Composer and pianist Fahir Atakoğlu said music has the power to preserve collective memories and help societies reflect on painful historical events, as he discussed his works marking moments of national and human tragedy.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) ahead of the 10th anniversary of the 2016 coup attempt by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), Atakoğlu said his composition “Epic of July 15” was inspired by the suffering and trauma experienced by people during the events.
“When I wrote ‘Epic of July 15,’ I was thinking entirely about people,” Atakoğlu said. “I thought about how people were forced into conflict with one another and how we witnessed such painful scenes.”
He said the piece was written with the hope that similar tragedies would never happen again.
“I wanted these melodies to remind people that what humans did to each other – what brothers did to brothers – should never be repeated,” he said.
