Pierre-Yves Artaud

Pierre Yves Artaud ranks among the leading flautists shaping music today. He commands bass flute, contrabass flute, and the newly created octabass flute in addition to the standard C flute. The term “standard” proves misleading, given his total reinvention of each instrument’s sonic possibilities, further expanded through amplification, tape, or both at a composer’s direction. Among his recordings are works by Edgard Varèse, John Cage, and Charles Koechlin, including the latter’s three-hour masterwork for solo flute. Although segments of the classical establishment view avant-garde repertoire as an infectious threat and a three-hour recital as a verdict, Artaud has sustained respect by belonging to the established line of French flute virtuosos. Long before the 1980s he taught master classes in flute, an activity that led to appointments at the Paris Conservatory and the University of Darmstadt. His performances have appeared on labels such as Neuma and Auvidis-Enesco. He has also issued volumes that function as handbooks for contemporary flute practice together with elementary instruction for beginners.