“Dworzynski is real firecracker of a conductor, a real energiser…”
Glasgow Herald, May 2010
Polish conductor Michał Dworzynski is emerging as one of Europe’s most exciting
conducting talents.
In February 2010 he conducted the UK premiere of Maciejewski’s extraordinary Requiem Mass in Westminster Cathedral, with the massed forces of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Chorus and BBC Singers and a starry Polish cast. He has taken the music of Lutoslawski to major UK festivals such as Cheltenham (BBC Philharmonic), Belfast (Ulster Orchestra) and St Magnus (BBC Scottish Symphony), and made his debuts with both the Israel Philharmonic (2009) and with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic (2010) in the major closing events of their seasons with Gorecki’s Symphony no.3. The Amsterdam concert was broadcast on Dutch and included Szymanowski’s Stabat Mater. Dworzynski maintains a regular presence in Warsaw with the Philharmonic Orchestra (with whom he will also tour Japan in 2012), and has conducted all the major Polish orchestras and at the Warsaw National Opera. He has made several CD recordings for the Polish Television and Radio and has received numerous honours and awards in recognition of his committed advocacy of Polish music.
Since winning the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition in 2006, Dworzynski has conducted the London Symphony Orchestra several times a season and has also established regular relationships with the BBC Scottish Symphony, BBC Symphony and London Philharmonic, all of whom he returned to conduct in 2010.
In November 2010 Hyperion Records released Dworzynski’s recording of piano concertos by Hermann Goetz and Wieniawski with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and soloist Hamish Milne, with a second Hyperion disc planned in Glasgow for 2012.
Last season Dworzynski conducted the Orchestre National de Lille and the Orchestre National de Belgique (having already appeared with the Royal Flemish Philharmonic and the Brussels Philharmonic). He returned to Iceland, made his debut in Copenhagen, and appeared for the first time at the Opera de Lyon conducting Prokofiev. Other European engagements have included the Swedish Radio and Stockholm Opera, Vienna Chamber and Madrid RTVE. In 11/12 he conducts the Radio Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Frankfurter Museumsgesellschaft and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic for the first time and returns to the Bournemouth Symphony.
In Spring 2010 he appeared with the Tokyo Symphony and Tokyo Philharmonic in March 2010, and conducting at Suntory Hall two months later. He made his first visits to Australia and New Zealand in June 2011 and was immediately reinvited for May 2013 when he will appear with the Adelaide Symphony and return to the Tasmanian Symphony and Auckland Philharmonia.
Dworzynski studied in Warsaw with Antoni Wit and in Berlin with Christian Ehwald and was appointed Assistant Conductor of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice at the age of 21. From 2008-2010 he was Principal Conductor of the Beethoven Academy in Cracow, conducting them at the Warsaw Easter Festival and in the Warsaw Philharmonic series, and programming Beethoven and Brahms cycles.
Michał Dworzyński is represented by Intermusica.
October 2011 / 486 words. Not to be altered without permission. Please destroy all previous biographical material.
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra / Borodin, Kodaly, Mussorgsky
“[…] One of the finest live performances of the piece I have heard… The Great Gate of Kiev has rarely reached such heights of superbly-graded crescendo, topped out by the sonorous clanging of a free-standing bell.”
Liverpool Echo, December 2011
“Providing lively and delectably sprung rhythms Dworzynski got himself off to a fine start with this buoyant curtain raiser… Dworzynski showed his skill in moulding the score’s myriad moods and alternating tempos with exquisite musical colouring.”
Seen and Heard International, December 2011
“The chorale playing of the woodwind was especially delicate and the dances really sounded like dances… Dworzynski held the orchestra together well, allowing the brass section to demonstrate its beautiful tone amid the fine ensemble playing. We should look forward to his early return.”
Click Review, December 2011
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra / Tchaikovsky
“Dworzynski’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 lacked nothing in passion or perception… Under Dworzynski’s hand the finale was not simply a desolate denouement but one of fervent sorrow. Above all he found the element of agony and despair as a catalyst for making this the finale it should be; powerful, moving, tragic, with stopped horns adding colour and the basses raw as if drawing a last breath.”
Bournemouth Echo, October 2011
Auckland Philharmonia / Tchaikovsky, Sibelius
“…the orchestra, under the able baton of Michal Dworzynski…
Dworzynski obviously relished the chance to bring a real sense of cohesion and inevitability to it all, which he did… This young conductor has made his name in Europe with his advocacy of contemporary Polish music and, in the Auckland Town Hall, one felt as if one was hearing this Sibelius work for the first time, 109 years ago.”
