André Previn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids André Previn
Previn in 1973
Background information
Birth name	Andreas Ludwig Priwin
Born	(1929-04-06)April 6, 1929 Berlin, Germany
Died	February 28, 2019(2019-02-28) (aged 89) New York City, NY, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Pianist conductor composer
Years active	1943–2019
Organization	London Symphony Orchestra Pittsburgh Symphony Los Angeles Philharmonic
Spouse(s)	Betty Bennett ​ ​ (m. 1952; div. 1957)​ Dory Langan ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1970)​ Mia Farrow ​ ​ (m. 1970; div. 1979)​ Heather Mary Hales ​ ​ (m. 1982; div. 1999)​ Anne-Sophie Mutter ​ ​ (m. 2002; div. 2006)​
Children	10 (7 biological, 3 adopted)

André George Previn (born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a super talented German-American musician. He was amazing as a pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three main parts: Hollywood movies, jazz music, and classical music. He was very successful in all three! He continued playing jazz and classical music throughout his life. In movies, he helped create and write music. In jazz, he was a famous trio pianist and played piano for many singers. In classical music, he played piano and became well-known as a conductor on TV. Later in his life, he became a respected composer of classical pieces.

Before he was 20, Previn started working on music for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) film studio. He ended up working on music for more than 50 films and won four Academy Awards (also known as Oscars). He also won ten Grammy Awards for his music in all three areas of his career, plus one more for his amazing achievements over his lifetime. He led many famous orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He also had a special connection with the Vienna Philharmonic.

Early life

André Previn was born in Berlin, Germany. His family was Jewish. His father was a lawyer, judge, and music teacher. André was the youngest of three children. All the children took piano lessons, but André loved them the most and showed great talent from the start. When he was six, he joined the Berlin Conservatory. However, in 1938, his father was told that André could no longer attend the conservatory because he was Jewish, even though he had a scholarship for his skills.

In 1938, Previn's family applied for visas to America. While waiting, they moved from Berlin to Paris. In Paris, André studied music theory at the Conservatoire de Paris. On October 20, 1938, the family left Paris and sailed to New York City. They then traveled to Los Angeles, arriving on November 26. His father's cousin, Charles Previn, was a music director for Universal Studios. André became a citizen of the U.S. in 1943. He learned English, his third language after German and French, by reading comic books and watching movies with a dictionary. In 1946, he graduated from Beverly Hills High School. He played the piano at his graduation ceremony, with Richard M. Sherman playing the flute.

In the film studios

Previn in 2012

André Previn helped create music for over 50 films and won four Academy Awards for his work.

Previn started his career at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studios in 1946, while he was still in high school. The music department at MGM noticed his work for a local radio show and hired him. Previn remembered that MGM was "looking for somebody who was talented, fast and cheap." His first official movie credit was for a Lassie film called The Sun Comes Up (1949).

In 1950, Previn was drafted into the military. From 1951, he took private conducting lessons from Pierre Monteux, who was the conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Previn really valued these lessons. In 1953, Previn returned to Hollywood and focused on film music and jazz. He worked at MGM for 16 years. Even though it was a steady job with good pay, he felt limited and wanted to explore classical music outside of films. He left MGM when he was 32, wanting to take a chance on his own musical talents.

However, he didn't completely stop working in films. During this time, Previn won an Oscar in 1964 for My Fair Lady. He continued to work on films until 1975's Rollerball. Over his many years in film, Previn was involved in the music of more than 50 movies as a composer, conductor, or performer.

In jazz

Previn called himself a musician who played jazz, rather than a jazz musician. Still, he was a very talented jazz piano player and arranger of songs from the "Great American Songbook". He earned the respect of many famous jazz artists. He also played piano for jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Doris Day, making many recordings. Like Oscar Peterson, whom he greatly admired, Previn often played as a trio pianist, usually with a bass and drums. He worked with many well-known jazz musicians. Previn also filmed memorable TV shows with Oscar Peterson in 1974 and Ella Fitzgerald in 1979.

As a conductor and composer of classical music

As conductor

André Previn was the music director for several major orchestras, including the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Oslo Philharmonic. He was also the main conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 1967, Previn became the music director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra. In 1968, he started his time as the main conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), staying until 1979. During his time with the LSO, he and the orchestra appeared on the BBC Television show André Previn's Music Night. From 1975 to 1985, he was the music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) and had another TV series with them called Previn and the Pittsburgh. He then became the main conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from 1985 to 1991.

In 1985, he became the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Previn later left this role in 1989. After this, Esa-Pekka Salonen became the music director.

Previn was also the music director of the Oslo Philharmonic from 2002 to 2006. In 2009, he was named Principal Guest Conductor of Tokyo's NHK Symphony Orchestra.

