Vadim Repin to Replace Itzhak Perlman in UA Celebrity Series Concert

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Itzhak Perlman will not perform at The University of Alabama’s Celebrity Series Frank Moody Memorial Concert on April 12 due to a shoulder injury, but top-tier violinist Vadim Repin will carry on the show playing the same Concerto in D major by Beethoven with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday in the Concert Hall of the Moody Music Building on the UA campus.

“Although we are sorry to hear about Mr. Perlman’s injury, we are remarkably fortunate to host world class violinist Vadim Repin,” said Charles Snead, director of UA’s School of Music. “Many in the music world recall seeing a performance of a pre-legendary young Perlman filling in for preeminent violinist Isaac Stern. Our audience Saturday night may experience a similar memory in the young virtuoso Repin in years to come.”

The concert concludes the 2007-2009 Celebrity Series, sponsored by the Gloria Narramore Moody Foundation.

Repin, known for his infallible ear and flawless technique, has been making an impression on music lovers since he was a child. Now, as an adult, he is considered to play one of the best renditions of Beethoven’s concerto. A critique from The Enquirer in Cincinnati, Ohio writes “You’ve heard the Beethoven Violin Concerto before, but this one was as close to heaven as it gets . . . Vadim Repin’s performance . . . was a blend of profound inspiration and sheer beauty of sound.”

Born in Siberia in 1971, Repin started to play violin at the age of five and six months later had his first stage performance. At only 11 he won the gold medal in all age categories in the Wienawski Competition and gave his recital debuts in Moscow and St Petersburg. In 1985 at 14 he made his debuts in Tokyo, Munich, Berlin, Helsinki; a year later in Carnegie Hall. In 1989, Repin won the most prestigious and demanding competitions in the world for instrumentalists and composers, the Reine Elisabeth Concours (the Queen Elizabeth Competition), making him the youngest person ever to win the award.

Since then he has performed with world’s greatest orchestras: the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, the Philharmonia, Royal Concertgebouw, San Francisco Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, and La Scala.

Last month, 62-year-old Perlman cancelled his scheduled performance at the University of Missouri-Columbia because of shoulder inflammation. For more information or ticket refunds, call the School of Music Box Office at (205) 348-7111.