A musical tribute to ‘the fiddler of the world’

An evening of violin concertos, folk music and one Helen Mirren honors Genesis Prize winner Itzhak Perlman

Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center

From left to right: Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Itzhak Perlman, Genesis Prize cofounder Stan Polovets, Natan Sharansky and Dame Helen Mirren, at the Genesis Prize ceremony in Jerusalem, June 23, 2016. (Courtesy Genesis Prize)
From left to right: Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Itzhak Perlman, Genesis Prize cofounder Stan Polovets, Natan Sharansky and Dame Helen Mirren, at the Genesis Prize ceremony in Jerusalem, June 23, 2016. (Courtesy Genesis Prize)

Dame Helen Mirren was the celebrity master of ceremonies of Thursday night’s Genesis Prize ceremony at the Jerusalem Theater, but award recipient Itzhak Perlman was the star of the evening.

“You’ll be applauding him a lot tonight,” said Mirren at the start of the music-filled evening in honor of the renowned violinist. “He’s a man who hasn’t just survived, but thrived and flourished and inspired.”

Perlman, 70, is the third recipient of the Genesis Prize, the $1-million award created by a trio of Russian Jewish philanthropists. The previous two “Jewish Nobel” recipients were Michael Bloomberg and Michael Douglas.

Prizewinners are expected to donate the funds to projects and organizations they support. Perlman said he intends to invest a large portion in further developing talented Israeli classical musicians and in creating better access to museums, concert halls and centers for people with disabilities.

The evening, as such, was a tribute to the music and instruments that Perlman loves, with pieces performed by the Ra’anana Symphony Orchestra, as well as different ensembles of violinists.

Perlman and his wife, Toby, accompanied by three of their five children and seated in the middle of the auditorium, were visible to many members of the audience, with Perlman’s gray, curly head often bobbing along to the music.

The Netanyahus and Perlmans at the Genesis Prize ceremony (Courtesy Genesis)
The Netanyahus (left) and the Perlmans (right) at the Genesis Prize ceremony in Jerusalem, June 23, 2016. (Courtesy Genesis)

The entertainment portion of the evening was richer than in previous years, led by Mirren, well versed in the art of stage theatrics.

She joked with the audience (“Shalom, and here’s an ancient Celtic saying, ‘Mazal Tov!'”), spoke about her building block theory (every person one meets helps them grow), and feted Perlman.

Mirren spoke about Perlman’s first name, Itzhak — “which apparently means ‘he shall laugh’ in Hebrew.

“He’s an incredibly charming man, smart, and a little bit naughty. And eleven — eleven! — grandchildren.”

“We need these virtuosos, we need the Itzhaks,” continued Mirren. “There is so much hatred and violence and wars and conflicts and it is the artists who humanize us. Thank you, Itzik, for your mastery of the violin.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose office is directly involved in helping nominate the Genesis Prize winner, spoke about Perlman’s “innate humanity” and good humor, as well as his desire to help humanity.

“There is a goodness that comes out of him,” said Netanyahu, who said Perlman should be called the “fiddler of the roof of the world,” not just the “fiddler of the world.”

The celebration of Perlman’s music and works continued with a piece played by Israeli graduates of the Perlman Music Program, a music education training workshop established by Itzhak and Toby Perlman, and held in New York and Tel Aviv.

Later on, a group of fiddlers played traditional melodies from countries where folk songs are often led by the violin, followed by a local klezmer band.

Interspersed throughout the evening were videos focusing on the prize, on Perlman himself, and on Jewish musical entertainers and Jewish violinists, although, as Mirren pointed out, “if I keep mentioning names of violinists, we’ll be here through Shabbat.”

After Perlman was given the award, he spoke briefly to the audience, first thanking them in Hebrew, his native tongue.

“There’s a danger with evenings like this because you get to almost believe what they tell you,” he said. “I was always told you never believe what they say because then you think you can do anything you want, because you’re that good. I don’t think I’m that good.”

The famed violinist spoke about his childhood in Tel Aviv and his family’s financial challenges, although charity was always “a way of life.”

“There was always a ‘pushkele‘ for the Jewish National Fund,” he reminisced.

He spoke about one “lady of means” who provided him with taxi money and sheet music while he was at Juilliard, and how her assistance made a difference in his life at the time.

“Her generosity deepened my commitment to giving,” he said. “Genesis has given me an opportunity to make some dreams come true. I will cherish the opportunity to make a meaningful difference.”

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