As a composer

André Previn wrote many different kinds of classical music. He composed concertos (pieces for a solo instrument and orchestra), a symphony, and music for plays. He also wrote a lot of chamber music (music for a small group of instruments), including sonatas for violin, cello, clarinet, flute, and oboe. He wrote pieces for solo piano and dozens of songs. He also composed two successful operas.

Television

André Previn was often on television, mostly as a conductor. He appeared in shows like Meet André Previn (1969) and André Previn's Music Night with the London Symphony Orchestra. He also gave interviews with other musicians. In the U.S., the TV show Previn and the Pittsburgh (1977) featured him with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

"Andrew Preview"

British TV audiences loved his funny acting skills when he appeared on the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show in 1971. In a famous comedy sketch, he was introduced as "Mr. Andrew Preview." He was supposed to conduct Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto with Eric Morecambe as the piano soloist. Morecambe was pretending to be a terrible player. Previn, playing it straight, got annoyed and said, "I'll go fetch my baton. It's in Chicago." This funny line made everyone realize the sketch would be a hit. Later, Previn told Morecambe he was playing "all the wrong notes." Morecambe famously replied that he was playing "all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order!"

Previn had very little time to learn his part for the show, but his talent for comedy impressed everyone. He appeared on the show again in 1972. He later said that people in Britain still remembered the sketch years later, with taxi drivers calling him "Mr. Preview." He was happy that the sketch meant so much to others and that parts of it were made up on the spot.

Mozart on Tour

In 1991, Previn hosted and narrated a 13-part documentary series called Mozart on Tour. This show explored Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's travels and how they influenced his music. Previn also performed and conducted some of Mozart's piano concertos in the series.

Personal life

André Previn had a family and children. He was married to the German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter from 2002 to 2006. For her, he composed his Violin Concerto in 2001. Even after they divorced, they continued to work together in concerts.

Honours and awards

Previn was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. He won four times, in 1958, 1959, 1963, and 1964. He is one of the few composers to win back-to-back Oscars twice. He was also the first person to receive three Oscar nominations in one year (in 1960).

In 1970, he was nominated for a Tony Award for the musical Coco. In 1977, he became an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music. His 1977 TV show Previn and the Pittsburgh was nominated for three Emmy awards.

Previn was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1996. This means he was given a special honor by the British Queen. In 1998, he received the Kennedy Center Honors for his contributions to classical music and opera in the United States. He also won the international Glenn Gould Prize in 2005 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Gramophone magazine in 2008. In 2010, he received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy.

Death

André Previn passed away on February 28, 2019, at his home in Manhattan. He was 89 years old.

Recordings

André Previn made hundreds of recordings in film, jazz, and classical music. Here are some examples of his work.

Film music

Many of the films with Previn's music are still available. Some of his movie soundtracks have been re-released recently, including those from Elmer Gantry and My Fair Lady.

Jazz recordings

Previn made many jazz recordings, both as a leader and playing with other musicians. He also made crossover recordings with classical singers like Eileen Farrell and Kiri Te Kanawa.

After playing on Shelly Manne's album Modern Jazz Performances of Songs from My Fair Lady in 1956, Previn released several albums of jazz versions of songs from Broadway musicals. He also made solo piano recordings focusing on songs by popular composers. He had famous TV shows with Oscar Peterson (1974) and Ella Fitzgerald (1979).

Jazz recordings as leader/co-leader

Jazz recordings as sideman/group member

with Buddy Bregman

• Swinging Kicks (Verve, 1957)

with Benny Carter

• Jazz Giant (Contemporary, 1958)

with Michael Feinstein

• Change of Heart: The Songs of Andre Previn (Telarc, 2013)

with Helen Humes

• Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness if I Do (Contemporary, 1959)
• Songs I Like to Sing! (Contemporary, 1960)

with Barney Kessel

• Music to Listen to Barney Kessel By (Contemporary, 1956)
• Carmen (Contemporary, 1959)

with Shelly Manne

• Shelly Manne & His Friends (Contemporary, 1956)
• My Fair Lady (Contemporary, 1956)
• Li'l Abner (Contemporary, 1957)
• Bells Are Ringing (Contemporary, 1959)

with The Mitchells: Red Mitchell, Whitey Mitchell and Blue Mitchell

• Get Those Elephants Out'a Here (MetroJazz, 1958)

with Lyle Murphy

• Twelve-Tone Compositions and Arrangements by Lyle Murphy (Contemporary, 1955)

with Pete Rugolo

• An Adventure in Sound: Reeds in Hi-Fi (Mercury, 1956 [1958])
• An Adventure in Sound: Brass in Hi-Fi (Mercury 1956 [1958])
• Percussion at Work (EmArcy, 1957)

Classical music

Orchestral music

As a conductor, Previn recorded many well-known classical pieces from different time periods. He especially liked the symphonic music of Berlioz, Brahms, and Strauss. He also focused on violin and piano concertos and ballets. He recorded for famous labels like RCA, EMI, Telarc, and Deutsche Grammophon.

