Emmanuel Pahud (born 27 January 1970) is a Franco-Swiss flautist.

He was born in Geneva, Switzerland. His father is of French and Swiss background and his mother is French. The Berlin-based flutist is most known for his baroque and classical flute repertoire.

Pahud was born into a nonmusical family.

As a young boy living in Italy, Pahud was captivated by the sounds of the flute.

Classically trained at the Conservatoire de Paris, he leapt into the international orchestral and solo music scene when he joined the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1992.

His versatility in music styles over the years has "signalled the arrival of a new master flautist" (The Guardian). He plays in diverse music genres, whether baroque, jazz, contemporary, classical, orchestral, or chamber music.

Biography

Early life

Playing has been a big part of Emmanuel Pahud's life from birth. His father worked for a US company, and the family moved repeatedly during his childhood. However, this would only shape Pahud's international outlook for his future.

That Christmas, after receiving his first flute, Pahud began his first year of lessons with Philippe (who was only 15 years old) and the next three years with Phillipe's father, François.

In 1978, at the age of eight, the Pahud family moved to Brussels, Belgium. Emmanuel then began studying at the Music Academy of Uccle in Southern Brussels. There he studied with Michel Moinil from 1979 to 1985. and in the same year, he played his first concert with the National Orchestra of Belgium, performing the piece that inspired him 11 years earlier: Mozart Concerto K.313 in G Major. in 1989. In 1988, Emmanuel also won the 2nd Prize at the International Scheveningen Music Competition in Scheveningen, Netherlands. In 1992, Nicolet prepared Pahud in an extensive 10-day rehearsal for both the Geneva International Music Competition, or le Concours International de Genève in September of that year and the audition for principal flautist of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) in October. signalled Pahud's entrance into the international spotlight. He entered the orchestra during its rejuvenation period as the post-war generation of players began to retire. and Sir James Galway (1969–75). He also sees Rattle as an intellect; "he knows the orchestra and he achieves what he wants by taking into account the vision of the musicians.

International appearances

Pahud's workload has more than tripled since the early days of his international career in 1992. At that time he was doing about 50 concerts a year – but with the success of his solo career and continued involvement with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, that number has spiralled to around 160: Pahud says that it's a balance he has had all his life and what prevents him from being isolated in one genre or repertoire of music, or what he calls "a musical corner". His more famous international concerto appearances and collaborations of the past few seasons (2005–2008) included the Berlin Philharmonic, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the Berliner Barock-Solisten, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National de Belgique, the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France and a US tour with the Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra (including a Carnegie Hall debut). in Salon-de-Provence, France, along with his regular chamber music partners pianist Éric Le Sage (close friend and confidant) and Paul Meyer. In a French interview, Pahud describes the success of the festival as a project "filled with enthusiasm and fun" In 2008 he performed for the first time at the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival, where he played in the world premier of Elliott Carter's Flute Concerto, conducted by Daniel Barenboim. He returned to the Festival on 2009 to play in a series of concerts.

Musical styles and recordings

Pahud describes his versatility over the years in music, as transforming himself into a chameleon who tries to match the colour of the music, or the idea he has of it, to what the composer had in mind. But his discography and career have also been built on encounters—both professionally and in human relationships. He expresses in playing like a chameleon, "I try to change style, colour and phrasing, the way I breathe and articulate to suit the piece I am playing. I do not represent any particular national style." Whilst working with German Composer, Matthias Pintscher, Pahud sought to explore a new level and style of playing the flute. He recalls:<blockquote>

We spent some time talking about the effects and about the special way of using the instrument. The most interesting thing is how you interconnect these various effects [from an instrument] that is one of the oldest on earth. Whether you blow on it, in it, or you use it as a trumpet or a recorder, you can have a lot of different sounds on such an instrument. But that's nothing new about it, the new thing is how you can combine them and how you can get them to interconnect so that it becomes one musical statement, one phrase. Other world premières include music composed by Elliott Carter: Concerto for Flute & Ensemble, which Pahud premièred in September 2008 in Jerusalem. It was joint commissioned by the BPO, Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival and Boston Symphony Orchestra. Pahud will world première the Flute Concerto by Luca Lombardi in 2010, commissioned by the Kansas City Symphony.

Though he is an enthusiastic consumer and commissioner of new music, Pahud sounds most excited when relishing the old repertoire. "Mastery of an instrument helps you to sense new barriers. This is where you keep music moving," It is like a grammatical construction with words to stress. Musical phrasing is also expressed in terms of how the music is executed. In terms of style of the Dalbavie concerto itself, Pahud reflects how the flute finds a resonance within the orchestra whilst maintaining its virtuosic, colourful and sensual phrasing. He has explored jazz further through performing big band music with friends and colleagues from the Berlin Philharmonic and local jazz musicians. Pahud's collaboration with Jacky Terrasson resulted in a duo CD titled "Into the Blue," with performances including original takes on Bolero, Apres un Reve, and the Bolling Suite among others. Other personnel on the project included Sean Smith and Ali Jackson (drums). Other examples of his vast interests in innovative musical genres include so-called "one-time projects" (as Pahud calls them); most recently in 2006, it included a collaboration project with the NHK Symphony Orchestra of a recorded original soundtrack for the NHK Taiga series Komyo ga Tsuji (Jp: 功名が辻). Nowadays much of his time is taken up with recording. He extended his contract with EMI for a further six years.

Personal life

Pahud has two sons, Grégoire and Tristan, from a former marriage.

  • Lennox Berkeley: Concerto op. 36
  • Leonard Bernstein: Halil for Flute & Orchestra
  • Ferruccio Busoni: Divertimento
  • Aram Khatchaturian: Concerto
  • György Ligeti: Double Concerto for Flute & Oboe
  • Lorin Maazel: Music for Flute and Orchestra
  • Carl Nielsen: Concerto
  • Carl Reinecke: Concerto in D major op. 283
  • Jacques Ibert: Concerto

Flute and Chamber Orchestra

  • 2006: Lucerne Festival honoured him with the highest distinction of "Artiste Étoile".
  • 1989: Won first prize at the Kobe International Flute Competition.
  • Weber: Sonatas for flute and piano with Eric Le Sage (1995)
  • Schubert: Introduction and Variations D.802, Sonata D.821, Sonatine D.385 with Eric Le Sage (1994)
  • Beethoven: Sonata in B flat major, Sonata in F major op. 17, Serenade in D op.41 with Eric Le Sage (1993)

On Musiques Suisses