Duo Dörken

Danae Dörken & Kiveli Dörken, piano

PROGRAM:
Witold Lutosławski: Variations on a Theme by Paganini (for 2 pianos)
Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dances Nos. 1–10 (for piano four hands)


With Danae and Kiveli Dörken’s success as a piano duo, their musical harmony, pianistic fusion, and physical intertwining at the instrument, it is undeniable that they are destined to perform as a duo. Fono Forum considers them "worthy successors of the Labèques or the Pekinels," while the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger praises the duo as "a miracle of lightness, charm, and feeling." Both sisters have been pursuing successful careers as soloists and chamber musicians with other renowned instrumentalists for years. "In the past, we thought that playing four-handed or as a duo was so obvious that we first wanted to find our own paths and develop independently, both musically and personally." Their separate paths eventually merged into a new unity: "It is fascinating to hear how they live the spirit of partnership in true chamber music," raves the music magazine PianoNews. "The piano duo is the most intimate form of chamber music, a revealing art, so close to the same instrument," says Danae. Their early musical paths, although independent, ran parallel: both sisters were shaped by the same teachers. As 11- and 7-year-olds, they received lessons from the renowned piano pedagogue Prof. Karl-Heinz Kämmerling. They then continued their studies with pianist and conductor Lars Vogt. With him, they shared a deep friendship until his death in September 2022. In the 2024/25 season, they will perform, among other places, at the Festspielfrühling Rügen at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, as well as in Wiesbaden, Koblenz, and Eckernförde. Highlights from previous seasons include concerts with the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Bruch’s Concerto for Two Pianos with the Philharmonie Baden-Baden, and concerts at the Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker. Their first CD, featuring four-handed piano works under the title Apollo & Dionysus, was released in 2023 by Berlin Classics. "The secrets of the selected pieces shine most often from within, never forcefully, but with poetic intensity," writes the reviewer from concerti. The title of the CD hints at one side of the sisters' Greek-German heritage, as they were born and raised in Germany. "As children, we spent our summer holidays on the island of Lesbos with our grandmother, who told us stories from Greek mythology," recalls Kiveli. "In Germany, we are seen as Greek, and in Greece, we are considered German. In Germany, we may stand out because we are both quite loud and temperamental. And in Greece, the German side, punctuality and order, is more strongly perceived," says Danae. "But we consider it a great privilege to have both sides in us. It makes us more open-minded and gives us more opportunities for development when you unite two – so important but also so different – cultures." On the island of Lesbos, Danae and Kiveli Dörken founded the Molyvos International Music Festival in 2015, which they co-direct artistically. With this, they wanted to bring classical music to the island with young talents and engage the local population in the events. Since the festival’s founding year, thousands of refugees have also reached the island. The sisters also want to give them hope through music. "We saw people who had probably never heard classical music before, and they were sitting there with tears in their eyes," recalls Danae. "People..."