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5.- Ian Anderson: this player represents a different way to approach flute music. Way far away from the traditional we could find, why not, the flute being part of a rock band. Although he will be the only flutist of this kind in this list included given my personal preferences, it’s worth noticing the existence of this style that might bring flute be more accessible to those not into classical music. 

(Playing: Bourée, a classical piece that softly turns into rock with the inclussion of frullato and sound distortion)

Ian Scott Anderson, born 10 August 1947, is a British Scottish-born musician, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work as the lead vocalist, flautist and acoustic guitarist of British rock band Jethro Tull.

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4.- Patrick Gallois: if this was to be a list for the best flute players ever existed, the inclusion of Patrick Gallois in it would be at least controversial and definitely questioned by many. Howerver, I happen to subjectively like his sound, and moreover I consider his to be the best performance of the piece shown in the video, Faintaisie Pastorale Hongroise, probably my favourite flute piece ever written.

(Playing: Faintaisie Pastorals Hongroise: Albert Franz Doppler

Patrick Gallois belongs to the generation of French musicians leading highly successful international careers as both soloist and conductor. From the age of seventeen he studied the flute with Jean-Pierre Rampal at the Paris Conservatoire and at the age of 21 was appointed principal flute in the Orchestre National de France, under Lorin Maazel. 

Patrick Gallois developed a conducting career which has taken him to Japan, Scandinavia, Italy, Portugal, the United States and Bulgaria, in addition to appearances as a conductor in France. In 2003 he was appointed musical director of the Sinfonia Finlandia Jyväskylä and tours regularly with the orchestra. Both as a conductor and as a flautist he has a wide repertoire, with a strong taste for contemporary music, and many new works have been dedicated to him. His recordings include an award-winning series for DG. 

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3.- Marcel Moyse: not only a great performer, Marcel Moyse is mostly known to any flute student for being a huge mechanical and technical theorist. His playing style, whith a flexible, clean pitch, learned from the best Masters at the time Phillipe Gaubert and Paul Taffanel, led to the style contemporary flute would follow.

(Paying: Humoresque: Dvorak)

Marcel Moyse was one of the most influential flutists of the twentieth century, first in France and later in the United States. He entered the Paris Conservatory in 1905, where he studied with Hennebains, Gaubet, and Taffanel. 

He developed a uniquely lyrical style, imitating the vibrato and phrasing of contemporary instrumentalists and singers. He played principal flute at the Opéra-Comique from 1913 to 1938, and frequently performed as a soloist in concert and in some of the earliest recordings of the standard flute repertoire. 

Moyse taught at both the Paris Conservatory from 1932 until 1940 and at the Geneva Conservatory until 1949, when he emigrated (via Argentina) to North America. There he became one of the founders of the Marlboro Music Festival, where he taught from 1949 to 1966. Moyse's experience playing in the Paris opera orchestras influenced his teaching; in order to develop tonal flexibility, he encouraged his students to practice nineteenth century operatic arias on the flute. Moyse published many pedagogical works that are still widely used. 

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2.- Emmanuel Pahud: considered by many as the best flutist in the world at the moment, this player exhibits an admirable sound and unequaled vibratto power. His expressiveness and ability to express emotion through music, shown in this masterpiece “Syrinx” that fits his style perfectly, make him worthy of a top spot in this list.

(Playing: Syrinx, minimalist impressionism composed by Debussy)

Emmanuel Pahud (January 27, 1970) is a French and Swiss flute player. He was born in Geneva, Switzerland. His father is of French and Swiss background and his mother is French. The Berlin-based flautist is most known for his baroque and classical flute repertory. Pahud was born into an non-musical family. As a young boy living in Italy, the sounds of the flute captivated Pahud. From the age of four to the age of 22, he was tutored and mentored by flautists such as François Binet, Carlos Bruneel and Aurèle Nicolet. Classically trained at the Conservatoire de Paris, he leapt into the international orchestral and solo music scene when he joined the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1992. His versatility in music styles over the years has “signalled the arrival of a new master flautist.” (The Guardian). He plays in diverse music genres, whether baroque, jazz, contemporary, classical, orchestral, or chamber music.

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1.- Sir James Galway: although sometimes critisized for his over eagerness to show himself, nobody can deny this Great Master’s technique and ability to play the most complex passages ever imagined. This, and the fact of this flutist being a wonderful teacher and communicator,  earned him a spot at the top of my five flutists ever to have played.

(Playing: Il Pastore Svizzero, pure flute virtuosism composed by Francesco Morlacchi)

Born on December 8, 1939, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, James Galway studied at London's Royal College of Music and Guildhall School before doing orchestra work and establishing a solo career as a globally recognized concert flutist. A lively showman, he has established a classical repertoire and explored more contemporary fare while also paying homage to his cultural roots, including collaborations with the Chieftains.