BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Beethoven
"... with Haefliger indulging Beethoven's romantic lyricism, this was a refreshingly different interpretation."
The Guardian, June 2007
Vienna Musikverein / Tonkünstlerorchester Orchester / Ravel
"The solo part was played with excellent technique and shaping by Andreas Haefliger."
Kurier, June 2007
Beethoven, Bartok and Brahms / Avie “Perspectives 2”
“Beethoven Piano sonatas: the best interpretations. The world-renowned pianist Andreas Haefliger proves himself in a very powerful and elegant performance.”
Live Magazine Vienna, June 2007
"The fabulous Swiss pianist Andreas Haefliger plays works by Bártok, Beethoven and Brahms under the title ‘Perspectives 2” (on 2 CDs). He is always coherent and technically excellent. Brahms sonata in F minor is especially worth a listen."
“Der ausgezeichnete Schweizer Pianist Andreas Haefliger spielt unter dem Titel “Perspectives 2” (auf zwei CD’s) Werke von Bártok, Beethoven, und Brahms. Stets stimmig, technisch exzellent. Vor allem die f-Moll-Sonate von Brahms lohnt das Hören.”
Wiener Kurier, May 2007
Forum Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent / Beethoven
"A wonderful concert...by a pianist with magnificent articulation, a strong left hand, and a clear sense of musical direction."
bbc.co.uk/entertainment, May 2007
Getty Center, LA / Beethoven & Schubert
"... paints Beethoven and Schubert sonatas with thoughtful detail."
Los Angeles Times, March 2007
Beethoven, Bartok and Brahms / Avie "Perspectives 2"
"Perspectives 2 reflects Haefliger's thoughtfulness in programme-building, as well as his musicianship and selfless virtuosity. He conceives Beethoven's Sonata No 27 on a large scale, with pronounced dynamic contrasts and rhetorical underpinnings... Haefliger colours the main theme's decorative manifestation with exquisite shadings...
…His mastery in Bartók's Out of Doors suite comes as no surprise: notice in the finale how he his animated left hand clarifies the music's polyrhythmic momentum...moments abound where Haefliger gives in to Brahms's unbridled energy: listen to him gather steam en route to the finale's coda and simply let things rip."
Gramophone Magazine, June 2006
"…the Brahms Piano Sonata No.3, given a splendidly sonorous, magisterial performance of great distinction."
Classic FM Magazine, May 2006
"A towering performance of Brahms' massive F minor Sonata sounds as revolutionary as everything that has gone before. Quirky, tremendous and highly recommended."
The Guardian, March 2006
Vienna Symphony Orchestra / Schumann
"…Andreas Haefliger created dreamlike moments at the keyboard with his soft, magical touch, playing romantically without gliding into the sentimental."
Vorarlberger Nachrichten, August 2005
BBC Symphony Orchestra / Grieg
"The welcome soloist was Andreas Haefliger, whose easy command of the keyboard meant that lyricism shone through even in the most technically demanding moments. He floated a dreamy line in the adagio and brought out the finale's dancing rhythm."
The Times, May 2005
Beethoven "Perspectives" Piano Sonata cycle
"Selten zeigten sich die Kepener Kulturfreunde so begeistert von einem Klavierabend, als Andreas Haefliger mit einem hinreißenden Konzert seinen Beethoven-Zyklus in Kempten eröffnete… Ein Pianist, der souverän und sensible interpretierte."
Westdeutsche Zeitung, November 2004
"Es gibt heute wenige, die Beethovens Sonaten mit so viel pianistischem Können, mit so großer musikalischer Überzeugungskraft spielen können wie Andreas Haefliger. Da is zunächst einmal die außerordentliche Kontrolliertheit des Anschlags… Ein zweites: Haefliger hat ein untrügliches Gespür für angemessene Tempi… Das Finalsatz schließlich mit seinen Fugatopassagen ließ Haefliger zum trimphalen Zeugnis für glanzvolles Beethovenspiel warden."
Rheinische Post, November 2004
"It is hard to imagine this music being played more thoughtfully or satisfactorily. Haefliger has the ability to focus on the moment and to anticipate the future at the same time…Haefliger has the instinct and the technique to allow the music to move with an inevitability that seems governed by the laws of both nature and artistic necessity."
The Washington Post, November 2004
Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra / Brahms
"The fabulous Andreas Haefliger was soloist in this Thursday concert and offered a brilliant piano performance, a steely will and Johannes Brahms in the style of Beethoven...One moment he is pushing the music forward with determination, in the next he's creeping right under the skin of the notes, with an intensity that almost makes time stand still. One minute he is intently watching what the orchestra is doing, the next he is leaning back listening to the music with relaxed concentration. In this sense, he's a man of extremes. But he's also a musician with such good taste and sense of form that his music never seems eccentric or posturing."
