FAZIL SAY – 1001 Nights In The Harem – CD – V5147

Based on the same 1001 Nights tale made famous by Rimsky-Korsakov in his Sheherazade, Say’s four-movement concerto also casts the solo violin as the work’s principal storyteller. The first takes place inside the harem; the second at an all-night party; the third the following morning in the form of a set of variations on a well-known Turkish song; and the finale pulls together the various strands, ending with a highly evocative series of intoxicating sonorities.

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Mesmerising artistry, captured in state-of-the-art sound, alongside three other non-string works that provide further insight into Say’s highly contagious creative world.

Julian Haylock / The Strad