Chamber music and solo piano

• Samuel Barber: Four Excursions, Paul Hindemith: Piano Sonata No. 3, Frank Martin: Prelude No. 7 (1961)
• Gabriel Fauré: Piano Trio in D minor op. 120, Felix Mendelssohn: Piano Trio in D minor op. 49 (1964, with Nathan Roth and Joseph Schuster)
• Sergei Rachmaninoff: Music for Two Pianos. Suite Nr. 1 op. 5, Suite Nr. 2 op. 17, Symphonic Dances op. 45 (1974, with Vladimir Ashkenazy)
• Maurice Ravel: Piano Trio in A minor, Dmitri Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor op. 67 (1974, with Kim Young Uck and Ralph Kirshbaum)
• Claude Debussy: Piano Trio in G major, Maurice Ravel: Piano Trio in A minor (1995, with Julie Rosenfeld and Gary Hoffmann)
• Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 7 in B-flat major op. 97, Johannes Brahms: Piano Trio in B major op. 8 (1995, with Viktoria Mullova and Heinrich Schiff)
• American Scenes. André Previn: Sonata for Violin and Piano "Vineyard", George Gershwin: Three Preludes, Aaron Copland: Sonata for Violin and Piano, Nocturne, Samuel Barber: Canzone (Elegy) op. 38a (1998, with Gil Shaham)

His own compositions

• Guitar Concerto (1972, with John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra)
• Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1978, with the London Symphony Orchestra)
• Piano Concerto and Guitar Concerto (1990, with Vladimir Ashkenazy, Eduardo Fernandez and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)
• Honey and Rue (1995, with Kathleen Battle and the Orchestra of St. Luke's)
• "From Ordinary Things": Sonata for Cello and Piano; Four Songs for Soprano, Cello and Piano; Two Remembrances for Soprano, Alto Flute and Piano; Vocalise for Soprano, Cello and Piano (1997, with Sylvia McNair, Yo-Yo Ma and Sandra Church)
• Trio for Piano, Oboe and Bassoon (1997, with Cynthia Koledo de Almeida and Nancy Goeres)
• "Music of André Previn": Trio for Piano, Oboe and Bassoon, Peaches for Flute and Piano, Triolet for Brass, Variations on a Theme by Haydn for Piano, A Wedding Waltz for Two Oboes and Piano (1998, with the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble)
• "American Scenes": Sonata for Violin and Piano "Vineyard" (1998, with Gil Shaham)
• A Streetcar Named Desire (1998; with Renée Fleming, Elizabeth Futral, Rodney Gilfry, Anthony Dean Griffey, San Francisco Opera Orchestra)
• "Diversions – Songs": Diversions; Sallie Chisum Remembers Billy the Kid; Vocalise; The Giraffes Go to Hamburg; Three Dickinson Songs (2001, with Renée Fleming, Barbara Bonney, Moray Welsh, Vienna Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra)
• Tango Song and Dance (2003, Anne-Sophie Mutter)
• Violin Concerto "Anne-Sophie" (2003, with Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Boston Symphony Orchestra)
• Double Concerto for Violin, Contrabass and Orchestra; Piano Concerto; Violin Concerto "Anne-Sophie"; Three Dickinson Songs; Diversions; "I Can Smell The Sea Air" from A Streetcar Named Desire (2009, with Renée Fleming, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Roman Patkolo, Boston Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, San Francisco Opera Orchestra)
• Brief Encounter (2011, with Elizabeth Futral, Nathan Gunn, Kim Josephson, Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, Patrick Summers)

List of awards

Academy Awards

Best Music – Scoring of a Musical Picture

• 1958 Gigi
• 1959 Porgy and Bess

Best Score – Adaptation or Treatment

• 1963 Irma la Douce
• 1964 My Fair Lady

Grammy Awards

Previn received many Grammy Awards and nominations:

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

• 2010 André Previn

Best Instrumental Soloist

• 2005 Previn: Violin Concerto; Bernstein: Serenade

Best Classical Crossover Album

• 2003 Korngold: The Sea Hawk, Captain Blood with the London Symphony Orchestra

Best Chamber Music Performance

• 1999 American Scenes: Copland, Previn, Barber, Gershwin

Best Choral Performance

• 1974 Walton: Belshazzar's Feast with the London Symphony Chorus & Orchestra
• 1977 Rachmaninoff: Kolokola with the London Symphony Chorus & Orchestra

Best Performance by an Orchestra

• 1960 Like Young with the David Rose Orchestra

Best Sound Track Album

• 1959 Gigi
• 1960 Porgy and Bess

Best Jazz Performance – Soloist or Small Group

• 1961 West Side Story
• 1962 André Previn Plays Songs by Harold Arlen

See also

In Spanish: André Previn para niños