Famed flute dies in his 40s

Famed flute dies in his 40s

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norman lebrecht

February 11, 2021

Elena Duran informs us that Alejandro (Alex) Vázquez had a heart attack in the night, then was rushed to hospital where he had another and died. He was Mexico’s foremost flute, playing principal flute in several orchestras as well as various other instruments.

In 2017 he travelled to New Delhi to study North Indian Classical Music with Pandit Kailash Sharma.

Comments

  • Michael Emmerson says:

    Truly one of the brightest and most adventurous flute players – and a great guy, too! Such a sad loss.

  • Alejandro was an extraordinary flutist and a kind and generous human being. It was a great pleasure for me to teach him both in Mexico City and again in the San Francisco Bay Area, although given his wonderful spirit, I believe I learned as much from him as I hope he did from me. My deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. He will be missed.

  • BruceB says:

    That was lovely. RIP.

  • Greg Bottini says:

    “FAMED FLUTE DIES IN HIS 40S”
    Flutes are inanimate objects. They are made of metal or wood. They neither live or die, nor do they have a particular gender.
    The people who play flutes are called FLUTISTS (or FLAUTISTS).
    Alejandro (Alex) Vázquez was a flutist, not a flute. His memory should not be disrespected by reducing him to the level of an inanimate object.

  • Alex's friend says:

    I knew Alex very well and worked with him often. He was a very kind person and a great friend and many will miss him.

    But, Norman, you have got to start getting your facts straight. He was not principal in any major Mexican orchestra, ever. He was no where near Mexico’s top flutist. Please, honor him for who he was and stop making up sh*t. He was a fine flutist but a wonderful human being who touched many people.

  • PETER ROSS says:

    I had the pleasure of teaching Alejandro the Japanese shakuhachi flute. He came all the way to San Miguel once a month for around one year for lessons. He was of course a very fast learner and I knew that if he continued in a few years I’d have to send him to another teacher. Very up beat guy. Always had a smile on his face. Very shocked to hear of his sudden death at such a young age.
    I think he played 14 flutes in the Lion King. Please don’t argue about whether “Flute” or “Flautist” is correct. Time for respectful comments.
    -peter ross

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