Werner Haas
Werner Haas was a German pianist especially known for his interpretations of French repertory, particularly the works of Debussy and Ravel. But his performances of music by Chopin and Beethoven were also highly praised and his repertory was quite broad, extending to Prokofiev and Kabalevsky. He was better known in Europe than in the Americas, where he never concertized. His many admirers assert that had his life not been tragically cut short, he would likely have achieved recognition as one of the finest pianists of his time.
Haas was born in Stuttgart on March 3, 1931. He exhibited unusual talent as a young child, though the pianist himself was reluctant to claim he was extraordinarily gifted. Still, he might have developed even sooner but for the exigencies brought on by the war in his homeland. He enrolled at the Stuttgart Academy of Music in 1947, where he took instruction on piano from Lilli Kröber-Asche, who was known for her Mozart interpretations. Shortly after leaving the Stuttgart Academy in 1954, he traveled to Saarbrücken for two years of study with Walter Gieseking, whose interest in the music of Debussy may well have steered Haas toward the French master's works. It was during this time that he launched his career with a critically well-received recital (1955) in his native Stuttgart. From 1956 on, Haas toured Europe and quickly developed a reputation for his Debussy interpretations. Following a 1958 Paris concert, Philips executive Igor Maslowski signed the pianist to a multi-year contract with his Dutch label. The partnership worked well for both, as evidenced by Haas' numerous discographic successes, including his Debussy complete works edition, which was awarded a Grand Prix du Disque in 1970, and his Ravel recordings, which given an Amsterdam Edison Prize also in 1970.
Though Haas began recording in the late '50s, most of his activity in the studio dates to the 1960s. His 1960 recording of Chopin Waltzes (14) garnered much critical acclaim, even in the United States where it received a rave review in the January 1961 issue of High Fidelity. On tour abroad, he generally drew favorable reviews as well, such as his November 1967 London recital at Wigmore Hall and his July 1970 Milan concert, to name but two. Haas was known to have a broad repertory, but beginning in the latter 1960s, he expanded it to include an even greater range, with works like Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 4. Later, he added that master's Sonata No. 2 to his repertory, as well as compositions by other Russian composers, including Kabalevsky and Stravinsky. By the mid-'70s, Haas' career was in full bloom, with appearances in some of the most prestigious concert halls in Europe and turning out recordings that routinely garnered critical acclaim. Like the American pianist William Kapell, however, his career ended abruptly and tragically: Haas was killed on October 11, 1976, in a accident near Nancy, France, when his automobile collided with a truck. Many of the pianist's recordings are still available via reissue, most on the Philips label.
© TiVo
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Chopin : 14 Valses
Classique - Paru chez Universal Music Division Decca Records France le 1 janv. 1959
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin : 24 Etudes
Classique - Paru chez Universal Music Division Decca Records France le 1 janv. 1961
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Piano Music
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Complete Piano Music Vol.2
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Piano Works Vol.1
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy & Ravel: Werner Haas
Classique - Paru chez UME - Global Clearing House le 25 août 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven : Sonates pour piano - Clair de lune - Pathétique - Appassionata
Classique - Paru chez Universal Music Division Decca Records France le 1 janv. 1962
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Claude Debussy: Oeuvres pour piano
Classique - Paru chez Universal Music Division Decca Records France le 1 janv. 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1; Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2
Eliahu Inbal, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte‐Carlo, Werner Haas
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 25 août 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Les plus belles pages pour piano (Mono Version)
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Hommage à Werner Haas
Divers - Paru chez Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm (MDG) le 1 janv. 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gershwin: I Got Rhythm/Piano Concerto in F/Rhapsody No.2, etc.
Werner Haas, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte‐Carlo, Edo de Waart, Eliahu Inbal
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gentle Classical: Relax & Chill Out Music
Paul Tortelier, Aldo Ciccolini, Werner Haas
Classique - Paru chez BNF Collection le 25 mars 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Klaviersonaten No. 14, 8 und 23
Divers - Paru chez Adora le 9 oct. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Études, Arabesques & La plus que lente (Mono Version)
Classique - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10 & 12 Études, Op. 25 (Mono Version)
Classique - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
24 Etudes, Waltzes & Sonatas: Beethoven & Chopin
Classique - Paru chez UME - Global Clearing House le 25 août 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Sonates pour piano Nos. 14, 8 & 23 (Mono Version)
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin: 5 Valses (Mono Version)
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Pièces pour piano (Mono Version)
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Sonates pour piano Nos. 14, 8 & 23 (Stereo Version)
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo