Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Op. 31 Andreas Haefliger

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Piano Sonata No. 16 in G Major, Op. 31 No. 1:
• 1 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 16 in G Major, Op. 31 No. 1: I. Allegro vivace 06:09
• 2 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 16 in G Major, Op. 31 No. 1: II. Adagio grazioso 10:47
• 3 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 16 in G Major, Op. 31 No. 1: III. Rondo. Allegretto 06:43
• Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op. 31 No. 2 "The Tempest":
• 4 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op. 31 No. 2 "The Tempest": I. Largo - Allegro 08:35
• 5 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op. 31 No. 2 "The Tempest": II. Adagio 07:52
• 6 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op. 31 No. 2 "The Tempest": III. Allegretto 06:06
• Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3 "The Hunt":
• 7 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3 "The Hunt": I. Allegro 08:42
• 8 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3 "The Hunt": II. Scherzo. Allegretto vivace 04:46
• 9 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3 "The Hunt": III. Menuetto. Moderato e grazioso 04:53
• 10 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3 "The Hunt": IV. Presto con fuoco 04:28
• Total Runtime 01:09:01

Info for Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Op. 31

Since 2004, Andreas Haefliger has been presenting Perspectives, a series of recital programmes, in concert and on recordings. Each programme focusses on one or two Beethoven sonatas, juxtaposed with works by other composers which in some way interact with Beethoven’s music and with each other. Now, for his latest release on BIS, Haefliger has instead opted for an all-Beethoven recital, choosing to present the composer’s three sonatas Op. 31 as a group.

In his introduction to the disc, Haefliger describes the set as occupying ‘a very special place in the Beethoven sonata cycle: It preserves a link to the past but gives us also a vision of the works to come, exploring humour and tenderness, nature and the psychology of the human mind.’ The recording took place in the Salle de Musique in La Chaux-de-Fonds, celebrated for its superb acoustics, on a Bechstein concert grand which Haefliger describes as ‘a piano which, while a modern instrument, retains a nostalgic quality in its sound world and was a constant source of inspiration during the sessions.’

Andreas Haefliger, piano

Andreas Haefliger
Coming from a rich tradition, pianist Andreas Haefliger is “consummately lyrical. Exhibitionism and pretence are antithetical to his musical personality”; he has “a vision of musical architecture second to none and a tender, profoundly cultivated sensibility, from which music flows unimpeded” (International Record Review). He has won many plaudits for his Beethoven Perspectives recitals on disc and at major halls & festivals, and is also much sought-after as a chamber musician.

Haefliger was born into a distinguished Swiss musical family and grew up in Germany, going on to study at the Juilliard School in New York. He was quickly recognised as a pianist of the first rank, and engagements with major US orchestras followed swiftly – the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Pittsburgh, Chicago and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestras among them. In his native Europe too, Haefliger has appeared with the great orchestras and festivals – such as the Royal Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestre de Paris, London Symphony Orchestra and Vienna Symphony. He is well recognised as a superb recitalist, making his New York debut in 1988, and has ongoing regular relationships with the Lucerne and Edinburgh Festivals, and the Vienna Konzerthaus, as well as at major halls across North America and Asia.

Haefliger is a regular visitor to London’s Wigmore Hall with his Perspectives series, in which he performs the complete piano works of Beethoven alongside works by other composers from Mozart to Ligeti. This series has formed the focus of Haefliger’s solo recital appearances and CD recordings in recent years. His latest chamber music project gathers friends and top chamber musicians for intensive rehearsal periods and concerts every year at the Louisiana Museum in Copenhagen, with a tour in January 2019 to Rotterdam De Doelen, Antwerp De Singel, Madrid Auditorio and the Hong Kong Chamber Music Festival. He also continues to partner in occasional lieder recitals, most recently with Italian baritone Andrè Schuen.

After the significant success of his first recording of Mozart Sonatas for Sony Classical, Haefliger made three further recordings for Sony of Schumann’s Davidsbündlertanze and Fantasiestücke, Schubert Impromptus, and a disc of music by Sofia Gubaidulina. Later Haefliger recorded for Decca with the Takács Quartet and Matthias Goerne, winning the Preis Der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik for his Schubert disc of Goethe’s songs with Goerne. His latest Perspectives disc will be released in Spring 2018.

Booklet for Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Op. 31