Itzhak Perlman

Composers

Biography

Born: August 31, 1945; Israel  
In the latter twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Itzhak Perlman has been acclaimed as being among the leading violinists before the public, and, without doubt, has been the most visible of them in media venues, from recordings and radio broadcasts to television and film appearances. No other concert violinist and few other serious musicians have achieved the widespread exposure and popularity attained by Perlman.

Itzhak Perlman Read more was born in Tel Aviv on August 31, 1945. At the age of four he was stricken with polio, which caused permanent paralysis of his legs, leaving him to rely on crutches and braces for the rest of his life. Despite his handicap, young Itzhak began showing talent on the violin, and his father Chaim, a barber, quickly recognized his son's unusual abilities and arranged for lessons for him at the Music Academy of Tel Aviv. Soon Itzhak began giving concerts and attracting attention throughout Israel. American television talent agent Ed Sullivan learned of Perlman's abilities and brought the 13-year-old to New York for a 1959 appearance on his Caravan of Stars show.

Perlman and his parents subsequently took up residency in New York City, where the young virtuoso continued to attract attention. He enrolled at the Juilliard School of Music, studying with Ivan Galamian and Dorothy DeLay. He made his official debut in 1963 at Carnegie Hall with a performance of the F sharp minor Wieniawski Concerto and went on to win the Leventritt Competition, one of whose prizes was an appearance with the New York Philharmonic, then led by Leonard Bernstein.

After these triumphs Perlman was taken on by impresario Sol Hurok and given a heavy schedule of concerts in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Israel over the coming years. He also began making recordings with RCA and would eventually sign contracts with EMI, Sony, Teldec, and others. Over the next three decades, his recordings would include the concertos of Beethoven, Brahms, Sibelius, Mendelssohn, Berg, the two by Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio, Dvorak's Sonatina, Paganini's Caprices, and many others. In 1966, Perlman married Toby Friedlander. The couple would reside in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where they would raise five children. Perlman had begun teaching as well, and in 1975 took a faculty post at Brooklyn College.

Perlman's fame grew rapidly in the 1970s and he began appearing regularly on television programs, like the children's show Sesame Street, The Tonight Show, David Letterman, and various specials on the PBS network. He also became a frequent performer at White House events, especially during the Reagan administration. In 1986, President Reagan awarded him a Medal of Liberty, an award recognizing the contributions of foreign-born Americans. By 1990 Perlman had performed with virtually every major orchestra in the world and with almost every important conductor. He also signed a new contract that year with EMI, the label for whom he has made the most recordings.

In 1994, Perlman hosted a program on the PBS network called the Three Tenors, Encore!, that featured the singing of Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, and José Carreras. He also made a television special in 1995 for the PBS Great Performances series entitled In the Fiddler's House. Perlman has recently taken up conducting, his concerts including a Tanglewood Festival performance in 2000 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra that included critically successful readings of the Mozart Symphony No. 29 and the Brahms Symphony No. 4.

In the twenty-first century, Perlman's career continues to yield him triumph after triumph, placing him among this age's top five or six musicians in the classical realm. Read less

Featured Itzhak Perlman CDs & DVDs:

