Symphony No. 9 New World / Carnival Overture

"...excellence of leadership, orchestral playing and recording. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra is fresh, alert, vivacious, and smoothly refined. Telarc's recording is warm and spacious, yet clear, transparent, and rich in detail." —American Record Guide

André Previn was born in Berlin but emigrated with his family to California shortly before the second World War. He continued his musical studies including composition with Joseph Achron and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and conducting with Pierre Monteux. As a young man, he made a name for himself as a brilliantly successful composer of film music and as a pianist in concertos, chamber music and jazz.

In June 1985, he took up the position of Music Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and launched this exciting new association with a two-week festival on the Sound Bank. He has made two highly praised television series with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, one on the subject of the symphony entitled Sounds Magnificent, and the other on the concerto under the title Great Concerto Series. Mr. Previn also made several records with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as well as numerous international tours. In January 1987, he stepped down from the position as Music Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and became Principal Conductor where he will continue until the 1992-1993 season. For the 1992-1993 season, he returned to the London Symphony Orchestra as Conductor Laureate.

Mr. Previn's career now extends over the last 25 years and encompasses every major orchestra in the world. Long-term relationships have included the Music Directorship of the Houston Symphony in succession to Sir John Barbirolli, the 10th Principal Conductorship of the London Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for 11 years, and the Music Directorship of the Pittsburgh Symphony. In 1985, he relinquished this last position to take over Music Director in Los Angeles Philharmonic, succeeding Carlo Mario Giulini. Mr. Previn has recently given up his position as Music Director in Los Angeles, but will continue as a guest conductor for approximately six weeks per season.

His work with other orchestras, and in particular with the LSO, has taken him on innumerable tours around the globe, and has resulted in an enormous catalog of recordings covering every conceivable part of the orchestral repertoire. Mr. Previn's work on television has also been definitive. His regular series of programs with the LSO in the 1970s had a major impact on audiences throughout Britain, and did much to create a new audience for classical music.

In recent years, Mr. Previn has had little time available for guest conducting, but he appears with the Vienna Philharmonic every season and has conducted regularly the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestras. Recent engagements have included concerts with the Cleveland, New York, Pittsburgh, Washington and Montreal orchestras as well as the Royal Concertgebouw and Dresden Staatskappelle orchestras.

Mr. Previn not only manages to find time to play chamber music on the piano but also to play the occasional concerto. He has continued to be active as a composer, and his works include "Principals," commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony, and "Reflections," commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Other successful works have included "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour" written by him jointly with Tom Stoppard and by now performed all over the world; a piano concerto commissioned by Vladimir Ashkenazy, a song-cycle premiered in London by Dame Janet Baker; and a song-cycle written for Kathleen Battle entitled "Honey & Rue", which was recently premiered at Carnegie Hall and received great critical acclaim.