Andreas Haefliger comes from a rich tradition of music making and is acclaimed for his sensitivity, musical insights and transcendent pianism. Known for his innovative programming, he brings an all-encompassing passion and humanity to his concert appearances and recordings. At an early age, he was surrounded by intense vocal artistry, thereby acquiring the beginnings of what would become a highly individual vocal piano sound and a sense of natural lyricism in his music-making.
Having finished his studies at the Juilliard School, Haefliger soon thereafter performed with the major American and European orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
He is recognized as a superb recitalist, making his New York debut in 1988. He has ongoing relationships with the Lucerne and Edinburgh festivals, Vienna Konzerthaus and Wigmore Hall, where in 2021-22, he plays three concerts: a solo recital, Brahms with the Escher Quartet and Beethoven sonatas with Hilary Hahn, with whom he will tour Japan, Europe and the United States. In recent months, he has played Schumann with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop and Mozart with the Camerata Salzburg and Andrew Manze, also appearing this year at the Enescu and Aspen festivals.
Haefliger’s reputation as a uniquely insightful interpreter of Beethoven has been built over 20 years of performing and recording his “Perspectives” series, interpreting the complete solo works of Beethoven as well as 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 for release in cinemas and online. In fall 2021, BIS Records (with which Haefliger has an exclusive contract) released his recording of the Beethoven Op. 31 sonatas, before resuming the "Perspectives" series in 2022 and beyond.
In 2019, BIS released Haefliger’s first ever concerto disc: the world premiere recording of Dieter Ammann’s Gran Toccata with Susanna Mälkki and the Helsinki Philharmonic, coupled with Bartok and Ravel concertos. 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 Mälkki. It was co-commissioned for Haefliger by Boston together with the Vienna Konzerthaus, Munich Philharmonic, Lucerne Festival and Taipei Symphony.
Haefliger began his career with Sony Classical, recording Mozart sonatas followed by Schumann's Davidsbündlertanze and Fantasiestücke, Schubert's 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 a disc of Schubert’s Goethe Songs. Before joining BIS, he recorded the first six of his "Perspectives" series on the Avie label, for which he also recorded a recital disc with his wife, the distinguished flautist Marina Piccinini.
2021