Great Romantic Concertos / Itzhak Perlman
Great Romantic Concertos / Itzhak Perlman
Release Date: 12/07/1993   Label: Emi Classics  
Catalog: 64922   Number of Discs: 3
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Ovation - Beethoven: The Violin Sonatas / Perlman, Ashkenazy
Ovation - Beethoven: The Violin Sonatas / Perlman, Ashkenazy
Release Date: 09/10/2002   Label: Decca  
Catalog: 421453   Number of Discs: 4
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Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto, Etc; Mussorgsky: Pictures / Perlman, Ormandy
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto, Etc; Mussorgsky: Pictures / Perlman, Ormandy
Release Date: 09/26/2006   Label: Euroarts  
Catalog: 2072128   Number of Discs: 1
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Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Brahms: Violin Concerto / Perlman, Barenboim
Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Brahms: Violin Concerto / Perlman, Barenboim
Release Date: 06/07/2005   Label: Warner Classics  
Catalog: 44545   Number of Discs: 1
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In The Fiddler's House / Itzhak Perlman
In The Fiddler's House / Itzhak Perlman
Release Date: 10/03/2006   Label: Warner Classics  
Catalog: 68609   Number of Discs: 1
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Browse 1-25 of 220 Available Recordings
1 2 ... 8 9
  • 1.
    Bach Masterworks - The Original Jackets Collection
    Bach Masterworks - The Original Jackets Collection
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001929902 Release Date: 12/10/2013   Number of Discs: 50
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Hertha Töpper,  Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau,  Maria Stader,  Ernst Haefliger  ... 
    Conductor:  Karl Richter,  John Eliot Gardiner,  Rainer Kussmaul,  Reinhard Goebel  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Munich Bach Orchestra,  Munich Bach Choir,  English Baroque Soloists  ... 
    On sale! $169.98
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  • 2.
    Carlo Maria Giulini: The Concerto Recordings
    Carlo Maria Giulini: The Concerto Recordings
    Label: Warner Classics   Catalog: 31761 Release Date: 12/03/2013   Number of Discs: 9
    Composer:  Johannes Brahms,  Franz Joseph Haydn,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Robert Schumann  ... 
    Performer:  Alexis Weissenberg,  Manoug Parikian,  Mstislav Rostropovich,  Itzhak Perlman  ... 
    Conductor:  Carlo Maria Giulini
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Philharmonia Orchestra,  London Philharmonic Orchestra,  Chicago Symphony Orchestra
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  • 3.
    Israel Philharmonic Orchestra 60th Anniversary Concert / Mehta, Barenboim
    Israel Philharmonic Orchestra 60th Anniversary Concert / Mehta, Barenboim
    Label: Euroarts   Catalog: 2012744 Release Date: 07/30/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Carl Maria von Weber,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Antonio Vivaldi,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart  ... 
    Performer:  Pinchas Zukerman,  Ariel Shamai,  Maxim Vengerov,  Shlomo Mintz  ... 
    Conductor:  Zubin Mehta,  Daniel Barenboim
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
    On sale! $39.99
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  • 4.
    Dvorak In Prague: A Celebration (Remastered)
    Dvorak In Prague: A Celebration (Remastered)
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 756035 Release Date: 07/09/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Antonín Dvorák
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman,  Yo-Yo Ma,  Rudolf Firkusny,  Frederica Von Stade
    Conductor:  Seiji Ozawa
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Boston Symphony Orchestra,  Prague Philharmonic Chorus
    CD: $8.99
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  • 5.
    Ashkenazy - 50 Years on Decca
    Ashkenazy - 50 Years on Decca
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 001820202 Release Date: 04/02/2013   Number of Discs: 50
    Composer:  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Robert Schumann,  Ludwig van Beethoven  ... 
    Performer:  Vladimir Ashkenazy,  Boris Belkin,  Daniel Barenboim,  Fou Ts'ong  ... 
    Conductor:  Kiril Kondrashin,  Anatole Fistoulari,  Lorin Maazel,  Uri Segal  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra,  London Symphony Orchestra,  London Wind Soloists  ... 
    On sale! $169.98
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  • 6.
    Cinema Serenade / Perlman, Williams, Pittsburgh So
    Label: Phantom Imports (Italy)   Catalog: 8015552 Release Date: 03/22/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Quincy Jones,  Carlos Gardel,  Michel Legrand,  Luis Enriquez Bacalov  ... 
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman
    Conductor:  John Williams
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
    On sale! $18.98
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  • 7.
    Itzhak Perlman - Concertos, Sonatas & More
    Itzhak Perlman - Concertos, Sonatas & More
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 5438882 Release Date: 03/12/2013   Number of Discs: 9
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Antonio Vivaldi,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Johannes Brahms  ... 
    Performer:  Isaac Stern,  Itzhak Perlman,  Pinchas Zukerman,  Daniel Barenboim  ... 
    Conductor:  Zubin Mehta,  Erich Leinsdorf,  André Previn,  John Williams
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  New York Philharmonic,  Juilliard String Quartet,  Boston Symphony Orchestra  ... 
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  • 8.
    Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto; Bruch: Violin Concertos 1 & 2
    Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto; Bruch: Violin Concertos 1 & 2
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 332922 Release Date: 02/26/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Felix Mendelssohn,  Max Bruch
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman
    Conductor:  Bernard Haitink,  Jesús Lopez-Cobos
    CD: $12.99
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  • 9.
    Mozart 111 [55-CD Set]
    Mozart 111 [55-CD Set]
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001766872 Release Date: 11/13/2012   Number of Discs: 55
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Performer:  Géza Anda,  Emil Gilels,  Elena Gilels,  Maurizio Pollini  ... 
    Conductor:  Trevor Pinnock,  James Levine,  Herbert von Karajan,  Marc Minkowski  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  English Concert,  Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra,  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra  ... 
    On sale! $169.98
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  • 10.
    Itzhak Perlman - A Portrait
    Itzhak Perlman - A Portrait
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 941217 Release Date: 11/06/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Antonio Vivaldi,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Max Bruch,  Camille Saint-Saëns  ... 
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman,  Samuel Sanders,  André Previn
    Conductor:  Itzhak Perlman,  Daniel Barenboim,  Bernard Haitink,  Jean Martinon  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Philharmonic Orchestra,  English Chamber Orchestra,  Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra  ... 
