When I was growing up in Israel, Cantorial music was something I heard over and over on the radio, so it wasn’t at all strange to me. I was very familiar with the music. – Itzhak Perlman
This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in five or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development. – Itzhak Perlman
A sponge has that much absorbent capability and after a while you can pour water over it and nothing stays. – Itzhak Perlman
Believe me, I’ve had interviews where the person says, ‘So when did you start and why? What about your parents?’ I say to them, ‘Please, have you heard of the word ‘Google?’ – Itzhak Perlman
I am humbled and honored to receive the Genesis Prize, recognizing not just my professional achievements and my desire to improve the world, but also my commitment to my Jewish identity, Jewish values, and Jewish culture. – Itzhak Perlman
As for minimalism, I don’t care, don’t care, don’t care to repeat myself, repeat myself. – Itzhak Perlman
Only one of my grandchildren is serious about a musical instrument. The others dabble in it. – Itzhak Perlman
If you put your hand on the piano, you play a note. It’s in tune. But if you put it on the violin, maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. You have to figure it out. – Itzhak Perlman
The thing about talent is that it comes at different ages, sometimes at a very early age. That’s when I find it to be the most challenging. – Itzhak Perlman
When you are 8 or 9, you should have a childhood. You should have adolescence. You should go through everything in a normal way. – Itzhak Perlman
I met my wife in music camp. She’s got great ears, and we have a relationship where she’s not afraid to tell me anything. If something’s going on in my playing, she will tell me about it, and that’s very, very important. – Itzhak Perlman
I don’t feel that the conductor has real power. The orchestra has the power, and every member of it knows instantaneously if you’re just beating time. – Itzhak Perlman
When you play a concerto with a small orchestra, you don’t feel it is as important as Carnegie Hall. You try to work out all the little problems. Once that’s all done, trust comes in. – Itzhak Perlman
When you live in a small country such as Israel, the dream of any musician is to go abroad. – Itzhak Perlman
A talented child will have a schedule that is horrendous. You get up and practice, go to school, practice some more, eat dinner, and then you have homework. – Itzhak Perlman
It is good medicine to go to a concert hall and forget the harshness of what’s going on. It can be a very positive thing. – Itzhak Perlman
There are people who are uncanny, who are finished products at a young age. I wasn’t, thank God. – Itzhak Perlman
Access Living is a powerful voice for people in the Chicago area who live with disabilities. – Itzhak Perlman
Television will always err on the side of making something not quite as classy as it could be. – Itzhak Perlman
The danger in playing a piece over and over again lies in getting stuck in a rut where you don’t ask questions anymore and you always play it the same way. – Itzhak Perlman
Teaching is really very, very important. I always tell my students that you should find an opportunity to teach. When you teach others, you teach yourself. – Itzhak Perlman
To bring a large audience to a piece of serious music and make it accessible does not mean reducing it in any way. And I’ve learned that if something is good, even if it is a little difficult, people will get that it is good. – Itzhak Perlman