NZ Herald, July 2011
Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra / Kodaly, Schumann
“In [Dworzynski] we find artistic virtues where specific qualities like intelligence, a keen aural sensitivity, precision, textual fidelity and personal warmth are all part of the mix… Dworzynski’s unmistakeable quality here was the felicitous amount of detail he managed to unearth in the work as a whole… also very characteristic in this music is the ingrained rubati which always sounded both spontaneous and affectionate.
Dworzynski has a keen ear for inner textures in the composer’s orchestration. The opening movement had the vibrancy it needs, while the extremely difficult Scherzo (especially the string writing) was full of light-hearted charm.”
SA Jewish Report, May 2011
Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra / Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov
“He is one of the greats amongst the younger generation who has collaborated with our orchestra. The way Dworzynski modulated, paced and shaded the music appeared as if this was developed over years.
Dworzynski’s interpretation was first-rate: tautly controlled throughout, rhythmically crisp, electrifying in its dynamism, but by no means lacking in lyrical grace. He chose the right mix of ingredients to achieve a truly magisterial end result…Dworzynski’s reading was unrivalled for poetic eloquence, kaleidoscopic colouring, and dramatic grandeur.”
SA Jewish Report, May 2011
Iceland Symphony / Brahms Symphony No.1
“Brahms´s first symphony, which was simply magnificent under the brilliant direction of Michal
Dworzynski. The interpretation was a perfect blend of solid architecture and wild passion.
Everything one loves about Brahms, the nostalgia, love of nature, the lyrical beauty, the depth,
and melodies that are out of this world, it was all there in this performance. The development
from one moment to the next was completely natural, the thread was never broken. Technically
the playing was secure and disciplined. Without a doubt this is among the most inspiring I have
heard with the Iceland Symphony. A five-star ending of an era!”
Fréttablaðið, April 2011
“This evening´s performance was simply outstanding under the secure direction of Dworzynski.
There was simply not a weak moment to be found and the entire emotional range of Brahms was
delivered impeccably. This was a wonderful evening...”
Morgunblaðið, April 2011
Warsaw Philharmonic / Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Macmillan
“Already very successful abroad, it is really great to see the great talent of this Polish artist... The
very interesting programme gave an excellent opportunity to show his artistry and skill in three
different styles of music (Tchaikovsky, MacMillan, Stravinsky)... And I must say that each of these
three works was given a fantastic interpretation by this young conductor. He brought to life the
composers’ intentions with gestures which were clear and very expressive. You really could feel
the conductor and the orchestra acting with one accord. His conducting is on a par with that
of the great masters like Salonen or Boulez, who prize humility above all else, and who take an
analytic approach to the score. Dworzynski does likewise...”
Ruch muzyczny, May 2011
Tonhalle Zürich / Pärt, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky
“Last week the gifted 32-year-old Polish conductor Michal Dworzynski bravely jumped in at the very last minute to replace the ailing Gennady Rozhdestvensky, with only one (general) rehearsal...
... [Pärt’s Cantus im Memoriam Benjamin Britten was performed] by conductor and orchestra who built up the intensity beautifully. To close Prokofiev‘s Romeo and Juliet again: Dworzynski leapt upon the work with his whole body, and gave us a powerful, vivacious performance. He is energetic rather than a colourist – certainly the best approach for such physical music.“
Neue Zurcher Zeitung, November 2010
“Dworzynski revelled in the loud dissonance of the opening chords and, later, employed a youthful swagger to good effect… He displayed faultless control of tempi and dynamics and the orchestra clearly tried hard to impress both him and the audience – and, by and large, they succeeded.”
ConcertoNet.com, November 2010
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Stravinsky, Rachmaninov & Lyadov
“Dworzynski is real firecracker of a conductor, a real energiser…
Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony… received a magisterial, full-blooded performance from the SSO, with Dworzynski completely eschewing the glamourised, Hollywood-style interpretation that so scarred Leonard Slatkin’s recent tasteless recording, producing instead genuine urgency, a dark almost melancholic richness of emotion and boundless passion.”
The Glasgow Herald, May 2010
“…we had a sneak preview of the man who will travel to Orkney next month to direct the SSO's St Magnus Festival concerts, Polish conductor Michal Dworzynski.
He was perfectly at home in a programme that sandwiched Stravinsky's wickedly off-beat Violin Concerto between the succulent Romantic delights of Rachmaninov's Second Symphony and the lesser-known artistry of Anatol Lyadov, a contemporary of Tchaikovsky whose music possesses the same expressive traits, plus a dash of tangy individualism.
If Rachmaninov's Symphony No.2 was there to calm us down, it did in the sense that its most gorgeous moments were shaped by Dworzynski with languishing warmth… the intentions were honest, heart-felt and ultimately resplendent.”