    CD: $17.99
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  • 11.
    Itzhak Perlman - A Portrait [Deluxe Edition - 2 CDs + 2 DVDs]
    Itzhak Perlman - A Portrait [Deluxe Edition - 2 CDs + 2 DVDs]
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 941194 Release Date: 11/06/2012   Number of Discs: 4
    Composer:  Antonio Vivaldi,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Max Bruch,  Camille Saint-Saëns  ... 
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman,  Samuel Sanders,  André Previn
    Conductor:  Itzhak Perlman,  Daniel Barenboim,  Bernard Haitink,  Jean Martinon  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Philharmonic Orchestra,  English Chamber Orchestra,  Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra  ... 
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  • 12.
    Eternal Echoes - Songs & Dances For The Soul / Itzhak Perlman, Yitzchak Helfgot
    Eternal Echoes - Songs & Dances For The Soul / Itzhak Perlman, Yitzchak Helfgot
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 542006 Release Date: 09/04/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Traditional,  Ben-Zion Shenker,  Abraham Goldfaden,  Israel Schorr
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman,  Yitzchak Meir Helfgot
    CD: $14.99
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  • 13.
    Bach: Violin Concertos / Perlman, Zukerman, Barenboim, English Chamber Orchestra
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 636464 Release Date: 08/28/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman,  Pinchas Zukerman
    Conductor:  Daniel Barenboim
    CD: $7.99
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  • 14.
    Wieniawski: Violin Concertos / Perlman, Sanders, Ozawa
    Wieniawski: Violin Concertos / Perlman, Sanders, Ozawa
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 5660592 Release Date: 08/24/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Henri Wieniawski
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman,  Samuel Sanders
    Conductor:  Seiji Ozawa
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 15.
    Erich Leinsdorf Conducts Prokofiev
    Erich Leinsdorf Conducts Prokofiev
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 7809452 Release Date: 08/07/2012   Number of Discs: 6
    Composer:  Sergei Prokofiev
    Performer:  John Browning,  Erick Friedman,  Itzhak Perlman
    Conductor:  Erich Leinsdorf
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Boston Symphony Orchestra
    Recommendation
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  • 16.
    Memoirs Of A Geisha / Williams, Ma, Perlman
    Memoirs Of A Geisha / Williams, Ma, Perlman
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 756284 Release Date: 07/10/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Williams
    Performer:  Yo-Yo Ma,  Itzhak Perlman
    Conductor:  John Williams
    CD: $14.99
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  • 17.
    San Francisco Symphony At 100
    San Francisco Symphony At 100
    Label: San Francisco Symphony   Catalog: 52 Release Date: 06/12/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Aaron Copland,  Felix Mendelssohn,  Benjamin Britten
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman
    Conductor:  Michael Tilson Thomas
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
    Recommendation
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  • 18.
    San Francisco Symphony At 100 [blu-ray]
    San Francisco Symphony At 100 [blu-ray]
    Label: San Francisco Symphony   Catalog: 57 Release Date: 06/12/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Aaron Copland,  Felix Mendelssohn,  Benjamin Britten
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman
    Conductor:  Michael Tilson Thomas
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
    Recommendation
    On sale! $69.98
    Blu-ray Disc: $55.99
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  • 19.
    First Choice: Saint-saens: Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso; Havanaise; Sarasate: Carmen-fantasy
    First Choice: Saint-saens: Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso; Havanaise; Sarasate: Carmen-fantasy
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001662902 Release Date: 04/10/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Pablo de Sarasate,  Ernest Chausson,  Camille Saint-Saëns,  Maurice Ravel
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman,  Myor Rosen
    Conductor:  Zubin Mehta
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  New York Philharmonic
    CD: $12.99
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  • 20.
    Israel Philharmonic Orchestra 75th Anniversay - Great Moments
    Israel Philharmonic Orchestra 75th Anniversay - Great Moments
    Label: Helicon   Catalog: 29649 Release Date: 04/10/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Giuseppe Verdi,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Franz Schubert  ... 
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman,  Pinchas Zukerman,  Chaim Taub,  Daniel Benyamini  ... 
    Conductor:  Zubin Mehta,  Kurt Masur,  Herbert Blomstedt,  Gary Bertini  ... 
    On sale! $34.98
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  • 21.
    Brahms, Dvorak: Violin Concertos / Perlman, Giulini, Barenboim
    Brahms, Dvorak: Violin Concertos / Perlman, Giulini, Barenboim
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 6787062 Release Date: 03/26/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johannes Brahms,  Antonín Dvorák
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman
    Conductor:  Carlo Maria Giulini,  Daniel Barenboim
    CD: $12.99
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  • 22.
    Vivaldi: The Four Seasons / Itzhak Perlman
    Vivaldi: The Four Seasons / Itzhak Perlman
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 6783352 Release Date: 03/26/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Antonio Vivaldi
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman
    Conductor:  Itzhak Perlman
    CD: $12.99
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  • 23.
    Cinema Serenade [k2hd]
    Cinema Serenade [k2hd]
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 7332 Release Date: 03/20/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Quincy Jones,  Carlos Gardel,  Michel Legrand,  Luis Enriquez Bacalov  ... 
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman
    Conductor:  John Williams
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  • 24.
    A Tribute To John Williams - An 80th Birthday Celebration
    A Tribute To John Williams - An 80th Birthday Celebration
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 942532 Release Date: 02/28/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Williams
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman,  Yo-Yo Ma
    Conductor:  John Williams
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
    CD: $11.99
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  • 25.
    Bach: Violin Sonatas And Partitas / Itzhak Perlman
    Bach: Violin Sonatas And Partitas / Itzhak Perlman
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 85281 Release Date: 01/24/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Itzhak Perlman
    CD: $24.99
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