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It is 41 years since André Previn first appeared with the London
Symphony Orchestra, and in those four decades he has been both their
Principal Conductor and now Conductor Laureate. His remarkable career has
also included an extensive period in Hollywood as film composer and
arranger, the composition of an opera (A Streetcar Named Desire) and many
concert appearances as a pianist.
Previn is celebrating his 75th birthday by giving a series of concerts with
the LSO demonstrating his wide-ranging musical talents, starting with this
gala birthday concert. The programme consisted entirely of twentieth-century
works, most of them written by Previn's heroes as a composer - figures such
as Ravel and Strauss who employ large forces to create an enormous palette
of orchestral colours. Although now looking frail, Previn is still
commanding as a conductor, and he drew only the finest sounds from an
admiring LSO.
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The concert started with Korngold's suite from The Sea Hawk, a fitting
tribute to Previn's Hollywood days. The LSO's brass clearly relished the
opportunity to shine, and negotiated the tricky dotted rhythms of the 'Main
Title' music with impressive dexterity. Then, as the second theme came in,
the violins responded with a warm vibrato of a quality normally unheard
outside of the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics.
The meat of the first half of the concert was Ravel's Piano Concerto for the
Left Hand with Jean-Yves Thibaudet as the excellent soloist. Thibaudet
understands the poetry of this beautiful score, and rather than making a
spectacle of the fact that the score is for only one hand he demonstrated
its exquisite melodic contours. The orchestra responded well, bringing out
the impressionistic aspect of the music.
Then we were treated to Previn's 1997 work, Tango Song and Dance for Violin
and Piano. The composer was the pianist, whilst his glamorous wife,
Anne-Sophie Mutter, was the violin soloist. Previn was perhaps too
understated an accompanist, though sympathetic; but his wife shone in this
work, which was written for her. The 'tango' and 'dance' were especially
evocative, if unchallenging, and the only disappointment was the sentimental
and bland 'song'.
After the interval, two undoubted masterpieces brought the performance into
fifth gear. Strauss' Four Last Songs reunited Previn with Renée Fleming, who
starred as Blanche Dubois in his operatic version of Streetcar. This was a
marvel from start to finish, with Fleming showing with what beauty of tone
she can sing. Her performance was also arresting in the level of meaning she
brought to the words, which are frequently given a back seat in these days
of diminished Lied singing. The final two songs were especially moving, with
the crescendo on the word 'Seele' in Beim Schlafengehen and the
emphatically-delivered final lines of Im Abendrot the highlights of a deeply
thoughtful rendition in general. Leader Gordon Nikolitch was outstanding in
his solo in the former, and the piccolo trills magically evoked birdsong in
the latter.
The finale to the evening was the second Daphnis et Chloë suite by Ravel.
The LSO played their hearts out in a highly dedicated reading of the work,
one which Previn has championed over the years. A strong ensemble feel made
this an uplifting end to proceedings, and Previn was awarded a standing
ovation at the end. If this concert was an indication of the level of
musicianship of his celebratory concerts, there are clearly some interesting
events to look forward to at the LSO over the coming fortnight.
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