Perlman and a Little Help from His Friends

Itzhak Perlman, one of the world’s greatest violinists with 16 Grammys and four Emmys, played in a truly memorable chamber music concert at the Granada with the stellar Juilliard String Quartet and two global piano stars Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Emanuel Ax.

The event, part of UCSB’s popular Arts & Lectures program, included Leclair’s “Sonata for Two Violins in E Minor,” Mozart’s “Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Major,” and Chausson’s “Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet.”

Itzhak Perlman – who was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 – and Friends was an extraordinary performance, capturing and showcasing the talents of each member on their own.

It was a lush and thrilling program of works spanning three centuries, exploring the textures and nuances of expression only available to an extended ensemble.

Perlman was playing a 1714 Stradivarius formerly owned by another violin legend – the great Yehudi Menuhin.