A year without the poetic Babiloni's guitar
The "Guitarist Foundation Manuel Babiloni" is created one year after his loss, with the purpose of supporting the guitar and the music in general.
The anniversary of the Manuel Babiloni’s demise was on May, 11th. A year without the poetry of this guitarist, without his beautiful interpretations of Tarrega, Monpou, Fortea or Dilermando Reis, among others. And this anniversary goes with excellent news, the establishment of the "Guitar Foundation Manuel Babiloni" and from Alhambra Guitars, we want to dedicate our remembrance to this important musician.
Manuel Babiloni was a great master and guitarist in Castellón. Art was his way of life and it was understood in a comprehensive way. On his website, we can still find a sentence which says: "his music is full of passion and poetry", and he died playing the guitar, which was fascinating for him.
Composers such as Keigo Fujii, Josep Pascual and Ramón Paús composed in honour of Babiloni, looking for his great interpretative expressivity and, as it couldn't be any other way, Babiloni promoted in his works that ability to convey human feelings to the public by means of music. A skill which only could be developed by a chosen few.
At the beginning, we can highlight the Special Prize for the best interpretation of the Francisco Tarrega’s work, in the XVIII edition of the "Francisco Tarrega" International Guitar Competition in Benicasim in 1983, where he met his teacher, Jose Luis González. In addition, he won the "Ruiz Morales" Prize for the most brilliant student, and the "Ramirez" Prize for the best guitarist at the XXIV edition of the International Spanish Music Course in Santiago de Compostela, in 1986.
In his life of 55 years old, the Babiloni’s career has been full of great successes, as interpreter as well as teacher. His concerts and master classes have been present in Europe, America and Asia, and we can listen to this fact in his three albums, in which he plays as Sor, Torroba, Turina, Falla, and many other great composers.
Apart from the Babiloni’s technique, it is important to highlight his interpretative quality; his poetry, which is made by means of the guitar; in addition to a careful sound, which was got by means of "pianos" which fascinated the audience.
In the picture, you can see Manuel Babiloni in the 80s, in the course of José Luis González in Estella (Navarra), who also appears in the picture together with Narciso Yepes. This photography gathers together three great guitarists who are no longer among us, but they have left an important legacy which will endure throughout history.
