Black earth (2004)

Met o.a. het Concert voor piano en kamerorkest "Silk road", dat Fazil Say met Amsterdam Sinfonietta in het Muziekcentrum Enschede speelt, 9 februari 2018: "Silk Road is een betoverende mix van hedendaagse muziek, Arabische toonladders en jazz." Op deze CD vertolkt hij het met het Orquestra de Câmara Gulbenkian. "Say cites Bartók and Stravinsky as significant influences, but the sound of the music itself is often closer to Art Tatum (or Turkish and Middle Eastern folk traditions) than to the classical side. The solo piano and chamber pieces have a fluidity that makes them sound like improvisations. Say puts a distinctive spin on most of the pieces by using avant-garde techniques such as playing inside the piano and preparing the piano strings. Not to be avant-garde, though, but to broaden the timbres of the piano, often so that it can approximate the sound of folk instruments. The larger scale works are colorful and attractive, frequently with a Middle Eastern flavor." (S. Eddins, Allmusic; 4 uit 5 sterren)