Colombina, new CD by Fahmi Alqhai and Accademia del Piacere

The Colombina Songbook is undoubtedly one of the great musical monuments of the Spanish Renaissance. Accademia del Piacere, headed by Fahmi Alqhai, had the objective of historically recovering this jewel of our history, and the result of this effort is COLOMBINA, which takes it to the concert and to the CD. After a thorough revision of the musical context of the manuscript, and basing on very recent research combined with the creative spirit of Alqhai, Accademia del Piacere recreates in COLOMBINA the sound and practices of the musical ensemble for which the manuscript was created.

The Colombina Songbook (Cancionero de la Colombina) has been in the Library of the same name, next to the Cathedral of Seville, for five centuries, after being acquired in 1534 by the founder of the collection, Hernando Colón (son of the Cristóbal Colón and a great bibliophile). Despite its enormous importance, it has rarely been recorded or performed in concert, and new research (Lucía Gómez, 2017) has shed light on its creation: in all likelihood it was compiled at the Ducal House of Medina Sidonia, then based in Seville. Juan de Triana, the most frequent author of the Cancionero, was linked to it, and its instrumental nucleus was one of the first consorts of violas da gamba in the world, the basic cast also today at Accademia del Piacere.

“This unique songbook in the world now takes the form of a new CD thanks to the care and historical rigor of the Sevillian musician Fahmi Alqhai”. El Pais, Spain, July 23, 2022

“Fahmi Alqhai has known how to play and combine very well, with sobriety and rigor, the excellent instrumentalists and singers (…) with moments of great brilliance and others that are very delicate”. Diario de Sevilla, July 8, 2021

“Fahmi Alqhai has played with freedom to fit the music to this ideal ensemble.” ABC, July 9, 2021