André Previn

André Previn
Bert Verhoeff for Anefo · CC BY-SA 3.0 nl · source
Name	André Previn
Caption	Previn in 1973
Birth name	Andreas Ludwig Priwin
Birth date	1929-04-06
Birth place	Berlin, Weimar Republic
Death date	2019-02-28
Death place	New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Conductor, pianist, composer, arranger
Years active	1943–2019

André Previn was a German-American conductor, pianist, composer and arranger whose career spanned jazz, Hollywood, Broadway and the symphonic repertoire. He was notable for his leadership with major orchestras, collaborations with prominent soloists and composers, and work in film scoring and popular music. Previn bridged musical worlds from George Gershwin-influenced jazz idioms to canonical works associated with Johannes Brahms, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Gustav Mahler.

Early life and education

Born Andreas Ludwig Priwin in Berlin to Jewish parents, he emigrated with his family to Stockholm and then to the United States to escape Nazi Germany. His early studies included piano and composition with local teachers and exposure to émigré musicians connected to institutions such as Juilliard School and conservatories in Los Angeles. As a youth he encountered figures from the Hollywood film scene and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and he studied repertoire ranging from Ludwig van Beethoven and Frédéric Chopin to contemporaries linked with Igor Stravinsky and Arnold Schoenberg.

Career

Previn’s professional life began in the film studio system of Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he worked alongside composers and arrangers like Max Steiner, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and Miklós Rózsa. He moved between jazz clubs associated with performers such as Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Stan Getz while also conducting orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Previn served as music director for institutions such as the Houston Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (as principal guest conductor), and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (as principal conductor). His collaborations involved soloists like Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Isaac Stern, Leontyne Price, Christa Ludwig, and Rudolf Serkin.

Previn’s tenure with orchestras included programming that mixed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart concertos, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky symphonies, Dmitri Shostakovich cycles, and modern works by Benjamin Britten, Samuel Barber, and Elliott Carter. He premiered works by contemporary composers linked to Nicolas Nabokov, Krzysztof Penderecki, Arvo Pärt, and John Adams in concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Compositions and arrangements

As a composer and arranger, Previn produced string orchestral works, concertos, chamber music, and songs for artists associated with labels like Columbia Records, Decca Records, and Capitol Records. His output included orchestral pieces performed alongside compositions by Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Antonín Dvořák. He arranged material for singers and instrumentalists including Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, and Mel Tormé, often drawing on traditions tied to George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, and Lorenz Hart.

Previn wrote concert works such as violin and cello concertos premiered by artists like Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma, and chamber pieces performed in venues programmed by organizations such as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra chamber series. His arrangements for jazz and symphonic crossover anticipated projects by Wynton Marsalis and Michael Tilson Thomas.

Film and television work

Previn won acclaim in Hollywood as a composer and arranger, contributing scores and musical direction to films produced by studios including MGM, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, and 20th Century Fox. He worked with directors and producers connected to Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Stanley Kramer, and George Cukor, and earned multiple accolades from organizations such as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Previn collaborated with vocalists and actors like Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, and Marlon Brando in film and television projects, and he contributed arrangements to variety and music programs aired on networks including NBC, CBS, and the BBC.

Personal life and relationships

Previn’s personal life intersected with cultural figures from Broadway and classical music. He was married to personalities associated with Hollywood and the arts, including actresses and musicians who had ties to institutions such as the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera House. His friendships and professional relationships included collaborations with conductors like Leonard Bernstein, George Szell, Carlo Maria Giulini, and Herbert von Karajan as well as pianists and educators at Curtis Institute of Music, Conservatoire de Paris, and Royal Academy of Music.

Awards and honors

Previn received multiple awards from bodies such as the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards, and he was honored by orchestras and conservatories including the Royal Philharmonic Society, the Royal Academy of Music, and Carnegie Hall. He was appointed to distinctions and fellowships linked to institutions like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Order of the British Empire, and various national arts academies. Recordings conducted or arranged by Previn earned critical prizes from publications such as Gramophone, The New York Times, and BBC Music Magazine.

Category:1929 births Category:2019 deaths Category:American conductors (music) Category:Film score composers