Itzhak Perlman was a surprise guest at this concert. He appeared not as a violinist but as a vocalist, making his singing debut in the baritone role of the jailer in an excerpt from
Giacomo Puccini's opera, "Tosca". After the concert ended, Perlman, at the request of conductor
Zubin Mehta, did play an encore on the violin -
Niccolò Paganini's popular "Caprice no. 24". Conductor
Andre Kostelanetz died shortly before the concert, and as a result, the orchestra gave an unscheduled performance of
Ludwig van Beethoven's "Egmont Overture".