Famed Flutist Michel Debost To Perform Twice On Sunday

Noted flute virtuoso and teacher Michel Debost will be performing in both categories this weekend, when the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music faculty member gives a 1 p.m. recital and a 7:30 p.m. master class Sunday under auspices of the Seattle Flute Society.

The events are set for the Brechemin Auditorium of the University of Washington's School of Music (not in Meany Hall; Brechemin is located in the Music Building).

The gorgeous combination of flute and harp will be heard in the recital, when Debost performs wide-ranging repertoire with harpist Rita Costanzi. They'll start with ``Greensleeves,'' moving on to Bach's Sonata No. 2 in E-Flat Major, followed by works of Chopin, Mondello, Debussy (including ``Syrinx,'' ``Claire de Lune'' and ``En Bateau'') and the contemporary French composer Damase.

``I love these two instruments together,'' Debost said in a recent telephone interview, ``especially when the harpist is Rita. She really is wonderful.''

A widely known recording artist whose discography encompasses most of the flute literature in history, Debost has won enthusiastic praise for his recitals (``His is living, breathing music, thrilling and intense'').

Debost is particularly known for his interpretations of French music - not surprisingly, because he was born of an American mother and a French father, and has kept close contact with both cultures. At age 20, in 1954, he graduated from the Paris Conservatoire with two first prizes, in flute and chamber music. He went on to win first prizes in competitions of Moscow, Prague, Munich, Geneva and Rome, launching a career that included solo stops with some of the world's leading orchestras and conductors.

He also served as principal flute of the Orchestre de Paris, under such conductors as Charles Munch, Herbert von Karajan, Georg Solti and Daniel Barenboim. In 1989, he joined the Oberlin faculty, where he is chairman of the flute department.

Not every virtuoso can teach. Debost's superior teaching ability, however, has kept him in frequent demand for master classes, lectures, demonstrations and discussions about his instrument. From his broad experience in orchestral, solo and chamber repertoire, he is known as a teacher whose insights are valuable for all musicians - not just flutists.

``I listen to people and allow them a chance to express their own style of playing,'' he says of the master-class format. ``There are so many ways to play any given work. I want them to do it their way - but the best possible expression of their way, with their own natural rhythms and a variety of colors. We don't concentrate on trying to drown out trombones.''

Tickets prices are $12 for the concert, $10 for the master class (at the door); for information, call 328-5010.