James Galway made me hate flute, but Emmanuel Pahud made me love it
So it’s been less than two weeks since I started playing flute again. One thing I forgot to mention is that James Galway made me hate flute for decades.
The bottom line is that I never liked Galway’s distinctive vibrato and sound. Unfortunately, for some reason, I kept on seeing him on TV and hearing him on the radio, and so he sort of represented to me “flute”.
(Update of 2013-08-23)
I have periodically received comments from people very unhappy with my dislike of the playing of James Galway. I mean no disrespect: everyone has different taste. I should add that I actually love and respect James Galway as a musician and as an educator. I will write a detailed blog post about that at some point.
Revival through jazz
Interestingly, I started to enjoy hearing the flute again mainly from getting into jazz. I loved hearing Herbie Mann on flute, for example, and others as well. In fact, my original intention when buying a flute several years ago was to get into jazz flute: I had sort of lost interest in playing classical music by then.
Discovery of Emmanuel Pahud
Syrinx
Just a couple of years ago, I was driving and listening to the local classical radio station, WQED, when I was put totally under a spell by a performance of a work for solo flute. Being completely unfamiliar with the classical flute repertoire, I didn’t know what the piece was, but the announcer said it was “Syrinx” by Claude Debussy, and performed by one Emmanuel Pahud.
I went and found CDs by Pahud at the library. Great stuff! He is definitely my flute hero.
Here is a beautiful video of Pahud performing “Syrinx” on YouTube:
(Update of 2013-08-23)
I wrote for Debussy’s 151st birthday a note on unusual performances of Syrinx.
Entr’acte from Carmen
It turns out that today I was practicing an arrangement of the Entr’acte from Bizet’s Carmen from the “I Used to Play Flute” book, and out of curiosity, looked up Pahud on YouTube.
Here he is playing it under the young Venezuelan superstar conductor Gustavo Dudamel:
Very nice, although his interpretation differs in various ways from my personal conception of the Entr’acte: I would play it faster and more passionately. One reason I feel compelled to play music, and not only listen to it, is that nobody ever plays a piece just how I would play it. To live music, I must create it or recreate it afresh. To not do so would be like watching a video of a hike rather than being on the trail hiking and experiencing it.
What does it mean - James Galway made me hate the flute???????Are you serious?
You must have your own style, no mather what others play.
Galway's virtuosity has popularized the flute, which now vies for importance with the violin as a solo instrument. But all is not well in Galway Land. His wild vibrato is pure self-indulgence and his his high notes have a tin whistle sound.
I was a kid, and barely knew anything about the flute, and never heard anyone play except for Galway since he was on TV. So I had a very limited experience with flute. So yes, I was wrong about the flute. But this happens to a lot of people with limited experience. For example, I also hated math for a long time because I only had math teachers I didn't like who presented math in a way I didn't like.
WAW!
I completely agree with you, i´m a flutist, if you noticed this without studying flute (i mean as a career, as a way of living) you are a very sensitive person; this is only an opinion, but there are no many people who understand how to play properly ( because I believe Galway has many capabilities, he´s also very fast, but his sound comes from an exagerated way of playing, wanting to sound powerful, but out of the flute posibilities. technically is because they blow the air down, (they say "to bolw the air inside the hole) and I understand this as a terrible mistake, you might play outside and up. the air that you hear whe you play, is not heard when you take some distance., sound must travell by this little air wave, it´s physics.
This also allows the vibrato to go further, like Pahud. in the case of Galway, this vibrato makes the sound stay right in front of the face, AND NOT heard at the last seat of the theatre.
Of course i´m not Galway neither Pahud, but this comment really impressed me because in my country i don´t have many people to discuss this, moreover, in Argentina Galway is like god.
I repeat, this comment is about the technique which I believe, (Pahud´s one) i don´t want to start any kind of argument.
thanks for reading this, :) sorry for the lenght..
