Werner Haas (pianist)

Werner Haas (March 3, 1931 – October 11, 1976) was a German classical pianist. He was widely known for his performances of early 20th century compositions, particularly those of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. But he had a very wide repertoire that included works by Frédéric Chopin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Kabalevsky.

He was born in Stuttgart, Germany and attended the Stuttgart Academy of Music. Later he had private study with the renowned pianist Walter Gieseking. After a string of successful recitals throughout Europe in the 1950s, he signed a multi-year recording contract with Philips. His recordings had numerous successes including a complete works of Debussy edition which was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque in 1970. Other Ravel recordings by Haas were given the Amsterdam Edison Prize, also in 1970.

He died in an auto accident in France in 1976.

References

*cite news |title= Werner Haas Biography |url= http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=41:27743~T1 |publisher= Allmusic | first= Robert |last= Cummings