Ernst Haefliger

Ernst Haefliger ( born July 6, 1919 in Davos, † March 17, 2007 ) was a Swiss tenor who is particularly known as a Bach interpreter.

Life and work

After visiting the Teachers' College in Wettingen Haefliger studied singing and violin at the conservatory in Zurich, later singing with the Italian tenor Fernando Carpi in Geneva and then at Julius Patzak in Vienna.

Haefliger came in 1943 for the first time as an evangelist in Bach's St. John Passion in Zurich. This debut was followed immediately numerous concert engagements in Switzerland and - after the war - in the near abroad. Soon he fell to the conductor Ferenc Fricsay, who picked him for the Festival to Salzburg. There began in 1949 Haefligers world career as Tiresias in Carl Orff opera Antigone.

In 1952 he was appointed by Ferenc Fricsay at the German Opera Berlin, where he worked as a lyric tenor uva the tenor roles in all of Mozart 's operas, in Rossini's Barber of Seville and Conte Ory, the Hans in Smetana's The Bartered Bride, Hans Pfitzner's Palestrina sang.

In 1971 he was appointed professor of singing at the Munich Academy of Music, where he taught until 1988. He also gave master classes in Zurich, Japan and the USA, and published the standard work "The art of song" ( published by Schott, Mainz ), which he placed entirely under the guiding principles of bel canto.

Thanks to its slim lead vocal and clear diction Haefliger was the ideal interpreter of the Evangelist in Bach's Passions. Its high phrasing predestined him well for all tenor roles in operas by WA Mozart, for the song singing and for the interpretation of contemporary works such as Frank Martin's " Le vin herbé " Zoltán Kodály " Psalmus hungaricus ", Wilfried Hiller's " Job ".

Haefliger took with the Munich Bach Choir under the direction of Karl Richter, the passions and numerous cantatas of Bach and Handel's Messiah with Deutsche Grammophon on. Under the leadership of Ferenc Fricsay he recorded the Mozart operas The Abduction from the Seraglio, Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute and Idomeneo, and Kodály Psalmus hungaricus. As a song interpreter Haefliger has appeared in numerous concerts, first with the Berlin pianist Hertha Klust, with the Vienna Erik Werba and later with the Swiss conductor and pianist Jörg Ewald Dähler, who accompanied him on his fortepiano in the great Schubert cycles and those with him recorded by Claves Records. Excellent memorable and repeatedly was Haefligers recording of Janáček's Diary of One Who Disappeared in DGG, with Rafael Kubelik at the piano.

Haefliger was a soloist in many premieres, including works by Willy Burkhard, Frank Martin, Peter Mieg, Othmar Schoeck, Carl Orff and Wilfried Hiller. As one of the first singers to Haefliger interested in historical performance practice.

According to him, funded by the Swiss Office of Arts and Culture of the canton of Bern singing competition Concours Ernst Haefliger was named, the first took place in 2006 in Gstaad and Bern and in which he participated as jury president. The Concours Haefliger held regularly every two years.

Haefligers son Michael ( b. 1961 ) is director of the Lucerne Festival, his son Andrew ( b. 1962 ) is a pianist.

Awards

Works

• The vocal line, Hallwag, Bern, 1983 ( Attachment: 1 LP) New edition as The art of singing. History - Technology - repertoire, Schott, Mainz 2000, ISBN 3-7957-8720-3