a piano. Because of that, it has a contemporary structure. But on the other hand, it is not an avant-garde work, as it emulates melodies and harmonies. This is the artist’s own language of music, which is reflected in all his works.

Fazıl Say: “I composed this piece to perform at my first concert right after the pandemic in July 2021. The work carries thoughts about both the uncertainty & anxiety we live in and the hope of getting back to normal life again. In fact, it is a song of transition from the pandemic period to normal life. It’s both the anxiety we experienced and the good news about getting back on stage.”