Rafael Riqueni

Rafael Riqueni del Canto (Sevilla, August 16, 1962), is a Spanish guitar player and composer.

He is considered as one of the biggest names or “Maestros” in flamenco guitar history.

At age fourteen, he won the two main national awards for flamenco guitar in Spain.

As an adult, he has won the most prestigious flamenco music awards in Spain, including: Premio Andalucía de Cultura, Premio Nacional de la Crítica, Giraldillo a la Maestría de la XVIII Bienal de Flamenco y el Premio AIE.

Rafael Riqueni was born in Sevilla on August 16, 1962, in Fabie St at Triana, Riqueni also spend part of his childhood at El Arenal, he lived in the same building there than Francisco Palacios El Pali.

Riqueni was an early and gifted musician, he had a big creative capacity that started to cause sensation as a child.

At age eleven, he started to play with Niño Ricardo records, then he discovered Paco de Lucía and that made him finally decide to pursue a career in music.

His first teacher was Manolo Carmona, and then he became a student of Manolo Sanlúcar.

Rafael Riqueni gave his first concerts at age twelve, at the Educación y Descanso Festivals.

At age thirteen, he stood out during a solo concert at a flamenco festival in Teatro Lope de Vega.

One year later, in 1977, Riqueni won the Ramón Montoya concert guitar prize at VIII Concurso de Arte Flamenco de Córdoba, causing a big impression with his performance, y del VI Certamen Nacional de Guitarra de Jerez de la Frontera, considerados los dos principales premios nacionales de guitarra.

La consecución de los mismos fue el comienzo de su carrera profesional, una de sus principales cualidades era la búsqueda de un estilo personal y alejado de las escuelas dominantes en la guitarra flamenca.

In 1979, he toured with Isabel Pantoja's company.

In 1981, he again won first prize in the X Jerez National guitar contest.

In 1982, he was on tour with Rocío Jurado.

In 1984, he took part in the III Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla opening concert, where he played “Sevilla “ from Albéniz along four compositions of his own.

In that same Bienal de Flamenco edition, he was one of the finalist contenders for the Giraldillo del Toque guitar contest, along with Tomatito, Pedro Bacán, Jose Antonio Rodríguez, Paco del Gastor and Manolo Franco, who won the contest.

As part of the V Cordoba International guitar festival, in 1985, Riqueni offered a concert together with Manolo Franco and Enrique de Melchor under the name of Jovenes Figuras de la Guitarra Flamenca.

That same year, Riqueni participated in the II Madrid Cumbre Flamenca Festival with the show Luces de Chacón, together with Enrique Morente, Carmen Linares and Manolo Sanlúcar among other artists.

During the III Cumbre Flamenca Festival, he gave a concert together with José Antonio Rodriguez y Gerardo Núñez, under the name of Empujando.

Also in 1986, Riqueni played a solo concert in the Los Veranos de la Villa Festival in Madrid, and offered two solo concerts in the Fráncfort Opera Theater.

Riqueni published his first record in 1986, Juego de Niños, with producer Ricardo Pachón, who was well known for his previous work with Camarón de la Isla among other important flamenco artists.

The flamenco guitar specialist Norberto Torres stated in his book that Juego de Niños is suggesting a new and different musical order for flamenco”, this album also settled the basis for Rafael Riqueni's style.

One of the most prominent pieces is ”Al Niño Miguel”, a tribute to the late guitar player from Huelva, Norberto Torres said ” The intro part of this piece is a total new concept for Fandango (flamenco style), Riqueni was using minor key harmonies before going for the cadencia andaluza".

In 1987, and as a foreign policies ministry endorsement, Riqueni was representing Spain for a series of International music festivals, he also toured in Germany.

During this German tour, he was offered there to record an album with the same music he was playing in concert, and Flamenco became his second album, a solo guitar record.

The famous flamenco producer José Manuel Gamboa said in his book that: Flamenco is a real lesson on flamenco playing and composition.

The Minera (flamenco style) included in the album, is probably the best Minera in history”, and Norberto Torres in Historia de la Guitarra Flamenca said that “Riqueni made a real solo guitar record, without overdubs, he showed to aficionados and specially to guitar players, all his virtuous qualities as a composer and concert player.

This album contains true gems for flamenco concert guitar, with the Minera he achieves a perfect balance between his flamenco and classical background, at the same time that his melodic characteristic style gets here to the highest level”.

In 1989, Riqueni composed the soundtrack for La Reina Andaluza, the first play offered by the Andalusian Theater institute.

The premiere was held at the Teatro Imperial in Sevilla.

Mi Tiempo, was published in 1990, and became of the most celebrated and influential albums in Riqueni's discography.

A record in where he brought classical and jazz influences to his music, including string arrangements that were composed by Riqueni as well.

One of the most prominent pieces of the album is “Y Enamorarse”, an Alegría flamenco Style in e minor, in where Riqueni uses novelty harmonies for flamenco, and covers every cadencia andaluza derivate music mode that guitar players have been using along the whole flamenco guitar history.

Mi Tiempo premiere concert was held in Seville at the VI Bienal de Flamenco.

Suite Sevilla was published in 1992, and is again one of the most important records in Rafael Riqueni´ discography, it was one of the very few encounters between flamenco and classical.

Suite Sevilla was inspired by flamenco roots but it was created under a classical concept in the tradition of Nacionalismo musical, a genre related to musical romanticism from the XIX century.

Mainly Falla, Turina, Granados and Albéniz made this style popular in Spain.

Suite Sevilla is a Riqueni composition for two guitars, and the album was recorded by Riqueni and classical guitarist José Maria Gallardo Del Rey, they both toured the album.

In 2017, he was awarded with XXXI Compás del Cante, this award is always referred to by the Spanish media as the "Flamenco Nobel prize".