Pedro Halffter, born in Madrid, is a conductor and composer. From 2001 to 2004 he was principal guest conductor of the Nürnberger Symphoniker, a position he combined with that of chief conductor of the Bayreuth Festival Youth Orchestra in 2002 and 2003. From 2004 to 2015 he was artistic director and chief conductor of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria. From 2004 to 2014, artistic director of the Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, with whom he followed an invitation to perform in the cultural programme in support of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. And from 2004 to 2018 he has been artistic director of the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville.
He has conducted on several prestigious stages, such as the Vienna Musikverein, the Philharmonie and the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris, the Teatro Real in Madrid, Beijing National Centre for the Performing Arts, the Tchaikovsky Hall of Moscow and the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Shanghai Concert Hall, Teatro Verdi di Trieste, Grosses Festpielhaus in Salzburg, Bayerische Staatsoper, Herkulessaal in Munich, Munich Opera Festival, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Berliner Philharmonie, Aalto Musiktheater in Essen, Teatro Nacional in Mannheim, Theatre du Capitole de Toulouse, among others. He has stood on the podium of important orchestras, such as Philharmonia Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, New Japan Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Berlin, Dresdner Philharmonie, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Orchestra Philharmonique de Strasbourg, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, San Antonio Symphony, Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, in addition to the most important Spanish symphony orchestras.
As a composer, Pedro Halffter has also gained much international respect. His successes include the premiere at the Teatro Real in Madrid in 2016 of his new orchestration of Viktor Ullmann's opera Der Kaiser von Atlantis, and he has also premiered symphonic versions of Wagner's works, such as Tannhäuser, Götterdämmerung, Parsifal and Siegfried, which have been performed by the finest orchestras in Spain, Italy and France.
He has conducted operas such as The Silent Woman (Die schweigsame Frau) at the Bayerische Staatsoper and the Münchner Opernfestspiele, Salome and The Distant Sound (Der ferne Klang) at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, Turandot at the Nationaltheater Mannheim, Norma with the Dresdner Philharmonie, Rigoletto at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte) and La Traviata at the Verdi Theatre in Trieste, Le nozze di Figaro at Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe and Der Kaiser von Atlantis at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam, among others.
Recently, in addition to his work as a composer, it is worth mentioning his work as conductor in operas such as The Twilight of the Gods (Götterdämmerung), in a new symphonic arrangement made by him, received with great success in its German premiere at the Konzerthaus in Dortmund, La Bohème at ABAO and Tannhäuser, Die Zauberflöte, La Bohème, Fidelio, Falstaff, Adriana Lecouvreur, Der kaiser von Atlantis, Il Trovatore and Andrea Chénier at the Teatro de la Maestranza, as well as having been invited to conduct orchestras such as the National Orchestra of Athens or the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid, performing Mahler's 6th Symphony with the latter.
His work as a composer spans from his first works premiered in 1998 to the latest commission from the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra, premiered in 2015. He has composed more than twenty works that have been performed, among others, by the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, Nüremberg Symphony Orchestra, Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerakademie, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra in halls such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Auditorio Nacional de Madrid or the Philharmonie in Dortmund, and at festivals such as those of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg/Vorpommern.
Among his recordings we highlight those for Deutsche Grammophon (Ginastera's Panambí), Warner Music (monographs of Falla and Korngold) and Warner Classics (albums dedicated to Schoenberg and Schreker, with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, and Daugherty, with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the latter winning the Juno Prize for the Best Classical Album of 2011).
His recent performances include La Traviata in Quebec, Der Diktator and Der kaiser von Atlantis at the Ópera de Tenerife, Der fliegende Holländer with Bryn Terfel at ABAO - Bilbao and Florencia en el Amazonas in St Gallen, as well as several symphonic concerts with orchestras such as the Orquesta Nacional de España, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid and the Basel Orchestra.
His engagements this season include Tosca at the Teatro Cervantes in Malaga, La voix humaine / Eine Florentinische tragödie at ABAO, Florencia en el Amazonas in Tenerife and La traviata at the Teatro de la Maestranza.
He is a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de Santa Isabel de Hungría of Seville.
Date last modified October 2021
Not to be altered without permission. Please delete any previous biographic material.
He has conducted on several prestigious stages, such as the Vienna Musikverein, the Philharmonie and the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris, the Teatro Real in Madrid, Beijing National Centre for the Performing Arts, the Tchaikovsky Hall of Moscow and the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Shanghai Concert Hall, Teatro Verdi di Trieste, Grosses Festpielhaus in Salzburg, Bayerische Staatsoper, Herkulessaal in Munich, Munich Opera Festival, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Berliner Philharmonie, Aalto Musiktheater in Essen, Teatro Nacional in Mannheim, Theatre du Capitole de Toulouse, among others. He has stood on the podium of important orchestras, such as Philharmonia Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, New Japan Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Berlin, Dresdner Philharmonie, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Orchestra Philharmonique de Strasbourg, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, San Antonio Symphony, Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, in addition to the most important Spanish symphony orchestras.
