A Young Perlman 'Rediscovered'

CD cover of 'Itzhak Perlman Rediscovered.

In 1965, the 19-year-old Israeli violin phenomenon Itzhak Perlman recorded a recital of short showpieces with pianist David Garvey for what was to have been his first album.

Itzhak Perlman

Valerie Stains, NPR

But RCA, Perlman's record company, decided that a flashy concerto recording would be a more fitting commercial debut for the rising young star. The master tapes with Garvey were shelved, and — with the exception of a single track licensed to another label — the 1965 Perlman recordings for RCA remained unreleased for nearly 40 years.

"I was still fooling around, my language was not set," Perlman recently told NPR's Lisa Simeone when asked about the musc being released today by BMG Classics in its 'Rediscovered' series.

Perlman says that preparation for the release has brought back fond memories of his whirlwind life at that point and of how the showpieces, from the blazing Bazzini scherzo "La Ronde des Lutins" to the delicate Ben-Haim lullaby "Berceuse Sfaradite," were chosen.