Danae and Kiveli Doerken's success as a piano duo, their obvious artistic consensus, their pianistic coalescence and even the way they physically intertwine at the instrument all attest to the fact that they are predestined to perform as a duo. Fono Forum considers them “worthy candidates as successors to the Labèques or the Pekinels”, while the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger praises the duo as “a miracle of lightness, charm and feeling”. 

The sisters have both been pursuing successful careers as soloists and chamber musicians for several years already, but independently of one another, instead performing with other well-known instrumentalists. “We used to think that playing four hands or as a duo would be too self-evident a choice, so we first wanted to discover our own paths and develop independently, both musically and personally.” Their separate tracks eventually merged: “It’s fascinating to hear how they have imbibed the cooperative spirit of real chamber music,” enthuses the magazine PianoNews. “The piano duet is the most intimate form of chamber music and such a revealing art form, being physically so close at the same instrument,” says Danae. 

Their early musical routes were independent, yet parallel: both sisters were moulded by the same teachers. When they were 11 and 7 years old, they started lessons with the renowned piano pedagogue Prof. Karl-Heinz Kämmerling. Later they continued their studies with pianist and conductor Lars Vogt, with whom they formed a close friendship that lasted until his death in September 2022. 

In the 2023/24 season their engagements include concerts with the Symphony Orchestra in Helsingborg, the Bruch Concerto for two pianos with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic and four-hand recitals in Fürth, Finsterwalde, Koblenz and at the festival Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker. Recently their first CD containing four-handed piano compositions, Apollo & Dionysus, was released on the Berlin Classics label. “The mysteries of the selected pieces mostly gleam from within, never obtrusively, but with poetic intensity,” writes the reviewer of the magazine Concerti. 

Programs

Apollo & Dionysus (one piano, four hands)

Schubert – Fantasy in F minor, Op. 103, D.940

De Falla – “La vida breve” Dos Danzas

Ravel – Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2

- intermission -

Mendelssohn (arr. Carl Czerny) – Song Without Words, Op. 38 No. 6 “Duetto” in A flat Major

Mendelssohn (arr. Carl Czerny) – Song Without Words, Op. 67 No. 2 in F sharp minor 

Brahms – Hungarian Dances Nos. 1-10 (Book 1)

Apollo, the God standing for music, poetry, order and logic and Dionysus, the God standing for chaos, wine and excess are polar opposites. They both guard the oracle of Delphi and in Greek mythology we are taught that, in order to make a balanced decision, it is important to always ask both these Gods for advice. In this program for one piano, four hands, Apollo & Dionysus explores the world of these two intriguing figures and in the end, come to the realization that we all carry parts of both Apollo and Dionysus inside of us.

BLACK & WHITE (two pianos)

Debussy – En blanc et Noir

Phillip Glass – III. from Four Movements for Two Pianos

Lutoslawski – Variations on a theme of Paganini

- intermission -

Rachmaninov – Symphonic Dances, Op. 45

BLACK & WHITE explores the theme of contrast through different musical works. Debussy’s "En blanc et Noir" alternates between delicate lightness and heavier, darker textures. Glass’s minimalist patterns create a sense of movement through repetition and subtle variation, while Lutosławski’s variations contrast the familiar Paganini theme with radical, often jarring changes. Finally, Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances balance expansive lyrical passages with more dramatic, rhythmic energy and bring all the orchestral colors out with two pianos.