Violinist Itzhak Perlman wows Beijing audience

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Itzhak Perlman, one of world's most popular violinists enthralled a Beijing audience with a performance at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) Thursday. It was a musical treat for the ears by the violinist who played at former US President Barack Obama's inauguration.

Thursday’s performance was one stop in Itzhak Perlman’s Asian tour. The nearly 2,000-seat concert hall was a full house, filled with fans of the legendary musician. The 72-year old violinist enchanted his audience in the Chinese capital with three pieces by Franz Schubert, Richard Strauss and Claude Debussy.

Itzhak Perlman playing violin. /Photo from NCPA official website

Born in Israel in 1945, Perlman has been playing the violin his entire life while sitting due to polio.

He began his studies in Tel Aviv after hearing the violin on the radio. He then moved to New York and was soon propelled into the international arena with an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1958. Perseverance and talent catapulted him to fame as one of the best violinists in the world.

Perlman has been a soloist for a number of film scores such as the theme of the 1993 film "Schindler's List" by John Williams, which subsequently won an Academy Award for Best Original Score.

The violinist has garnered 15 Grammy Awards. In 2008, the artist was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in the recording arts.