Andreas Staier

“Staier played the instrument with such a wealth of colors, so expressive, cantabile, sometimes profound, rumbling, or even introverted.”

The pianist Andreas Staier first became world famous as a harpsichordist. After studying with Lajos Rovatkay and Ton Koopman, he worked for three years with the Musica Antiqua Köln. But Staier is far more than a virtuoso representative of so-called historical performance practice. Rather, one could describe him as a passionate sound seeker. Each work that the pianist undertakes is not only analyzed in terms of its structure, but also explores the historical situation in which it originated. Through his meticulous approach, he has opened up completely new interpretive approaches and made surprising listening experiences possible. This is why he also works with instrument makers to explore special nuances of sound – be it works of the 16th century such as the English virginalists, Bach’s Goldberg Variations, the Diabelli Variations of the late Beethoven or the last piano works by Brahms. Staier has also always turned to lesser known composers when he could discover original aspects in their works, such as Sebastián de Albero or Josef Antonín Štěpán.

His commitment does not end with the music of the 19th century. This is shown by Staier’s collaboration with the French composer Brice Pauset (b. 1965) from whom several compositions have been commissioned. The Kontra Sonata (2000), a hybrid of Schubert’s Sonata in A minor D 845 and Pauset’s Kontrakompositionen is a prime example of Staier’s epoch-crossing musical thinking. Staier himself used the time during the Corona Pandemic to finish his composition Sechs Cembalostücke which he puts in connection with Bach’s Preludium and Fugue E Major of the Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2. The work was premiered at the Philharmonie in Cologne in January 2023, will be published by Editions Lemoine, and will be released by Outhere Music in 2024.

All this is documented on numerous recordings, almost all of which have received prestigious awards. Staier himself has often been honored for his work. He was Artist in Residence at the AMUZ in Antwerp from 2012-2016, and between 2011 and 2021 at the Opéra de Dijon.

Whether at the harpsichord or the fortepiano, Staier performs at numerous renowned music festivals worldwide with ensembles such as the Freiburger Barockorchester, Concerto Köln, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin or the Orquestra Barroca Casa da Música Porto with which he recorded À Portuguesa with works by Spanish composers for harmonia mundi in October 2018. For the Beethoven jubilee, Staier presented his album Ein neuer Weg – Beethoven, based on the three op. 31 piano sonatas and the variations 34 and 35, which received rave reviews. His recording of the Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2 is considered a reference recording, and he has since released Book 1. Together with Roel Dieltiens he also released Beethoven’s Cello Sonatas op. 102 and the Bagatelles op. 119 & 126.

Longtime musical partners include the pianists Alexander Melnikov, Christine Schornsheim and Tobias Koch, the violinists Isabelle Faust and Petra Müllejans or the tenor Christoph Prégardien. Andreas Staier maintains a close collaboration with Daniel Sepec and the cellist Roel Dieltiens, with whom he has released an album of the Schubert piano trios amongst others.

Staier’s extensive interests and abilities have made him a much sought-after educator from an early age. In addition to masterclasses worldwide, he was Professor of Harpsichord and Fortepiano at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis from 1987-1995. During the 2017/18 season, Andreas Staier was a Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin.

For several years, Andreas Staier also has been performing as a conductor and orchestra leader.

Season 2023/2024 | Photo: Josep Molina | Quote: General-Anzeiger Bonn, February 5th 2019
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

No entries.

Harpsichord

J. S. Bach
all concertos for harpsichord and orchestra BWV 1052-1058

C. P. E. Bach
Sei Concerti F major, D major, E-flat major, C minor, G major, C major Wq 43
Double Concerto for fortpiano and harpsichord E-flat major Wq 47

Benda
Concerto for harpsichord F minor

Pianoforte or modern piano

Beethoven
Piano concerto No. 1 C major op. 15
Piano concerto No. 3 C minor op. 37 
Piano concerto No. 4 G major op. 58 

Dussek
Piano concerto G minor op. 49
Piano concerto B-flat major op. 22

Haydn
Concerto for piano and strings G major Hob. XVIII:4
Concerto for piano, violin and strings F major Hob. XVIII:6
Concerto for piano and orchestra D major Hob. XVIII:11

Mozart
3 piano concertos after J. Chr. Bach K 107
Piano concert No. 6 B-flat major K 238 
Piano concert No. 7 for three pianos and orchestra F major K 242 
Piano concert No. 9 E-flat major K 271 Jeunehomme
Piano concert No. 10 for two pianos and orchestra E-flat major K 365 
Piano concert No. 11 F major K 413 
Piano concert No. 12 A major K 414 
Piano concert No. 13 C major K 415 
Piano concert No. 14 E-flat major K 449 
Piano concert No. 17 G major K 453 
Piano concert No. 18 in B-flat major K 456 
Piano concert No. 19 F major K 459 
Piano concert No. 23 A major K 488 
Piano concert No. 24 C minor K 491 
Piano concert No. 27 B-flat major K 595 

