Original image of Emmanual Pahud, Ellen Sommer and Grace Farney by There Stands the Glass.
I learn more at musicians’ master classes than I do from conventional performances of classical music. Emmanuel Pahud’s tutoring at Helzberg Hall on Saturday, January 18, was no exception. The preeminent classical flutist’s commentary about sheet music discrepancies, composers’ intentions and musical interactions provided new insights. The Swiss star’s critiques of four locally based flutists sounded surprisingly undiplomatic to members of the audience of several hundred who hadn’t taken in his clinics online. Acknowledging that his words were occasionally “harsh,” Pahud respected the intrepid flutists by treating them as peers. Unsurprisingly, occasional demonstrations of Pahud’s golden flute were breathtaking.