Call me star-struck, but when they opened the door for him to enter the stage I felt so excited! He wheeled onto the stage with his pianist, Rohan de Silva, and the audience went nuts. He uses a motorized chair with a seat that rotates around so he can place his feet on the floor and play. First he had to wait for the applause to die down and then the piano just launched in and away we went.
He played three pieces - a Mozart Sonata in A Major, K. 526, Beethoven's Sonata No. 7 in C minor, and after intermission Stravinsky's suite Italienne. He played for an hour before the intermission and it felt like half of that. In excitement and enthusiasm for our performer, many in the audience began to clap after the first movement of the Mozart piece, others joined in and by the third movement most everyone was clapping between movements. After the Mozart piece they left the stage momentarily and upon returning we received a wonderful lesson in humor and grace. Mr. Perlman hadn't spoken yet, but he paused there and announced that while he was backstage he had received an urgent call - from Mr. Beethoven. Beethoven told him that he had enjoyed the Mozart piece a lot and could tell that the audience did as well. However he was hopeful that when Mr. Perlman played HIS piece that he would play it without applause during the space between the movements. Mr. Perlman said that he asked Beethoven, but why do you care if the audience claps between movements and Beethoven told him that the space between the movements is as much a part of the music as the notes in the movements. The space allows one movement to linger and prepares the audience for the next. His approach was kindly, taught an important musical idea and got the point across with a great deal of humor - not diminishing in the least the audience's appreciation, but ensuring an great musical experience for everyone. I was almost glad about the audience faux pas, because it allowed us a quick glimpse of Itzak Perlman. After the Stravinsky piece (which was very short by comparison to the other two) we gave a standing ovation and they left the stage. When they returned, the pianist carried a stack of music about 12 inches high. Together they would consult about which piece to play for us next, leaf through the music to find it, announce it from the stage and start to play. As he announced each piece he would share a little about the composer and in the end the story would have a great punch line that brought lots of laughter. He played two compositions by Kreisler and another by Reis - which of course brought a little joke about a single "Reis Piece" (think Reese's Pieces). In another joke, as he announced a piece by Tchaikovsky he told us that the composer had written it for a Russian friend who spent many years in a Russian prison after being convicted of a minor misdemeanor, so he titled it "Chanson sans Paroles" (literal French translation: Song without Words - NOT Song Without Parole. This is only funny in English.) He played two very technical pieces - fast as lightening and so amazing that people were actually gasping as he ended them. I think the favorite though was when he announced that he would play John Williams Theme from Schindler's List. Mr. Perlman actually collaborted on and played the violin for the movie soundtrack. I sat there thinking, "I am watching Itzak Perlman play the Theme from Schindler's List" and listened as this music from his heart filled the auditorium and touched everyone there. An unforgettable evening.
