“Forgotten Hollywood”- Here is the Score…
February 28th, 2019“`Andre Previn was a pianist, composer and conductor whose broad reach took in the worlds of Hollywood, jazz and classical music. He won Oscars for work on Gigi, Porgy and Bess, My Fair Lady, and Irma La Douce. And one of his ex-wives was Mia Farrow. ANDRE PREVIN –>
“`Previn was a music prodigy, and whose family escaped Nazi Germany. As a teenager, he found work as a composer and arranger in Hollywood, mostly at MGM. Andre earned his first movie credit as music director in She’s for Me in 1943. Many of his scoring assignments were spent on lesser films. During this formative time, he continued to explore jazz.
“`After gaining notoriety in Hollywood (he received thirteen Academy Award nominations), Previn abandoned tinsel town for a career as a classical conductor. Andre was named musical director of the Houston Symphony in 1967, and went on to lead such renowned orchestras as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and London’s Royal Philharmonic. Previn also turned away from jazz, because he feared it would diminish his credibility with classical musicians.
“`In 1958, Andre earned his first Grammys for the soundtrack for Gigi. Two years later, he received a Grammy for Best Jazz Performance for selections from West Side Story. Other noted films he scored, included Pepe, Elmer Gantry, and Two For the Seesaw.
“`In 1977 he became an Honorary Member of Royal Academy of Music. He was appointed KBE, an honorary knighthood, by Queen Elizabeth II in 1996. Previn also received Kennedy Center’s Lifetime Achievement Award with Farrow reading a tribute at the televised show.
“`Andre Previn was 89.
Until next time> “never forget”
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