Composers
André Previn
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Born: 1929
Brief Biography:
Of Russian Jewish origin, composer, conductor, and pianist André Previn left his native Germany in 1938 to live in Paris and to subsequently settle in Los Angeles in 1940. His early career of orchestrating film scores at MGM led quickly to conducting engagements of symphonic repertoire and on to an international career as Music Director of such orchestras as London, Los Angeles, Oslo and Pittsburgh. In the 1980s, he concentrated increasingly on compositions for the concert hall and opera. His own richly lyrical style underscores his love of the late Romantic and early 20th-century masterpieces of which his interpretations as conductor are internationally renowned.For a complete biography, click here.
Key Works:- Piano Concerto
(1985; piano, orchestra) - Honey and Rue
(1992; soprano, orchestra) - Cello Sonata
(1993; cello, piano) - A Streecar Named Desire
(1998; opera) - Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, 'Anne Sophie'
(2001; violin, orchestra) - Concerto for Violin, Contrabass and Orchestra
(2007; violin, contrabass, orchestra) - Brief Encounter
(2009; opera)
| Career Highlights:- 1958 Received first (of his four) Academy Awards for the score of Gigi
- 1968-79 Principal Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra
- 1996 Knighted for Services to Music
- 1998 Awarded a Kennedy Center Honor for Lifetime Achievement
- 2005 Received fifth Grammy Award for the recording of his Violin Concerto, 'Anne Sophie'
- 2006 Awared the Glenn Gould Prize for exceptional contribution to music
- 2008 The London Symphony Orchestra presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award
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Critical Acclaim:
He is a Complete Musician, whose versatility and personal charm have earned him esteem and affection in a variety of fields.
— Musical America
A stylistic chameleon whose language is conservative and eclectic, he writes to the technical strengths and musical personalities of the soloists who commission him.
— New York Times
André Previn is among the few who have succeeded in making the transition from the podium to the pen…
— Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Full Biography:
Conductor, composer, and pianist André Previn has received a number of awards and honors for his outstanding musical accomplishments. He continues to redefine the possibilities in his extraordinary career. Mr. Previn is one of the most distinguished musicians of our time. He holds both the Austrian and German Cross of Merit, received the Kennedy Center’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998, was honored as Musical America’s “Musician of the Year” in 1999, and was knighted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1996. He received the Glenn Gould Prize in Toronto in 2006.
The venerable Houston Grand Opera premiered Previn's second opera, Brief Encounter, in May 2009. One of the most anticipated new operas in years, Brief Encounter is based on David Lean's classic film adaptation of a play by Noël Coward. An honest and compassionate look at emotional infidelity, Brief Encounter with a libretto by John Caird, featured Elizabeth Futral and Nathan Gunn as Laura and Alec, a couple torn between love and honor. Patrick Summers conducted.
Enjoying a fruitful and ongoing relationship with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Previn recently led the world premiere of his latest orchestral work, Owls. Other recent commissions from the Boston Symphony include his Double Concerto for Violin, Contrabass, and Orchestra which was premiered by Anne-Sophie Mutter, Roman Patkoló, also under the direction of the composer; and his Violin Concerto, “Anne-Sophie,” written for Anne-Sophie Mutter and first performed with the composer conducting in March 2002. Ms. Mutter and Mr. Previn have toured the concerto extensively since its premiere, and a recording of the work was released in 2003 on Deutsche Grammophon. At the 47th Grammy Awards in February 2005, he won a Grammy for the recording of his Violin Concerto, "Anne-Sophie" as well as the Bernstein Serenade with Ms. Mutter, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Two new works were premiered at Carnegie Hall in April of 2009: the Concerto for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra— with soloists Anne-Sophie Mutter and Yuri Bashmet — and the Piano Trio, written for the Mutter-Previn-Harrell Trio. Upcoming projects include a new work for the Boston Symphony Chamber Players.
In the 2004-05 season, Mr. Previn composed Four Songs, for Anthony Dean Griffey; and Night Thoughts,for the Sacramento Philharmonic in honor of the artist Wayne Thiebaud. The Emerson String Quartet and Barbara Bonney premiered Mr. Previn’s String Quartet(with soprano) at Carnegie Hall in May 2003. During the 1999-2000 season, Mr. Previn had new works premiered and recorded by the Vienna Philharmonic (Diversions) and Renée Fleming (The Giraffes Go To Hamburg and Three Songs of Emily Dickinson). Other recent compositions include a violin work for Anne-Sophie Mutter (Tango Song and Dance) and a bassoon sonata. Previous compositions have included a piano concerto for Vladimir Ashkenazy, a violin sonata for Young Uck Kim, a cello sonata for Yo-Yo Ma, songs for mezzo-soprano Janet Baker, soprano SylviaMcNair, and Barbara Bonney, and a music drama — Every Good Boy Deserves Favour — for the London Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with playwright Tom Stoppard.
A Streetcar Named Desire, which Mr. Previn set to a libretto by Philip Littell based on Tennessee Williams’ play, had its premiere at the San Francisco Opera on September 19, 1998, with soprano Renée Fleming in the role of Blanche du Bois. The opera has since been performed worldwide, and Mr. Previn’s 1998 recording of the work with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra won the Grand Prix du Disque.
André Previn’s discography spans more than 50 years of recordings for all of the major labels. His 1999 Deutsche Grammophon release “American Scenes” — a collection of piano and violin works performed with violinist Gil Shaham and containing his own work Sonata for Violin, “Vineyard” — won a Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance. Other recent Deutsche Grammophon releases include “Celebration,” a disc containing world premiere recordings of his Violin Concerto and five other Previn compositions, including Diversions, commissioned by the Mozarteum/ Salzburg for the Vienna Philharmonic,and The Giraffes go to Hamburg, written for Renée Fleming. Also among his recent releases for the Decca label is “Live at the Jazz Standard” with bassist David Finck, featuring a variety of jazz standards and some of Mr. Previn's own new works.
In 1991, Doubleday released Mr. Previn’s memoir No Minor Chords — My Early Days in Hollywood, chronicling his years as composer, arranger, and orchestrator at the MGM studios.
His concert music is published by G. Schirmer, Inc.and Chester Music Ltd.
-October 2009
External Websites
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