Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman, born on August 31, 1945, in Tel Aviv, contracted polio at four years of age and has walked using leg braces and crutches ever since. He gained national attention in the U.S. when he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show twice in 1958, and again in 1964 (a show headlined by The Rolling Stones). His performances on the show included pieces such as Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee", Wieniawski's "Polonaise Brillante", and Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. In 1963 and 1964, Perlman made appearances with the National Orchestra Association in Wieniawski's Violin Concerto No. 1, the New York Youth Orchestra in Beethoven's Violin Concerto, and with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
In 1965, Perlman debuted as soloist with the New York Philharmonic, playing Bruch's Violin Concerto, and with the Cleveland Orchestra playing Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto. In 1966, he debuted with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Symphony.
Starting in the late 1960s, Perlman began to tour Europe, debuting with the London Symphony Orchestra under André Previn, the Berlin Philharmonic under von Karajan and the Vienna Philharmonic under Claudio Abbado. Perlman’s career as a soloist worldwide has continued unabated. His vast discography includes recordings of all the major violin repertoire, played in collaboration with all the world’s finest orchestras, conductors and accompanists.
In this clip, Itzhak Perlman conducts and plays Vivaldi's Spring (from The Four Seasons):
The list of Itzhak Perlman’s awards is a very long list… Some high points:
- 16 Grammy Awards
- Grammy Lifetime Award
- 4 Emmy Awards
- Medal of Liberty (1986)
- National Medal of Arts (2000)
- Kennedy Center Honors
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2015)
