**************************************************
Undeniably the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Itzhak Perlman enjoys superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. Beloved for his charm and humanity as well as his talent, he has come to be recognized by audiences all over the world who respond not only to his flawless technique, but to the irrepressible joy of making music which he communicates.
The violin master will give a recital with pianist Rohan De Silva at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall at 8pm, August 21 (Wednesday). Programmes featured in the concert will be Beethoven's "Sonata No. 4 for Violin and Piano in A Minor", Franck's "Sonata for Violin and Piano in A" and Ravel's "Sonata for Violin and Piano", as well as works to be announced by Perlman during the performance.
Born in Israel in 1945, Perlman completed his initial training at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv. Following his studies at the Juilliard School with Ivan Galamian and Dorothy DeLay, Perlman won the prestigious Leventritt Competition in 1964, which led to a burgeoning worldwide career. Since then, he has appeared with every major orchestra and in recitals and festivals across the globe.
Perlman is one of the most prolific and versatile recording artists of his time. His recordings regularly appear on the best-seller charts and have garnered fifteen Grammy Awards. His most recent Grammy was awarded in 1996 for "The American Album", with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Throughout 1995, EMI honoured Perlman on the occasion of his 50th birthday as "Artist of the Year" with the release of a 21-disc set entitled "The Itzhak Perlman Collection". The release of this set coincided with "The Definitive Perlman Experience" festival in London in which Perlman performed seven concertos in four concerts at the Royal Festival Hall.
Numerous publications and institutions have paid tribute to Itzhak Perlman for the unique place he occupies in the artistic and humanitarian fabric of our times. Newsweek magazine featured him with a cover story in April 1980, and in 1981 Musical America pictured him as "Musician of the Year" on the cover of its Directory of Music and Musicians. Harvard, Yale, Brandeis, Roosevelt, Yeshiva and Hebrew universities are among the institutions which have awarded him honorary degrees. President Reagan honoured Perlman with a "Medal of Liberty" in 1986, and in December 2000, President Clinton awarded Perlman the "National Medal of Arts".
His presence on stage, on camera and in personal appearances of all kinds speaks eloquently on behalf of the disabled, and his devotion to their cause is an integral part of Perlman's life.
Rohan De Silva's partnerships with violin virtuosos Itzhak Perlman, Cho-Liang Lin, Midori, Joshua Bell, Benny Kim, Kyoko Takezawa, Vadim Repin, Gil Shaham, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and Julian Rachlin have led to highly acclaimed performances at recital venues all over the world. A native of Sri Lanka, he began his piano studies with his mother, the late Primose De Silva and with the late Mary Billimoria. He spent six years at the Royal Academy of Music in London where he received many awards for advanced study in England. De Silva was the first recipient of a special scholarship in the arts from the Presidents Fund of Sri Lanka. This enabled him to enter The Juilliard School, where he received both his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees, studying piano with Martin Canin, chamber music with Felix Galimir, and working closely with violin pedagogue Dorothy DeLay. He was awarded a special prize as Best Accompanist at the 1990 Ninth International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
"Violin Recital by Itzhak Perlman" is one of the programmes of the "Encore Series" presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, with tickets priced at $580, $450, $320 and $200 now available at all URBTIX outlets. Half price concessions will be granted to senior citizens, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients (Limited student and CSSA tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis). A 10% discount is also available for Friends of LCSD performing venues. In addition, box seats and lounge package is available for sale for the performance. Interested parties of the above packages are advised to check the details at 2268 7231.
Besides, a pre-concert talk by Jimmy Shiu will be held at 8pm August 9 (Friday) at AC2, 4/F of the Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The free admission talk will be conducted in Cantonese. Limited seats will be available on a first-come-first-served basis.
Programme enquiries can be made on 2268 7321 or website www.lcsd.gov.hk/cp. Ticketing enquiries and reservation can be made on 2734 9009; Internet booking can be made at www.lcsd.gov.hk/urbtix while credit card telephone booking on 2111 5999.
End/Tuesday, July 9, 2002
NNNN
