To Thread - Forum Home

The Mudcat Café TM
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=165761
31 messages

Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)

28 Feb 19 - 01:01 PM (#3979591)
Subject: Obit: André Previn
From: Steve Shaw

In spite of his sometime superstar persona, he was an exceptionally fine musician, a great conductor and concert pianist and not a bad composer either. Farewell, Mr Preview!

28 Feb 19 - 01:05 PM (#3979593)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn
From: Stilly River Sage

I loved his version of the concerts to teach about music (ala Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts). And he used to be a guest on talk shows (Dick Cavett, in particular, if I recall correctly) and was always a good conversationalist.

28 Feb 19 - 01:07 PM (#3979594)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn
From: Stilly River Sage

André Previn, Musical Polymath, Has Died At Age 89

28 Feb 19 - 01:38 PM (#3979599)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn
From: Steve Shaw

I meant farewell Mr Preview. Flippin' spellchecker trashed me joke!

Oops. I fixed it for you. I'll un-fix it. ---mudelf

28 Feb 19 - 01:38 PM (#3979600)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn
From: Bonnie Shaljean

I'm so sorry to hear this. Yes, he was an astounding musician, something that tends to get overlooked, in view of his pop successes and high-profile marriages to Dory Previn and Mia Farrow. I've admired him since high school (a looooooong time ago) when I had several rather low-key, offbeat recordings of him doing nifty things on a piano.

R.I.P. Mr Previn. Knock em dead up there. (Figuratively speaking...)

28 Feb 19 - 01:47 PM (#3979603)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn
From: Howard Jones

For all his undoubted musical achievements he will be best remembered by many for his conducting of the Greig Piano Concerto with Morecambe & Wise. I hope it is not disrespectful to post this link:

Greig by.., with him and him

28 Feb 19 - 01:53 PM (#3979604)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn
From: Steve Shaw

Not disrespectful at all. I think he saw that sketch as one the high points of his life!

28 Feb 19 - 02:12 PM (#3979607)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn
From: GUEST

Greig? Grieg

28 Feb 19 - 03:24 PM (#3979620)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn
From: Howard Jones

All the letters, not necessarily in the right order

28 Feb 19 - 03:27 PM (#3979622)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn
From: Steve Shaw

You star, Howard! :-) :-) :-)

28 Feb 19 - 03:36 PM (#3979624)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn
From: Nigel Parsons

On the basis that his appearance on Morecambe & Wise proved that he could take a joke. A quote from Spike Milligan:

André Previn went to heaven,
A little bit too soon.
St Peter said, "You're not quite dead,
Come back this afternoon".

R.I.P.

28 Feb 19 - 04:14 PM (#3979632)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn
From: fat B****rd

RIP Mr. Previn. I love your West Side Story Album

28 Feb 19 - 06:18 PM (#3979648)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn
From: ChanteyLass

For contrast, here's the piano concerto with all the notes in the right order conducted by Previn.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I1Yoyz6_Los

28 Feb 19 - 06:36 PM (#3979649)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: Joe Offer

His former wife Dory Previn (1925-2012) was married to him 1958-1970. Dory was more closely connected to Folkdom. Sez Wikipedia:
    In 1968 André Previn had fully moved from composing film scores to conducting symphony orchestras, most notably the London Symphony Orchestra. While in London he began an affair with 23-year-old actress Mia Farrow, who was working on the film A Dandy in Aspic. In 1969 Dory Previn discovered that Farrow had become pregnant by her husband, which led to their separation. Their divorce became final in July 1970. André Previn subsequently married Farrow. The betrayal led to Previn being hospitalized again, where she was treated with electroconvulsive therapy. This seemed to change her outlook as a songwriter, making her more introspective. She subsequently expressed her feelings regarding Farrow and the end of her marriage in the song "Beware of Young Girls" on her 1970 album On My Way to Where.

28 Feb 19 - 07:05 PM (#3979656)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: Joe Offer

Wikipedia says that Edvard Grieg had Scottish roots, and the family name was actually Greig. I've often wondered whether Edvard might be related to folksong collector Gavin Greig (1856-1914), and Wikipedia confirms my suspicion.

As for André Previn, I think he made classical music much more approachable for us who were raised on Peter, Paul & Mary (and PP&M made Texas Gladden much more approachable for some of us, so it all works out in the end).

-Joe-

28 Feb 19 - 07:23 PM (#3979658)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: Steve Shaw

The main thing about Previn was how bloody good he was. He was an amazing conductor and he could easily have had a career just as a concert pianist of the highest order. He played a massive part in knocking the stuffiness out of classical music. He wasn't half good at jazz too, and he could arrange and compose with lightness and apparent effortlessness. Every Christmas Day for many years we've had his version of the Nutcracker as the background to the present-opening. Dunno whether you can still get his record of Mendelssohn's incidental music for The Midsummer Night's Dream but it's a gem and the CD lives in my car.

28 Feb 19 - 08:31 PM (#3979663)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: Stilly River Sage

He has quite a body of work that shows up on the Internet Movie Database: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006238/. A remarkable number of movie scores.

