8 Notable Recordings by Award-Winning Violinist Itzhak Perlman

Itzhak Perlman is violinist, conductor, teacher, humanitarian, and virtuoso musician. He was born in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1945. He became interested in the violin at the age of three, and spent his childhood studying at the Shulamit Conservatory and the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv.

When he was 13, Itzhak was invited to New York to play on CBS’s The Ed Sullivan Show. After that, he then stayed in New York and entered the Juilliard School, where he studied with Ivan Galamian and Dorothy Delay. In 1963, Itzhak made his Carnegie Hall debut with the National Orchestra Association and his career was launched in 1964, when he won first prize in the Leventritt Competition.

Itzhak has won four Emmy awards and sixteen Grammy awards, as well as the Grammy organization’s 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in the recording arts. His appearances on Sesame Street have been cited by many of today’s young violinists as their earliest exposure to the instrument. He has received some of America’s highest honors, including the National Medal of Arts in 2000, a Kennedy Center Honor in 2003, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2015

After more than a half-century of performing as a superstar violin soloist with nearly every top orchestra, every top conductor, and in every top concert hall in the world, Itzhak continues to expand his horizons, conducting major orchestras, teaching at the Juilliard School in New York, and hosting the Perlman Music Program for young musicians.

Itzhak’s recordings have helped to shape the landscape of modern classical music. Here are a few of his recordings:

1. 1. Schindler's List (1993): Itzhak performed John Williams’ score in the ensemble soundtrack recording of this Steven Spielberg film, which went on to win numerous Academy Awards, including for best score.
2. 2. In the Fiddler’s House (1995): This album is a celebration of classic klezmer music—a kind of Ashkenazi Jewish folk music—and was the basis for a PBS special by the same name.
3. 3. Cinema Serenade (1997): This collection of themes from iconic films was made with John Williams, who conducts the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. It includes Williams’ own score from Schindler’s List as well as Quincy Jones’s theme from The Color Purple, Ennio Morricone’s theme from Cinema Paradiso, and more.
4. 4. Marita and Her Heart’s Desire: A Musical Fairy Tale (1998): This record is meant to introduce children to classical music and the orchestra. Itzhak played as the violin soloist in this project, composed and conducted by Bruce Adolphe. He performs with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
5. 5. Concertos From My Childhood (1999): Itzhak’s album of some of the most popular works in the violin student repertoire is invaluable for students and teachers. It includes :Rieding’s Violin Concerto in B-minor, Op. 35”; “Seitz’s Student Concerto No. 3, Op. 13”; “Accolay’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in A-minor”; “Charles August de Bériot’s Scène de Ballet, Op. 100”; and” Viotti’s Violin Concerto No. 22 in A-minor”.
6. 6. Mozart (2003): This album that showcases Itzhak’s talents as both soloist and conductor. He performs Mozart’s “Violin Concerto No. 3”, and he conducts Mozart’s “Symphony No. 41, Jupiter”, with the Berlin Philharmonic.
7. 7. The Perlman Edition (2004): This enormous collection (originally a 15 CD box set) features major violin concertos by Ludwig van Beethoven, Max Bruch, Jean Sibelius, Christian Sinding, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and more.
8. 8. Memoirs of a Geisha Soundtrack (2005): Itzhak performed as a violin soloist along with Yo-Yo Ma on the soundtrack for this Rob Marshall film. The score was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score.

The Perlman Music Program (or PMP) was founded in 1994 by Itzhak's wife Toby Perlman and Suki Sandler. The program, located on New York’s Shelter Island, trains young string musicians between the ages of 12 and 18. It was started as a summer camp, and has since expanded to diverse programs that span nearly the entire year. Today, the PMP hosts a curriculum of programs, residencies, concerts, mentorship, and educational engagement. As part of the summer music program, students have the chance to learn directly from Itzhak Perlman. For Itzhak, teaching is a crucial part of his artistic life. “When you teach others,” he says, “you teach yourself.”

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