Turkish Composer Fazıl Say Writes Open Letter to Erdoğan
Fazıl Say, the internationally recognized pianist and composer, has written an open letter to Turkish President Erdoğan regarding the ruling AKP government’s oppression against the arts.
World famous Turkish composer and pianist Fazıl Say has written an open letter to President Tayyip Erdoğan after his concerts were cancelled in Ankara, allegedly due to Mr Say’s opposing views regarding the AKP government.
The letter in full is as follows:
“Mr President, Culture Minister and other authorities,
I am writing this letter to you from Peking. I have a concert in China tonight. I have my own pieces in the programme. My three pieces were removed from the programme in Ankara and it was criticized severely, I heard.
It is just not nice.
I have a few words to tell you. I hope you read this and try to understand this man.
Do you know when you can be powerful? When you present east and west, and their combination at its best.
This is why the Istanbul Symphony you cancelled in Ankara has been performed all around the world. Tokyo Symphony Orchestra performed it last week.
Istanbul Symphony is a piece that played with reed flute, zither, frame drum and double drum (Turkish instruments) in the front rank with 80 people in the orchestra. It presents Istanbul with music. It does not have lyrics. More than 50 orchestra have taken this piece to their repertoire worldwide since its introduction in 2010.
Almost all Turkish orchestras have played it, as well.
I have won the ECHO prize for this piece, which is one of the most important prizes in classical music.
It will be played so many more times.
You should be proud of this. Do not be afraid of it. This is just a music piece.
Come and change your repressive mindset which rises rage and confusion throughout the world. Do not be destructive. Let people of Ankara listen to it. Let everyone love what they like. Support it.
Fazıl Say has 56 music works. Nothing changes for Fazıl Say just because three of them were banned in Ankara. The world condemns this repressive mindset of yours, that is all. No one feels any better in Turkey because a musician is banned. You do not feel better. Change this. The only loser is the one who ordered this.
Do not be afraid to bestow your hand.
Even, say ‘Let’s bring this work to cities without orchestras.’ Offer your hand. Do not worry, it will be valued.
The world’s most expensive productions are made even in Qatar. Still, it creates a crooked social fabric if different lifestyles are exposed to fear and threat. Neither oppressor, nor oppressed can be happy.
Let Turkey compete with world in music.
Do not shut down operas, theatres, orchestras. Let people see it if they want to. Let people decide what is what.
Increase the budgets for them to do better and compete with world. Let them do whatever they want. We live in 21st century in a free world. Make it positive. Make the world say ‘Good art is performed in Turkey.’
Do not fear art and artists. It is not a military force before you. It is just musicians, actors, dancers… Man… Simple citizens…
We have faced off against each other in years. We could never get along well with this government. It has brought cencorship and cancellation of other concerts. It has always been considered odd. No one was happy.
Put the crew that created a festival in Antalya back to its post. We created festival with our effort, ideas and creativity. It is our right.
Offer more opportunities to this crew. Say ‘Let’s create other festivals in other cities.’ Tell them to improve together. Do not fear this.
Fazıl Say has 100-130 concerts every year. Analyze them if you wish. Try to understand once who this man is. A Turkish citizen. A Turkish musician whose all works are about Turkey.
He has 100-130 concerts in more than 30 countries every year.
It does not make a difference neither for me, nor somebody else when you cancel three or four concerts of mine.
It is only astonishing and humiliating.
Is this what you want? Has this country not lost enough with such mistakes for decades?
Turkey has a few world famous musicians. And it is not earned with just luck. They win competitions and prizes, and come to this point with years of hard work and thousands of concerts in hundreds of cities and it is just not so easy to reach that point.
Please, try to understand for once in your life.
Fazıl Say