BerlingskeTidende, October 2004
"…in the interplay with a masculine, skilful Andreas Haefliger at the piano, soloist and conductor were at one in revealing the extreme drama of the piece. The result: almost an hour of piano concerto without anything resembling a dead point. There was no question of letting the music sail away on a wave of thick orchestral harmony. Masses of detail could be admired in a dynamic interpretation in which clarinets and piano followed each other here, and solo cello and piano there."
Politken, October 2004
Adès, Beethoven, Mozart & Schubert / Avie "Perspectives 1"
"Haefliger is superbly lucid and picturesque, his control exemplary."
Gramophone, September 2004
"…a thoroughly enjoyable and thoughtfully planned piano recital."
The Guardian, August 2004
"The figure in the title implies that Haefliger has embarked on a series of discs. I hope so… The freshness and thoughtfulness of the interpretations sell them convincingly."
The Sunday Times, August 2004
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at BBC Proms / Beethoven
"Haefliger maintained refinement, eloquence and perspective, with a wonderful capacity for hushed, mellow playing that was not only right for the musical context but also utterly spellbinding. This was the most completely enjoyable performance of the Proms so far."
The Daily Telegraph, July 2004
Vienna Symphony Orchestra / Beethoven
"The Swiss pianist Andreas Haefliger found a truly individual tone for it: soulful, yet not explicitly obsessed with sound. The centre movement was exciting and suited him, and he played the outer movements with clarity and agility. The Vienna Symphony under Claus Peter Flor also played beautifully."
Wiener Zeitung, May 2004
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic / Beethoven
"Clean, classical lines accompanied a fluent, dynamic solo style. The performance of the first movement surged along and led into an expansive slow movement which had an over-riding air of delicacy. The pianissimo closing was especially memorable."
Liverpool Daily Post, April 2004
Mozart Piano Sonatas / Avie
"These are exquisite performances, beautifully recorded, of Mozart's last four sonatas… Haefliger's playing is unmannered, crystal-clear in figuration and poetic in phrasing."
The Sunday Telegraph, October 2003
"… this is always intelligent, deeply musical playing that will appeal to those who like their Mozart crisp, clear-eyed and athletic."
The Daily Telegraph, October 2003
"Andreas Haefliger's poise, control and sensitivity teases true magic from Mozart's sonatas… Haefliger plays with a naturalness that allows the music to unfold with grace and simplicity… More please!"
Classic FM, October 2003
"Mozart's last four sonatas find Andreas Haefliger in outstanding form… his Mozart playing is refreshingly robust, full of exhilarating rhythmic energy."
The Sunday Times, September 2003
"Identifying exactly what it is that makes Andreas Haefliger's Mozart Sonatas just so "right" is not easy… each sonata has a pure, easy arc that makes perfect sense and balance as a whole. Haefliger's articulation is ideal; utterly clear yet never mechanistic."
The Independent on Sunday, August 2003
"Mr. Haefliger's latest recording is an exquisite rendition (Avie 0025) of Mozart's last four sonatas. On it, he plays very much like the sort of eloquent, accessible thinker you might expect a Swiss to be. His colorful phrasings function within a refined architecture and time structure. His clear tone seems consistently savory, with a formidable masculine weight, and he never loses a confident sense of power in delicate moments. Throughout, he patiently discovers ruminative corridors, hidden rhythmic springs, and harmonic surprises in overplayed warhorses"
The New York Sun, November 2003
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra / Beethoven Piano Concerto Cycle
The "Emperor" was quite a ride, but so was Haefliger's traversal, over three weekends, of all five Beethoven piano concertos at the MSO's Beethoven Festival. Sunday, an audience of 1,652 stood and made a roar resembling a street full of Harleys in recognition of Haefliger's performance not only of the "Emperor," but also for the whole Beethoven cycle."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, June 2003
"Haefliger's delivery of the Piano Concerto No.4 was as much an illumination of the work as a performance of it. As he played, one heard the details of the piece's intricate construction wedded to each line's musical direction. In the piece's "Andante con moto" second movement, Haefliger held the audience in the palm of his hand with a delivery that was profound in its simplicity."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, June 2003
In recital / Schubert, Beethoven, Ades and Mozart
"Haefliger really understands the art of putting together an intelligent and sensitive programme. ... The middle movement [of the Beethoven] was full of lyricism, and with the final movement he returned to the mood of the start, playing everything clearly and with control. …He played the Allegro with clear strength and brilliance, and after creating an unbelievable tension in the Adagio, he let the Allegretto follow with an almost playful jollity. And technically? A work of Swiss precision!"
Wiener Zeitung, May 2003
"Haefliger is one to take risks, which make him a fascinating artist…Haefliger then simply let the Mozart Sonata flow out of Adès's irresolution, lifting us from grief to serenity…"
The Guardian, April 2003
"What was impressive about the Beethoven was the arc of musicianship that he brought to the entire piece, making each passage comment and illuminate the entire work."
Toronto Star, March 2003
Bayerischer Rundfunk Symphonieorchester, Munich / Grieg
"Andreas Haefliger played the solo part with the necessary technical perfection and gave energetic momentum through his organic, never arbitrary rubato"
Münchner Merker, February 2003