The last time pianist Andreas Haefliger visited Mumbai in 2015, he couldn’t spend much time seeing the city. “The visit was so short but I remember the love, hospitality and warmth of the people,” he says.
This time, he hopes to do a bit of sightseeing, even as he eagerly awaits his performance later this week. While Haefliger had played Mozart, Beethoven, Johannes Brahms and Bela Bartok last time, his programme this year shall be a mix of old and modern.
True love
Slotted this time are Beethoven’s ‘Piano Sonatas 10 and 30’, extracts from Luciano Berio’s ‘Six Encores’ and Robert Schumann’s ‘Fantasie In C Major’. Haefliger says it may be the most perfect programme so far for him. He says, “The programme turns into a meditation of true, tender love. While all the pieces stand on their own extremely well, and without programme together they create a curated version, Beethoven informs Berio and Schumann. So there is a connection between the compositions.”
Haefliger has had a multi-faceted career, earning broad acclaim not only as a soloist and recitalist, but also as a chamber musician and accompanist. He was born in Berlin in 1962, and though his father Ernst Haefliger was a well-known tenor, his own instinct drew him to the piano. “My earliest memories are the sound of my father’s voice. This was thus the strongest influence. Then there were many more creative people like novelist Gunther Grass, composer Aribert Reimann and conductor Karl Richter. It was an enormous treasure trove for a child to open his eyes [to],” says Haefliger. He took to the piano at age four. After growing up in Switzerland, he studied at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York. “Juilliard is fantastic because it attracts great talent. It was enriching to measure oneself with the best,” he points out.
A man of principles
Asked whether he prefers playing solo or as part of a chamber orchestra, Haefliger says, “There is no strict schedule. I do find the solo recital very enriching these days. It is just me and the piano.” His repertoire normally consists of Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Franz Schubert, Franz Lizst and Sergei Rachmaninoff. He says, “Schubert was always at the core of my repertoire because of the many times I had to accompany the songs as a child. I was always free labour for my father and had to accompany his students after school. What an apprenticeship!”
A huge support for Haefliger has been his wife Marina Piccinini, a flautist. “I am lucky to have a 30-year-old romantic and musical relationship with Marina. We make music a lot but publicly go our own ways individually. Every three years, though, we tour and play music together.”
Finally, what advice would he give the younger generation? Haefliger replies, “There are many fine pianists in the world today. What is more and more missing though is the true individual viewpoint. My advice is to avoid fads, listen carefully to what you do and be in the service of music.” These very principles have made Haefliger’s music stand apart. His concert should be a delight for classical piano fans.
Andreas Haefliger will be performing at the Experimental Theatre, NCPA, on April 6 at 7 p.m. Visit bookmyshow.com
