Clearly André Previn was a lot of things. And he made them all sound so easy.
As a composer, Previn frequently wrote at the request of friends, or for friends, performers with whom he had developed lasting relationships. His fluency was such that his music could sometimes come across as almost off-the-cuff.
This Sunday night on “The Lost Chord,” enjoy a loosey-goosey cello sonata, written in 1993 for Yo-Yo Ma. In the liner notes to this Sony recording, Previn relates that he poured everything into the piano part, on the assumption that it would be played by Ma’s regular recital partner, Emanuel Ax. But then Ma called him to say, with a new work, he always preferred to record, when possible, with the composer on the piano. Previn ruefully observes that it serves him right; also that there’s nothing like rehearsing one’s own music to make one doubt its true worth.
The only time the recording venue, Tanglewood’s Seiji Ozawa Hall, was free was from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. Previn relates that he was willing to postpone, but Ma was up for the challenge. At the start, the musicians were buoyed by plenty of nervous energy and optimism, but as the night wore on, the exertion began to wear. As the end of the session approached, Previn says, Ma went into overdrive, and they were able to wrap things up on time. The cellist then drank one more cup of coffee before heading off to a full day of rehearsals and teaching obligations.
As for Previn, his playing belies any sense of a nine-hour slog. He sounds relaxed and playful, and aspects of his performance remind that he was also an outstanding jazz pianist.
The second half of the program will be devoted to “Diversions,” a concerto (of sorts) for orchestra, composed in 2000 for the Vienna Philharmonic. Previn was intimately acquainted with the ensemble, having performed and recorded with it for 30 years, and he writes ingratiatingly for its different sections and principals. It may not be the most profound utterance (he was requested by the orchestra to keep it light), but it is well-crafted, direct, and full of character.
I only regret that there won’t be any room to sample Previn the songwriter and operatic composer. Previn wrote for some of the outstanding voices of our time: Kathleen Battle, Barbara Bonney, Renée Fleming, and Sylvia McNair, among others. We’ll have to save that for another day.
On more than one occasion, Previn shared his astonishment that anyone would be interested in performing his music. Still, the requests and commissions kept coming. And who was he to say no?
Previn goes with the flow, on “André the Pliant,” this Sunday night at 10:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network. Make sure you’ve changed your clocks! But if you find your body is still set to EST, you can always listen to it later as a webcast, at wwfm.org.
