**UPDATED 1/23/12 to correct name of first bassoonist.**

The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra concert with violinist Itzhak Perlman sold out weeks ago. A waiting list was established and used. On Sunday afternoon, every seat in the house was filled. It was not just a sell-out; this was a major musical event at the Eastman Theatre in the week that Kodak filed for bankruptcy.

There were no posters in the metal sign holders outside, but more than 2,000 concert-goers filed into the hall. There was no on-stage chatter when the conductor, Arild Remmereit, walked out to lead the Rochester Philharmonic in the first half, the Symphony No. 3 in D Major, Op. 29 by Tchaikovsky. The audience applauded after each of five movements.

The intermission was noticeably short. The audience promptly took its seats and didn't stir. In the scheme of RPO concerts of this season that I have attended, this was a rather subdued affair.

Itzhak Perlman entered stage left, took his chair at center stage, and was handed his violin by Juliana Athayde, RPO concertmaster. Perlman smiled a little smile as he turned the violin over and jokingly inspected it for damage, but there was simply too much palpable anticipation in the audience to allow for much laughter in response to Perlman's humor.

The Concerto in D Major for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 35, also by Tchaikovsky began with the opening of the orchestra, in a rather unassuming, mezzo-piano sort of way.

And then, Perlman raised his bow and brought the hairs down upon the strings.

Last year, we heard up-and-coming violinist Augustin Hadelich perform with the RPO on a 1723 Stradivarius Ex-Kiesewetter violin, and I thought it was the finest violin I had heard live in a concert. But, from the first note played upon Perlman's 1714 Soil Stradivarius, I knew Hadelich's instrument had been left standing still. The tone of Perlman's violin was simply one of the most beautiful sounds - of any kind - that I have ever heard. If there is ever to be an instrument that could single-handedly make the case to settle the debate for attending live concerts instead of listening to recordings, this is the instrument to do it.

When I recently interviewed Perlman for a City article to preview the concert, one of the things Perlman said that didn't make it into the final copy was how he used to dream of owning this violin. This violin was, earlier in Perlman's life, owned by Yehudi Menuin, an Israeli violinist (1916-1999). Perlman purchased it in 1986. Indeed, the upper register of Perlman's Stradivarius, especially as expressed during the cadenza of the Tchaikovsky, created a dream-like state for the audience.

This particular violin concerto by Tchaikovsky is scored as a showcase for the violin part, and was a fitting selection for us to enjoy Perlman's great technique and musicality. The RPO had the task of playing a supporting role to Perlman, and Arild Remmereit, conductor, achieved balance for the orchestra in this role. There was no point at which I was unable to clearly hear Perlman's violin, even during swells, accents, and louder and faster passages.

There were also fine performances during both Tchaikovsky works from the flutes, piccolo, bassoon, clarinets, and oboe. Specifically, my praise goes out to Karl Vilcins, bassoon, for his phrasing and projection; his solo melody fragments and passages sailed smoothly above the orchestra.

The piece with Perlman took up the entire second half of the concert, and lasted approximately 35 minutes. There were no encores, although the standing-ovation audience called out for them, and there were no public autographs.

I think what needs to be said about the Perlman performance with the RPO is quite simply that it was transformative. The Perlman performance with the RPO introduced a concept of musical beauty so powerful as to be in a category unto itself. On that basis, I'm putting my notes aside.