Estrella Morente & Rafael Riqueni

Estrella & Rafael

17 Nov 2024

Two flamenco icons united on stage

The deep vocals of the living cante jondo tradition, the primal source of flamenco, will take centre stage tonight in a grand performance by singer Estrella Morente and guitarist Rafael Riqueni.

She is the daughter of legendary vocalist and flamenco rebel Enrique Morente, who grew up in Albaicín, Granada’s Moorish quarter. He is one of the most nuanced guitarists since Paco de Lucía, with the classic, sparkling elegance of his hometown of Seville in his strings. ‘Riqueni is not a guitarist, he is the guitar,’ wrote the Spanish press when he staged his return after a long absence.

Two flamenco icons united in an intimate recital and tribute to their heroes, two unforgettable artists of the last century: Pastora Pavón, ‘La Niña de los Peines’ and ‘guitar giant’ Niño Ricardo. And not least to Enrique Morente himself, who was once in a golden duo with Riqueni, and whose innovative spirit shapes flamenco art to this day.

‘Estrella & Rafael’ present their eponymous album for the first time outside Spain in Amsterdam, during the Flamenco Biennial Intermezzo 2024. The album was conceived in a Seville prison, where Riqueni was serving a short sentence for an offence committed when suffering from a psychiatric disorder. A series of encounters between singer and guitarist led to a recital for fellow prisoners, and grew into an album about the healing power of music.

When Rafael Riqueni (Seville 1962) staged his return in 2014, he was greeted with a historic olé. Seville took its hat off to him. The press raved: 'The new guitar god took his seat on his throne,' and 'In his hands, the hands of all the wise men of the guitar seemed to conspire.'

His albums, Juego de Niños, Mi Tiempo, Alcázar de Cristal, Parque María Luisa and Herencia, are considered vital additions to the classical contemporary flamenco guitar repertoire, he himself proclaimed Paco de Lucía's successor. 'Riqueni is not a guitarist, he is the guitar.' Riqueni's artistic resurrection was supported by many artists, including Rocío Molina, who invited him to the first part of his 'Trilogía sobre la Guitarra'.

Riqueni is one of the most original and influential guitarists of his generation. As a student of Isidora Carmona and Manolo Sanlúcar, he won every prize at the age of 14, including those of the contests at Córdoba and Jerez.
Riqueni gives his creativity free rein, and in sublime melodic ruminations he shows why he is considered the best of all living guitarists, also among guitarists themselves. On his album Parque María Luisa the Spanish press wrote: 'A Masterpiece of Unparalleled beauty, Viva Riqueni' (El País), 'This is music that reminds us that we are alive, that this precious gift lasts for an instant. The guitarist is an envoy of the gods, a priest in a sacred ritual in which we all recognize each other,'(Diario de Sevilla) and 'A miracle beyond words, a song to life, to the force of nature, to the hidden beauty of Seville' (El Mundo).

Estrella Morente was born in Granada in 1981, the daughter of the legendary singer and flamenco 'anarchist' Enrique Morente and dancer Aurora Carbonell. They gave her the name Estrella (star). What's in a name? … Since the age of seven, she performed with her father Enrique Morente (1942-2010), flamenco anarchist and undeniably the most progressive artist of his generation. As a ‘rebel with a cause’ he sang across all genres, eschewing labels, and sought inspiration from other musical cultures to revitalise or return the flamenco repertoire to ancient sources via modern crossovers. Estrella, and also her brother Kike Morente and sister Soleá Morente, drunk deep of his influence.

Figures including rock star Lenny Kravitz and the Portuguese Dulce Pontes count themselves among Estrella's fans. Film director Pedro Almodóvar asked her to sing the title song of his film Volver. Anyone who believes that Penelope Cruz sings herself in the 2006 film is wrong.

Estrella Morente's first album (Mi Cante y un Poema) immediately attained platinum status, and since then she has been awarded an avalanche of prizes, as well as receiving several Grammy nominations. The vocalist sings in sold-out venues around the world: from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Barbican in London. In 2019 she came to the Dutch Flamenco Biennial for a concert with Jalal Chekara and the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra.
In Spain, Estrella Morente is one of the most popular flamenco artists. Not only because of her singing; her stage presence and personality are also much lauded.