best flutist

[dalghakk]

who is the best flutist in the world !!! or who are best flutists !! id liek to know your ideas plz !

[flutepicc06]

There is no best flutist. There are many VERY talented players, some of whom are more famous than others, but every player has their own strengths and weaknesses, which makes a concrete comparison impossible. If we're talking about FAVORITE players, rather than BEST players, some of my favorites are Marcel Moyse, Jeffrey Khaner, Julius Baker, Alexa Still, and Walfrid Kujala.

[Mark]

*agrees with Flutepicc06*
and would add Grey Larsen, into the mix of favorites

[woof]

and of course there is Nestor Torres.--Latin jazz

[fluteguy18]

and of course, who hasnt heard of James Galway. Also add. Rhonda Larson, and Tadeu Coehlo.

[Masters7]

I have to say "Ditto" to the previous list of flute players. I have admired all of them over the years. I think one should add Ian Anderson and Hubert Laws to the list. While I am a classical player, the jazz flutisits are such great musicians that they deserve respect the same as Galway.

[flutepicc06]

and of course, who hasnt heard of James Galway. Also add. Rhonda Larson, and Tadeu Coehlo.

To some this comes as a surprise, but I'm not really a fan of Sir James' playing. He's obviously a hugely talented flutist who has had a huge influence on both the fluting and non-fluting worlds, but everything sounds the same to me....No difference between Danny Boy and Mozart.

[fluteguy18]

I too wasnt a big fan until I heard him live in concert. The selection of music that he played really suited him, and showed off the way he plays. He isn't my favorite flutist in the world, but he is still absolutely amazing.

[adrigui]

who is the best flutist in the world !!! or who are best flutists !! id liek to know your ideas plz !

Hey my friends... You need to know Altamiro Carrilho. The best flutist in the world.

Jean Pierre Rampal said - To me There are flutists and There is Altamiro Carrilho.

www.altamirocarrilho.com.br

[MeLizzard]

Alexa Stilll, definitely. Jim Walker, Herbie Mann & Hubert Laws (jazz), Rampal, especially for creating an audience for fluteplaying. Goran Marcusson, Gary Schocker, Brad Garner, Amy Porter, Carol Wincenc, Laurel Zucker, Jeanne Baxstresser, Maryann Gedigian, and thousands more! Unlike during my high school years, when there were basically TWO (Rampal & Galway)!

[concertino]

I agree with most of those, but how could anyone have forgotten Emmanuel Pahud????

[sidekicker]

To some this comes as a surprise, but I'm not really a fan of Sir James' playing. He's obviously a hugely talented flutist who has had a huge influence on both the fluting and non-fluting worlds, but everything sounds the same to me....No difference between Danny Boy and Mozart.

I feel exactly the same way about our knighted friend, and have so ever since I first heard him play in the mid-70s. He's definitely talented and his technical abilities are often almost unbelievable; no doubt about those things whatsoever. But I agree -- most everything sounds the same. Thick wide vibrato, huge sound (only in recordings, though; I've seen him live a few times, as recently as a few weeks ago, and his sound is nowhere near as big as it appears on the engineered recordings that appear to have enhanced it), and plays everything (from Handel onward) in what I would consider to be an overly romanticized style. But he is a respected institution in the flute world, as he should be; otherwise I wouldn't have paid out the rear end for orchestra seats to see him a few weeks back . I was also never a big Baker fan either, whose sound always appeared thin, relatively lifeless, and with nervous-sounding shaky vibrato. Heresy in the flute world, I know . But, just my opinion.

My favorite flutist these days is Emmanuel Pahud. He shows a very wide variance in style, a wonderful tone color palette, and has flawless technique. His recordings of the Telemann Concerti, Vivaldi Concerti, and his album "Paris" (containing Poulenc, Dutilleux, Sancan, Ibert, Milhaud, Messiaen, and Jolivet) are probably the finest flute recordings ever produced, IMHO. I also love Patrick Gallois for anything baroque or pre-classical (like CPE Bach, etc.).

But I agree with whomever said it first: this thread should really be about who our favorites are, rather than who is "best". (Plus, for our younger members here, it gives us a chance to throw some names out they might not have heard otherwise.) We all have different tastes and look for different things in flutists; some deliver on those personal tastes and some do not.

SK

[sidekicker]

I agree with most of those, but how could anyone have forgotten Emmanuel Pahud????

Darn -- you beat me to it .

SK

[woof]

I just ran across two flutist who have some interesing music:
1. Suzanne Teng- if you have ecletic music taste Suzanne plays some awesome music with pan, bamboo, beautiful alto and contrabase flutes.
very etherial and in my opinion wonderful music.

2. Zig Noda- with a name like that you have to be great!! Zig plays some great jazz and if you like jazz he is worth a listen.

both of these people have web sites:

http://www.mysticjourney.net/mysticjourney.html

http://www.jazzlover.com/

[flute.loops16]

Heh. Personally, I would say, Ian Anderson and James Galway. They're like gods to me.