Itzhak Perlman featured in Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle

Itzhak Perlman, coming to Pittsburgh Sept. 21, plays amid the world’s noise
By Adam Reinherz
Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle
September 16, 2024

Music conjures memories. Itzhak Perlman hopes listeners forget.

“When you are in very bad times, music is a great escape,” the acclaimed violinist said.

Speaking by phone from Long Island a few days before his Sept. 21 performance with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Perlman recalled visiting western Pennsylvania in 2018.

One month after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, the Israeli American played in memory of the 11 Jews murdered and in honor of Pittsburgh’s first responders.

“That was not a happy occasion, but it still was something that was very important to do,” he said.

Six years have passed since that Pittsburgh performance. Antisemitism has increased. Community fabric feels more fragile. In some ways, the impetus behind that 2018 show is even greater, he explained.

“Music is an international language, and it’s always a barometer as to what goes on in the world,” Perlman said. At the same time, attending a concert and minding the melody offers reprieve, the virtuoso said. “Music does not have enemies or friends or anything. It’s just a soothing kind of experience.”

Perlman, 79, has had a bird’s-eye view of modern Jewish history. Born in pre-state Israel months after the end of World War II, Perlman was raised in Tel Aviv by Polish parents. He trained at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv before coming to New York thanks to an America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship. A 1958 performance on the “Ed Sullivan Show” gave the then-teen an early introduction to stardom. After studying at The Juilliard School and winning the Leventritt Competition in 1964, Perlman joined countless major orchestras worldwide.

He recalled times with the Israel Philharmonic, “where we would go to places where countries would not have relationships with Israel. And then when the diplomatic relationship warmed up, the first sign would be the exchanging of art, artistic organizations, such as orchestras and so on.”

Long revered by musicians, celebrities and fans, Perlman has received 16 GRAMMY® Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Kennedy Center Honor, a GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award and a Genesis Prize. Other accolades include a Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Barack Obama, a National Medal of Arts from former President Bill Clinton and a Medal of Liberty from former President Ronald Reagan.

Perlman has spent decades on the world’s largest stages. But a lifetime of playing doesn’t mean he wasn’t listening all the while.

This moment in history “is not good,” he told the Chronicle. “I’m not an expert as to what can be done about it, but it’s not good from so many points of view.”

When pressed to explain, Perlman said he’s a musician “not a statesperson” and that he hopes “things will improve.”

His Pittsburgh visit falls less than two weeks before Rosh Hashanah. With the Jewish new year rapidly approaching, Perlman said “peace” is on his mind.

“We got to have peace,” he said. “We have to solve all these problems. I don’t want to talk about it, but all I can say is that it’s so upsetting that I just can’t even think. It’s very upsetting.”

Despite the difficulty, Perlman remains positive.

“I’ve always had to be optimistic,” he said. “I’m just hoping for some sort of miracles.”

In the artist’s mind, this moment calls for music. So, like he’s done for decades, Perlman will continue playing.

“I’m looking forward to going on stage and sharing my music with whoever wants to hear it,” he said.

He knows that audiences in Pittsburgh and around the world find comfort and inspiration from his performances. He also knows that aging has offered perspective.

When asked what wisdom he’s gleaned in nearly 80 years of life, Perlman replied, “There’s nothing more valuable than experience. But experience goes with getting old.”

Read the original article here.