William Bennett, the great English flutist, has died

The flute legend passed away on Wednesday at the age of 86. The son of architects, William Ingham Brook Bennett was born on February 7, 1936 in London. He began playing the flute at the age of 12, and joined an orchestra after the war, bypassing his military service. The Scots Guards, a unit of the British Royal Guards. This allowed him to continue his studies at the Guildhall School of Music. At the age of 22, he was appointed principal flute of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

William Bennett, nicknamed “Whip” (his full initials), made more than 100 recordings, as soloist or principal flautist of the most prestigious British ensembles.English Chamber Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. His complete collection – to be found Here – Baroque to Contemporary. A prolific interpreter of Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart and Vivaldi, he has also recorded works by the sometimes neglected 19th-century composers Paul Dufanel and Bernhard Romberg.

Presented by Professor Bennett of the Royal Academy of Music, London Master classes All over the world. President of the British Flute Society, he studied in Paris with Marcel Moys, Fernand Karatke and Jean-Pierre Rampal.