The "pioneering" maestro, Enrique García Asensio
Ahead of his time in orchestral conducting in the 20th century, García Asensio was the first Spaniard to win the First Prize at the Dimitri Mitropoulos International Competition, the most prestigious prize for conductors. The universal Valencian surprised Leonard Bernstein by undertaking to conduct the New York Philarmonic Orchestra, at the winners' concert, in its performance of the piece Sensemayá by Silvestre Revueltas. Enrique was also the first Spaniard to conduct an orchestra on the other side of the iron curtain, in Romania and Czechoslovakia. García Asensio used television to teach music through the programme "The World of Music" and motivated countless musical vocations in our country. A stimulus that he was able to identify, develop and sublimate thanks to his position as Chair (by competitive examination) of Orchestral conducting in a Conservatory in the Spanish musical history.
Far ahead of his time, Asensio, Sergiu Celibidache's favourite disiciple and stalwart supporter of the great maestro's method, passionately defended the need to study musical phenomenology in depth and was the first conductor to use Yoga to dominate the control of his movements on stage. Student of the Munich School, he always upheld his belief that "Learning is essential and experience demonstrates the most appropriate technique." García Asensio brought us the premiere performances of Ginastera, Villalobos and Varése. Capable of passionately serving composers, he has always placed his technical expertise and musical knowledge at the service of Spanish music, conducting more than 350 compositions of Spanish origin and playing the first performances of many pieces which, without his promotion, would never have premiered: by Esplá and Halfftner, from García Abril to Bernaola, Palau to Montsalvatge and Peñate to Escudero. There are many more in his résumé, as everyone knows.
Always loyal to his love for music, García Asensio continues to unravel, through his magical live performances, the mysterious phenomenon, the fleeting and unrepeatable combination of sounds that transport us to different places and move us deeply, all without moving from our seat.