A music lover’s feast: Virtuoso violinist Itzhak Perlman promises audiences a magnificent concert in Chicago
Itzhak Perlman describes his upcoming Chicago Theatre show — “An Evening With Itzhak Perlman” — as a multicourse meal.
“I’m going to be playing a little bit of everything,” said the master violinist, conductor and educator, whose career spans more than 60 years and includes 16 Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, Kennedy Center honors and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among other commendations.
Monday’s multimedia performance features the 79-year-old Perlman performing alongside longtime pianist Rohan De Silva and sharing stories about his life and career as well as photographs and scenes from the 2017 documentary “Itzhak.”
The recipe for successfully serving up this type of banquet means keeping the audience interested, Perlman said.
“It’s not just playing a concert,” he said. “It’s talking about what I’m playing, why I’m playing it and what event led me to play what I play.”
A child prodigy from Tel Aviv, Israel, Perlman heard a violin performance on the radio at age 3 and fell in love. About 10 years later, in 1958, he made his U.S. debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Not long after that, he began studying at The Juilliard School before embarking on a successful career as a performer, playing everything from classical music to klezmer, bluegrass, pop and jazz.
His love for music is rooted in “the kind of sound being produced. Whether it’s an oboe, flute, cello, violin or voice, the first thing that affects you is the sound,” he said.
It’s the sound that touches the soul, he said.
In addition to playing and conducting, Perlman also teaches at The Perlman Music Program, which he and his wife, Toby Perlman, founded to train young violinists, violists, cellists, bassists and pianists. The maestro praises the aspiring musicians who he says play at a level heretofore unequaled.
More rare is the ability to move listeners.
“That’s one thing you cannot teach,” Perlman said. “It has to do with what you feel about music, what you want to give your audience … If you are able to do that, that is a gift.”
Asked if — after countless performances, recordings and accolades — there are any musical mountains left for him to climb, Perlman chuckles.
“I’m so old I can’t climb a mountain,” he laughs.
One challenge remains: To continue to play compositions, especially those he has played throughout his career, “with freshness and spontaneity” that will keep him and his audience engaged and entertained.
With that in mind, he’s eager to share a delicious evening with his Chicago audience.
“They are going to have a terrific time,” he said, adding, “I'm going to have a terrific time.”
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“An Evening With Itzhak Perlman”
When: 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 21
Where: Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St., Chicago, msg.com/the-chicago-theatre
Tickets: $56.50-$176.50