A NAME ARTIST ENTERS THE LIMELIGHT

At Juilliard, where she is in her second year studying piano, Navah Perlman insists she is “just one of the crowd.”

“Of course,” she quickly adds, “I’ve had more performing experience.”

At 15, Perlman has already had her share of time in the limelight. The young pianist, who makes her Los Angeles debut Sunday night in Royce Hall with the American Youth Symphony, has concertized for four years with orchestras as near to her New York home as Brooklyn and as far away as Israel.

In addition to her impressive performing credentials, there’s something else that sets her apart from the Juilliard “crowd”--her name.

Navah is the second oldest child of renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman, and that fact hasn’t hurt her career one bit. Just ask Youth Symphony music director Mehli Mehta.

“I’ve never heard her play,” he confesses unhesitatingly. “She wrote me two years ago and invited me to hear her in Brooklyn. I responded that maybe she could play here one day. Well, first thing I know, Itzhak called me and said, ‘What have you started? Now she wants to appear with you.’

“So, he sent me press notices and they seemed fine. And Zubin (the conductor’s famous son) told me he had heard her, and said she plays quite nicely.”

Would the elder Mehta have booked a young musician sight unseen and sound unheard if the last name were Jones or Smith? “I never book an artist without hearing them first,” he answers.

Well, hardly ever.

Prior to a recent concert with the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, the young pianist reflects on the advantages and disadvantages of being “The daughter of. . . .”

“A name can only go so far,” she muses. “An audience may be attracted at first, but if they don’t like you, they will close up again.”

Inevitably, the subject of her father and his role in her career enters the discussion. As she recognizes the familiar question, young Perlman groans in boredom. Yet, her answer is honest--and reassuring.

“He’s helpful,” she says. “Sometimes I go to him with a question. He’s never pushy. We haven’t played that much music together yet, but I hope one day. . . .”

Navah then playfully compliments her father with typical teen-age tolerance: “He’s not unbearable,” she says with a giggle.

“Look at the children of other famous people--they’ve survived,” she says.

But surely, so early in a career, there must be a heavy weight in carrying the Perlman name onto a concert stage. Yes, she agrees: the weight of expectation.

“You know, my father gave me some good advice a while ago. We were talking about competitions as a way of establishing a career, and he said, ‘If you win, you have to sustain that high level of performance. Now, maybe when you played, the adrenalin was going and you were playing above your normal level. It will be tough to recapture that, but everyone everywhere will be expecting it.’

“I face the same kind of expectations now with my name. And that’s part of the burden. It’s a hindrance.”

Young Perlman displays a refreshing honesty about her abilities. Witness her vehicle on Sunday (with Mom and Dad in attendance): Mozart’s Concerto No. 21. A nice piece, but not an overly flashy one.

“There must be thousands of pianists who can play rings around me,” she says with surprising candor. “But I don’t care. If there’s a 3-year-old out there who can play Rachmaninoff, that doesn’t bother me.

“I can only think of what I’m doing now. My goal is simply to make music as well as I can.”