A rare moment in history – violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman sings a duet with Luciano Pavarotti
20 August 2025, 18:00
Rare video shows Perlman singing with Pavarotti in Tosca duet.
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Extraordinary archival footage from 1980 has resurfaced, showing legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman in a rare vocal performance, singing alongside operatic icon Luciano Pavarotti.
The video captures the pair performing Puccini’s ‘E lucevan le stelle’ from Tosca, with Perlman taking on the role of the jailer in a brief vocal exchange with Pavarotti. The performance took place at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Mehta, as part of a televised Live from Lincoln Center concert.
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Perlman, who contracted polio as a child and performs seated, is best known for his violin playing and conducting. A winner of 16 Grammy Awards and four Emmys, his appearance here as a vocalist offers a surprising and touching glimpse into the camaraderie and artistry shared between the two musicians.
The footage, which recently gained renewed attention online, has been praised by classical music fans for its warmth and historical significance.
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After the concert ended, Perlman, at the request of Mehta, reportedly played a violin encore of Niccolò Paganini’s popular Caprice No.24. Renowned conductor conductor Andre Kostelanetz had died shortly before the concert, and so the orchestra also gave an unscheduled performance of Beethoven’s ‘Egmont Overture’ in his memory.
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One of Perlman’s most prominent achievements was his collaboration with John Williams on Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award winning film Schindler’s List, for which he performed the violin solos.
He also took part in the 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama, premiering a piece written for the occasion by John Williams and performing with clarinetist Anthony McGill, pianist Gabriela Montero, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
