vous dirai-je, maman) on a makeshift flute with no prior training, enlisted the help of Ali Kemal Kaya, an oboist and family friend.

It was followed, in this early phase of his development, by several chamber works without an opus number, including Schwarze Hymnen for violin and piano and a guitar concerto.

This work already displays in essence the significant features of his personal style: a rhapsodic, fantasia-like basic structure; a variable rhythm, often dance-like, though formed through syncopation; a continuous, vital driving pulse; and a wealth of melodic ideas often based on themes from the folk music of Turkey and its neighbours.

Taking his inspiration from the poetry (and the biographies) of the writers Nâzım Hikmet and Metin Altıok, he composed works for soloists, chorus and orchestra which, especially in the case of the oratorio Nâzim, Op.

Say also made frequent use in these works of traditional instruments from Turkey, including kudüm and darbuka drums and the ney reed flute.

Jointly commissioned by the WDR and the Konzerthaus in the framework of Ruhr in 2010, the work is a vibrant and poetic tribute to the city and its inhabitants.

[8] In October 2023, Fazıl Say said that his planned performances with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in Switzerland were cancelled after he called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "stand trial for war crimes, genocide and massacres.

"[9] In April 2012, Say came under investigation by the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office over statements made on Twitter, after declaring himself an atheist and retweeting a famous poem of 11th century muslim polymath Omar Khayyam which criticises twisted conception of paradise of some fundamentalist schools and movements.