Perlman gives virtuoso performance at Hill

By Jim Schiff

Daily Arts Writer

Artistry. Style. Grace. Emotion. These are words that describe the world's greatest virtuoso of the violin, Itzhak Perlman. In "A tribute to Jascha Heifetz," commemorating the 100th anniversary of his birth, Perlman delivered a delightful and versatile performance showing once again why he's the master.

Four notes into the opening piece, a giant gasp erupted from the audience. The large vase of flowers set on the stage toppled over, setting off waves of laughter both on stage and off. Instead of losing his concentration, Perlman simply shook his head and said "they are determined to stall!" This incident set the tone for what would be fourteen pieces full of joy and humor.

After the false start, Perlman's brilliance shown through in this first number, "Chaconne" by Thommaso Vitali. "Chaconne," like much of the other works presented, is very romantic and lyrical in nature . Perlman handles long bowing well, and his tone is superior to anything I've heard on a stringed instrument. Later in the piece, Perlman handles the short notes with incredible ease, altering between sixteenths and thirty-second notes with his nimble fingers.

Next, in Richard Strauss's "Sonata in E-flat Major for Violin and Piano," Perlman further demonstrates his ability to feel the music. One can see his facial expressions change with movements in the music: In the "allegro" section his eyebrows are raised, and in the "andante cantabile" section he plays into his violin, swaying with each sustained tone. The powerful "finale" alternates between a fast-paced call and answer session, and frantic violin work from Perlman. Throughout, he makes the difficult look effortless.

The remainder of the concert was dedicated to Jascha Heifetz, a Russian violin legend from the early twentieth century. Perlman chose to honor him by selecting pieces that were written by other composers and arranged by Heifetz, or as he put it, "colored in a subtle way." Also, Perlman chose the pieces as the concert progressed, making jokes to his piano player and the audience about how disorganized he is.

Like "Chaconne" and "Sonata," Perlman largely selected pieces that reflected his personal joy and passion for music. "Rondo" is the only number that involved a cadenza section, in which he showed off his short, rapid bowing technique. In Mozart's "Minuet," the audience could see the humor in his face as he did the pitsicatto work. The other nine in the set mostly followed the gleeful tone, but there were two notable exceptions. Debussy's "Bonswa" was surprisingly quiet, mysterious, and a bit darker than the rest. One of the last pieces by Foster featured a repetitive, sweeping theme characteristic of movie scores.

Like Perlman, accompanist Rohan De Silva brought a great deal of style to the concert. His piano work was a perfect backdrop to the violin, never overcoming his partner but always making his presence felt.

Following this afternoon with Itzhak Perlman, its easy to see why he's one of the world's greatest instrumentalists. Not only is his technique impeccable, but he feels every note that he plays. He's a living testament to where true genius comes from: the heart.

Courtesy of UMS

Itzhak Perlman put on a masterful violin performance at Hill Auditorium yesterday.