Andre Previn

André Previn was a German-American musician who had a remarkable career in various genres of music. He was born in Berlin to a Jewish family and showed an early talent for piano. His family fled Nazi Germany and settled in Los Angeles in 1939. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1943. He started working as an arranger and composer for MGM while still in high school and went on to score more than fifty films, winning four Oscars. He also played jazz piano and recorded with many famous singers and musicians. He later abandoned Hollywood to pursue a classical career and studied conducting with Pierre Monteux. He became the music director of several prestigious orchestras, including the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He also conducted the Vienna Philharmonic and other renowned orchestras around the world. He was known for his versatility and his ability to bridge the gap between classical music and jazz. He composed many works for various ensembles and soloists, including operas, concertos, chamber music, and songs. He collaborated with many artists from different fields, such as playwright Tom Stoppard, violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter (who was also his fifth wife), and comedian Eric Morecambe (who famously called him "Andrew Preview" in a sketch). He won eleven Grammy Awards for his recordings and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy in 2010. He was also honored with many other awards and distinctions, such as the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998 and the Glenn Gould Prize in 2005. He died at his home in New York City on February 28, 2019 at the age of 89.