On Saturday, December 10th, I was lucky enough to be able to see Itzhak Perlman (violin) and Rohan De Silva (piano) perform at the Tilles Center. The show was absolutely amazing. On the program, there were only four songs that he was going to perform (Schuberts Rondo for Violin and Piano in B minor, Brahms Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano in A major, Op. 100, Brahms Three Hungarian Dances, and Saint-Saens Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in D minor, Op. 75). Of course, he performed all of these songs wonderfully, all the more impressive because he is now retired. Though my friend said that a few of Mr. Perlman’s sixteenth notes were out of tune, there was only one note I heard that was a little off.
Out of the the four songs on the program, the Brahms Three Hungarian Dances was the flashiest. He played some of the highest notes I have ever hear on violin, and performed–with ease–insane sixteenth note passages. As to be expected, the overall quality of the performance was nothing less than spectacular.
After Mr. Perlman finished playing the songs on the program, he took a list out of his pocket and randomly picked another four or fives songs off of that list to play. The list was comprised of songs that he performed the last time he played at the Tilles Center (which was a long time ago). I could tell that this was impromptu, because after Mr. Perlman chose a song, the piano player shuffled through his music to find the piece–unlike the first four program pieces that Mr. Silva had ready. I do not recall the names of these songs, but my friend knew most of them. He told me that they were basically the songs that most violinists would play if they wanted to commit musical suicide. And here is Itzhak Perlman just picking these songs on a whim and playing them perfectly after retiring from performing. It was absolutely amazing.
In 2009 I heard Itzhak Perlman perform at the New York Philharmonic with Zubin Mehta as the conductor. It was an incredible show with Carnegi hall full to the brim. The show was more so in demand because both of the artists had been an integral part of the New York Philharmonic family once. Now retired their return is always an event of great celebration. Together their music is in a class all of its own. Pearlman is a virtuoso violinist a man of great talent. He is one of the greatest violinists of our own time. As Zubin Mehta lays the background for Itzhak Perlman to artfully play various compositions to perfection. It is truly amazing to hear Perlman play different composer’s music with a distinct flare of his own. I enjoyed every moment of that concert. It is a distinct memory of my growing up years.
I think that Perlman was able to do this because he truly loved what he did. If he had merely played the violin for money or fame, why would he spend countless hours perfecting these “musically suicidal” pieces? Even though he did not write the pieces himself, he is still an artist. I do not really remember specifically discussing the differences between artistry by musicians and other artists, like painters, but the two cannot really be regulated by the same guidelines. Or can they? I have been exposed to much more original visual art, be it painting, sculpture, et cetera, than I have original classical music (more orchestral-type pieces). At the same time, if we saw modern painters recreating ancient or traditional paintings, would we call them artists?
I happen to be a big Yitzchak Perlman fan. Happens to be, my high school principal spoke of one of his performances at my graduation. Legend has it, Perlman was once in the middle of a performance when a string broke. He proceeded to play, improvising to make up for the missing notes, thus creating a jassical combination. Not only did this story inspire me to make lemonade of post-high school life, but when I heard that Perlman was playing at Lincoln Center, I paid a pretty sum to attend the performance.
The event was unlike anything I ever heard in Lincoln Center before. That would be due to the fact that for reasons unknown Perlman only movie soundtracks, no classics. I was a mite disappointed.
That being said, much of Perlman’s entertainment value comes from his stage presence and the knowledge that he got there having overcome significant difficulties.