“Our society tends to confuse culture and spectacle”

Having received the 2nd Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Music and Opera, composer Cristóbal Halffter reflects in this interview on his contribution to contemporary music and how his work combines a profound historical awareness with an innovative sonic language. Halffter explains how timbral experimentation, ethical commitment, and the search for new musical structures have guided his creative journey, always in dialogue with European tradition. He also shares his vision of the composer’s role in contemporary society and the importance of music continuing to open spaces for reflection and sensitivity. His testimony offers an intimate look at the creative process of one of the most influential figures in 20th- and 21st-century Spanish music.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Contemporary Music category goes in this inaugural edition to Spanish composer and conduct

Having received the 2nd Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Music and Opera, composer Cristóbal Halffter reflects in this interview on his contribution to contemporary music and how his work combines a profound historical awareness with an innovative sonic language. Halffter explains how timbral experimentation, ethical commitment, and the search for new musical structures have guided his creative journey, always in dialogue with European tradition. He also shares his vision of the composer’s role in contemporary society and the importance of music continuing to open spaces for reflection and sensitivity. His testimony offers an intimate look at the creative process of one of the most influential figures in 20th- and 21st-century Spanish music.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Contemporary Music category goes in this inaugural edition to Spanish composer and conductor Cristóbal Halffter Jiménez-Encina, whose works breathe an immense inspiration. Through their coherence and the continuity of their commitment, they have greatly contributed to the idea of European contemporary music.