Ernesto Halffter

Short bio Ernesto Halffter

Birthday: 1905 in Madrid, Spain

Died: 1989 in Madrid, Spain

Active: 1920s - 1980s

Genre: Classical

Period: 20th Century, Modern

Full biography Ernesto Halffter

Ernesto Halffter Escriche (1905-1989) was a Spanish composer and conductor who belonged to the Grupo de los Ocho , a group of Spanish composers who sought to modernize Spanish classical music. Ernesto was the brother of Rodolfo Halffter, another notable composer and conductor. He was born on January 16th, 1905 in Madrid, Spain and began his musical career in his family's home, where he received early music training from his father who was also a composer.

Ernesto Halffter was greatly influenced by Manuel de Falla, a Spanish composer whom he met in his late teens. From Manuel de Falla, Halffter learned to incorporate Spanish folk music into his compositions, a hallmark of his musical style. He was a prolific composer, writing more than one hundred works in a variety of genres, including orchestral works, chamber music, vocal music, and film scores.

Among his most famous compositions are "Homenajes," a tribute to Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo, and "Diálogos," a piece for piano and orchestra. He also wrote music for films and collaborated with Spanish director Luis Buñuel on several occasions, including on the film "Los Olvidados," for which he won the Best Soundtrack Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1951.

Ernesto Halffter's music is noted for his use of Spanish folk melodies, neoclassical style, and modernist tendencies. His rich musical language is both reflective of his classical training and his lifelong love of Spanish folk music. Halffter's contributions to Spanish music have been widely recognized, and his works continue to be performed and recorded today.

