By Lee Hyo-won
``I’m in the middle of a news meeting, I’ll have to call you back later.’’ Answering a cell phone during a packed press conference usually invites irritated murmurs from reporters, but instead a bout of infectious laughter filled the room.
This is none other than the superstar violinist Itzhak Perlman who, whether on or offstage, exudes a certain joie de vivre that thoroughly engages you.
The artist met with the press Monday in Seoul, ahead of his much-anticipated performance here Tuesday. Tickets were long sold out for the recital, which marked his return to Korea after 19 years.
``Some of the mothers (of my Korean students) are going to come backstage to say hello,’’ said Perlman, who in addition to having an illustrious career as a concert violinist, is also a devoted teacher. He is known to Korean fans as a Juilliard fellow of the country’s celebrated violinist Chung Kyung-wha, and has succeeded their teacher Dorothy DeLay at the New York music school. He currently holds the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation chair.
The hype over Perlman’s visit is not surprising ― the number of Asian, and particularly Korean, artists on the world classical music scene, whether training in music schools or playing as soloists or members of premier orchestras, is most palpable, and Perlman took note of the phenomenon. ``I feel this country is right now going toward very much an intense sort of classical music direction.’’
``There are a lot of Korean students who are absolutely terrifically talented... They’re the goers who’ve been pushing me to come to Korea... I find that the entire Korean musical direction is very intense,’’ he said. ``(Among) kids that I teach at Juilliard, but also on my summer program at Juilliard called Perlman Music Program... the ratio of Korean string players is fantastic, it’s huge. As I said they’re very, very talented kids.’’
In addition to performing and teaching he also conducts, and serves as principal guest conductor at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
``The triple job is wonderful for me because of the great dangers of having a long career is getting bored, and because I have a triple job it never happens,’’ he said. His superstar status has endured for more than a half-century since his 1958 U.S> television debut at age 13.
``Conducting supports my teaching, my teaching supports my playing ― everything is connected. I tell my students if they ever get a chance to teach, I tell them to do it. Conducting is also like teaching since you tell the orchestra what they should be doing.’’
In nurturing aspiring musicians, he stresses how it is important to learn how to listen. ``When you reach a certain level of playing, the playing is only an equipment for expression... You have to become a good judge about how you sound rather than how you feel the physicality of your playing.’’ He also believes in bringing the positive aspect of what a student has to say through music, rather than criticizing to push for improvement.
His career has also been highlighted by Hollywood stints, including an appearance as himself in Woody Allen’s ``Everyone Says I Love You’’ and partaking in the score for Steven Spielberg’s ``Schindler’s List.’’ ``I’m waiting for the call from Hollywood... But I better stick to my day job,’’ he joked.
In the meantime, the artist also spends his time cooking (``Cooking is an art,’’ he insists), tuning into baseball and being a family man, having five children and nine grandchildren.