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Sunday, October 4, 2020
James Galway in the KKL: The "Man with the golden Flute" celebrated and told many a story
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Flautist Sir James Galway celebrated his 80th birthday in the KKL.
An evening with music, famous friends and many anecdotes.
Nervously, a man at the box office who is a flute teacher and with all his students, 15 in total, has come from Schaffhausen. Now he urgently needs programmes for his protégés. He has to be content with half. The run on this Saturday evening is too big. The KKL concert hall is full to celebrate the 80th birthday of Sir James Galway. 1898 people want to experience the flute star. I n the front, even the two, rarely built additional rows are occupied. The stage also indicates the special occasion. On the left there is a cosy couch corner: place for conversation and congratulations.
Under the organ hangs the big screen. Again and again congratulations from all over the world are recorded. The Northern Irish countryman and Hollywood star Liam Neeson makes a short appearance. Film music composer Howard Shore wishes the best. With him James Galway recorded the music for "Lord of the Rings". Ian Anderson, the rocker among the flautists and front man of Jethro Tull, sings a jazzy serenade. The Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli sings in greeting, even plays the transverse pipe briefly.
He is the only flute superstar. He is the "man with the golden flute" and to this day the only real superstar of the classical flute.
He has lived in Meggen for years and it was his wish to celebrate his 80th birthday in the KKL together with the Festival Strings Lucerne. The orchestra with which he recorded his first Mozart concertos over 40 years ago.
His sound still sounds great today. The warmth with which he plays the final movement of the second flute concerto by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His flexibility of approach and the ease of articulation conjure up colour and elegance in the notes. The cadenza is formed with many jumps, a real showpiece, spiced with humour.
He also shows mischievousness and quick-wittedness in conversation. "No, there's nothing good about turning 80," he answers the corresponding question. "But I'm always ready for the appropriate party." Click here to read the full article
James Galway can still deliver trademark intensity and breathtaking brilliance
The Irish Times
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
James Galway will turn 80 on Sunday. But the RTÉ Concert Orchestra got in early and held its celebration at the National Concert Hall last Wednesday. Galway has been a huge international presence for most of his life. So it’s salutary to remember that there had been no superstar flautist on his level before he arrived on the scene.
Yes, there had been great flautists before he began his solo career in the early 1970s. But none had ever reached the point of becoming an internationally recognised household name.
There’s no obvious contender waiting in the wings to fill the gap when he finally hangs up his flute. And he seems set to hold on to the instrument for some time to come. He’s got a Birthday Gala at the lakeside KKL Lucerne in January, and further concerts have been announced up to the end of March.
I’m sure it’s the fantasy of many a young player that they will somehow end up with a career of similar magnitude. But 30 million album sales is a tall ask, and there’s a lot more than flute-playing involved in reaching those dizzy heights. Click here to read the full article
The Ravinia Associates Board celebrates the 30th Anniversary with Sir James Galway
The Ravinia Associates Board celebrates the 30th Anniversary of its founding. Each year, the event celebrates a person or institution that has made a tremendous impact on music education, and the honor this year went to Sir James Galway.
“Sir James is known as the musician with the gold flute, but he also has a golden touch when it comes to nurturing young musicians”, said Ravinia Festival President and CEO Welz Kauffman. “His joy of music and his generosity of spirit transfers with ease and awe from stage to classroom and even over the internet. We’re proud to present Sir James as a favourite artist at Ravinia, ad we’re especially proud to honor him for his work with young people. His lifelong passion for playing and teaching, makes Sir James Galway the gold-standard honouree for the Ravinia Associates”.
WASHINGTON PERFORMING ARTS
Washinton Performing Arts honoured Sir James with their prestigious Ambassador of the Art’s award at a private event held at the Swiss Embassy in Washington D.C. in March 2019.
INSOUCIANCE AND VIRTUOSITY IN GALWAY'S BRILLIANT WEILL HALL CONCERT
by Mark Wardlaw
Friday, March 18, 2016
The man with the golden flute brought inimitable Irish charm and sterling musicianship March 18 to Weill Hall for a delightful concert experience. Sir James Galway, joined by flutist Lady Jeanne Galway and pianist Phillip Moll, enthralled an appreciative audience with a colorful array of musical morsels ranging from serious works to lighthearted fare, including one that required audience participation.
Mr. Galway’s musical journey is unique, and even at 76 it appears far from over. This is an artist who rose from working-class Belfast roots to the upper echelon of the flute world by landing jobs in the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, eventually winning the principal flute chair in the Berlin Philharmonic, one of the world’s great ensembles, when he was 29 years old. Very few musicians would walk away from so lofty a position, but Galway isn’t just any musician, and he left that orchestra after only six years. Even that august position proved to be an insufficient showcase for the eclecticism and showmanship that have made him one of the top instrumental artists in the world.
