Music of Beethoven, Grieg, Dvořák

Itzhak Perlman, violin
Rohan De Silva, piano

WHEN: 3 p.thousand., Sunday, January nineteen, 2020

WHERE: Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Dr, Costa Mesa

TICKETS: Start at $50

CONTACT: (949) 553-2422, www.philharmonicsociety.org. Tickets are also available at the Segerstrom Heart for the Arts box office at (714) 556-2787.

At 75 years of age this August, and with more sixty years in the spotlight, it'south a reasonable question to enquire of violinist Itzhak Perlman, "What's left?"

What further accolades could be draped around his shoulders? Grammys? He's got 16, and a Lifetime Achievement award. Emmys? Four. Plus the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Kennedy Eye Honor for good mensurate. He's recorded composers ranging from Bach to Foss, performed with the Muppets, PDQ Bach, Billy Joel.

It's as comprehensive and lauded a career every bit one could inquire for. Perlman is as closely associated with the violin as Houdini with magic, as Babe Ruth with baseball; a tribute to his dedicated musicianship, his technical prowess, his prolific recording career, his affable public persona, and his unflagging work ethic. What other American has done as much to bring classical music to this generation?

Ask him nearly his impact, though, and you become a modest shrug.

"I really don't retrieve of my legacy," he says. "A lot of people say, 'Isn't information technology astonishing, bla bla bla.' For me the challenge is 'What accept you achieved?' And for me I hope personally what I've accomplished is to succeed in withal loving what I do.'

So past the measure of personal satisfaction alone, it seems similar he's succeeded mightily. There'due south an undeniable joy in his music-making, a sheer pleasance for the sake of itself. In that location aren't many other explanations for his indefatigable schedule.

This twelvemonth sees him touring across the state from January through April, in concerto performances (Beethoven in Portland, Bruch in Atlanta) and in dozens of recitals with his long-standing accompanist Rohan De Silva. The tour includes a recital terminate on January 19 at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, courtesy of the Orange County Combo Gild. The program: Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. three, Grieg'south Violin Sonata No. 2, and Dvořák's Sonatina in G Major.

How did this program come up near?

"Well, the first thing that I do with programs is play something I like," Perlman says. "I always imagine if I were to go to a concert and listen to a violinist play, and I think, 'That'southward a nice program.' I've been playing the Beethoven sonatas for quite a long fourth dimension. These days, particularly with the Beethoven yr (2020 marks the composer's 250th birthday), it's always advisable to play his work. This particular sonata is very light i. Pianistically it'due south extremely challenging and of course for the violinist everything he writes is challenging, and so I love this piece. It'southward one of the before pieces of his I play."

Beethoven has been i of Perlman'south cardinal composers, a constant throughout his life, and the violinist is yet discovering new approaches and insights into the composer's piece of work.

"To say Beethoven was a great, great, keen composer is a huge understatement," he says, "and not only when we talk well-nigh the ten violins sonatas that I've recorded and which are great works, but the violin concerto is stupendous, one of those works I e'er consider equally a journey, a lifelong journey. I recently had a student that started the concerto and I said, 'Welcome to your lifelong journey.' You rediscover information technology, and I'thousand however rediscovering it. And at present that I've been conducting, I've been exposed to his symphonies, and to me there's nobody more who had the recipe for drama than Beethoven. There'south a drama and an intensity of rhythm that no other composer has."

Itzhak Perlman Credit: Photograph courtesy of Luis Luque

Rediscovery is central to Perlman'south ongoing efforts—the quest to wait deeper into a composer'southward intent, to tease out meanings that oasis't nonetheless revealed themselves.

"The affair is, if y'all grow equally a person yous grow as a musician," he says. "One of the great challenges and accomplishments is to look at a work you've played for so many years and notice new things in it every time. It's non similar a recipe, where it'due south something y'all played x or fifteen years ago and you lot're playing it the aforementioned way. We're not talking, shall we say, black and white, but shades of differences, how you heed to phrases. Someone asked me how dissimilar is the manner I play today as compared to 20 or xxx years agone, and I think my power to heed is amend, so I hear better. So that'due south really important, what you do, because you're and then involved physically, and the physical sometimes interferes with what you hear. The more authentic you hear, the ameliorate it is, and the more you can accomplish what you've been playing most of your life."

This is peculiarly truthful for Perlman regarding Beethoven's works; works that for him are a constant source of wonder, filled with beauty and complexity, repaying closer attention fourth dimension and time once again.

"Every fourth dimension I heed to him, the symphonies, the violin works, just likewise those great, great works the string quartets, those are once again something that are indescribably beautiful," he says. "And when you recollect about the early on quartets and hear what's to exist in the time to come associated with the late works, Opus 132, Opus 137, and to think near the fact that, for me, Beethoven is the owner of probably i of the worst tragedies of the globe! Merely recall of him, spending most of his life as deaf, so that the music that came…that's always a discussion, people agree or disagree, 'Would he have written the same way had he been able to hear or non?' Nosotros'll never know, plainly. I'thou non sure, considering mayhap because of his deafness the music was and then internal and was not peradventure afflicted past actually hearing. I'1000 not sure. I'thou not sure whether information technology'southward a plus or a minus. Just it'due south a squeamish mystery to accept. Having a Beethoven year is great, but as far as I'm concerned every yr is a Beethoven year."

As for the other pieces on the program, the Grieg is a fresh add-on to his repertoire, and the Dvořák is a decades-long companion.

"The Grieg sonata is fairly new for me," he says. "I quote 'discovered' information technology recently. I've always played his third sonata, and this one is not played as often, but information technology's a cute, cute piece. It's very funny, I was teaching and one of my students brought this slice, and I said 'Ooh, that's squeamish! Why don't I try that!' I tried it out. Information technology's beautiful in many means. It's very romantic and a real 'Grieg' slice. And the sonatina of Dvořák is also a very beautiful slice. As regards to the wearisome movement, it has been transcribed as a unmarried piece by [composer/violinist Fritz] Kreisler. He used information technology as 1 of his encore pieces, and so on. I find personally that Dvořák has been afflicted by Schubert. Besides the fact you accept a lot of flagrant Americana, you also accept these lovely Schubert moments. And then I'll do some encores, things I don't know however what. Nosotros take a pile of music and play any strikes me at the moment. So information technology'due south going to be fun."

Finding fun and joy in i'southward work after lx years? That'due south as good a legacy every bit any.

"All these pieces, and I'm still not bored," he says. "I'yard loving what I do, and for me that's a skilful accomplishment. I don't think 'It's been X years.' Information technology's been a lot of years, and I'grand even so liking it. I can however find new things. And I like the 3 things I practise—teach, play, conduct. I have a handful of things to keep discovering and I'g very, very happy with that."

Peter Lefevre is a contributing writer for Arts & Civilisation at Voice of OC. He may be reached at palefevre@gmail.com.

Classical music coverage at Vox of OC is supported in role by a grant from theRubinInstitute for Music Criticism. Vox of OC makes all editorial decisions.