In his old age Ernesto Halffter was universally acknowledged in his own right as one of Spain’s leading composers, and in 1983 he received the Premio Nacional de Música for the second time in his life, for his lifelong service to Spanish music. Sometimes described as ‘a cheerful perfectionist’, Halffter was a painstaking composer who wrote mainly orchestral, choral, chamber and piano music, drawing upon the rich traditions of Spanish folk music already opened up by his great predecessors Granados, Albeniz, Pedrell and Falla, but developing them in his own way. Martin Jones has been one of Britain's most highly regarded solo pianists since first coming to international attention in 1968 when he received the Dame Myra Hess Award. The same year he made his London debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and his New York debut at Carnegie Hall, and ever since has been in demand for recitals and concerto performances on both sides of the Atlantic. He is a prolific recording artist and his many discs for Nimbus Records include the complete solo piano works of Mendelssohn, Brahms, Debussy, Grainger, Szymanowski and the sonatas of Alun Hoddinott. The complete solo piano works of Stravinsky was released in July 1997, and he has recently completed a project to record several Spanish piano masters. The soundtrack of the film Howard's End features Martin Jones performing Grainger's Bridal Lullaby and Mock Morris.
“Martin Jones's performances are a delectable mix of sensitivity, concentrated with and energy (try him in Espagnolade), making it difficult to imagine such an exotic programme played with greater charm and dexterity.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2012