Mr. Galway’s impish wit and droll delivery signaled from the outset that this wasn’t going to be a perfunctory affair. It’s obvious that he places a high premium on bringing the audience into his world. He engages his audience in a genuine and down-to-earth way. This is seldom the case in classical music concert halls that all too often are steeped in formality and sterility. Click here to read the full article
First Flute - Foundations for learning
Legendary flute master Sir James Galway recently made his expertise widely available with First Flute, an online interactive series of lessons geared toward flute students and music lovers of all ages. Galway shares his technical advice, practice methods and secrets for success with flutists seeking to perfect their skills.
First Flute was recently launched at an event in New York City at Merkin Concert Hall/Kaufman Music Center hosted by NPR host Christopher O’Riley and attended by television and print media, many of the city’s top flutists and musicians, and flute enthusiasts of all ages.
Click here to read the full article
James Galway's legacy: Crossover isn't a four-letter word
I was raised to think of James Galway as being the pure embodiment of class. I wasn't familiar with his Mozart concertos, though, or his Telemann suites. The only James Galway recording I knew was the one my dad put on the stereo every time we were expecting guests from out of town, or having his boss over for dinner: The Wayward Wind, Galway's 1982 album featuring the great flute soloist's interpretations of "Duelin' Banjos" and "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue."
Celebrating his 75th birthday this month, James Galway sits in a unique position in popular and musical culture. He's not only the most famous living flutist, he may be the best-known flutist to have ever lived. Jean-Pierre Rampal yields 500,000 Google hits, and Emmanuel Pahud has a few hundred thousand — but Galway has 18 million. To celebrate his birthday, Galway's longtime label has just reissued the flutist's entire RCA catalog: 70 albums, plus a disc of bonus tracks, with two DVDs to boot. Click here to read the full article
James Galway and Riccardo Chailly win at Gramophone classical awards
Two of classical music’s greatest and best-known performers from earlier generations were also honoured in the evening’s ceremony. Conductor Neville Marriner was presented with an outstanding achievement award in his 90th year, and Northern Irish flautist James Galway, now 74, was honoured with the lifetime achievement award. Galway’s recordings have sold over 30m copies worldwide; Annie’s Song reached No 3 in the UK pop charts in 1978, and made him a crossover star. If his public profile is lower-key these days, he continues to perform around the world and campaign for music education. “He put the flute on the musical map in modern times … He is a true classical music superstar … his role in music education is powerful and heartfelt,” said Jolly, paying tribute to the Belfast-born musician.
The four minute interview with... Sir James Galway - The Independent.ie
The renowned musician on why this decade is his best his hidden DIY skills
What’s been the best decade of your life so far and why?
Right now. Everything has come together in my personal life and career, and our flute school in Switzerland is celebrating 25 years this summer.
What was the worst moment of your life?
I had two broken legs and a broken arm. It took me eight months to mend. A Yamaha 850 ran off the road into me.
What secret skill or talent do you have?
DIY. My wife Jeanne is always asking me to do jobs around the house. I’m not bad.
If there was one song you associated with your youth, what would it be?
Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam. We used to shout it at Sunday School at the Salvation Army around the corner.
What was the last lie you told?
You know when you bump into someone who says Do you remember meeting me thirty years ago?’ and you go Of course.’
What do you consider the greatest work of art?
Westminster Abbey. Some of my favourite people like Handel and Newton are buried there. Evensong at 5pm is the best music you’ll find in London. And it’s free.
Which local star in any field should the world outside of Britain and Ireland know about?
The pianist Michael McHale. He also has two degrees from Cambridge and is great company.
What is your greatest regret?
That I was not born with perfect eyesight. That books all had the one tiny font when I was growing up.
What is your ultimate guilty pleasure?
Smoking cigars in the afternoon while reading or playing chess.
Who is/was the love of your life?
My wife Jeanne. We met 30 years ago at a flute class. I didn’t see her for a year and a half after that before bumping into her coming out of Carnegie Hall and asking her to lunch.
What is your present state of mind?
Calm.
What are the consolations of getting older?
Knowing it all works out.
What living heroes or heroines do you have?
Richard Attenborough. He directed many fine films but I think Gandhi was particularly outstanding.
What is your best chat up line?
I’m from the FBI and need to talk to you. It never worked.
What is the best lesson life has taught you?
To be thankful for everything I have.
