Itzhak Perlman appears in a special
PBS "Great Pe ormances."
MICHAEL ELKIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
"Itzhak Perlman: In the Fiddler's
House" features footage from
Perlman's performance at the Lincoln
Center All-Star Klezmer concert.
fiddler on the roof, sounds
crazy, no?
Then how about a fiddler,
a clarinetist, guitarist and
two actors/comedians?
Sound crazy? Sounds
like fun, says Itzhak
Perlman. The violinist
virtuoso should know. Perlman
is at the center of a jewel of a
program about klezmer music.
Perlman found a home in "In
the Fiddler's House," which airs
at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 4,
on Channel 56. The PBS "Great
Performances" segment lives
up to its name as Perlman trav-
els to Poland and parts of New
York in search of a klezmer con-
nection.
What this fiddler finds
makes for a finely tuned and
fast-moving hour-long look at
how the traditional Jewish
wedding music of Eastern Eu-
76
Michael Elkin is the
entertainment editor of
The Jewish Exponent
in Philadelphia.
rope has marched its way into
the hearts of fans worldwide.
"The beauty of music," notes
Perlman, "is that it can say dif-
ferent things to different peo-
ple. Music — klezmer — can be
a slightly modified language
depending on the person lis-
tening."
There's no doubt Perlman
hears what it's saying to his
soul. The joy on his face is a
silent salute to a people's sur-
vival.
Perlman is not alone on this
magical musical mission. Ac-
tors/comedians Fyvush ("Pick-
et Fences") Finkel and Red
Buttons pop in for appearances,
in addition to joining Perlman
at Sammy's Roumanian
Restaurant in Manhattan for a
feast of memories and a toast
to tradition.
The three entertainers spoon
out tidbits and anecdotes about
their performing past. It is un-
scripted and outstanding as the
walk down memory lane turns
into a gallop of a great time.
Normally, the route to
Carnegie Hall is practice, prac-
tice, practice. But the much-
honored Perlman — whose bio
is a symphony of recordings
and appearances worldwide —
didn't rehearse first before at-
tempting klezmer music.
"I just felt it," he says of the
Jewish jam sessions he takes
part in as a stringer with such
notable groups as the Klez-
matics, the Klezmer Conserva-
tory of Boston, Kapelye and
Brave Old World.
"Actually, I was quite
amazed I was able to do it. I
had never played klezmer be-
fore. I am learning how to do it
even as it is being shown on the
film."
Not that Perlman was unfa-
miliar with klezmer; far from
it. "I learned that when you
grow up with something and it
becomes a part of you, when
you call on it, it just comes out,"
muses the violinist.
A great deal came out of his
sojourn to Poland, where Perl-
man met up with pianist
Leopold Kozlowski, the focus of
the documentary The Last
Klezmer. "It felt extremely
weird to be there," says Perl-
man, citing the mixed messages
the country sends.
On one hand, it was a home
for great Jewish culture for
years; on the other, it was the
site of some of the worst bar-
baric acts committed against
Jews during the Holocaust.
"Visiting the Jewish Quarter
today is like visiting a ghost
town," says the violinist. "It is
a very strange sensation."
One of the more intriguing
scenes of the program has a pa-
rade of plates appearing before
Perlman at Poland's Aerial
Cafe. The violinist's victuals in-
clude Jewish delicacies of
chopped liver and herring.
"Yet," says Perlman, "the
restaurant is run by non-Jews.
There's a menorah there when
you walk in. It's a heimish at-
mosphere, yet totally ersatz."
The incident may have been