Violinist Itzhak Perlman's claim to Jascha Heifetz's mantle as the world's most celebrated virtuoso is arguably stronger than that of any other living violinist.

Perlman's tribute to Heifetz was at its most affectionate in his selection of encores: all Heifetz favourites, from the familiar fireworks of Bazzini's Dance of the Goblins to less well-known lollipops by Hummel, Ries, and Lili Boulanger. For all Perlman's technical wizardry, he refused to indulge in crass showmanship. Instead, there was a classical coolness, whether in the sensuous melody of Boulanger's Cortège, or the out-of-tune joke of the cadenza in Hummel's Rondo.

But the meat of the recital - Handel, Beethoven, and Saint-Saëns sonatas - was less satisfying. Perlman's partnership with pianist Bruno Canino was most problematic in Beethoven's C minor Sonata, Op 30 No 2. Canino could not match Perlman's feeling for phrasing and rubato in the rapt slow movement, while the stormy drama of the outer movements sounded forced and over-projected. There was the air of another era in Perlman's politically incorrect performance of Handel's D major Sonata, from the Op 1 set. But the recital came magnificently to life in Saint-Saëns D minor Sonata.

In the ravishing slow movement, Perlman found a glorious, song-like register, while the finale was a dazzling flash of speed and brilliance. Even if there were only glimpses of his musicianship, Perlman's place in the pantheon of violin virtuosos is assured.