Rampal, Jean-Pierre (7th January 1922-20th
May 2000)
He is a virtuoso flautist born in Marseille,
France.His father was the flautist Joseph
Rampal, who was the Professor of Flute at the Marseille Conservatoire and
Principal Flute for the Marseilles Symphony Orchestra.He studied at the Marseilles
Conservatoire and gave his first public recital when he was 16.By that time he was playing second
flute to his father in the Orchestre des ConcertesClassiques de Marseilles.In WWII he entered medical school
and studied there for 3 years, but he was drafted into forced labour in the Nazi occupation of France.He went AWOL and made his way to Paris
in secret where he frequently changed his lodgings to avoid detection.
He enrolled in the Paris Conservatoire, where he would
later become a professor and once the war had finished he was asked to
perform the demanding "Flute Concerto" by Jacques Ibert on French National Radio.He became known throughout Europe
and he made his US debut with a recital of Poulenc, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven
and Prokofiev in WashingtonD.C. Throughout his career as a
soloist, he also remained a dedicated ensemble player and in 1846 he formed
theQuintette a Vent Francaise with the
oboist Pierre Pierlot. He was
also the Principal Flute at the Paris Opera which is traditionally the most
prestigious orchestral position open to a French flautist.He collected and studied obscure
music from the Baroque era and was also the first to record all of
Bach's flute sonatas and all of Vivaldi's
flute concertos.He was known
as the "Man with the Golden Flute", owning and playing the only
known gold flute. He died from
heart failure in Paris in May
2000 aged 78.
I Solisti Veneti recordings
Concerto for Flute and Orchestra in A major (GuiseppeMatteoAlberti)
Sony Classical SK 47228 (CD: Italian Flute Concertos)