As a composer, Pedro Halffter has also gained much international respect. His successes include the premiere at the Teatro Real in Madrid in 2016 of his new orchestration of Viktor Ullmann's opera Der Kaiser von Atlantis, and he has also premiered symphonic versions of Wagner's works, such as Tannhäuser, Götterdämmerung, Parsifal and Siegfried, which have been performed by the finest orchestras in Spain, Italy and France.
He has conducted operas such as The Silent Woman (Die schweigsame Frau) at the Bayerische Staatsoper and the Münchner Opernfestspiele, Salome and The Distant Sound (Der ferne Klang) at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, Turandot at the Nationaltheater Mannheim, Norma with the Dresdner Philharmonie, Rigoletto at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte) and La Traviata at the Verdi Theatre in Trieste, Le nozze di Figaro at Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe and Der Kaiser von Atlantis at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam, among others.
Recently, in addition to his work as a composer, it is worth mentioning his work as conductor in operas such as The Twilight of the Gods (Götterdämmerung), in a new symphonic arrangement made by him, received with great success in its German premiere at the Konzerthaus in Dortmund, La Bohème at ABAO and Tannhäuser, Die Zauberflöte, La Bohème, Fidelio, Falstaff, Adriana Lecouvreur, Der kaiser von Atlantis, Il Trovatore and Andrea Chénier at the Teatro de la Maestranza, as well as having been invited to conduct orchestras such as the National Orchestra of Athens or the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid, performing Mahler's 6th Symphony with the latter.
His work as a composer spans from his first works premiered in 1998 to the latest commission from the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra, premiered in 2015. He has composed more than twenty works that have been performed, among others, by the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, Nüremberg Symphony Orchestra, Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerakademie, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra in halls such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Auditorio Nacional de Madrid or the Philharmonie in Dortmund, and at festivals such as those of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg/Vorpommern.
Among his recordings we highlight those for Deutsche Grammophon (Ginastera's Panambí), Warner Music (monographs of Falla and Korngold) and Warner Classics (albums dedicated to Schoenberg and Schreker, with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, and Daugherty, with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the latter winning the Juno Prize for the Best Classical Album of 2011).
His recent performances include La Traviata in Quebec, Der Diktator and Der kaiser von Atlantis at the Ópera de Tenerife, Der fliegende Holländer with Bryn Terfel at ABAO - Bilbao and Florencia en el Amazonas in St Gallen, as well as several symphonic concerts with orchestras such as the Orquesta Nacional de España, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid and the Basel Orchestra.
His engagements this season include Tosca at the Teatro Cervantes in Malaga, La voix humaine / Eine Florentinische tragödie at ABAO, Florencia en el Amazonas in Tenerife and La traviata at the Teatro de la Maestranza.
He is a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de Santa Isabel de Hungría of Seville.
Date last modified October 2021
Not to be altered without permission. Please delete any previous biographic material.
2021-2022 Performances
TOSCA
26 November 2021 20:00 Teatro Cervantes, Málaga
28 November 2021 19:00 Teatro Cervantes, Málaga
LA VOIX HUMAINE / EINE FLORENTINISCHE
19 February 2022 19:00 Palacio Euskalduna, Bilbao
22 February 2022 19:30 Palacio Euskalduna, Bilbao
25 February 2022 19:30 Palacio Euskalduna, Bilbao
28 February 2022 19:30 Palacio Euskalduna, Bilbao
FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS
22 March 2022 19:30 Auditorio de Tenerife
24 March 2022 19:30 Auditorio de Tenerife
26 March 2022 19:30 Auditorio de Tenerife
CONCERT WITH THE ORQUESTA SINFÓNIA DE MADRID
24 May 2022 19:30 Auditorio Nacional de Música
LA TRAVIATA
14 July 2022 20:00 Teatro de la Maestranza, Sevilla
17 July 2022 20:00 Teatro de la Maestranza, Sevilla
20 July 2022 20:00 Teatro de la Maestranza, Sevilla
22 July 2022 20:00 Teatro de la Maestranza, Sevilla
24 July 2022 20:00 Teatro de la Maestranza, Sevilla
26 November 2021 20:00 Teatro Cervantes, Málaga
28 November 2021 19:00 Teatro Cervantes, Málaga
LA VOIX HUMAINE / EINE FLORENTINISCHE
19 February 2022 19:00 Palacio Euskalduna, Bilbao
22 February 2022 19:30 Palacio Euskalduna, Bilbao
25 February 2022 19:30 Palacio Euskalduna, Bilbao
28 February 2022 19:30 Palacio Euskalduna, Bilbao
FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS
22 March 2022 19:30 Auditorio de Tenerife
24 March 2022 19:30 Auditorio de Tenerife
26 March 2022 19:30 Auditorio de Tenerife
CONCERT WITH THE ORQUESTA SINFÓNIA DE MADRID
24 May 2022 19:30 Auditorio Nacional de Música
LA TRAVIATA
14 July 2022 20:00 Teatro de la Maestranza, Sevilla
17 July 2022 20:00 Teatro de la Maestranza, Sevilla
20 July 2022 20:00 Teatro de la Maestranza, Sevilla
22 July 2022 20:00 Teatro de la Maestranza, Sevilla
24 July 2022 20:00 Teatro de la Maestranza, Sevilla
Gallery
Multimedia
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Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition
