The album follows Furkan's highly successful FF recording of composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (2018), Furkan now brings his unique musical vision and impressive, meticulous recording sound to Felix's masterpiece. Furkan's debut recording begins with one of the most beloved romantic works in the piano repertoire.

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, whose birthday was 210 years ago on February 3, 1809, was thrilled when he arrived in Venice. It was a late, dark night when the quietly moving boat carefully navigated through the famous city. Not being able to distinguish the precise shapes of the beautiful buildings, bridges, and gondolas, and more sensing than seeing the city of Venice, was an exciting opening experience to Mendelssohn. “Italy at last! And every possible delight I imagined, has now started and I enjoy it very much,” he wrote to his family from Venice on October 11, 1830.
Obviously, the gondolas left a deep impression on Mendelssohn. He started working on his first Venetian boatsong, or “Venetianisches Gondellied,” right away and finished it one week later. “I put all my heart into composing and was diligent about it. … I finished another Song without Words,” he wrote in a letter to his family on October 18, 1830. He later specified in his diary, and in a letter to his sisters, that this song was for Delphine Schauroth, a German pianist and composer Mendelssohn was fond of.  Prior to his trip to Italy, she had given him an album sheet and he had promised to write a piece for her. His first impressions of Venice inspired him to compose the famous Venetian Boatsong in G Minor Op. 19b No. 6 for piano, and he wrote it for her.
Mendelssohn wrote a total of 5 gondola pieces. Maybe the three best known are the above mentioned Op. 19b No. 6 in G Minor (October 1830), the Venetian Boatsongs Op. 30 No. 6 in F Sharp Minor (March 1835), and Op. 62 No. 5 in A Minor (January 1841). Additionally he wrote a Gondellied, also called Barcarole in February 1837 and a Presto Agitato in G minor (March 1839), which he originally had entitled Gondellied.


Find out more about Furkan Yavas here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forkiforki/

furkan yavas