Andre Previn RIP

I second everything tmesis has said about André Previn and I was closely involved with his first period of recording for EMI with the LSO.  My then boss, Peter Andry, was very pleased to sign Previn to EMI's International Classical Division although at that time he was better known as a jazz pianist and exponent of film music.  It was not long however before his amazing talents as a conductor and pianist in classical music became apparent and he soon established himself as one of EMI's strongest classical artists. 

I remember Andry telling me how happy Previn was when they had their first discussions about what music he might record with the LSO and Andry said he would like Previn to undertake some major piece of repertoire that would appeal as widely as possible so he proposed the three Tchaikovsky ballets complete.  Surprised, Previn said: "Would you really let me record those wonderful pieces so soon in my days at EMI?"  Andry assured him that EMI had total faith in his talents as a conductor and was sure he would make a success of that music that would have a wide popular appeal as well as filling a gap in the EMI catalogue. Andry proved right and Previn scored a major success with the Tchaikovsky package before going on to make a raft of magnificent recordings for EMI, including the company's very first classical digital recording, which was Debussy's 'Images'. It was first issued as an analogue LP and then became EMI's very first digital CD on CDC 747 001 2.  It was recorded using EMI's prototype digital recording deck, on which neither mixing nor editing was possible so each movement had to be recorded in a single perfect take – just like the old days when each side of a 78 disc had to be recorded in that way!

One of the Previn obituaries listed Previn as the author of several books including No Minor Chords and André Previn's Guide to Music but, strictly speaking, the latter was not really a book.  It was actually a teaching kit about music for schools which included wall charts, work books for the pupils, and four compilation cassettes.  It was released by the publisher Macmillan, just after they had finished work on the 1980 New Grove Dictionary of Music. Previn had provided the basis for the course and had suggested a number of the key recordings that he wanted to be included, choosing EMI recordings where possible, but a few items existed only on the catalogues of other companies.  It fell to me to prepare the four compilation cassettes and license in the non-EMI tracks.  Curiously, there was not all that much by way of printed text to accompany the cassettes, wall charts and workbooks, so the retail release of the set of four cassettes rather fell flat and it was from sales of the complete kit to schools where Macmillan made its profit.  And, as a footnote, I believe Macmillan actually used Benny Green to write whatever text did appear in the work books and elsewhere in the kit. 

Sadly, I never met Maestro Previn but I had and still have the greatest admiration for his wide-ranging talents, and I used to play one of his movie songs in my music hall/variety days: 'Thanks a lot but no thanks' as sung by Delores Gray in 'It's Always Fair Weather'.

As this is (sometimes) a theatre forum, we should also remember that he wrote the music for Good Companions, based on the book of the same name by JB Priestley. I'm far too young to have seen the original London production, with its stellar cast, but I have seen a production, which I remember enjoying. And he also had some creative involvement with the currently touring Rough Crossing.

In the late 1980s, I was on a college trip to London. We were stuck in a traffic jam up by Regent's Park, when someone suddenly shouted that Andre Previn was sitting in the limousine next to our coach. As we were studying business and, no disrespect, none of my classmates were cultured like wot I am, they could only have recognised him from a re-run of a re-run of Morcambe and Wise.

I found it quite strange to see that Previn was awarded the Oscar for Best Music for My Fair Lady, with no mention of Loewe?

Anyway, my dad loved the programme he did which was introduced by Tchaik 4 and so did I. Also the M&W sketch is the funniest ever, end of (as I believe the young people say). Just watch the orchestra trying (and failing) not to crack up.

Just to finish this bit of information, EMI's first international pop digital CD CDP 746 002 2 was David Bowie's 'Let's Dance' which was in fact released in December 1983 at the same time as Previn's Debussy. The very first number in the pop series CDP 747 001 2 was allocated to Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' but that didn't come out until August 1984. So Previn and Bowie actually shared the honours of being on EMI's first international digital CD releases.