28 Feb 19 - 10:53 PM (#3979677)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: Tony Rees

I remember seeing a show on UK TV in the early-mid 70s where he performed jazz piano alternating with - and possibly together with - Oscar Peterson, and he was perfectly capable in that genre. Not bad for a classical music conductor!

28 Feb 19 - 10:58 PM (#3979678)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: Tony Rees

I guess it is this one from 1974 - hadn't seen it in 45 years:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFNsywQOW1I

Cheers - Tony

28 Feb 19 - 11:01 PM (#3979679)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: Tony Rees

From comment on the youtube video in the link above:
"Too bad the complete program isn't included here. In its entirety, it ends with Peterson and Previn performing a duet. This can currently be found on the Nerfherder21 YouTube channel, which has the program broken up into 7 parts. The "final part" includes the duet.?"

01 Mar 19 - 03:20 AM (#3979691)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: FreddyHeadey

^^^^^ Nerfherder21 Previn Peterson duet
https://youtu.be/51fUTDWhXys?t=2m45s

01 Mar 19 - 03:39 AM (#3979694)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: Dave the Gnome

I was not really aware of the vastness of his work but he certainly had a good sense of humour and, as Steve said, knocked some of the stuffiness out of classical music. Condolences to his family, friends and army of fans.

01 Mar 19 - 03:50 AM (#3979696)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: Roger the Skiffler

Like Charlie (Fat*****) I have that great recording with Shelley Manne. RIP.
RtS

01 Mar 19 - 04:00 AM (#3979698)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: GUEST,Mike Yates

I recall Previn telling a story about when he was young. In order to make some money he took a job playing piano in a cinema which showed old silent movies. One film they showed was 'Birth of a Nation'. At one point Previn was playing 'Tiger Rag' (and not actually looking at the screen) when he saw the manager rushing towards him. Glancing up at the screen Previn saw that it had reached the bit where an image of Christ on the cross appears. Previn was promptly fired! Didn't really harm his career, though, did it?

01 Mar 19 - 11:05 AM (#3979741)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: Stilly River Sage

They replayed that story on NPR yesterday. Hilarious!

02 Mar 19 - 07:01 PM (#3979924)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: Steve Shaw

There's a great tribute to Previn in the Guardian, written by the Radio 3 presenter Petroc Trelawny, which is followed by a comments section. One of the comments reads:

"Classical music still has its star conductors today: Simon Rattle, Daniel Barenboim, Valery Gergiev. But when was the last time one of them was on BBC1?

That is because the "digital revolution" that brought us hundreds of channels has been an abject failure.
Not only does the BBC close down its channels due to lack of interest, but the ones it does keep open (apart from BBC1) are used to ghettoise "minority" programmes. Much like a host would try to keep an embarrassing aunt away from the guests at a wedding reception.

And we also get programmes being pigeon-holed: this one is "culture", that one is "science", that mountain of garbage of there is "popular entertainment". But as the BBC has forgotten, popular is what they make it. Sadly they have filled their schedules with soaps, celebs, emergency services (more soaps - but with blue lights), costume drama (more soaps - but set in the past) and quiz shows.

And just like a child that has only ever been given fish fingers and spaghetti, their audience would turn their noses up at anything different. I am sure that Mr Preview, having been a conductor, will soon be spinning in his grave..."

I couldn't agree more. The Beeb should be leading us, not being led by us. We once had the four channels and they had to compete for our attention. We now have hundreds on Freeview, etc., and, well, if you've ever tried channel-surfing Freeview late at night after your fourth glass, with the missus tucked up safely in bed, you'd be reaching for the off button within a minute. I can rot my own brain perfectly well thank you very much without that dismal plethora of channels chipping into the process.

02 Mar 19 - 09:37 PM (#3979936)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: ChanteyLass

CBS's Saturday morning news show did a feature about him. Several sentences about Mia; nothing about Dory.

03 Mar 19 - 02:53 AM (#3979960)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: robomatic

Thread Drift but I'm not the first to dredge up Dory Previn. She did the title song for the somewhat weird Tony Curtis / Debbie Reynolds movie "Goodbye Chalrie" (You can do Greig, I can do Chalrie). I think she was credited under another name (maiden?) in 1964. Andre did the music.

Dory Previn also did a cute song about King Kong:

King Kong came to our town
Tore our town apart
King Kong put the fear of Jesus
Into every heart.

04 Mar 19 - 05:49 PM (#3980214)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: Hagman

Previn was also married to German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, among his five wives. In terms of celebrity marriages, he's up there, but in that game surely no-one can contend with Mia Farrow: Frank Sinatra, Previn, then Woody.....

04 Mar 19 - 06:03 PM (#3980219)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: keberoxu

André Previn wrote in his volume of memoirs
about how closely he worked with
lyricist Alan Jay Lerner --
who had eleven marriages, most of them contentious.
Previn described Lerner's personal life as "a cauldron."

talking of pots and kettles ?

04 Mar 19 - 06:07 PM (#3980220)
Subject: RE: Obit: André Previn (1929-2019)
From: Steve Shaw

Wagner was a rabid antisemite and I won't listen to his music. Karajan was a Nazi, likewise. Britten shared his bed with little boys. Can't live with that. Previn married a few women. OK. I'll let him off. Unless you have a point to make that would cause me to think otherwise.