Girl with the golden flute
CHANTAL ABITBOL
AT the tender age of 14, Israeli flautist Sharon Bezaly made her solo debut with revered conductor Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Ever since, her star has been on the rise.
She has accrued numerous accolades the world over, recorded 20 albums to date and been courted by the world’s leading composers, all lining up to write concertos for her.
Some enthusiasts have even gone so far to describe her as “God’s gift to the flute”, but it’s a title she bears humbly.
“It’s a bit of responsibility,” Bezaly, 36, says modestly. “Sometimes I have people mention that quote at the beginning of a concert, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, now I have to go up and play.’ But no, it’s great fun.”
Bezaly, who lives in Stockholm, is currently on her first Australian tour, performing seven concerts in three cities with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
“It’s a very tight schedule, and on top of that I will be doing some master classes. But it should be quite an experience,” she said.
As part of her repertoire, Bezaly is performing works from two South American composers -— a freshly reworked version of Adina Izarra’s Pitangus Sulphuratus and a concerto specially written for her by Grammy Award-winning composer Jose Serebrier.
She is also including some local flavour with the work of Australian composer Carl Vine’s Pipe Dreams, a fantasy about the inner life of a flute.
“People should not get alarmed by the fact that they see names of a lot of modern composers,” says Bezaly, who is known for her commitment to contemporary music.
“As a performer today, we really have the responsibility of composers that are living today,” she explains.
Bezaly performs all of the works on a 24-carat gold flute designed especially for her.
“For me, gold is a material that embodies everything I can get out the flute,” she says. “It has the volume so I can stand in front of an orchestra, and it sounds very warm and personal.”
Most of her performances will be recorded for inclusion on a yet-to-be-titled album scheduled for release at a later date.
Separately, she’s also working on a series of albums called A-Z, in which she has set out on the mammoth task of playing one work from a different composer for each letter of the alphabet.
“It’s been going slower than what I would have expected,” says Bezaly, who took up the project a few years back. “I didn’t realise the magnitude of music written for solo flutes.”
But she’s not complaining. “I’m really lucky to be in a position where I can have such a solo career with flute. It’s not as common as with the violin or piano. It’s great fun.”
Sharon Bezaly will perform at the Victorian Arts Centre from Sunday, October 25 to Tuesday, October 27. Bookings: 1300 136 166.
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