Indeed! I just found these posts looking for some criticism about Galway playing, which I really dislike. When I was a begginer some 20 years ago I bought some of his cds, but never listened again after discovering so many others players far more interesting for my taste. I do have a respect for the man, his teaching, writing and insight, but cant stand the people that adores him like a living god or like the creator of the flute or whatever they think about him. After thinking seriously I decided to make a second impresion about his playing, by listening Mozart concertos and Bach sonatas by sir James, and found my previous thoughts confirmed. Those masterworks were in my opinion empoverished by his playing, his monotonous strong overbrighted sound. I find he plays Bach as he plays Nielsen. If there is any colour palette (not just a couple) didnt hear that. Neither any gracious, galante style playing for the baroque works. Everything sounds "virtuoso" which for me in this case means shallow. However I explain most of his success by that strong technical foundation, his personality and charisma, and his own construction of his solo career, knowing the power of tv and mass media, and last but not least his association with some flute makers and companies. I wonder how much Galway helped some small flute companies by asociating his name to the brand. And so...why he never to my knowledge served as a member of any international flute competition, as for instance does other members of the BP like Zoeller and Blau? how many of his students occupy major orchestral positions if compared with pupils of Aurele Nicolet, Maxence Larrieu or Julius Baker to name a few?and how many of them sound like themselves and not like Galway¿ Trevisani, Ecvil and Formisano at first sight sound like him, like imitators....and so we came to see some great people here in Argentina that turns to try to imitate Galway and in my opinion looses something, or try to prove something by posting pictures with sir James on facebook ;)
Anyway, by this I mean no ofense to anybody, and those who decide to respond insulting may find themselves in need of an anger therapy :)
bests
Soooooooooo,
James Galway MADE YOU hate the flute? I am so sawee fo you! James Galway has done more for the flute, flutists, flute music, and recordings than anyone. Like his personality, he's not satisfied with sounding like anyone else. Isn't that the way it should be? Of course you never listened to his teacher, Marcel Moyse did you, aye? Marcel Moyse played with a fast vibrato also, but James Galway made it his own.
Like any other hard working musician, James Galway has single mindedly raised the flute to it's highest platform. He not only performs like no other flutist, he is a consumate entertainer.
Most people (musicians mostly) speak ill of him out of jealousy because he is so successful.
You forget yourself when you fail to recognize that through industry, tenancity, and genuineness, James galway has dedicated his talents and shared them with the world, it becomes obvious that you have to try and elevate yourself by criticizing him unrightfully!
If you can do better, than let us hear it, otherwise I sugguest you hit the woodshed pal.
Oh by the way, James has the last word on you laughing all the way to the bank!
I am sorry you took offense at my post. I was only expression my personal reaction.
By the way, I deeply admire and love James Galway. I actually have a blog post in the works about that, which I have not posted yet. Since writing this particular post, I have actually watched some instructional videos from him and have his book. A beautiful man and musician. But I still do not like how he plays. Nothing personal. There are great musicians whose style do not appeal to me, and he just happens to be one of them.
You shouldn't be sorry Tull took offense. Tull is clueless and has no idea what he's talking about.
Galway's vibrato is a sin against good taste. He sounds like he's playing an electric saw. Well, at least it's not a nanny-goat vibrato like William Kincaid's. I have yet to hear a flute virtuoso that measures up to today's vocal artists, violinists and pianists.
To be honest, I don't care much for Galway's sound either; I agree with you on the fact that his persistently rigid use of the same frequency of vibrato on all of his phrases isn't something that is particularly easy on the ears. This is especially true of when he attempts to interpret Bach, and in fact any other of the Baroque works we've all come to love.
Having said that, Pahud is right up there in terms of my own flute heroes! I watched and listened to him play the other day in an ensemble, and I have to say that I've never seen or heard anyone quite like him - it was absolutely magical. And hey, I got to meet the guy too! They aren't kidding when they say he's a busy man - but a kind one at that.
Cool, it must have been a treat seeing Pahud up front. I wonder if he will ever make it to Pittsburgh for anything; I doubt it :-(.
Galway is an artist, Pahud is a musician.
Galway's wild vibrato is pure self-indulgence. He sounds like he's playing an electric saw. His technique is also slipping, especially control of his high notes and his releases which have become very sloppy.
I guess Its a matter of personal taste I myself also do not find the vibrato on flute as something nice to listen in general.
I'm not a musician; I just enjoy classical music. I found this page because I wondered why Galway's flute playing sounded so different. I have to agree that it is a very distinctive sound, but one that I can only describe as "cheesy" for my taste (non-musician vocabulary). When I hear him play it reminds me of Zamfir, master of the pan flute. He is clearly very popular, a very good musician, and this is just my own personal taste and opinion.
Galway's late stuff, with the schmaltzy vibrato, doesn't do it for me either. But I found some older stuff, uploaded to YouTube in 2009 or so, and probably 10 years older than that, and it's really good. He must have really been something when he was young, because the conductors who hired him and fellow musicians who helped him can't all have tin ears. But his recent stuff, very much Meh. And his "First Flute" program, costs $100 or more? Doesn't the guy have enough money?