Fahir Atakoğlu is one of the rare names that come to mind when it comes to film music in Türkiye. With his unique technique and extraordinary melodies, he witnessed the growth of almost a whole generation with his enthralling world of soundtracks, blending ethnic instruments with classical expressions.
His musical journey started at the age of 7, leading him to meet a prominent Turkish composer known for his string of successful and popular Turkish-language operettas, Cemal Reşit Rey.
The legendary composer has been behind popular soundtracks for a decade as he is mostly known for the background score of three important documentaries about Türkiye's recent history, such as "Cumhuriyet," "Sarı Zeybek," and "Demirkırat."
Composing a unique piece for a film seems like an arduous path. Atakoğlu explains the starting point in the creation process as: "It is the human element in the narrative. I tried to reflect all kinds of sentiments that were wanted to be portrayed in the story through my music as far as I knew and experienced in my life."
Making the center of the human sentiment in his music, he highlights that he created all his melodies with the same care, regardless of genre, from commercial music to documentaries and motion pictures. Throughout the creation process, he aims to produce permanent melodies and combine different tones.
"I mirror my emotions through my music. In this regard, I associate people with my feelings through my music," he says.
When emotions are at stake, Atakoğlu states that the most influential production to work on was "Ayla," the film that revolves around the real-life story of a Turkish soldier, Sgt. Süleyman Dilbirliği, who took 5-year-old Eunja Kim under his wing during the Korean War, over 60 years ago. The movie has the quality to leave viewers teary-eyed.
Making the "melody" the main element throughout his creations, Atakoğlu is in ceaseless quest of new tones, also giving place to harmonic support in his music. This is what makes his music striking each time in a constantly changing culture of music.
As the film industry develops each day, the texture of film soundtracks is also changing. According to Atakoğlu, it is inevitable to respond to the changing industry demands without changing the fact that melody is the main element of each project.
Currently, the album "For Love" that he released in 2020 and some new soundtracks are coming out. He is also working on a new project that we all will have the chance to listen with a motion picture.
In his legendary album "For Love," the composer came together with musicians from all over the world for his piece, which consists of 13 works, accompanied by world-famous singers such as Buika from Spain, Letizia Gambi from Italy and Luciana Souza from Brazil.
Atakoğlu will take the stage, meeting local and foreign art goers on Oct. 14 as part of Beyoğlu Culture Route festival in Istanbul's Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM).