In 1967, Previn became music director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra. In 1968, Previn began his tenure as principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), serving in that post until 1979. During his LSO tenure, he and the LSO appeared on television in the programme André Previn's Music Night. From 1976-1984, Previn was music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO), and in turn had another television series with the PSO titled Previn and the Pittsburgh. He was also principal conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1984, he was named music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, officially taking over the position in 1985. While Previn's tenure with the orchestra was musically satisfactory, other conductors including Kurt Sanderling, Simon Rattle, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, did a better job at the box office. Previn clashed frequently with Ernest Fleischmann (the orchestra's Executive VP and General Manager), most notably when Fleischmann had failed to consult him before deciding to name Salonen as Principal Guest Conductor of the orchestra, complete with a tour of Japan. Because of Previn's objections, Salonen's title and Japanese tour were withdrawn; however, shortly thereafter in April 1989, Previn resigned as Music Director.[2] Four months later, Salonen was named Music Director Designate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, officially taking the post of Music Director in October 1992.
Previn's many recordings include the three complete ballets of Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker, and the complete symphonies of Ralph Vaughan Williams, all with the LSO. With the Los Angeles Philharmonic, he made other recordings of music by Sergei Prokofiev (most notably, the Symphonies 1 and 5, the score to Alexander Nevsky, and the Symphony-Concerto for Cello & Orchestra with Heinrich Schiff as soloist), symphonies and other pieces by Antonín Dvořák, and works by contemporary composers including William Kraft, John Harbison, and Harold Shapero.
Previn has composed film scores and other musical works including a cello concerto and a guitar concerto. He has also adapted and conducted the music for several films—some of them stage-to-film adaptations, such as My Fair Lady, Kismet, Porgy and Bess, and Paint Your Wagon, but several were written especially for film, including the Academy Award-winning Gigi. Several of the film scores were collaborations with his second wife, Dory Previn.
In the mid-to-late 1950s, and more recently, he toured and recorded as a jazz pianist. In the 1950s, mainly recording for Contemporary Records, he worked with Shelly Manne, Leroy Vinnegar, Benny Carter, and others. An album he recorded with Manne and Vinnegar of songs from My Fair Lady was a best-seller (see My Fair Lady (album)). Andre Previn made two albums with Dinah Shore as arranger, conductor, and accompanist in 1960 and made several appearances on The Dinah Shore Chevy Show in the early 1960s. He collaborated with Julie Andrews on a collection of Christmas carols in 1966, focusing on rarely heard carols. This popular album has been reissued many times over the years, and is now available on CD.
In later years, he has concentrated on composing classical music. He collaborated with Tom Stoppard on Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, a play with substantial musical content, which was first performed in London in 1977 with Previn conducting the LSO. His first opera, A Streetcar Named Desire, premiered at the San Francisco Opera in 1998. His numerous other classical works include vocal, chamber, and orchestral music. Occasionally he has made recordings of jazz music on the Telarc label.
In the United Kingdom, where he was knighted in 1996, Previn first became well-known as a result of his television appearances with the LSO. He is now particularly remembered for his performance as "Mr Andrew Preview" (or "Privet") on the Morecambe and Wise comedy show in 1971, which involved his conducting a spoof performance of Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto, with Eric Morecambe as soloist. Because of other commitments, the only time available for Previn to learn his part was during a transatlantic flight, but the talent he showed for comedy won high praise from his co-performers. At a concert in Britain afterwards, Previn had to stop the playing of the concerto to allow the audience time to stop giggling as they remembered the sketch. It is still voted one of the funniest comedy moments of all time.
April in Paris
Andre Previn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chestnuts in blossoms
Holiday tables
Under the trees
April in Paris
This is a feeling
No one can ever
Reprieve
I never knew the charm of spring
Never met it face to face
I never new my heart could sing
Never missed a warm embrace
'Til April in Paris
Whom can I run to
What have you done to
My heart...
I never knew the charm of spring
Never met it face to face
I never new my heart could sing
Never missed a warm embrace
'Til April in Paris
Whom can I run to
What have you done to
My... hear-eart...