Albums featuring Ernesto Halffter

#	Name album	Year	Music label
1	Ernesto Halffter, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mark Fitz-Gerald – Carmen	2011	Naxos
2	Eduardo Martínez Torner, Ernesto Halffter, Roberto Gerhard, Erich Wolfgang Korngold / Ana Vega-Toscano – Don Quijote Al Piano(CD, Album)	2009	Columna Musica
3	Falla, Victoria De Los Angeles, Ernesto Halffter – La Vida Breve(CD, Album, Mono)	2006	Somm
4	Charles Munch / Berlioz, Franck, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Saint-Saëns, Delannoy, Bloch, Honegger, Halffter – Berlioz Franck Brahms Tchaikovsky Debussy Saint-Saëns Delannoy Bloch Honegger Halffter(4×CD, Compilation, Remastered)	2005	Artone (2)
5	Ernesto Halffter — Eliot Fisk – Sinfonietta ● Guitar Concerto(CD, )	2005	ESS.A.Y Recordings
6	Ernesto Halffter, Adam Kent (5) – Complete Music For Piano Solo(CD, Album)	2001	Bridge Records (4)
7	Ernesto Halffter, Adrian Leaper, Orquesta Filarmónica De Gran Canaria – Halffter: Sinfonietta, Al Amanecer, Habanera, Cavatina(CD, Album)	2000	ASV Digital
8	Ernesto Halffter, Muhai Tang, Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt – Esquisses Symphoniques / Rapsodia Portuguesa / Sinfonietta(CD, Album, Stereo)	1998	cpo
9	Charles Munch, C. Debussy, M. Delannoy, E. Halffter, Henry Merckel, Marguerite Long – Volume 5(CD, Compilation)	1997	Lys
10	Charles Munch, Beethoven, Delannoy, Halffter, Haydn, Mozart, Hoffmann, Pierre Bernac, Henry Merckel, Marguerite Long – The Art Of The Conductor, Vol. 2(2×CD, Compilation)	1997	A Classical Record
11	Ernesto Halffter, Eduard Toldrà – E. Halffter, E. Toldra, ECO, Enrique Garcia Asensio(CD, Album)	1997	Ensayo
12	Manuel De Falla, Ernesto Halffter – Les Introuvables De Manuel De Falla(4×CD, )	1996	EMI Classics
13	Pedro de Freitas Branco, Vaughan Williams, Martinu, Luís de Freitas Branco, Ernesto Halffter, National Symphony Orchestra, Leonor Prado, Regina Cascaes, Marie Antoinette Lévêque Freitas Branco – The Wasps (Overture) • Chamber Concerto • Artificial Paradis	1996	Strauss
14	Manuel De Falla, Ernesto Halffter - Simon Estes, María Bayo, Teresa Berganza, Joven Orquesta Nacional de España, Edmon Colomer – Atlántida(2×CD, Album, Box Set, )	1993	Auvidis Valois
15	Falla · Turina · Halffter · Montsalvatge · Mompou - Alicia De Larrocha – Música Para Piano IV	1992	Decca
16	Nicanor Zabaleta – Albéniz • Falla • Turina • Granados • Gombau • Halffter • López-Chavarri – Arpa Española(CD, Reissue, Stereo)	1992	Deutsche Grammophon
17	Ernesto Halffter, Guillermo González – Obras Para Piano(LP)	1987	Etnos
18	M. De Falla, I. Albéniz, E. Granados, E. Halffter, Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE, Igor Markevitch – Siete Canciones Populares Españolas / Catalonia / Fanfare / Danza Española(LP)	1982	Philips
19	M. De Falla, I. Albéniz, E Granados, E. Halffter, Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE, Igor Markevitch – Songs And Dances From Spain(LP)	1982	Philips
20	Itzhak Perlman, Samuel Sanders (2) – Concierto Español	1980	His Master's Voice
21	Luis Blanes, Llorenç Barber, Javier Alfonso, Ernesto Halffter, Francisco Esteves (2) – Música Española Contemporánea(LP)	1979	Movieplay
22	Halfter ~ Guridi · Orquesta Nacional De España · Dir., Ataulfo Argenta – Sinfonietta / Diez Melodias Vascas	1978	Zafiro
23	Manuel De Falla, Rafael Frühbeck De Burgos, Ernesto Halffter – Atlantida	1978	EMI
24	Salvador Bacarisse / Ernesto Halffter - Narciso Yepes, Orquesta Sinfónica De La R. TV. Española • Odón Alonso – Concertino En La Menor Para Guitarra Y Orquesta Op. 72 / Concierto Para Guitarra Y Orquesta	1973	Deutsche Grammophon
25	Nicanor Zabaleta, Albeniz - de Falla - Turina - Combau-Gerra - Granados - Halffter - Lopez-Chavarri – Musique Espagnole Pour Harpe	1972	Deutsche Grammophon
26	Henryk Szeryng, Kreisler, Wieniawski, Tartini, Schumann, Vitali, Gluck, Halffter – In Recital	1960	RCA Victor Red Seal
27	Ernesto Halffter – Orquesta Nacional De España, Ataulfo Argenta – Sinfonietta (En Re Mayor)	1958	Alhambra (2)
28	Sonatina / El Cojo Enamorado(LP, Mono)	1958	Hispavox
29	Manuel De Falla / Aldo Ciccolini, Orchestre National De La Radiodiffusion Française direction : Ernesto Halffter – Nuits Dans Les Jardins D'Espagne / Homenajes	1954	Columbia
30	Falla • Victoria De Los Angeles / Ernesto Halffter / Gerald Moore – La Vida Breve / A Song Recital	1954	His Master's Voice
31	De Falla, Ernesto Halffter And Orquesta Betica De Camara Seville – El Amor Brujo(4×Shellac, 10", 78 RPM, Album, Mono)	1930	Regal
32	Ernesto Halffter, Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife – Ernesto Halffter: Sinfonietta, Elegia, Psalmi(CD, Stereo)	-	Discobi
33	Manuel De Falla / Aldo Ciccolini, Orchestre National De La R.D.F Conductor Ernesto Halffter – Nuits Dans Les Jardins D'Espagne / Homenajes(LP, Mono)	-	Angel Records
34	Manuel De Falla - Aldo Ciccolini, Halffter – Nuits Dans Les Jardins D'Espagne(10", Album, Mono)	-	Columbia
35	De Falla, Ernesto Halffter And Orquesta Betica De Camara Seville – El Amor Brujo(4×Shellac, 10", 78 RPM, Album)	-	Columbia
36	Rodrigo / Castelnuovo-Tedesco / Halffter / Narciso Yepes · Odón Alonso · Garcia Navarro – Fantasia Para Un Gentilhombre · Gitarrenkonzerte = Guitar Concertos(CD, Compilation, Reissue, Remastered)	-	Deutsche Grammophon
37	Ernesto Halffter, Marguerite Long, Orchestre De La Société Des Concerts Du Conservatoire, M. Charles Munch – Rhapsodie Portugaise Pour Piano Et Orchestre(2×Shellac, 12", 78 RPM, Album)	-	Columbia