Laurie Niles is from Pasadena, California.

Biography

Starling-DeLay Day Two: A Conversation with Itzhak Perlman

NEW YORK - After teaching his master class at the second day of the Starling-DeLay Symposium on Violin Studies at Juilliard, Itzhak Perlman stayed to chat with Symposium participants, answering questions from Symposium Artistic Director, Brian Lewis.

"What first attracted you to the violin?" Brian asked.

Perlman said "I heard the violin on the radio, and I love the sound." He said he loved the recordings of the greats such as Jascha Heifetz, Alfredo Campoli, Ida Haendel, David Oistrakh, and Isaac Stern.

"What about Heifetz did you like?" Brian asked.

"Oh, just that he was God," Perlman deadpanned. "He had so much character in his playing; it was so individual."

Brian asked Perlman if he thought it was important to listen to recordings, and Perlman said that "the danger comes in listening to just one recording."

For example, he's encountered a number of "Heifetz victims" in his life, even one "Milstein victim."

"They need an exorcism!" Perlman said. "Victims take the obvious idiosyncrasies about (their idol) and magnify them."

Perlman said he doesn't like to demonstrate much for students, as he doesn't want them to become imitators.

When Perlman came to America at age 13, his first teachers were Dorothy DeLay and Ivan Galamian.

DeLay was much different from the strict, Russian-trained teacher he'd had in Israel. For example, DeLay "believed in involving the student in the decision-making about music."

"She would say, 'Sugarplum, what are you missing here? Where are the sequences?' or 'Sugarplum, what's your concept of G#?"

Galamian cut more to the point.

"IT'S OUT OF TUNE," Perlman said, in Galamian's Russian-flavored accent.

"Galamian was able to take people who were moderately talented and make them play well," Perlman said of his mentor. Though he studied with both, "I worked harder for him than I did for her, because I knew she wouldn't KILL ME." (Cue audience laugh track....)

Galamian had a deep concept of what makes a sound, what is at the core of the sound. On the other hand, DeLay "taught me how to think musically," Perlman said. "The way I teach -- a lot of it is inspired by her example."

"Any experience you can have teaching will improve your playing," Perlman told the audience. "When you teach, listening is the number one quality you need."

Brian asked Perlman what his most challenging performance was.

Perlman said he could remember some memory slips. "I had a couple where I actually composed a piece," Perlman said. "For about 10 seconds I composed a piece---10 VERY LONG seconds...." Perlman imitated the bewildered conductor, then imitated himself -- lost but improvising.

An audience member asked if Perlman recommended a specific practice regimen. Perlman said no, but "I recommend not over-practicing." After five hours, the brain loses its capacity to absorb anything, he said. "Don't practice blindly. You have to have a reason to practice," something particular to accomplish. "Put as much music into your practicing as possible," he said, so it is not all technical work. "Technique must make a connection with the music you are making." Also, practice in rhythms. "Get really used to one rhythm, then destroy it with another."

One teacher asked him how he can play in tune so well with such large fingers.

"Well, I'M TALENTED," he said, drawing more laughter.

"No no. Look, it's difficult," he said. "Each finger, I sort of push the other away. Sometimes I play four notes in a row with the same finger. I believe every note has its own house up there."

Asked about the importance of chamber music, he said, "Chamber music, for me, is the essence of everything that is right in music. Being able to breath with other musicians, being able to work as one with other musicians."

"If someone is good at chamber music," he said, "They can do anything they want to do in music!"

Efrem

Now this interview has GOOD advice! WOW!

Cheers!

-Lauren

I particularly like what he says about the association of technique and music.

Thanks.

So true. It's all about listening.

Lei Zhang