Andre Previn's song, "April in Paris", is a beautifully written love song about the city in the springtime. Throughout the song, Previn describes the beauty of the season by mentioning the blooming chestnut trees and holiday tables that can be found under their shade. He then goes on to explain how April in Paris makes him feel, signifying that it is a feeling that cannot be replicated by anyone else. The second verse of the song reflects on how the season has impacted the singer's emotions, as he has never felt such a charm in spring or missed a warm embrace until he experienced April in Paris.
The third verse of the song is particularly heartfelt, as Previn muses on the impact that April in Paris has had on his heart. He questions who he can run to for comfort now that he has experienced such a magical feeling, and reflects on what this person or place has done to his heart. The last line of the verse features Previn's voice trailing off as he sings "My heart," almost as if the impact of April in Paris is too great to fully articulate.
Overall, "April in Paris" is a beautifully written song that captures the feeling of the season in the city of Paris. Previn's smooth vocals and soulful piano playing make it easy to imagine strolling down the streets of Paris in the springtime, taking in the blooming chestnut trees and feeling the magic of the season.
Line by Line Meaning
April in Paris
The song's setting is in Paris during the month of April, known for its blossoming chestnuts and holiday tables under trees.
Chestnuts in blossoms
The chestnut trees in Paris have started to bloom, with vibrant flowers visible to indicate spring season.
Holiday tables
People gather around tables to celebrate the holiday season in Paris amidst blooming chestnut trees.
Under the trees
The celebration and the tables are set beneath the blooming chestnut trees in the city of Paris.
April in Paris
This place and season create a particular emotion that furnishes an unparalleled personal experience.
This is a feeling
The experience is one of evocative emotions enabled by the beauty of spring in Paris.
No one can ever
The emotional experience of Paris in April is unique to each individual, and cannot be replicated.
Reprieve
The emotional experience of Paris in April provides temporary relief from pressures of everyday life.
I never knew the charm of spring
The singer had never experienced spring's charm before, particularly in Paris.
Never met it face to face
The singer had never experienced the season of spring in person, but had only heard about it or seen pictures.
I never knew my heart could sing
The warm emotions that arise within the singer during this experience are beyond anything they've ever felt.
Never missed a warm embrace
The singer has never felt a strong emotional desire for physical warmth, whether through sincere embraces or otherwise.
'Til April in Paris
It wasn't until the singer experienced Paris in April that they felt these emotions.
Whom can I run to
The singer feels a strong sense of vulnerability now that they have experienced these new emotions.
What have you done to
The powerful emotions that Paris in April brought cannot be easily dismissed or forgotten.
My heart...
...my heart is now affected by these inscrutable feelings, which continue to linger.
Lyrics © SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: E. Y. HARBURG, VERNON DUKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@markkruse4605
Dinah--what charm, poise, and singing and acting talent did she posses. Very delightful presentation of these great songs. I remember the good feeling I got watching her perform on the Dinah Shore Chevy Show!
@leestamm3187
I'm old enough to remember this. Dinah Shore was one of the last of the great big band singers and Previn was a genius across the spectrum of music.
@giulioferro8550
Andre`ha sempre scelto cantanti e musicisti che avessero il ritmo col metronomo incorporato pieno di SWING JAZZ !!! Andre' UN GRANDE MUSICISTA TALENTO MONDIALE !!!
@albertmora4290
Spectacular. Beautiful. Transcendent. Humans might never make music like this again.
@Rustymouse
OMG I was 13. Filtering through my mother's bakelite radio. I do remember.
@clarencemendonca579
Goodness gracious me.
Vintage, all the way
@michaelchapman4955
I can't help thinking of the final scene from Mel Brook's "Blazing Saddles" with Count Basie & His Orchestra playing the last few measures of "April In Paris" as Cleavon Little is leaving this deserted Desert town & stops on His horse for a moment to 'Salute Count Basie & His Band as He rides off into the Sunset
@dianarosen3861
I have an album they made together; fabulous, but my favorite is Shore with Red Norvo. PERFECT.
@RalphDratman
Wow! What a great find. Thanks!
@roywillis2750
The amazing Dinah Shore. xxx