Great Performers: André Previn
One of the great musical polymaths of our time, André Previn left an astounding legacy whether as composer, conductor, pianist or TV personality. Previn who died in February 2019 at the age of 89, was one of the most 'rounded' of modern musicians, as comfortable in the worlds of Hollywood movies, Broadway musicals, classical conducting, chamber music and jazz.
Read more…Born Andreas Ludwig Priwin in Berlin in 1929, Previn's family emigrated to the US via Paris and New York, ultimately settling in Los Angeles. Previn's astonishing musicality soon gained him an entrée into Hollywood where he arranged and wrote film scores. At 18 he was a composer-conductor working for MGM and during his film career won four Oscars.
As a conductor he headed the Houston Symphony Orchestra before taking up the post as Principal Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra in 1969, ushering in a Golden Age for the orchestra, not only making a vast number of recordings but also hosting a mainstream classical music programme for the BBC, 'André Previn's Music Night'. He soon gained a reputation for Russian and French repertoire and threw himself into the music of his adopted country leaving magnificent recordings of Vaughan Williams (a complete symphony cycle), Holst and Walton (his LSO recording of the First Symphony remains a classic). He was also a magnificent accompanist adding lustre and class to numerous concerto recordings with artists like Vladimir Ashkenazy, Kyung Wha Chung, Itzhak Perlman, Emanuel Ax and Anne-Sophie Mutter (who would become his fifth wife). His Hollywood experience made him a perfect recording-studio conductor: he worked fast and he knew exactly where the problems were likely to occur and how to fix them.
An unhappy period at the Los Angeles Philharmonic ensued, and this was followed by posts at the Oslo Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic and Japan's NHK Symphony orchestras. With each he recorded adding to his huge catalogue. And with the Vienna Philharmonic he recorded a fine series of Richard Strauss's orchestral works and songs.
He was a fine pianist, whether in a Mozart piano quartet, a Gershwin concerto or as a fluid and inspirational jazz artist. His supreme musicality made him a treasured partner for numerous musicians. Asked which composer always drew him back, his answer was Mozart.
As a 'classical' composer he wrote concertos for Ashkenazy, John Williams and Mutter, and songs for the likes of Sylvia McNair, Barbara Bonney and Kathleen Battle and his operas were sung by artists of the calibre of Renée Fleming. His own musical language is accessible but with enough complexity to earn it the admiration of the musical establishment and his later years produced a large number of substantial works including two operas.