Monday, March 16, 1998
Flutist’s life perspective carries into concert work
Family, practice, experience allow Galway to express pure
emotion
By Ai Goldsmith
Daily Bruin Contributor
James Galway may be a personality you’ve already met: in an
elevator, a local mall, a doctor’s office or a concert hall.
On March 28th, joined by the Tokyo String Quartet, Galway
performs at the Veterans Wadsworth Theater, showing everyone his
personality – his music.
"James Galway is a terrific flute player and has a terrific
charisma," says long-time friend, colleague and UCLA faculty member
David Shostac.
But Galway, who has tremendous love and dedication to music,
explains that success takes time, hard work and some
heartaches.
"There’s a lot of disappointment along the road but you just
keep logging away at it and you do what you can," Galway says. "In
my opinion, what you have to do is to refresh your ideas every day
and see what you can do to improve your interpretation, the way you
play your flute and learn something new. Study something: listen a
new piece of music everyday."
This attitude isn’t lost on his colleagues.
"Galway is (also) easy-going and very spontaneous," says Kikuei
Ikeda, the second violinist for the Tokyo String Quartet. "He’s
also very funny. He loves to tell jokes."
Ikeda recalls that once, during their last tour together, Galway
began playing the Mozart Quartet in D major in a different key.
Yet, knowing that humor is the best remedy, Galway turned it into a
joke.
"So we cracked up and then we kept on going," Ikeda chuckles.
"It was a lot of fun."
Although playing the flute is his love and favorite hobby,
Galway started out as a pianist.
"We had a piano in our house, which probably was the worst piano
in the world, but we owned it," Galway says. "Then I took up the
violin, but this violin had the greatest collection of home-grown
Irish woodworms in the world. So I took up the flute because we had
a really good flute at home."
Galway’s other musical interests include playing the tin whistle
and conducting. Galway, who has been appointed the Principal Guest
Conductor of the London Mozart players for the 1999-2000 season,
looks forward to the event with much excitement.
"I’ve wanted to conduct from a long time ago, but my management
was not really backing me up in that direction," Galway says. "Now,
I have a new management and they think that it is a good idea and
that I should do this."
"What I like the best about conducting is studying the scores
and learning the music," Galway continues. "It’s a whole new
experience for me. When you play the flute, you study the scores
but this is different. You have to study every part and know
everything."
But knowing everything does not mean just knowing the notes on
the page. Music means breathing out and expressing everyday
experiences. Although Galway tours around the world, he still
manages to find time for his wife and friends.
"I am also the local babysitter for my friends who live in the
neighborhood,"Galway says. "They are professional musicians and so
sometimes, when they are at work, they send their little girl over.
It’s a riot, I have to tell you," Galway adds, laughing.
In finding time for everyday things, Galway continues to find
insight into emotions and human nature that he shares through
music. With this second voice, Galway communicates the beauty of
life while entertaining.
"Music is my life. It’s a gift I have from God," Galway says.
"If anyone has a gift from God and they recognize it, they should
be thankful for it and really practice it so that it becomes
something special. So that’s what I do every day. It’s kind of like
a prayer."
MUSIC: James Galway will perform at the Veterans Wadsworth
Theater on March 28 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45, $42 and $11 with
UCLA ID. For more information call (310) 825-2101.
UCLA Center for Performing Arts
Flutist James Galway will perform at the Wadsworth Theater.