Classical French flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal – whose richly textured playing propelled the instrument back into the soloist spotlight – died in Paris yesterday at the age of 78.
The soloist, conductor and teacher was best known for his renditions of Baroque masterpieces – but he played everything from jazz to folk songs on his trademark solid gold flute.
When Rampal began his career just before 1950, the flute was not a popular solo instrument, as audiences preferred virtuoso works for piano and violin.
But Rampal’s joie de vivre and commanding stage presence brought the clear, crystalline sound of the flute back to centerstage.
In the span of his 50-year career he performed Bach, Vivaldi and Handel classics to audiences all over the world, often giving 100 concerts in a year.
The Marseilles-born musician died of heart failure and is survived by his wife, Francoise; two children, Isabelle and Jean-Jacques; and five grandchildren.