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Jean-Pierre Rampal

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Musician

The Resume

    (January 7, 1922-May 20, 2000)
    Born in Marseilles, France
    Classical flautist
    Principal flautist for the Paris Opera (1955-62)
    Recorded over 300 albums
    Recorded all of Bach’s flute sonatas and Vivaldi’s flute concertos

Why he might be annoying:

    His parents wanted him to become a doctor.
    He admitted to being ‘a bit of a ham’ onstage.
    He described avant-garde music as ‘pieces that go tweak, twonk, thump, snort.’

Why he might not be annoying:

    When the Nazis attempted to draft him for forced labor in Germany, he fled to Paris, where he frequently changed lodgings to avoid arrest (1943).
    He was the first solo flautist to draw audiences as large as solo pianists or violinists.
    His collaboration with Pierre Boulez on Claude Bolling’s ‘Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano No. 1’ stayed on Billboard’s classical albums chart for ten consecutive years.
    A critic described him as ‘the Alexander of the flute, with no new worlds to conquer.’
    He was named a Commander of the Legion of Honor.
    He was married to Francoise Bacqueryisse for 52 years.

Credit: C. Fishel


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 25 Votes: 32.00% Annoying