Flamenco Eñe: Rafael Riqueni

Rafael Riqueni was born in Seville, on August 16t h 1962. At twelve years of age, he gave his first performances as a soloist, and at fourteen he won the two main national guitar awards: the Ramón Montoya Prize in the VIII Córdoba Competition , and first prize in the VI National Competition of Jerez. In 1981 he went on to win first prize again in Jerez. In 1986, Riqueni published what would become the first chapter of one of the most praised discographies in flamenco and Spanish music history, Juego de Niños, where he introduces novel harmony and composition of concepts that begin to define his unmistakable style with classical music influences. His next album, Flamenco, earned a cult following among generations of guitarists. In 1990, he achieved extensive critical acclaim with Mi Tiempo, where Rigueni also composed string arrangements that acted as an extension of his guitar. The next album was Suite Sevilla, in 1993, a conceptual work inspired by flamenco and conceived under the influence of Spanish classical music impressionism. In 1994, Rafael Riqueni published Maestros, where he paid tribute to Niño Ricardo, Sabicas and Esteban de Sanlúcar. Alcázar de Cristal in 1986 became his last album for twenty-one years. After meeting Paco Bech, the 2014 Sevilla Flamenco Bienal would be the stage far his long awaited comeback, where his performance of “Amarguras” resulted in one of the most celebrated highlights of the festival. As a result, Rafael Riqueni received the Bienal ‘s Giraldillo a la Maestría Prize, “For his universal and unmistakably Sevillian music, which places him among the greatest masters in flamenco guitar history”. At the end of 2015, Riqueni premieres Parque de María Luisa at Teatro de la Maestranza Seville, in a concert that receives unanimous critical acclaim . The seventh album by Rafael Riqueni, Parque de María Luisa, is published by Universal Music in 2017, marking the return of one of the greatest musical geniuses that Spain has ever produced, a record that evokes his childhood memories from the emblematic garden park in Seville. Also in 2017, Rafael Riqueni gets the XXXI Compás del Cante Prize, while main newspapers and music press declare Parque de María Luisa masterpiece and the best flamenco guitar album in recent history. In January 2020, Rafael Riqueni premieres a new album, Herencia, ot Teatro Lope de Vega in Seville. An international tour follows, and Riqueni receives the “Guitarra con Alma” Prize at The XXXIV Festival de Jerez and the “Giraldillo Ciudad de Sevilla” Award from Bienal de Flamenco. In 20201, Riqueni premieres Suite Sevilla, Concert for Guitar and Orchestra, along with the royal symphonic orchestra of Sevilla (ROSS) and Herencia is nominated for the 2021 Latin Grammy to best flamenco record. Riqueni also performs with Rocio Molina at Inicio (Uno) in main theaters around the world, including a seven nights run at Chaillot Theater in Paris. Rafael Riqueni goes back to Paris for three sold out nights in february 2022 to perform Nerja, a new project in where under direct relation with flamenco music fundamentals, Riqueni is expanding the spanish musical nationalism styles from XIX century, based on Falla, Albeniz, Turina o Granados, in order to create a pure andalusian music universe of his own.