The great Israeli-born violinist Itzhak Perlman has already left a huge number of sound recordings of his interpretations; but it adds an extra dimension to be able to watch him execute, for instance, the brilliant spiccato bowing in Saint-Saëns's Introduction and Rondo capriccioso.A master of the French style through his teacher Ivan Galamian, Perlman at 25 is seen in the first full flush of his talent.Ten years later, the mature soloist shows his total command of the modern Russian style of Prokofiev - at a BBC Symphony Orchestra golden jubilee concert - and the bitter-sweet romanticism of Elgar's massive, virtuosic concerto.
June 2009
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“Perlman is in his prime in the Prokofiev First and the Elgar Concerto, and the steady camerawork doesn't stray far from him or Rozhdestvensky. Both are fiery live performances, as is the even earlier Saint-Saëns.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
