Andre Previn: A Bridge Between Two Worlds.
Clark, John L., Jr.
Andre Previn: A Bridge Between Two Worlds. DVD. Directed by Horant
H. Hohifeld. Berlin: C Major, 2010, 2008. 703208. $24.99.
The title of this DVD (separating the worlds of Jazz and concert
music) is somewhat misleading--while Previn began his public career as a
teenaged jazz pianist, that part of his musical life has taken a
backseat to his activities as a classical performer, composer and
conductor since the 1960's. The sheer variety of his work since
then is presented here through a series of clips and
interviews--although "conversations" is perhaps a better way
of describing them. Sequences with Mia Farrow, Renee Fleming,
Anne-Sophie Mutter, and Tom Stoppard are enhanced by Previn's
participation--he frequently turns the questions on the interviewer.
This active curiosity is a crucial part of the personality that is the
focus of this documentary. Conversations with his sons Fletcher and
Lukas and reflections on the difficulties of maintaining family ties for
a touring musician are fascinating, especially considering the obviously
warm relations between them.
A distracting part of the production is that about a third of the
interviews (with Mutter and a long biographical monologue by Previn) are
conducted entirely in German, so for those without a reasonable
proficiency, an ability to navigate the language menu and activate the
subtitles is key. At the beginning of the film, the Ian-guages ping-gong
back and forth from scene to scene, which interrupts the flow to a
considerable degree.
Perhaps the greatest contribution of this film conies through
Previn's observations about his performance philosophies. Scenes of
him conducting a rehearsal of the Vienna Philharmonic and archival
footage with the London Symphony emphasize his genial demeanor and
personal interaction with musicians. His humor is further demonstrated
with a clip from his memorable appearance on the Morcambe and Wise show
for Thames Television in the 1970's which has found frequent
reissue in British comedy retrospectives. Previn's thoughts about
the similarities and differences between jazz and classical performance
are also enlightening. The sympathetic interplay between players in jazz
is explored through his 1974 duet with pianist Oscar Peterson and his
more recent partner, bassist David Finck, while the communication
between members of a chamber group is clearly in evidence on the bonus
tracks of this DVD--two Mozart piano quartets he recorded in Salzburg in
2000. Rehearsal footage of Previn conducting his orchestral piece
Diversions, Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra (with Mutter) and
his opera Brief Encounter is also included to illustrate his dealings
with musicians on a number of creative levels.
This documentary presents Previn as one who has never been content
to remain still--even in his eighties he continues to explore new
avenues of intellectual endeavor and accept new challenges. This
curiosity has been an integral part of his professional development in
all fields but which, as several of those interviewed here point out,
may have kept him from becoming known as preeminent in any one of them.
While this could be seen as regrettable, Previn himself obviously does
not think that way, preferring to ally himself to an almost extinct form
of intellectual progressivism that emphasizes diversity as the greatest
expression of ability.
JOHN L. CLARK, JR.
Connecticut College
EDITED BY LESLIE ANDERDEN
