Music from the Movies with Itzhak Perlman
What an extraordinary treat! I spent this evening at the New York Philharmonic at the "Gala Evening of American Cinematic Musical Magic". Leonard Slatkin conducted, Itzhak Perlman dazzled and James Danner trebled. I'm going to resist the temptation to wax on and on about the delights of the evening (even the catered dinner afterward was delicious) in favor of sharing some snippets from my post-performance online chat with e-Marginalia Travel Editor, Nana Chen.
Me: I watched and listened to Itzhak Perlman perform tonight. Nana: Do you know how that makes me feel as a violinist? To hear that? ARRRHHHHHGGG! Me: Amazing. Leonard Slatkin conducted Music from the Movies Nana: I don't recognize his name. Me: Conducted a score or two that his mother and father had performed the film tracks for years ago in Hollywood. Nana: Wow. Me: And Itzhak Perlman offered an encore from the most auspiciously absent film composer: Ennio Morricone. Nana: What a dream. You lucky bow-wow! Me: Perlman performed the theme from Cinema Paradiso as encore. Nana: Oh, my God! I love that! Nana: What about Scent of a Woman? Me: Yes. Loved it too, having watched it again and again over the years. Nana: Did he play the tango piece from that? Me: Yes, "Tango por una Cabeza" it's called. Spellbinding. Nana: Oh, man! Me: So passionate, like making love to his violin. Nana: That's what my violin partner, Mike and I are working on currently, trying to harmonize. Me: An amazing piece. I need to go back and re-watch the film. Nana: Will have to see it when I'm in NYC. Me: So much from a man virtually paralyzed with polio since childhood. Nana: It's really incredible. And his violin, tell me about the violin itself. (Do I sound like a junkie?) What did it look like to you, his movements, his right arm, the bowing… Me: Not certain what he plays with, but I'd imagine it's a Strad or a Guadagnini. He plays quite forcefully. Nana: Yes, of course. People are always surprised that violinists must struggle and sweat with the little violin. I'm so pleased you saw that. By the way, I think it's a Strad. Me: He sits very upright, a big upper body, huge hands, or they look that way. Nana: Huge hands? What an advantage. I have a story about Paganini. Later... Me: He crinkles his forehead and breathes heavily, moves his mouth like a fish. Nana: Opens his mouth wide? Musicians have to breathe a certain way. It's hard work! Me: Yes, like a fish, sometimes gasping for air, sometimes kissing the glass of an aquarium. And leaning into his violin as if it is the violin which holds him upright. Nana: Gross, George! Me: Gross? The kissing fish? Nana: Sorry, I imagined human lips pasted on an aquarium, my fish was too big. No, not gross then. Me: He keeps a towel between the instrument and his chin and neck. Nana: Towel or handkerchief on his chinrest? Me: Towel. White terrycloth. Nana: Towel. Hmm… I'll have to try that. Maybe better suction of sweat and less slippery than handkerchief. Won't make me play better but interesting to know. Me: And they acknowledged John Barry who was in the audience after performing his theme from Out of Africa. Perlman told Slatkin he was there, I think. Barry stood and received applause. Perlman smiling… His shirt had a big horizontal wrinkle running perpendicular to the tuxedo pleats from where it had been folded! Funny. Nana: Har-har! Me: He so clearly loves each stroke of the box. So confident. Smiling to himself.
And so it goes. An online chat between Manhattan and Taipei debriefing the New York Philharmonic's thoroughly enjoyable "Gala Evening of American Cinematic Musical Magic". Hope you enjoyed the insider's (outsider's?) view...