Reviews
Dora Seres - Flute

" Ms. Seres is an impressive artist who played with Mozartean style, attractively warm tone, admirable clarity and lyrical grace."

THE NEW YORK TIMES

-Music Review | Irene Diamond Concert

Nascent Stars Stretch Out in Three Daunting Concertos

By ANTHONY TOMMASINI

Published: April 20, 2007

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Dora Seres

Hungarian flutist Dora Seres can make her flute speak with a thousand tongues. As part of the Young Concert Artists series, she played at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater on Tuesday in a stunning display of skill. Pianist Steven Beck was her attentive accompanist every step of the way. The first half of the program included Carl Reinecke's "Undine" Sonata, Sigfrid Karg-Elert's "Appassionata" Sonata and Carl Maria von Weber's Trio, J. 529, for flute, cello and piano. All gave Seres ample opportunities to exhibit the tricks of the trade in the traditional flute vocabulary -- a focused vibrato, tonguing at mach speed, and a rainbow of colors, everything overcast in that dusky glow that a gold instrument is capable of. Most entrancing was Seres's coloratura wizardry for the operatic

stretches of the trio (with cellist Robert Martin) and the bucolic mood she created for its country dances. For the second half of the recital, Seres not only brought music off the beaten track but explored sonic dimensions no less than dazzling in effect. For Toro Takemitsu's "Voice," Seres produced twisting melodies laden with microintervals as she blew, sang and spoke directly into the instrument. She cast Lowell Liebermann's Sonata, Op. 23, in colorful austerity perfect for its Prokofiev-ish harmonic language. Paul Taffanel's Fantasie on von Weber's "Der Freischutz" sounded as if played by a whole orchestra of flutes in impossible technical feats, all combined as a grand gesture and calling for two encores.

-- Cecelia Porter

 

2006 THE WASHINGTON POST

 

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- "Ms.Seres is a poised and capable young musician. Her technique is sure and her musical sense keen..." - THE NEW YORK SUN

 

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- "Ms.Seres established her flawless technique and good tone... Lowell Liebermann's Sonata for flute and piano op.23. was written in 1987 for Paula Robison and Jean Yves Thiebaudet,it has established itself as a favourite in the repertoire. The second movement was irreproachable,astonishing yet never a hollow and gratuitous display of skill..." - IONARTS

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It is difficult being one of the world's greatest flute players. Like much art which is energized by an effective frame, music for the flute best showcases the instrument when the flute plays a lead role against the background of a secondary instrument. This means that a superb flute player such as Dora Seres must ally herself with a shifting group of accompanists, but it is doubtful she will find a better piano accompanist than Steven Beck, who partnered with her for the Embassy Series concert at the Embassy of the Republic of Hungary Wednesday evening.

Beautiful in a style which once sent Russian Imperial Grand Dukes to Faberge for serious shopping, Seres makes playing the flute seem as easy as falling off the proverbial log. Seres selected a program which ranged widely, from a 1778 Andante by Mozart written for an over-eager amateur flute player to Poulenc's spectacular 1957 Sonata for flute and piano.

The Embassy Series notes confessed an agenda to present Franck's Sonata in A Major at least three times during the current season, first at the Chinese Embassy in December with a violin soloist, next at the Residence of the Turkish Ambassador last week with a cello soloist, and now with a flute soloist. Fortunately, Franck's vibrant music translates well through these various transcriptions.

What the brief interval between the two most recent interpretations of the Franck sonata revealed clearly to many listeners was how superior Steven Beck's piano performance was to others heard earlier. Without appearing to struggle to control his keyboard, Beck demonstrates always a strong sense of what the music he is playing is about, and understands completely that his is a submissive, secondary role by intention in a concert designed to showcase another performer. The highlight of the evening was the Poulenc sonata. Poulenc is certainly one of the most distinctive voices among 20th century composers, and as a composer he may be one of the most underrated of great musicians in terms of audience familiarity with his most important compositions. Seres brought to her interpretation of Poulenc a perfect understanding of the composer's perennially saucy and witty style, which also has flashes of dark undertones.

The concert officially ended with Franz Doppler's lengthy Hungarian Pastoral Fantasy, a virtuoso piece which seemed increasingly to have little to say but certainly showcased Seres.

 

Stephen Neal Dennis

- The Embassy Series

Embassy of the Republic of Hungary

Washington, D.C.

