I know everyone's very favorite is our own Petric, but after him what are your top 3 favorite flutists who've made recordings? Mine are:

1. Carol Wincenc
2. Sharon Bezaly
3. Emmanuel Pahud

Feel free to list your 3 least favorite too, if you have any that really bug you.

Lol Tim! Poor Patrick, now he is never going to hear the end of it.

Okay hear is my list:
1. Don Bailey
2. John Curran
3. Rhonda Larson

It is usually the ones that are hidden in the wood work that I find most amazing.

Only Two Favorites:
1. Susan Milan
2. Jean Pierre Rampal

I'm really not liking Emmanuel Pahud for some reason. I figured it was just bad selection on the album "Beau Soir", but I did not like his "Paris" album as well. It isn't the playing, but his tone... it just makes me want to turn off the music after too much of it. I find I must turn down the treble to bear it in my car for some odd reason.


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Oh dear... I have Pahud's "Concertos" album too. I at least tried to like him. :)

Yeah Stephen, Pahud's sound is definitely not from the American school. What blows me away is his phrasing. I think his recording of the Dutilleux is amazing, particularly the end.

Oh and Kara, I went to a masterclass with Don Bailey and Mary Karen Clardy at UNT. He's a really nice guy, flawless performer too.

1. Emmanuel Pahud
2. Karl-Heinz Schutz
3. Mathieu Dufour

Oh how cool Tim! I would LOVE to meet him! I have only talked to him over email, but he is super sweet!

1. James Galway (god am I the only sterotype James Galway lover here!)
2. Laurel Zucker
3. Rampal

I love James Galway as well as many other flutists... but this is favorites and everyone has different tastes and criteria for favorites. I'm sure many love James Galway a great deal too.

1)William Kincaid
2)Robert Longevin(sp?)
3)Mathieu Defour(sp?)

I like many others of course but those are my faves

1) Brian Dunning
2) Jean Pierre Rampal
lol those are like the only two i have listened to

I can't say that I'd narrow it down to only three players. I think more in terms of performances.

Mathieu Dufour was just at our Flute Fest here and did an excellent job of playing on a short recital but so did Still, Debost, Walker, Stillman, Goldberg and Bennett.


StephenK wrote:
"I figured it was just bad selection on the album "Beau Soir", but I did not like his "Paris" album as well. It isn't the playing, but his tone... it just makes me want to turn off the music after too much of it. I find I must turn down the treble to bear it in my car for some odd reason."
I have no problem with his selections on Beau Soir as the album has somewhat of a theme with the harp and the style. There aren't any great technical barn burners on the album but the pieces are nicely played with only a few marginal spots in the embouchure / tonal technique. I basically only listen to my music in the car and it's not excessive in the treble in my rig.

Now, Rampal has an impressive career with many recordings and editions but I am not one to lean towards his interperitations. His articulation technique gets to styleized for me. Galway is more accurate in technique that Rampal but leaves me thinking, "loud and bright tone." This leaves me not enjoying the concert soloist sound very much and Graf extends this progression even farther from what I've heard. Not a direction tha the flute tone should really go IMHO.

I will give Galway one credit as probably the best marketer of his product that has come along on the soloist scene yet. Not to downgade his playing. It is very good but his marketing /promotion has been his forte and this is a good thing for advancing flute playing as far as I'm concerned.

I have a really nice recording of Nicolet on the Bach sonatas and prefer them over Rampal's. I grew up musically with Rampal's recordings because they were far more available at the time but was always wanting to hear others after him like I was thinking, "is that really right?".

~Bilbo
N.E. Ohio

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Also, although I am nat that partial to Galway, I can whole heartedly recommend the old Debost Galway edition of the Telemann Duets. They blended well and played with good style and tone for metal flutes doing Baroque.

I think that lately, I'm not looking for the Concert hall - Ibert concerto type of tone in my listening. I want less harsh or loud as one giving a speach to a large audience and more intimate as in speaking to each individual. This I refer to isnot justthe tone but the style of playing.

Bilbo, I was just thinking about the old Debost/Galway Telemann recording, synchronicity at work, how I would love to find that re-issued, I wish Galway would play with someone other than his wife, but maybe that was in the pre-nuptual agreement

For baroque recordings I always liked Rampal, Debost and Ransom Wilson
For flashy music and irish music I always liked Galway
but I have heard some amazing flutists from around the world that are not well known at all that I enjoyed hearing

At the end of the day it is who you like, there is room for many good performers and classical musicians need to be more like pop musicians that way.

Wow..i never heard famous flutists on Cds and all that. I wish..but i guess i never got the chance too. OH, but that one guy..uhh..james walter came to our school. He was good^^..wish i heard more flutists..

1. Rhonda Larson
2. James Galway
3. Mary Palchak (although people hate her breathing on recordings, but I think it sounds more natural...concertesque. You gotta breathe people!)

As for Rampal - I have to agree with the above statements. He is very bright in his sound, and that leaves me a little cold to his recordings (wow...bright AND cold!)

-Dennis