Perlman’s point about the body giving 'misinformation' is the ultimate challenge for the performer. As a conservatory-trained violinist, I’ve often reflected on the Galamian/Perlman belief that tone is ultimately a 'pre-hearing'—an internal imagination that either exists in the ear or doesn't. Of course, that imagination is shaped by what we consume; even the young Heifetz famously sounded more like Kreisler before he became 'Heifetz,' simply because he had absorbed so much of Kreisler’s sound.
Perlman feels like the final bridge to that Golden Age of Violin Playing—a time before individuality was polished away by the ubiquity of digital modern recording. Although Young Perlman and Older Perlman had fairly distinct artistic individualities even from each other based on his tremendous set of recordings. I just published an essay on the body as 'scaffolding,' arguing that this inimitable 'Human Signature' only emerges through the physical siege of the instrument. To hear Perlman describe that 1% of talent that cannot be taught confirms that the 'heart' isn't just emotion; it’s that mystical spiritual presence that transcends music, making it the ultimate in communication between artist and audience.
Thank you for preserving these insights; they are essential for those of us still fighting the 'siege' in the practice room.
Thanks, Alexander! I feel very lucky to be able to talk to players like this, and very happy to share their wisdom. I only wish I could have spoken to Heifetz and that generation. I think there are a few individualistic players, still. I'd put Augustin Hadelich in that category, at least!
That’s a good example—someone like Hadelich still feels unmistakably himself, even within a very globalized tradition.
Exposure clearly expands what a player can imagine, especially early on. But at a certain point, it also creates a kind of shared center of gravity—something many players orient around, even if they don’t realize it.
Thank you for this fascinating piece Ariane. For me, violin playing doesn't get better than Perlman's. I have such vivid memories of listening to his Bach in the car on the way home from school. It was one of three tapes that my dad would play on loop. Very envious that you got to speak to him!
I have distinct memories of the music I listened to on the way to school, too, although not Perlman (lots of Sibelius and Schubert!) but it's funny how it's such a formative experience!
Ariane, what a gift to read these 'off-cuts.'
Perlman’s point about the body giving 'misinformation' is the ultimate challenge for the performer. As a conservatory-trained violinist, I’ve often reflected on the Galamian/Perlman belief that tone is ultimately a 'pre-hearing'—an internal imagination that either exists in the ear or doesn't. Of course, that imagination is shaped by what we consume; even the young Heifetz famously sounded more like Kreisler before he became 'Heifetz,' simply because he had absorbed so much of Kreisler’s sound.
Perlman feels like the final bridge to that Golden Age of Violin Playing—a time before individuality was polished away by the ubiquity of digital modern recording. Although Young Perlman and Older Perlman had fairly distinct artistic individualities even from each other based on his tremendous set of recordings. I just published an essay on the body as 'scaffolding,' arguing that this inimitable 'Human Signature' only emerges through the physical siege of the instrument. To hear Perlman describe that 1% of talent that cannot be taught confirms that the 'heart' isn't just emotion; it’s that mystical spiritual presence that transcends music, making it the ultimate in communication between artist and audience.
Thank you for preserving these insights; they are essential for those of us still fighting the 'siege' in the practice room.
Thanks, Alexander! I feel very lucky to be able to talk to players like this, and very happy to share their wisdom. I only wish I could have spoken to Heifetz and that generation. I think there are a few individualistic players, still. I'd put Augustin Hadelich in that category, at least!
That’s a good example—someone like Hadelich still feels unmistakably himself, even within a very globalized tradition.
Exposure clearly expands what a player can imagine, especially early on. But at a certain point, it also creates a kind of shared center of gravity—something many players orient around, even if they don’t realize it.
Thank you for this fascinating piece Ariane. For me, violin playing doesn't get better than Perlman's. I have such vivid memories of listening to his Bach in the car on the way home from school. It was one of three tapes that my dad would play on loop. Very envious that you got to speak to him!
I have distinct memories of the music I listened to on the way to school, too, although not Perlman (lots of Sibelius and Schubert!) but it's funny how it's such a formative experience!