PERFORMING ARTS

Thursday, March 16, 2006; C05

Buster Williams

www.allartsreview4u.com

April 11, 2007

Dora Seres, flute; Steven Beck, piano

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A Dán Nemzeti Kamarazenekar koncertje/Müpa, BTF 2010

”Ami, pontosabban, aki miatt azonban leginkább megérte meghallgatni Nielsen fuvolaversenyét, az a szólista, Seres Dóra – a zenekar elsö fuvolistája – volt. Az ö eszményien szép hangja, fölényes tisztasága és biztonsága, föképpen pedig egyéniségének ereje révén szívesen felejtettük el a darab közhelyszerüségét, és eleven, érvényes zenei élményként fogadtuk be a produkciót.”

 

Malina János, Revizor – az NKA kritikai portálja, 2010.03.22.

Dán Nemzeti Kamarazenekar, karmester: Fischer Ádám

 

 

”What, or more exactly who, made it especially worth listening to Nielsen`s flute concerto, is the soloist, Dora Seres – the principal flutist of the orchestra. Her platonically beautiful sound, sublime clarity and security, and especially the power of her personality made us forget the triteness of the piece, and we could enjoy the performance as a vivid and lively musical experience.

 

János Malina, Revizor, Hungary, 2010.03.22.

Danish National Chamber Orchestra, conductor: Adam Fischer

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“Nielsen Fuvolaversenyének interpretációjában is inkább a szólista, SERES DÓRA remekelt: nem kétséges, hogy minden regiszterben kiegyenlített, körvonalazott és testes fuvolahangja, valamint kulturált játéka nagy értékeket rejt magában. …játékát olyan széles karakter- és hangszínskála jellemezte, hogy sokszor úgy tűnt, a különböző dialógusokban a másik hangszer tónusához hasonul fuvolája, ami igen változatossá tette tolmácsolását.”

 

2008. Április 11. -Művészetek Palotája, Bartók Béla Nemzeti Hangversenyterem. Rendező: Pannon Filharmonikusok karmester: Hamar Zsolt)

KUSZ VERONIKA

 

 

“In the performance of Nielsen`s flute concerto the soloist, Dora Seres played superb: no doubt that her rich sound which is organic in each register, and her cultivated play reveals big values…her play involved such a broad scale in characters and tone-colours that many times seemed in the different dialogs that her flute assimilated to the other instrument`s tone, which made her interpretation quite various.”

 

11.April 2008. – Palace of Arts, Bela Bartok National Hall, Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra, Zsolt Hamar conductor

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ŐSBEMUTATÓK A MISKOLCI HANGVERSENYEN

 

“Nielsen, dán zeneszerző fuvolaversenye csodálatos előadásban hangzott el. Seres Dóra jelentős versenyeket nyert már és birtokában van hangszerének virtuóz technikai és színgazdag lehetőségeinek. Elsősorban skandináv-északi országokban népszerű szerző Carl Nielsen. (Fuvolaversenyét megismerve csak sajnálhatjuk, hogy nem volt módunk eddig megismerkedni pl. szimfóniáival is.) A versenymű, túl a klasszikus formai és tartalmi felépítésen, humoros, groteszk eszközöktől sem riad vissza a mű hangulatának fokozása érdekében. Nagyon érdekesek a műnek azok a részei, melyben a szólóhangszer és a zenekar között "dialógus" alakul ki. A szólóhangszer és a kísérő együttes között meglévő harmónia megteremtésében a vendégkarmester is jelentős érdemeket szerzett. A közönség lelkes tapsát Bach zenekari szvitje sláger-népszerűségű Badinerie tételének előadásával köszönték meg.”

 

Miskolci Szimfonikus Zenekar, karmester: Izaki Masahiro

Bócz Sándor - MINAP, 2006. május 6.

 

 

“The interpretation of Nielsen`s flute concerto was marvelous. Dora Seres won already prestigious competitions and she is in possession of the instrument`s virtuous technical and colourful possibilities. Carl Nielsen is mostly popular in Scandinavia. ( Being able to get know his flute concerto we can only feel sorry about not knowing his symphonies yet. ) The concerto, beyond it`s classical form and content, doesn`t even refrain from humorous, grotesque tools in order to enhance the atmosphere. There are some extremely interesting parts in the piece where the solo instrument has dialogues with the orchestra. In creating harmony between the solo instrument and the ensemble the guest conductor made a remarkable impact. They thanked the audience`s enthusiastic clapping with the popular Badinerie of Bach`s orchestral suite.”

