Lots of wonderful video clips are linked here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/bouriakov

I have watched several of his youtube videos and I am addicted! I absolutely LOVE listening to him! He is incredible!

I'm fascinated by his embouchure. It looks so "wrong" but he sounds so good!

Coincidence or not, I've noted that an embouchure like this frequently result in a sweeter tone. Maybe just my hearing. But I have an old flutist friend who play this way. His and Mr.Bouriakov's tones remind me the pure and sweet sound that Mr.Rampal used to make (perhaps the most known side blowing flutist ever).

Zevang

He plays on an open hole Altus.

Astonishing. I will practise this side embouchure.. JJK, my teacher would put me out on the street. He plays an open flute, is seen clearly in the video with Chacona (Bach)

I play off to the side. I get harassed in studio for it, but I dont care. I like my tone.

When I took a lesson from the professor of the U of A-Brian luce he plays sometimes like that...i was just looking at him like wtf is he doing...but hes really good

There is a Youtube vid of Rampal playing considerably off to the left side.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ODT-SMbB6A

and I have a photo of Galway playing slightly off to the same side.

He's a terrific player. BTW, many of the best players have embouchures on the side: Rampal, Moyse, and Denis Bouriakov. If it works, don't "fix" it.

He played at the NFA convention. I dare say he plays better than Galway.

O wow fantastic. Now I feel so much better at playing the flute now...

I was told to never hold my flute too low but I noticed I had a much better tone and response when I did. Now I know to screw those people and play the way I feel most pleased xD.

"I think that anybody playing to the side will probably play to the same side, i.e. the side that allows the player's head to remain as straight as possible for less neck strain, and the player's arms pulled back as little as possible to save arm/shoulder/neck strain."

Players who work at the flute as much as Galway or Bouriakov have overcome the issue of flute position and support. More often the reason for playing to the side is because of embouchure formation. If you look on vids and pics. many great players play(ed) off to the side to some extent, including Galway and Rampal.

It's difficult to compare Bouriakov to Galway. One would have to do a piece by piece analysis of all of the pieces that Galway knows (and he knows them from memory). I heard his projection in that NYC hall, Galway is still phenomenal at age 70 and his tone quality is still maturing. Bouriakov is a great player but so is Davide Formisano for that matter.

~bilbo
N.E. Ohio

<Added>

Relative to holding the flute up and straight out.
Playing in some box shaped posture is a marching band concept as far as I'm concerned.
Playing in a school band is a different experience than the sort of flute playing that these top pros are doing. Only the instrument is similar.
So, the great flute players don't do this but if you are playing in a school band, you may find that a direct argument with your band director about such issues may only get you the satisfaction of a lower chair.:-(

I see very few pros who play right in the middle, most angle the flute in and play to one side, there are exceptions of course, but not too many

Micron,
A couple of comments.
1) I think that in the past, the old traditional way of teaching is with respect to the sound. The master would play a sound and with very little fundamentals to instruct, the student would try to find a way to imitate. This makes sense because it is very difficult to explain what and how much of any muscles are used. As the student develops the muscles and explores the possibilities of dynamics and tone color, they are developing the listening/comparison aspect as well. For me, I would more like to try to understand and analyze a bit. but I can say that hearing the sound of a good player in a recording doesn't compare to a live experience.

2) With Galway, it is somewhat difficult to see what he is doing because of his facial hair. He does a lot of work in the Moyse De La Sonorite Tone studies and the Moyse Daily studies book though.

3)Relative to playing off-set, two things can happen.
1- a player can simply blow oout of the side of his lips more or less. or
2- the payer can be using his center section of lips for the air but because there can be an inbalance in the strength of the lip muscles, the center of the lip aperture may become off center from below the nose as the muscles contract.

4)The flute and design of the head section makes somewhat of a difference in the dynamic capabilities, mechanism speed, as well as tuning and homogeneity. So, Galway has also learned some from playing and trying a lot of flutes as I believe that his tone quality is still improving. BTW: According to a recent comment, I believe that he may have recently bought another flute at the convention. http://www.emanuelflutes.com/main.html

~bilbo
N.E. Ohio