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X concierto extraordinario Premios Fundación BBVA Fronteras del Conocimiento
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Reviews
FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS. AUDITORIO DE TENERIFE. 2022
"From the podium Pedro Halffter conducted the performance with special attention to the committed and fruitful score, supported by some stellar members of both the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife and the Coro de Ópera de Tenerife" Estrella Ortega (Ópera Actual)
"The rich and complex orchestral score was masterfully and knowledgeably interpreted by Pedro Halffter. With a precise and appropriate gesture, he made the orchestra show a variety of colourfulness and the rhythmic complexities were beautifully displayed. Halffter was excellent in the work with the singers and in the suggestive interludes, making his overall work highly successful. The orchestra responded perfectly to the conductor's ideas and was fully convincing in all aspects" Francisco Martínez Ramos (Bachtrack)
"The Sinfónica de Tenerife executed Catán's score with the excellence that always characterises it. Guided by the baton of Pedro Halffter who conducted superbly, displaying his elegant and refined style". Celia García (En Platea)
"Pedro Halffter and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife made the work flourish, which runs through courses of exquisite elegance, with the harmonious instrumental conjunction prevailing, with surprising nuances of the harp and the careful counterpoint of the metallic drum. (...) Pedro Halffter consolidated the success with which he knows how to tackle the complex task of giving amplitude to the pieces. He knew how to recreate the moments that require agile linking and ask to deploy spaces to reach the solicitous dimension. In Florencia en el Amazonas he managed to keep the audience's attention, restless and expectant, given that the work offers us a multitude of instants, full of beauty" Zenaido Hernández (Diario de Avisos)
"The rich and complex orchestral score was masterfully and knowledgeably interpreted by Pedro Halffter. With a precise and appropriate gesture, he made the orchestra show a variety of colourfulness and the rhythmic complexities were beautifully displayed. Halffter was excellent in the work with the singers and in the suggestive interludes, making his overall work highly successful. The orchestra responded perfectly to the conductor's ideas and was fully convincing in all aspects" Francisco Martínez Ramos (Bachtrack)
"The Sinfónica de Tenerife executed Catán's score with the excellence that always characterises it. Guided by the baton of Pedro Halffter who conducted superbly, displaying his elegant and refined style". Celia García (En Platea)
"Pedro Halffter and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife made the work flourish, which runs through courses of exquisite elegance, with the harmonious instrumental conjunction prevailing, with surprising nuances of the harp and the careful counterpoint of the metallic drum. (...) Pedro Halffter consolidated the success with which he knows how to tackle the complex task of giving amplitude to the pieces. He knew how to recreate the moments that require agile linking and ask to deploy spaces to reach the solicitous dimension. In Florencia en el Amazonas he managed to keep the audience's attention, restless and expectant, given that the work offers us a multitude of instants, full of beauty" Zenaido Hernández (Diario de Avisos)
TOSCA. TEATRO CERVANTES. 2021
""Pedro Halfter returned to Malaga Liric after years of absence and the value of his baton was felt from the first bars with a firm conducting in accordance with the dramatic development, counting on the complicity of the musicians of the Filarmónica de Málaga where the soloist role of many of the musicians shone with the necessary mastery and experience in the pit thanks precisely to that ascending line in tension drawn by the maestro Halfer...". Alejandro Fernández (La Ópinión de Málaga)
Pedro Halffter - returning after several seasons of absence - led the Filarmónica de Málaga from the podium, making possible a compact, dynamically well-articulated orchestral performance that blew in favour of the dramatic and psychological development of the protagonists...". Alejandro Fernández (Ópera Actual)
"Pedro Halffter's work in the pit deserves special mention. He knew how to reach the limit of the resources at his disposal when dealing with the orchestral importance determined by the composer. With a functional treatment of its harmonic structure he substantiated fast actions and lyrical pauses with meaning, which resulted in an essential musical support to the intensity of the drama". José Antonio Cantón (Codalario)
Pedro Halffter - returning after several seasons of absence - led the Filarmónica de Málaga from the podium, making possible a compact, dynamically well-articulated orchestral performance that blew in favour of the dramatic and psychological development of the protagonists...". Alejandro Fernández (Ópera Actual)
"Pedro Halffter's work in the pit deserves special mention. He knew how to reach the limit of the resources at his disposal when dealing with the orchestral importance determined by the composer. With a functional treatment of its harmonic structure he substantiated fast actions and lyrical pauses with meaning, which resulted in an essential musical support to the intensity of the drama". José Antonio Cantón (Codalario)