Michał Dworzyński (31) is fast making his name as one of Poland’s most exciting conducting talents.
Winner of the 2006 Donatella Flick Competition, as a result of which he became Assistant Conductor for two years at the London Symphony Orchestra, Dworzynski’s international career has blossomed since he replaced Harding at short notice to conduct the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican in November 2007.
Dworzynski has since conducted the London Symphony Orchestra several times a season and has also established regular relationships with the London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony, and Northern Sinfonia. Last season he made debuts with the City of Birmingham Symphony and BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and further afield with the Swedish Radio Symphony, Madrid RTVE, RTE Dublin, Brussels Philharmonic and Iceland Symphony. In May 2009 he made his debut with the Israel Philharmonic, conducting the opening concert of the Israel Festival.
In 09/10 he makes his debut with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, goes for the first time to the Royal Flanders Philharmonic and Stockholm Opera Orchestra, conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Westminster Cathedral in Maciejewski’s Requiem Mass, conducts the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, returns to the Ulster Orchestra at the Belfast Festival and in subscription, visits St Magnus Festival and makes a CD for Hyperion Records with the BBC Scottish Symphony.
Dworzynski is already well-established in his native Poland and has conducted all the major orchestras including the Sinfonia Varsovia, the radio orchestras of Katowice and Warsaw, and the Warsaw Philharmonic where he maintains a regular presence. He conducted his first opera production at Warsaw National Opera in Spring 09.
His career first took off when at 21 he became the assistant conductor of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, having first been Music Director 1995-99 of the Bydgoszcz Chamber Orchestra. Having graduated with distinction from the Fryderyk Chopin Music Academy where he studied with Antoni Wit (Music Director of the Warsaw Philharmonic), he then undertook postgraduate studies with Christian Ehwald in the Hochschule Hanns Eisler in Berlin, from where he also gained a distinction. He won the conducting competitions in Zagreb in 2003 and Suwon in 2005. He has made several CD recordings for the Polish Television and Radio. 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. His work has been recognised by several honorary titles in Poland; in 1997 he was made a Citizen of the City of Bydgoszcz, the following year he received an artistic scholarship from the President of the City, and in 1999 he received the Polish Music Critics’ Award. He received artistic scholarships from the Polish Ministry of Culture in 2001, 2003 and 2005 and in 2007 was awarded a medal from the Society of Polish Musicians for his promotion of Polish music.
Michał Dworzyński is represented by Intermusica.
March 2010 / 488 words. Not to be altered without permission. Please destroy all previous biographical material.
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