The Scotsman, May 2010
Yamagata Symphony Orchestra / Sibelius, Elgar & Lutoslawski
“...the spirited Polish conductor Michal Dworzynski gave a wonderful, musically rich performance...In Sibelius 2 he conveyed a poetic sensibility evoking the atmosphere of the composer’s native Finland. There was a combination of excitement and intimacy in the Enigma Variations,and the Little Suite of Lutowslawski was given a folk music feeling and played with crispness and clarity."
Yamagata Shimbun, December 2009
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra / Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Rodrigo & Turina
“Michal Dworzynski, did not disappoint. Indeed it may be said that he took the proverbial bull by the horns and led a pretty fantastic dance.
His dynamic energy extended to an unbridled account of Borodin’s vibrant Polovtsian Dances and the unforgettable melodies of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. Set on Christmas Eve, this fantasy ballet beguiles everyone and Dworzynski seized the opportunity to present the entire programme with the kind of precision and punch that showcases the BSO.”
Bournemouth Echo, December 2009
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra / Gorecki & Chopin
"Dworzynski breathes into (Gorecki 3) clear lines, expressiveness and shape. He leads clearly and communicates his ideas to the orchestra in detail. Dworzynski and Hossa prove that outstanding musicianship can build a convincing, moving performance."
Ynet news.com, June 2009
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Beethoven, Karlowicz, Dvorak
“Michal Dworzynski is a huge talent. Every time the Polish conductor works with the BBC SSO he reveals more of himself, more about the music he directs, and more evidence of why he is one of the most electric young conductors in the business.
… Dworzynski demonstrated near-immaculate skills in accompaniment during Dvorak's Cello Concerto”
The Herald, April 2009
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Prokofiev, Rachmaninov & Dvorak
“Polish conductor Michal Dworzyñski made Thursday afternoon’s concert of familiar pieces an exhilarating occasion.
Most impressive was Dvorák’s New World Symphony – approached with symphonic rigour as well as long-breathed lyricism... This was a gripping performance with all the power and dramatic drive that this great piece demands. Dworzyñski is a dynamic conductor who I hope we will hear again.”
Birmingham Post, February 2009
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Beethoven
“Dworzynski is dynamite, producing electric performances of Egmont and the Second Symphony with drive, dynamism, and full-fat meat on their bones... He is a swaying powerhouse of a conductor; a real talent, not to be missed when he returns.”
Glasgow Herald, January 2009
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra / Janácek, Mozart & Dvorák
This concert showed several of the reasons why Michal Dworzynski has been described as "one of Poland's most exciting conducting talents". His body language is lively, his stick technique precise, and in concert he seems in charge of detail but to concentrate more on the music's expressive purposes than on telling the players what to do.
In this concert, he and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra showed a natural rapport that gave the music-making a striking freedom and spontaneity…
“That's what I found exciting about this conductor - the ability to encourage music-making that puts expressive purpose first, and to make technique serve that purpose.”
Irish Times, October 2008
London Philharmonic Orchestra / Rachmaninov, Smetna, Beethoven & Tchaikovsky
"On the rostrum was one of the best and most energetic of today's young conductors, Michael Dworzynski, a Pole, who recently won the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition…
The conductor also directed fine performances of Smetana's Vltava, an epic piece of scene painting of the mighty Vltava river from its trickling source in the mountains to its majestic entry into the city of Prague, and Beethoven's Eighth Symphony."
The Independent, January 2008
Northern Sinfonia / Rachmaninov, Sibelius & Dvorak
“Dworzynski, too, is a dynamic performer, his physical approach reflected the music’s sense of immediacy.
Dworzynski has a way of pointing up contrasts, the scherzo an unstoppable force and the finale building wave upon wave of energy towards a glorious ending.”
The Journal, March 2008
London Symphony Orchestra / Dvorak
"Winner of last year's Donatella Flick conducting competition and now the LSO's assistant conductor, Dworzynski is potentially a force to be reckoned with... he gradually settled into an account of (Dvorák's Otello Overture) that was beautifully shaped, sensual and nostalgic. The Eighth Symphony, meanwhile, was all sweeping grandeur and heart-on-sleeve emotionalism, shot through with moments of fiery aggression and dynamic elation."
The Guardian, October 2007
Daniel Harding was to have conducted this concert of “Pure Dvorák”, but his indisposition saw Michal Dworzynski take to the podium. Winner of last year's Donatella Flick Conducting Competition, he has worked extensively with the London Symphony, and their rapport was obvious from the outset.
Dworzynski kept a firm control over its [Dvorak’s Othello] structure, bringing a rapt expression to the introduction and also a wistful anxiety to the chorale at the centre, while not underplaying the tragic intensity elsewhere.
Classicalsource.com, October 2007
London Symphony Orchestra / Donatella Flick Conducting Competition
"Michal Dworzynski, 27, rose to the occasion…We were told that the jury had agonised, but in the finals only his music-making and demeanour suggested someone really in charge."
The Times, October 2006