PREVIN, ANDR (GEORGE)

born April 6, 1929, Berlin, Ger. original name Andreas Ludwig Priwin German-born American pianist, composer, and conductor, especially sympathetic to French Impressionist music, 19th- and 20th-century Russian music, and 20th-century English music. His film arrangements of Broadway musical scores won him four Academy Awards. Previn's family fled Nazi persecution and moved to Los Angeles in 1939. While still a teenager he was recognized as a gifted jazz pianist and orchestrator, performing various orchestrating and arranging tasks for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the 1940s and serving under MGM contract from 1952 to 1960. Thereafter he scored the music for films for several studios. Meanwhile he became a noted pianist (both classical and jazz) and started conducting. He was principal conductor of the Houston Symphony from 1967 to 1970, principal conductor of the London Symphony from 1968 to 1979, principal conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony from 1976 to 1984, and musical director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1985 to 1989. For the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra he was musical director from 1985 to 1986 and principal conductor from 1987. In addition to his scores for Hollywood, he composed a symphony, concertos, chamber music, and songs. His books include Music Face to Face (1971) and Orchestra (1979).