He is well recognised as a superb recitalist, making his New York debut in 1988. He has ongoing regular relationships with the Lucerne and Edinburgh Festivals, Vienna Konzerthaus and Wigmore Hall, where in 23/24 he plays a solo recital of Copland, Schumann and late Beethoven, Schubert’s Schwanengesang with Ian Bostridge, and the Brahms violin sonatas with Hilary Hahn.
Haefliger continues his Brahms focus elsewhere in the coming months, playing the 2nd piano concerto in Fort Worth with Kevin John Edusei, the clarinet sonatas at the Southbank Center with Michael Collins, and touring the violin sonatas with Hilary Hahn to Tokyo, Seoul, Chicago and Vienna after the success of their Beethoven sonatas last season. Last season he performed Brahms no.1 with Ludovic Morlot and the Barcelona Symphony (still available online).
Haefliger’s reputation as a uniquely insightful interpreter of Beethoven has been built over twenty years of performing and recording his “Perspectives” series first on Avie (6 discs) and now on BIS, performing the complete solo works of Beethoven alongside works by other composers from Mozart to Ligeti. In 2020, locked down in the Swiss Alps, he filmed Beethoven’s monumental op.106 Hammerklavier sonata alongside interviews with the alpinist Dani Arnold in the gorgeous mountain scenery. In Autumn 2021 BIS (with whom Haefliger has an exclusive contract) released his recording of the Beethoven op.31 sonatas, and in Autumn 2022 he records the Pathetique and op.10 sonatas.
In 2019 BIS released Haefliger’s first ever concerto disc – the world premiere recording of Dieter Ammann’s Gran Toccata with Susanna Malkki and the Helsinki Philharmonic, coupled with Bartok and Ravel concerti. Haefliger gave the first live performance of the Ammann at the BBC Proms in 2019 with the BBC Symphony and Sakari Oramo, closely followed by the North American premiere with the Boston Symphony and Susanna Malkki. It was co-commissioned for Haefliger by Boston together with the Munich Philharmonic, Lucerne Festival, Taipei Symphony and Wiener Konzerthaus, where he gives the much-postponed Austrian premiere in January 2024 with the Wiener Symphoniker and Malkki. Earlier this Summer he appeared at the Grafenegg Festival with the Tonkuenstlerorchester Wien playing Mozart with Mei-Ann Chen.
Haefliger began his career with Sony Classical recording Mozart sonatas followed by Schumann Davidsbündlertanze and Fantasiestücke, Schubert Impromptus, and music by Sofia Gubaidulina. Later he recorded for Decca with the Takács Quartet and also Matthias Goerne, with whom he won the Preis Der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik for Schubert’s Goethe Songs. He also recorded a recital disc for BIS with his wife the distinguished flautist Marina Piccinini.
In 2023 Andreas and Marina will present the first edition of the Zauberklang Festival, inviting special guests including Hilary Hahn and Ian Bostridge to perform in intimate surroundings high in the Swiss Alps.
Andreas Haefliger is represented by Intermusica.
2023/24 season / 563 words. Not to be altered without permission.