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Feature Article
Itzhak Perlman Interview: The Movie, Hero, is Great; Its Soundtrack
is Even More
Intriguing
Yangcheng Evening News,
19 August 2002
Ruan Wei, Zhuang Yuan
On 17 August afternoon, in a little hall on the 25th floor in Shanghai's Jincang
Wenhua Hotel, the world renowned, critically-acclaimed violinist, granted this
paper's reporters an interview.
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The award winning virtuoso violinist,
Itzhak Perlman, has, inter alia, received 15 Grammy Awards and being honoured with 4 Emmy
Awards. In the classical
music world of the present era, there exists in Itzhak Perlman some sort of
oxymoron: While he is an
earnest musician who is being well-respected, he also possesses an infectious
charisma. His innate humour blends flawlessly with his pyrotechnics of musical
technical
perfection and ardour, imparting his performance a singularly novel, refreshing
charm.
Itzhak Perlman was born in Israel in 1945. Itzhak Perlman completed his initial
training at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv with Rivka Goldgart. In 1963, He
gave a rousing performance in the Carnegie Hall. After studying at the
Juilliard School, Itzhak Perlman won the prestigious Leventritt Competition in
1964, which began his burgeoning worldwide career.
In December 1990, Perlman to participated in a gala performance in Leningrad
celebrating the 150th anniversary of Tchaikovsky's birth. This concert, which
also featured Yo-Yo Ma, Jessye Norman and Yuri Temirkanov conducting the
Leningrad Philharmonic, was televised live in Europe and later broadcast
throughout the world and is now available on home video (RCA/BMG Classics).
There, he performed Tchaikovsky's lively Valse-Scherzo and gave an utterly
spellbinding and mellifluously heart-wrenching rendition of Serenade Melancholique.
Itzhak Perlman, whose lower limbs are physically disabled due to folio at the
age 4, became a world famous musician owing to his hard work and musical gift. On
that afternoon, seated in the wheelchair, he wheeled himself to the appointed
place, without putting on any airs and graces. He even moved, out of his own volition, closer to the windows,
where it was brighter, so that
the reporters could take clearer pictures.
Always Approaching Beethoven from a New Perspective
One of the prime reasons for Itzhak Perlman's visit to China is his concert
where he
is playing Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61. Many years ago, Itzhak Perlman indicated that he would perform Beethoven's works after his
violin techniques had come to maturity. However, Itzhak Perlman did not directly
answer about the relations between his maturity in arts and performance of
Beethoven. He told the press that Beethoven's melodies and rhythms are very
simple, but the difficult thing is playing a simple tune well. Since he started
playing Beethoven's works when he was 17, Itzhak Perman always feels something
refreshing, something different, every time.
When replying to the reporters, Itzhak Perlman often used his nimble hands to
convey his meanings. When talking about Beethoven, he often made gesticulations
of violin-playing. Through years of violin practice, his thumb could be
contorted up to almost 180 degrees.
"Playing the Second Fiddle" to Zhang Yimou's Hero
The mainstay of Schindler's List soundtrack, which was honoured the Oscar
Award, is Itzhak Perlman's sensitively rendered violin solos of heart breaking
melodies, which were supported by a chamber orchestra.
Recently, Itzhak Perlman is performing violin solos for Zhang Yimou's Hero.
Itzhak Perlman said that Hero is a wonderful movie, and its music is even more
fascinating. When he received Tang Dun's invitation, he agreed without
hesitation. He showed great approval for Tang Dun's score and Yo Yo Ma's cello
rendition of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Tan Dun was also utterly stunned by Itzhak Perlman's outstanding violin performance in Schindler's List. As such,
the two worked together in Hero.
Itzhak Perlman said that the music in Hero calls for a kind of high pitched
ancient Chinese melody, something that imparts the desolateness of a distant desert. In
order for the violin to amply demonstrate the ancient Chinese music, he even had
his violin re-tuned, so that it would emits tones of Chinese flavour.
Itzhak Perlman is celebrating 57th birthday in China on 31 of August. He said,
it would be a very joyous occasion.
Order Hero Soundtrack at
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