Halffter (Jiménez-Encina), Cristóbal

Halffter (Jiménez-Encina), Crisóbal, prominent Spanish composer and conductor, nephew of Ernesto Halffter and Rodolfo Halffter (Escriche); b. Madrid, March 24, 1930. He studied composition with Conrado del Campo at the Madrid Cons. (1947–51) and with Tansman in Paris (1959). From 1953 he was active as a conductor in Spain, and later conducted abroad. After serving as a teacher of composition (1961–66) and as director (1964–66) at the Madrid Cons., he lectured at the Univ. of Navarra (1970–78). He was president of the Spanish section of the ISCM (1976–78). In 1979 he was artistic director of the electronic music studio of the Heinrich Strobel-Stiftung in Freiburg im Breisgau. He was made a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in 1983, of the Berlin Academy of Arts in 1985, and of the Swedish Royal Academy in Stockholm in 1988. As a composer, Halffter has perfected a highly personal style that makes use of the full range of contemporary means of expression, from dodecaphony to electronics.

Works

dramatic:Saeta, ballet (Madrid, Oct. 28, 1955); El pastor y la estrella, children’s television chamber opera (Madrid, Dec. 28, 1959); Don Quijote, opera (Madrid, Feb. 23, 2000). ORCH.: Scherzo (1951); 2 piano concertos (1952-53, rev. 1956; 1987); Concertino for Strings (1956; also as String Quartet No. 1, Tres piezas, 1955); Dos movimientos for Timpani and Strings (1956); Partita for Cello and Orch. (1957-58; also for Guitar and Orch., 1973); Cinco Microformas (1959–60); Rapsodia española for Piano and Orch. (1959–60); Sinfonia for 3 Instrumental Groups (1961–63); Secuencias (1964); Lineas y puntos for 20 Winds and Electronics (1966); Anillos (1967-68; rev. 1969); Fibonaciana for Flute and Orch. (1969); Requiem por la libertad imaginada (1971); Pinturas negras for Orch. and Concertante Organ (1972); 2 cello concertos (1974; …No queda mas que el silencio…, 1985); Tiempo para espacios for Harpsichord and Strings (1974); Elegias a la muerte de tres poetas españoles (1975); 2 violin concertos: No. 1 (1979) and No. 2 for Violin and Strings (1990–91); Tiento (1980–81); Fantasia über einen Klang von G. F Händel for 4, 8, or 12 Cellos and String Orch. (1981); Sinfonia ricercata for Organ and Orch. (1982); Versus (1983); Double Concerto for Violin, Viola, and Orch. (1984); Paráfrasis über die Fantasia über einen Klang von G. F. Händel (1984); Tiento del primertono y batalla imperial (1986); Dortmunder Variationen (1986–87); Preludio à Nemesis (1988–89); Saxophone Quartet Concerto (1989-90; also as Fractal for Saxophone Quartet, 1991); Pasacalle escurialense for Strings (1992); Mural Sonante (1993–94); Odradek: Hommage à Franz Káβα (Prague, March 13, 1997). CHAMBER: 3 string quartets: No. 1, Tres piezas (1955; also as the Concertino for String Orch., 1956), No. 2, Mémoires 1970 (1970; also as Pourquoi for 12 Strings, 1974), and No. 3 (1978); Très piezas for Flute (1959; also as the Sonata for Solo Violin, 1959); Epitafio a Ramón Gómez de la Sema for 3 Percussion and Tape (1963; also as Espejos for 4 Percussion and Tape, 1963); Codex for Guitar (1963); Antiphonismoi for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano (1967); Oda para felicitar a un amigo for Flute, Bass Clarinet, Viola, Cello, and Percussion (1969); Pianto por las victimas de la violencia for Chamber Ensemble and Electronics (1970–71); Noche activa del espiritu for 2 Pianos and Ring Modulators (1972–73); Procesional for 2 Pianos, Winds, and Percussion (1973–74); Variation über das Thema eSACHERe for Cello (1975); Variaciones sobre la resonancia de un grito for 11 Instruments, Tape, and Electronics (1976–77); Mizar I for 2 Flutes, 3 Percussion, and Strings (1977; also as Mizar II for 2 Flutes and Electronics, 1979); Adieu for Harpsichord (1978); Debla for Flute (1980); Concerto for Flute and String Sextet (1982); Canción callada for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1988); Fandango for 8 or More Cellos (1988–89); Con bravura y sentimiento for String Quartet (1991); Fractal for Saxophone Quartet (1991; also as the Saxophone Quartet Concerto, 1989-90); Tinguely-Fanfare for Brass Ensemble (Basel, Sept. 30, 1996); Sonata for Solo Guitar (Vienna, Nov. 11, 1998). keyboard: piano: Sonata (1951); Introducción, fuga y final (1957); Formantes for 2 Pianos (1960–61); Cadencia (1983); El ser humano muere solamente cuando lo olvidan (1987). organ:Ricercare (1981). VOCAL: Antifona Pascual for Soloists, Chorus, and Orch. (1952); Dos condones for Soprano and Guitar (1952; also for Soprano and Chamber Orch., 1955); Misa Ducal for Chorus and Organ or Orch. (1955–56); In Exspectatione Resurrectionis Domini, cantata for Baritone, Men’s Chorus, Mixed Chorus ad libitum, and Orch. (1961; rev. 1964-65); Drei Brechtlieder for Medium Voice and 2 Pianos (1964-65; also for Medium Voice and Orch., 1967); Misa da la juventud for Chorus and Orch. (1965); Symposion for Baritone, Chorus, and Orch. (1965-66; rev. 1972); In Memoriam Anaïck for Child Speaker, Chorus, Winds, and Percussion (1966); Yes, speak out, yes for Soprano, Baritone, 2 Choruses, 2 Orchs., and 2 Conductors (1968; rev. 1969); Noche pasiva del sentido for Soprano, 2 Percussion, and Electronics (1969–70); Faudium et Spes—Beunza for 2 Choruses and Tape (1971–73); Oración a Platero for Speaker, Children’s Chorus, Mixed Chorus, and 5 Percussion (1974); Officium Defunctorum for Soloists, Chorus, Children’s Voices, and Orch. (1977–78); Jarchas del dolor de ausencia for 12 Voices (1978–79); Himno a Santa Teresa for Soprano, Chorus, Winds, Percussion, and Organ (1981); Leyendo a Jorge Guillén for Speaker, Viola, and Cello (1982); Dona nobis pacem for Chorus and Instruments (1983–84); Très poemas de la lìrica espanola for Baritone and Orch. (1985–86); Canciones de Al Andalus for Mezzo-soprano and String Quartet (1987–88); Dos motetes for 3 Choruses (1988; also as Dos corales litúrgicos for 3 Choruses and Instrumental Ensemble, 1990); Muerte, mudanza y locum for Voice and Electronics (1989); Preludio para Madrid ’92 for Chorus and Orch. (1991); Siete cantos de Espana for Soprano, Baritone, and Orch. (1991–92); Vent creator spiritus for 2 Choruses and Instrumental Ensemble (1992). OTHER: Nocturno (30 de Mayo de 1972), tape collage (1972); …La soledad sonora/La música callada…, audio-visual environment (1982–83).

Bibliography

T. Marco, C. H. (Madrid, 1972); E. Casares Rodicio, C. H. (Oviedo, 1980).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire