Perlman Grabs the Baton

The urge for violinists to conduct can be overwhelming. After all, they already have a way with a stick. In the 17th century it was the responsibility of the leading violinist in the orchestra to keep things together. And although the typical modern-day maestro is likely to have been trained as a pianist, many violinists have never lost that historic connection with conducting. Now Itzhak Perlman has joined the ranks.

Perlman has become active enough on the podium in the last two years that he has led many of the major American orchestras and will become principal guest conductor of the Detroit Symphony next year. On Tuesday night, nearly 35 years after first appearing at the Hollywood Bowl as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, he made another debut there as a conductor.

Because of his disability due to polio, Perlman, who sits on the podium in the same kind of chair that orchestra players use, relies on what is apparently tremendous upper-body strength for expression. He throws himself enthusiastically into his gestures, and he gets, in return, a full, satisfying and very physical dug-in sound from the players. Perlman is a collegial musician, and the richness of tone and general responsiveness of the Philharmonic under him seem to indicate that the Philharmonic likes and respects him.

But Perlman is also at a disadvantage as a conductor. The most appealing aspect of his violin playing, besides the sheer beauty of it, is his exquisite control of nuance. He is often more interesting for his technique than his interpretations, which tend to be straightforward, unless he happens to be working with a collaborator who can lift him out his routine. Show pieces also enliven him, especially when he feels it is OK to let loose his sense of humor.

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Beethoven’s “Egmont” Overture, which opened the Bowl program, was typical of the deliberate rather than the delightful or dramatic Perlman. It was slow, imposing and strong in outline, not very imaginative in its details. Mendelssohn’s E-Minor Violin Concerto followed with a different set of problems. Here Perlman was introducing to Los Angeles his protege, an especially lively 18-year-old Russian violinist, Ilya Gringolts, as soloist. But Perlman has, himself, been soloist in the concerto so many times that its notes have possibly entered into his DNA by now.

Gringolts, fortunately, is not a Perlman clone, nor one of the dozens of Juilliard violinists who all sound alike. He is young and spirited; on his debut Paganini recording he sows wild oats that too often get beaten out of young virtuosos early on. Perlman, however, is not yet the kind of flexible conductor who can get past his own solid and mature (and tired?) way with the concerto. Gringolts played wonderfully, with a soaring and thrilling tone, but was kept too much in line.

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With Dvorak’s Eighth Symphony, Perlman seemed finally to demonstrate what it is that incites so many musicians with the lust to conduct, namely the lust for power. This was a big performance, but one sensed a certain frustration in Perlman that he couldn’t control the subtleties of orchestral playing in the way he can his own instrument, but he seemed to enjoy getting a big effect. Still, there were some intriguing instances of his personality coming through, such as his use of sweet portamento in the third movement and his encouragement of raucous brass playing in the Finale.

Perlman has clearly learned a trick or two from his years of playing with orchestras and with all the world’s foremost conductors. And as he gets more experienced with controlling the symphonic beast, it will be interesting to see whether such tricks wind up serving a larger interpretive vision, and refreshing him overall as a musician, or whether conducting simply becomes another part of the Perlman act.