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PEOPLE & ARTS Saturday 2 March 2019
Andre Previn, Oscar-winning composer, has died at 89

By LINDSEY BAHR tra (conducted by Previn).
Associated Press But the marriage ended in
Andre Previn, the pianist, divorce in 2006.
composer and conductor Previn's second wife, Dory
whose broad reach took Previn, also has had a no-
in the worlds of Hollywood, table career as a singer
jazz and classical music, al- and songwriter. She col-
ways rejecting suggestions laborated with Previn dur-
that his bop 'n' blues moon- ing their marriage on Os-
lighting lessened his stature, car-nominated songs for
died Thursday. He was 89. the films "Pepe," 1960, and
His manager Linda Petriko- "Two for the Seesaw," 1962.
va said Previn passed away After he left her for Farrow,
in his Manhattan home. she wrote about the experi-
His ex-wife Mia Farrow ence in "Beware of Young
tweeted Thursday, "See Girls."
you in the Morning beloved Previn's other wives were
Friend. May you rest in glori- Betty Bennett and Heather
ous symphonies." Hales. Previn was born An-
Previn was a child prodigy dreas Ludwig Prewin in Ber-
whose family fled Nazi Ger- lin. His father, Jack Prewin,
many. As a teenager, he was a distinguished lawyer,
found work as a composer In this Sept. 1, 2004 file photo, conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Andre Previn, con- but as it became clear that
and arranger in the musical ducts the 15th symphony concert during the Lucerne Festival in the concert hall in Lucerne, Swit- Jews were unwelcome in
sweatshops of Hollywood, zerland. Hitler's Germany, Prewin
mostly at MGM, winning Associated Press moved his wife, Charlotte,
four Oscars for his orchstra- and their two sons to Paris.
tions of such stylish musicals He married five times, in- MGM. of songs from "Show Boat," A year later, the family left
as 1964's "My Fair Lady." cluding glittering collabora- While much of his Holly- and an album of Jerome for Los Angeles.
Previn then abandoned tions with Farrow and violin- wood labors were spent Kern songs with soprano In this country, Jack Prewin
Hollywood for a career as ist Anne-Sophie Mutter. He on lesser films ("Challenge Sylvia McNair. was reduced to giving pi-
a classical conductor. He was among those in Holly- to Lassie," for one), the "I missed some of my jazz ano lessons, while 17-year-
was named musical direc- wood who early on experi- work gave him "a thorough musician friends very much old Andre, after finding
tor of the Houston Sympho- mented with LSD, and his schooling in the practical and the atmosphere," he work at the film studio, as-
ny in 1967, and went on to memoir of his movie-studio aspects of music making," said. "I always liked impro- sumed much of the burden
lead such renowned or- days, "No Minor Chords," he once told The Washing- vising. During the time that of supporting the family.
chestras as the Los Angeles contained juicy revelations ton Post. He said it allowed I didn't play jazz, I always Previn earned his first film
Philharmonic and London's about everyone from Len- him to "stand up in front of listened to it." credit as music director for
Royal Philharmonic. ny Bruce to Ava Gardner. an orchestra of superlative Previn and Farrow, his third "She's for Me" in 1943. He cut
In 1998, his opera based on The Korean orphan he and players" and hone his con- wife, had three children his first record three years
"A Streetcar Named Desire" Farrow adopted, Soon- ducting skills. and adopted three oth- later and began compos-
premiered at the San Fran- Yi, became the center of Hollywood also accorded ers during their high-profile ing film scores three years
cisco Opera. a tabloid scandal when Previn fame. He was nomi- union. after that.
Through his career, Previn she became involved with nated for 13 Academy After Soon-Yi's affair with Al- In 1958, he won the first of
continued to dip in and out Farrow's then-boyfriend, Awards and won four. Be- len became known in the his numerous Grammys for
of the jazz world. "I don't Woody Allen, and eventu- sides "My Fair Lady," his early 1990s, Farrow bitterly the sound track for "Gigi."
ever consciously change ally married him. Oscar-winning orchestra- criticized the filmmaker for In 1960 he was awarded a
gears when I play jazz or Previn never even heard tions included "Gigi" (1958), initiating a relationship with Grammy for best jazz per-
classical," he once said. "It's jazz until he was a teen- "Porgy and Bess" (1959) and the young woman when he formance for selections
all music." ager. Born in 1929 into a "Irma La Douce" (1963). had been a father figure to from "West Side Story."
Arguably, no one ever per- wealthy Jewish family in After leaving Hollywood, her for years. Allen and oth- He won the same award
formed at so high a level in Berlin, he was sent to emi- Previn also turned away ers countered that he had the next year for "Andre
so many different genres of nent teachers to study from jazz, partly because hardly known Soon-Yi while Previn Plays Harold Arlen."
contemporary music. But classical music as his gifts he feared it would diminish she was growing up and In 1998, he received the
Previn's versatility came at became apparent. But the his credibility among classi- that Previn was not just a Kennedy Center's lifetime
a price. family was forced to flee cal musicians. father figure, but her father. achievement award —
"Music critics have made it Germany in 1938, moving "I must say it probably "I would cheerfully run him with ex-wife Farrow reading
quite clear," he once said, briefly to Paris before trav- crossed my mind. It's a over with a steamroller," a tribute at the televised
"that any composer who eling to the United States. cowardly confession. ... But Previn said of Allen, who ceremony.
ever contributed a four-bar "I was purely classically the other thing is that once eventually adopted two "Ever since we first met,
jingle to a film was to be trained," Previn recalled. I quit Hollywood in '65, I re- children with Soon-Yi. you have been a true and
referred to as a 'Hollywood "And then when I was a ally needed to get going In August 2002, at age 72, trusted friend to me. Thanks
composer' from then on, kid in Los Angeles, some- as a classical conductor. I Previn married Mutter, the for the music, toots, and for
even if the rest of his output one gave me a record of was very determined and violinist who has been a the memories," she said.
were to consist solely of li- (pianist) Art Tatum playing ambitious and worked very classical music superstar Previn's longest stint as a
turgical organ sonatas." 'Sweet Lorraine.' I was as- hard." Jazz continued to since her teens. She was principal conductor was
Previn became as close to tonished and bewitched exert an irresistible attrac- 39. In 2005, their recording the 11 years he spent with
a household name as any- by it." tion, though. In 1995, after of "Violin Concerto 'Anne- the London Symphony Or-
one in his field — his fame One of his father's cousins conducting every major Sophie,'" which he wrote chestra from 1968-79. He
burnished by his propensity worked as a musical direc- orchestra in Europe, Previn for her, won a Grammy made dozens of recordings
for popping up in the gos- tor at Universal Studios, and returned to pop, recording for best instrumental soloist with the LSO and other ma-
sip columns. Previn soon latched on at an album of jazz treatments performance with orches- jor orchestras.q