"Emmanuel Pahud, der fabelhafte Soloflötist der Berliner Philharmoniker, demonstriert anhand von 27 prägnanten Werken vom Barock bis heute die spannende Geschichte seines Instruments. Als durchgehendes Gerüst dienen ihm die 12 Fantasien für Flöte solo von Georg Philipp Telemann ... Was Pahud hier an klanglicher Vielfalt, musikalischer Ausdruckskraft und technischer Raffinesse hören lässt, ist wahrhaftig kaum zu überbieten".

BBC music magazine

2018 July

Claire Jackson

2018 July

"Instrumental choice: Taken at face value, the order and selection of works seems entirely random ... However, the eccentric programme is carefully considered; repeated listening reveals new parallels between the pieces. It's like eating a bag of pick 'n' mix where every sweet is deliciously interesting, and the aleatory element merely enhances the enjoyment ... The flautist's customary rounded sound is pristinely captured throughout this quirky collection".

The gramophone

2018 July

Richard Bratby

2018 July

"An epic two-disc anthology of unaccompanied flute music, alternating with works that range chronologically from Marin Marais's Les Folies d'Espagne to Jörg Widmann's Petite Suite. That's what Pahud presents here, and it's formidable. If he wanted to demonstrate the richness of his instrument's solo repertoirem he's succeeded: the absence of Debussy's Syrinx feels very pointed. And, of course, he handles every piece idiomatically, expressively and with a tonal palette that ranges from a breathy bottom-register whisper to piercing flashes of stratospheric light ... For the quality of the playing and the sheer scope of musical imagination on display here, every flute aficionado is going to want this collection on their shelf".

Information and editions

2018

Musik (cd)Emmanuel PahudParlophone Records, Warner Music Group, Warner Classics