Press review

Translation of Newspaper Articles

Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung /No. 119  Wed., 24th May 2000
Feature pages/Grosskreis Rhein-Neckar
Trills, notes, ornaments
Piano evening with Michael Dorner with music of the 20th century

by Rainer Köhl

Ravel and Strawinsky formed a bracket from the beginning of the century and also to this aim Michael Dorner made it convincingly clear what a highly competent interpreter he is for the music of that century. The pianist played Ravel’s “Valses nobles et sentimentales” with resiliently tension and with elegant noblesse, formulated very clearly, with a deep understanding for a great tranquillity and for crystalline-brilliant magic tones. Covered with fine nostalgia, but nevertheless wide awake. Dorner endowed the three movements of Strawinsky’s “Petruschka” with a pin-sharp detailedness and exemplary conciseness, he formulated the dreadfully difficult piano work with playful ease and elegance. The pianist repeatedly built up great insistency, hurled sparkling crystals from the grand piano, and still succeeded quite amazingly in capturing the tense activity.

Neue Presse, Coburg, 10.5.2005
Graf Waldersee Concert in Königsberg
Cultivated Passion
by Martin Potyra

During the second part we then had an insight into the achievements of Frederic Chopin, beginning with the epic Ballade in G-minor op. 23. Here again Michael Dorner threw all his full creative energy on the scales, covered with mighty steps all human passions and played with an obsession that was hardly perceivable on the outside.

Haßfurter Tageblatt, 11.05.2005
M. DORNER GAVE BRILLIANT GRAF WALDERSEE CONCERT

The programme was right when it suggested in the foreword that we would experience an imaginative artist who guarantees a lovely and relaxing concert evening. Michael Dorner was not only a perfect, virtuous and technically superior master of the keys, but did complete justice to the pieces he played in accordance with the titles of the movements and to whatever the composer wanted to emotionally express. For this reason he was just as at home in the Baroque music of J. S. Bach during the 17th/18th centuries as in the music of Frederik Chopin of the 19th century. In the factually linked pieces by Mozart, the Fantasie KL 475 and the Sonata KL 457, both in C-minor Dorner emphasises the whole sonorous range of a Mozart piece. This was effected in a convincing balance of melodious adagios, a playful andantino, ending with a vehement, energetic allegro assai which was, however, played with great expression.

Landeszeitung Lüneburg, 5.12.2000

-          New sounds for piano in the Cultural Forum

-          Michael Dorner played music that was an equal challenge for performer and audience

Igor Stawinsky (1882-1971) in his “Trois Mouvementes de Pétrouchka  based on the famous ballet, gets off to a hot-blooded start: at breakneck speed, with passion and excitement. The pianist puts on a top class performance.
Quite different the sound of “Minimal Chords, For Piano, For Trills”, three pieces by Hamburg’s Jan Feddersen (born in 1966). In the first part he places electrifyingly rhythmic material in minimalistically sparse developments. Part Two is of freezing slowness with crystalline tones. The final piece, again much more hectic, is distinguished by its complexity.
The composer leads the piano to its limits, for example in the speed. Michael Dorner was able to cope with the enormous difficulty of these works thanks to his artistic dexterity.

 

Successful blend of music and literature (Hamburger Abendblatt)

The concert pianist Michael Dorner put the icing on the cake with his Chopin concert on the wonderful Bösendorfer grand piano provided by the Pianohaus Zechlin and absolutely enthralled his audience.