Piano Festival opens with Say in Antalya

The 13th International Antalya Piano Festival opened the night of Nov. 16 with famous pianist and composer Fazil Say's symphony "Mesopotamia." Before Mesopotamia, Say performed Tchaikovsky's Symphony no. 1. Nine hundred people attended the concert, which also featured the 130-person Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra and chief conductor Gurer Aykal. Soloist Carolina Eyck was also on the stage as an angel in Mesopotamia with her theremin, an electronic instrument. Say is the art director of the festival, which was organized with the slogan "Music in Town." At the opening concert, he described "Mesopotamia" as "the best work that I have composed so far." Antalya Metropolitan Mayor Mustafa Akaydin made a short speech before the concert, saying that the festival was one of the most important cultural events in the city and would include more people this year. He also thanked Say for his contributions to the festival. The festival will end on Dec. 8 with a performance by the Moscow Virtuosos.