MPR Classical host, Mindy Ratner talks with Israeli-American violinist Itzhak Perlman while he is in St. Paul to play at the Shubert Club, his first Minnesota concert in over a decade. Perlman discusses how even after four decades as a top international performer, the music still moves him.
Recognized as one of the finest violinists in the world, Perlman has won 15 Grammys for his recordings and four Emmys for his work on television.
SPEAKER 1: The other day, I was asked the question, what do you think is the-- what do you like about being a musician? I think it was something like that. And I said, for me, what makes me feel very lucky is for me to be able to cry when I hear a particular piece of music, and for it to do what it does to me. And I said to myself, God, I'm so lucky that something has such an effect on me. It's great.
And I was just-- I always wonder, wouldn't it be wonderful if this person or that person had the same thing? And I'm sure a lot of people have interesting experiences. I have this-- I'm involved in a music program that my wife started about 10 years ago called The Perlman Music Program. It's a summer program for pre-college kids. And we sometimes we do classes, and one of the classes that they do, I call it the goosebump class. What piece of music gives you the goosebumps?
And it's very interesting to hear what kids have to say and that-- because sometimes you have a particular piece and they all agree that piece gives you goosebumps. They don't agree exactly what place. They say, no, I think in the first movement I get this and they say, no, no, no, it's the last movement that I just I cannot stand it. It's so amazing. So that's very interesting. What the ear does to your body through music.
SPEAKER 2: And of course, the great blessing for you is that you still feel that way.
SPEAKER 1: Oh, yes.
SPEAKER 2: You've been making music for a lifetime and you can still come to a work, and--
SPEAKER 1: Well, listen--
SPEAKER 2: --and get goosebumps.
SPEAKER 1: --the other day, we had one of the activities that we have through the Perlman Music Program throughout the year, which makes it so unusual, is we get our kids to play little private concerts for maybe 50 people. So that they can get nervous and practice, and we call it works in progress so that they basically, get nervous, can play something with nerves. And then the second time it's already better because you know what the nerves are going to do for you when you play it for the first time.
Well, in this particular concert, I was-- the tears were coming down, streaming. One of our kids played and this kid just slays me every time she plays. And it's something that you don't really-- that you can't really teach when somebody touches you.
SPEAKER 2: You're no stranger to the Twin Cities. What is it about this place that's so attractive to you? Why do you like playing here so much?
SPEAKER 1: Well, I like playing here because the audience is good. And this is a very-- when you go to a place where they have a lot of music. They have a lot of music here, between the Saint Paul and Minneapolis and so on and the recitals and so on. It's-- you feel that things are things are hopping. There is a simpatico kind of atmosphere to what you do. And you feel that when people come, they really know what they want to hear. They have an idea of what they want to listen to. And so you feel safe. You feel not so much safe as you feel that people are on your page.
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