Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Being appointed as principal flutist at the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) 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: 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. ==Repertoire==