Vladislas (Vlado) Perlemuter was born to a Polish Jewish family, the third of four sons, in Kovno, Russia (now Kaunas in Lithuania).
During World War II, as a Jew, he was in danger in Nazi-occupied France, and was hunted by the Gestapo, barely managing to escape to Switzerland, where he lived until 1949.
[3] Students from around the world, such as Catherine Thibon, Claudio Herrera and Christian Zacharias, were attracted by his fame as a pedagogue.
His dicta included that a pianist must pedal not with the foot but with the ear; and must be able to make a crescendo without hurrying, and a diminuendo without slowing.
His art is characterized by shimmering tonal colours and a singing legato combined with an effortless ease of interpretation.
[citation needed] Those who heard him live say that his playing was characterized by an enchantingly subtle tone that recordings fail to capture fully.