by Alessio Zuccaro
The story seems to have come straight out of a movie: three carpenter friends, with no training in luthiery, get together to try to replicate a Spanish guitar owned by one of them… and they succeed. In fact, they succeed so well that they founded one of the leading brands in the world classical guitar market: Alhambra Guitarras. It was 1965 when the company was officially founded, and the staff already numbered dozens of employees; today it is hundreds. We met Christophe Ravie, the company’s sales manager, and Josep Maria Villanueva, one of its luthiers, in view of Alhambra’s new participation in Cremona Musica International Exhibitions and Festival, scheduled for 27 to 29 September 2024.
In a year the company will be 60 years old, congratulations! Are there any celebrations planned?
Ravie: Nothing has been officially decided yet, but I can reveal a little gem: Cremona Musica itself will host, during the 2025 edition, a special night signed Alhambra, with performances by our artists from all over the world. It will be a great show, we can’t wait!
Alhambra has recently been involved in social work with a project in prisons. What did you propose?
Villanueva: Two years ago we decided to create the Alhambra Guitarras Fundacion, whose aim is to support the new generations: whether it is the CIGA competition [Concurso Internacional de Guitarra Alhambra, ed.], now in its sixteenth edition, scholarships, or supporting festivals around the world (like the one in Fiuggi, near Rome). In June, the foundation decided to meet the inmates of the Valencia prisons, proposing a very particular workshop: we showed how different woods produce different sounds. It was very exciting, the participants were curious and full of questions. For them it was a window into a new and fascinating world.
What do you expect from the new edition of Cremona Musica?
Ravie: This year we will be at the fair with our general manager Valerià Torregrosa and our luthier Javier Mengual, who will offer a workshop where the absolute protagonist will be wood: an immersion in the myriad of sound nuances that each typology brings with it. Mengual will also show his latest work, created in collaboration with guitarist Joaquín Clerch: the Deseada guitar. It is an instrument he cares a lot about, because with it he tries to respond to all the needs that guitarists have expressed to him over the years. Come and discover it, you won’t regret it!
In cooperation with TGmusic.it
