Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso • Havanaise • Carmen-Fantasy • Poème • Tzigane

Released in 1987 by Deutsche Grammophon, this collection gathers essential masterworks of the violin repertoire, featuring the legendary Itzhak Perlman accompanied by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta. The recording highlights the virtuosity required for late 19th and early 20th-century concertante works, spanning the shimmering, high-wire technicality of Saint-Saëns and Sarasate to the atmospheric, modernist textures of Chausson’s Poème and Ravel’s Tzigane.

The album serves as a definitive showcase of the collaboration between Perlman and Mehta during their highly productive mid-career tenure in New York. Critics of the era frequently lauded the release for its technical precision and the seamless synergy between the soloist’s warm, commanding tone and the orchestra’s lush, articulate backing, cementing it as a foundational entry for collectors of classical violin recordings.