 

Miskolc Symphony Orchestra, conductor: Izaki Masahiro

Sandor Bocz – MINAP, 6. May 2006.

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A MÁV Szimfonikus Zenekar bérletzáró hangversenye a Zeneakadémián

 

A Hacsaturján két művét tartalmazó est első felében a Fuvolaverseny, második részében a Spartacus-szvit hangzott el.

“A Fuvolaverseny szólistája Seres Dóra volt. Itt akár véget is érhetne ezen írás, hiszen az, hogy Seres Dóra, minden érdemlegeset elmond. A virtuóz hangszertudás, az előadás lírája, drámája (és játékossága) művészt „takar”. Mint tudjuk, a mű nem eredeti kompozíció, eredetileg hegedűverseny volt. (J.P.Rampal írta át a szerző engedélyével fuvolára). Ez a tény magyarázza azt az egy-két nehéz pillanatot, amikor a szólistának ügyeskednie kell a levegővétellel, de Seres Dóra szuverén módon uralta az anyagot. Egy nem túl előnyös kiállású férfi is tud(hat) fuvolázni, de Seres Dóra törékeny, bájos megjelenése, fuvolatudománya és művészete így együtt nem rossz…! Ráadásként Fauré Melódia című szép hárfakíséretes darabját játszotta a zenéhez és önmagához illő finom lírával.”

 

Pethö Zsolt, Fidelio, 2005. Május 31.

 

 

“The soloist of the Khachaturian flute concerto was Dora Seres. Here could this review end, because the name DORA SERES says it all. The virtuoso instrumental skills, the lyre, drama ( and playfulness ) of the performance “covers” an artist. As we know the concerto is not an original work, it is a violin concerto. ( Jean-Pierre Rampal made the transcription with the composer`s permission. ) This fact can explain the couple of difficult moments, when the soloist has to manoeuvre with the breathing, but Dora Seres ruled, dominated the material in a sovereign way. A not so fine-looking man could also play the flute, but Dora`s fragile, charming appearance, knowledge of flute playing and art together is not bad…! As an encore she played Fauré`s beautiful Melody accompanied by harp with gentle lyre appropriate to the music and herself.”

 

Zsolt Pethö, Fidelio, Budapest, 31. May 2005.

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” I selskab med fløjtenisten Dora Seres og hendes gyldent-varme og yderst indtagende tone ”henåndede” de så at sige nattens ro. Musikken fik lov at hvile, som en stille stund i natten, hvor det ikke er så væsentligt om det er lige nu, eller om lidt, man fortsætter. Meget ”natligt” og meget stemningsfuldt …”

 

Vivaldi ”La notte” med Alessandrini og DRUO, 2010. April 12.

Jakob Wivel, Børsen

 

 

”In the company of flutist Dora Seres and her golden warm tone they experienced the calm of the night. The music had room to rest, like a peaceful moment in the night where it`s not so important whether it`s now or soon you continue. Very atmospheric!”

Vivaldi ”La Notte” with Alessandrini and the Danish National Chamber Orchestra

 

12. April 2010. Jakob Wivel, Børsen

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”Seres, som til daglig tryller i DR`s Underholdningsorkester, er verdensklasse på sit instrument, og hun fik fin ledsagelse af både dirigent og orkester. Dora Seres nærmest bærer fløjtens toner over scenekanten med et vibrerende kropssprog og magter hele instrumentets register fra bundens fløjl til toppens piv, helt uden skingerhed.”

 

Vejle Symfoniorkester, Erik Andersen, Vejle Amts Folkeblad, 2011.nov.16

 

 

”Seres, who makes daily magic in the Danish National Chamber Orchestra, is world class on her instrument with a fine conductor and orchestra backing her up. Dora Seres almost carries the tone over the edge of the stage with a vibrant body languague and possesses the whole register from the velvety bottom to the bright top, completely without …….”

 

Vejle Symphony Orchestra, Anne Cathrine Kielland Lund conductor

Erik Andersen, Vejle Amts Folkeblad 16. November 2011.

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Photo Veronika Pintérné Sinkovics

 

 

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