Poulenc
Concert Champêtre for harpsichord Pleyel FP 49

Salieri
Piano concerto C major
Piano concerto B-flat major

R. Schumann
Piano concerto A minor op. 54 

Méditation
works from Bach, Couperin, Fischer, Froberger, Fux, Staier
Andreas Staier, harpsichord
ALPHA1012 (2023)

J. S. Bach – The Well Tempered Clavier 1
Book I, BWV 846-869
Andreas Staier, harpsichord
Harmonia Mundi: HMM902680.81 (2023)

Beethoven – Cello Sonatas & Bagatelles Op. 102, 119 & 126
Andreas Staier, fortepiano
Roel Dieltiens, cello
Harmonia Mundi: HMM902429 (2022)

J. S. Bach – The Well Tempered Clavier 2
Book II, BWV 870-893
Andreas Staier, harpsichord
Harmonia Mundi: HMM902682.83 (2021)

simply Mozart
Ouverture Don Giovanni K 527
Piano Concerto No. 23 A major K 488
Symphony No. 40 G major K 550
Andreas Staier, fortepiano
Julien Chauvin Violin, Conductor
Le Concert de la Loge
Alpha-Classics: 11029267 (2021)

“Ein neuer weg” – “A new way”
works by Beethoven
Piano sonatas No. 16-18,
Variations op. 34
Eroica-Variations op. 35
Harmonia Mundi: HMM902327.28

“À Portuguesa”
harpsichord works from Corbett, de Seixas, Scarlatti and others
Andreas Staier, harpsichord
Orquestra Barocca Casa da Música
Harmonia Mundi: HMM902337 (2018)

Franz Schubert – Piano Trios
Trio for piano and violoncello op. 99 D.898 B major
Nocturne op.148 D.897 E flat major
Trio for piano and violoncello op. 100 D.929 E flat major
Andreas Staier, Pianoforte
Daniel Sepec, Violin
Roel Dieltiens, Violoncello
Harmonia Mundi: HMC902233.34 (2016)

Robert Schumann – piano works on original instruments
from 40 Clavierstücke für die Jugend [Album für die Jugend] op. 68 (1848) Scherzo, Gigue, Romanze und Fughette op. 32 * (1838-39)
from Sieben Clavierstücke in Fughettenform op. 126 * (1853)
Waldscenen. 9 Clavierstücke op. 82 * (1848-49) from Sieben Clavierstücke in Fughettenform op. 126
*Kinderscenen. Leichte Stücke für das Pianoforte op. 15 (1838)
Ciaconna for violin and piano (J. S. Bach/Schumann) (Transcription from the violin partita no.2 in D minor, BWV 1004)
Sonata No. 1 for violin and piano op. 105
Gesänge der Frühe for piano op. 133
Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano op. 121
Abegg-Variations op. 1
Fantasiestücke op. 12
Fantasiestücke op. 111
Variations in E flat major
Hamonia Mundi: HMX2908739.41 (2015)

Johann Sebastian Bach – Cembalokonzerte
Concerto No. 1 BWV 1052 in D minor
Concerto No. 2 BWV 1053 in E major
Concerto [No. 7] BWV 1058 in G minor
Concerto No. 3 BWV 1054 in D major
Concerto No. 4 BWV 1055 in A major
Concerto No. 5 BWV 1056 in F minor
Concerto No. 6 BWV 1057 in F major
Harmonia Mundi: HMC902181.82 (2015)

Johannes Brahms – Duo/Solo
Sonata for clarinet and piano op. 120 No. 1 in F minor
Six pieces for piano op. 118
Sonata for clarinet and piano op. 120 No. 2 in E flat major
Lorenzo Coppola, clarinet
Harmonia Mundi: HMC902187 (2015)

Robert Schumann
Abegg-Variations op. 1
Fantasiestücke op. 12
Fantasiestücke op. 111
Variations on own theme E-flat Geistervariationen
Harmonia Mundi: HMC902171 (2014)

“… pour passer la mélancolie”
works by Froberger, d’Anglebert, L. Couperin and others
Harmonia Mundi: HMC902143 (2013)

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Cembalokonzerte
Concerto No. 1 in F major
Concerto No. 2 in D major
Concerto No. 3 in E flat major
Concerto No. 4 in C minor
Concerto No. 5 in G major
Concerto No. 6 in C major
Harmonia Mundi: HMC902083.84 (2011)

Johann Sebastian Bach
Goldberg Variations BWV 988
Harmonia Mundi: HMC902058 (2010)

Further CDs have been released by harmonia mundi and other labels

Andreas Staier and Le Concert de la Loge: Mozart – Piano concerto No. 23 K 488 – Adagio

Midori Seiler and Andreas Staier – MDR Musiksommer

Schubert: Trio No. 1 B-flat major op. 99 D 898 with Daniel Sepec & Roel Dieltiens