Laurens Patzlaff was hailed as a "master of the art of improvisation" by Deutschlandfunk after the release of his debut album "Reflections on Debussy" in 2012. Regarding his second solo album, "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice," Piano News wrote in 2015: "Patzlaff proves himself here as a 'sorcerer' and 'master' who, unlike the 'apprentice,' masters all the tricks."
The art of piano improvisation has been a significant part of the artistic work of Laurens Patzlaff since his youth. Born in 1981 near Stuttgart, Germany, he embraced not only the classical piano repertoire but also the nearly forgotten tradition of style-bound and free experimental improvisation, as well as jazz. Viewing the piano as an interdisciplinary instrument, he values a comprehensive holistic approach to music. Alongside the educational musician Robert Schumann and jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, Leonard Bernstein has been a role model for him. Bernstein rejected the distinction between high and low music, emphasizing that only the quality of the music matters.