Born in France of Spanish Republican parents, Rafael Andia first studied the violin but was attracted by the musical tradition of his family. The flamenco that he then practiced yielded to the classical guitar, but his conception of the instrument remains durably fixed under that first influence.
Rafael Andia will remain a cornerstone for his generation because of a quite complete guitaristic activity. His reputation is as important in the field of contemporary music - where he has premiered some of the more significant works of our times - as it is in the field of ancient music, where he has widely contributed to the renewal of baroque guitar, particularly through the complete work of Robert de Visée. His contribution also extends to the field of Spanish guitar, by making popular many techniques for that instrument as a teacher of classical and baroque guitar at École Normale de Musique de Paris, where he has been teaching since 1971.
Composer and editorial director, he brings regularly his contribution to the ancient, classical or contemporary repertoire.
Claude Ballif: Poème de la Félicité, for three female voices, perc. and guitar dir. Yves Prin, Radio- France 1979
Bruno Ducol: Des Scènes d’Enfants, with Renaud François, flute, Radio-France 1984
Christiane Le Bordays: Concerto de Azul, guitar and orchestra, Orchestre de Nice-Côte d’Azur, dir. Pol Mule, Radio-France 1976
Tod Machover: Déplacements, for amplified guitar and computer-generated tape, Festival de la Jeune Musique, Varsovia 1984 (premiere for Europe)
Philippe Manoury: Musique, for two harps, two perc., mandoline and guitar, dir.Guy Reibel, Radio-France 1986
Yoshihisa Taïra: Pénombres I et II, (version for one guitar and twelve strings), Ensemble Ars Nova, dir. Philippe Nahon, Maison de la Culture de La Rochelle 1988
Jean Jacques Werner: Duo Concertant, with Francis Pierre, harp, Radio-France 1977
Literature
Literary and scientific publications
1969: Calibration of a Ebert-Fastie spectrometer, Thesis at the University of Paris VI
1970: "Infrared Absorption Spectrum of Methane from 2884 to 3141 cm-1", L. Henry, N. Husson R. Andia and A. Valentin, Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy 36, 511-520 (1970)
1978: Les Goûts Réunis: La Guitare Baroque, Paris,
1981: The Guide of the Guitar, Paris, Mazarine editions, for the articles “the Repertory of the Guitar” and “Flamenco”
1999: Robert de Visée, the two books for guitar (1682–1686), Paris, Éditions musicales transatlantiques, in collaboration with Helene Charnassé and Gerard Rebours
2000: Francisco Tárrega, the collected guitar works, Heidelberg, Chanterelle verlag, foreword of the two volumes.
