Guitarra flamenca with the Rafael Cortés Trio
Rafael Cortés' musical style in Flamenco is characterized by the preservation of old, original traditions of Flamenco combined with the development of modern playing techniques. His playing is described as passionate and modern, yet he does not deviate from classical Flamenco playing styles and retains their elements. He succeeds in conveying various emotions to his listeners through his technique. Today, Rafael Cortés is considered one of the greatest hopes of international Flamenco. He lives in Essen.
Rafael Cortés (* December 21, 1973 in Gelsenkirchen) is a Spanish-German guitarist and master of Flamenco guitar. He comes from a Flamenco dynasty and is the grandson of the renowned Flamenco player Octavio Cortés Maya. Rafael Cortés has a son who shares his name and is also a Flamenco guitarist. During the Franco era, his grandparents migrated to Germany, where his parents met. His father was from Granada and his mother from Asturias. Frequent visits to his father's familial homeland, which is also the root of Flamenco, shaped his childhood and youth as well as his relationship with music. Many Flamenco guitarists approached him there, pointing him towards various techniques and peculiarities. At the age of four, he accompanied his father, who also played Flamenco, and gave his first concerts with him. At nine years old, he began to participate in performances with various interpreters on stage, accompanying the dance. At the same time, he began taking intensive lessons from guitar teachers Ángel Martínez and "El Macareno." The latter released him when he was 14, stating that he already possessed incredible talent and very good playing technique. He had learned everything that was within his teacher's know-how and was accordingly considered to have completed his training.
Rafael Cortés had his "breakthrough" with his first solo concert at the Zeche Carl in 1985 at the age of eleven. After this performance, his career developed quickly, leading to a musical journey characterized by numerous concerts and studio recordings. In 1999, Rafael Cortés released his first solo album, Eclipse de Luna, and began touring.
Rafael Cortés also composed film music, such as for "The Beach of Trouville." In addition, he has worked with numerous other Flamenco artists, including Diego el Cigala, El Piraña, Javier Barón, Concha Vargas, Carmen Ledesma, Jonathan Darlington, José de Lucia, and many other figures from the international scene. Other great musicians, such as Carles Benavent, Al Di Meola, and Tommy Emmanuel, became aware of him early on and invited him for collaborations. The Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucía, who shaped his Flamenco playing with new elements from classical music and jazz, had a significant influence on Rafael Cortés. He drew inspiration from this other style and merged his temperament with his playing. In addition, he integrates Latin styles into his musical work and utilizes his Flamenco guitar in a correspondingly versatile manner. Today, Rafael Cortés showcases both his technique as well as his music and playing style on social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Rafael Cortés himself sees it as an advantage not to have grown up in Spain, as there - unlike in the Ruhr area - they do not have as many different cultures right at their doorstep. Shaped by his own and the surrounding culture, Rafael Cortés was invited in 2010 to fly to Paris as a cultural ambassador to play a concert at UNESCO.
Admission: 14:00
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
