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Musical icon, Itzhak Perlman packed a full house Saturday evening at the Folly Theatre as he presented the opening concert of a rich line-up for the new Harriman-Jewell concert series. 

Perlman, a favorite and frequent performer to the stage of the Folly, opened the program by dedicating the concert to journalist, Daniel Pearl,who would have celebrated his 45th birthday on October 10th-had he not been killed by kidnappers while on assignment in Pakistan in 2002. The heartfelt dedication helped Perlman to set a conversational tone with the audience, which he drew upon extensively in the second half of the program.

The first piece presented was LeClair's Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano in D Major, the same sonata this reviewer had the pleasure to hear three weeks ago performed by Kansas City Symphony Concertmistress, Kanako Ito and Lolita Lisovskaya in recital at Park University. Perlman's famous gorgeous full tone with its glossy sheen filled the space of the Folly to the able accompaniment of pianist Rohan De Silva. Perlman's iron-steady bow arm supported clean double stops and easy slides with complete mastery of technique throughout the evening. The second movement allegro was marred only by the imbalance of dynamics with the piano. This was not due to any lack of sensitivity in De Silva's accompaniment, but to the unfortunate circumstance of the open lid on that mighty Steinway, presenting an acoustical challenge that not even Perlman's resounding fullness of tone could overcome.

The slow Sarabanda of the third movement, although executed effortlessly, came off a tad wooden in Perlman's interpretation. In fact, that turned out to be the case for the remainder of the pieces printed in the program. Despite every effort from De Silva to impart fresh inspiration to the works, and in spite of Perlman's impressive technical command that never once faltered, and the beauty of his sweet tone, musically, it seemed that Perlman was on auto-pilot. Not a note was missed, not a trace of imperfect intonation slipped into even one of the millions of notes that flew from his fingers through the double stops, artificial harmonics and virtuosic pyrotechnics he drew from his violin. Despite his formidable accuracy, brilliant technique and inspiring tonal beauty, this was not an evening that challenged Perlman to reveal the divine inspiration locked within the notes of the composers. A key (technique) may unlock the box of treasure, however, it is the treasure within (divine inspiration) which one seeks and values.

Beethoven's Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 7 in C minor, Op. 31/2, showcased the stunning virtuosity of pianist De Silva, who brought forth a rich deep sonority in the low register, matched Perlman technically, and overall stole the spotlight in this piece, as Beethoven must have intended.

Stravinsky's Suite Italienne for Violin and Piano, a transcription of his Pergolesi balletPulcinella, opened the second half of the program. It was the best of the night, highlighted by Perlman's lyrical phrasing and rich palette of tonal colors, and De Silva's uncanny simulation of the original orchestral tutti tremolos and pizzicato chords. The presto, enlivened by flashy spicato bowing, drew titters from the audience at its unexpectedly sudden ending. After the breathtaking pianissimo conclusion of the fourth movement, Perlman slipped back into technically flawless but artistically uninspired straight-ahead delivery, with scant tapering of the phrases, but he rallied back at the conclusion of the piece with a dazzling series of trills to the piano melody, which brought the audience to its feet.

The music that followed when the pair re-emerged on stage finally delivered the charge of excitement that had been so keenly anticipated for this evening with Perlman. It was in this music that Perlman showed all his stuff. His luscious sweet tone shone with beauty no matter how high the notes ascended in the Kreisler concoctions - playful music-making that was pure entertainment. The Tchaikovsky Humoresque conjured wistful images of the Russian soul of a by-gone era, and never was Perlman more relaxed than in the light Tchaikovsky Chanson sans paroles with its artificial harmonics played in clean double stops. Arensky's Serenade was Salon music at its most elegant, abundant with oily slides and warm emotion. The Bazzini Dance of the Goblins completed the program in a virtuosic display of technical prowess that was sheer artistry.

REVIEW
Who: Itzhak Perlman in recital presented by the Harriman-Jewell Series
When: Saturday, October 4, 2008
Where: The Folly Theatre
Attendance: 1079 (Sold-out)
www.harriman-jewell.org

By Gayle G. Hathorne

Classical and Vocal Contributor (Past writer)