Andre Previn: Great Pianists Of The 20th Century (Music Of Mozart, Poulenc, Shostakovich, Gershwin)

Andre Previn (Artist), Gershwin (Composer), Mozart (Composer), Shostakovich (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Composer: Gershwin, Mozart, Shostakovich
• Audio CD (January 12, 1999)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B00000HY8G
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #341,041 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K. 453: 1. Allegro

2. Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K. 453: 2. Andante

3. Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K. 453: 3. Allegretto

4. Trois pièces, for piano, FP 48: 1. Pastorale

5. Trois pièces, for piano, FP 48: 2. Toccata

6. Trois pièces, for piano, FP 48: 3. Hymne

7. Mélancolie, for piano, FP 105

8. Suite française (d'après Claude Gervaise), for piano (arr. from chamber version), FP 80: 1. Bransle de Bourgogne

9. Suite française (d'après Claude Gervaise), for piano (arr. from chamber version), FP 80: 2. Pavane

10. Suite française (d'après Claude Gervaise), for piano (arr. from chamber version), FP 80: 3. Petite marche militaire

See all 19 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Concerto in F, for piano & orchestra: 1. Allegro

2. Concerto in F, for piano & orchestra: 2. Adagio - Andante

3. Concerto in F, for piano & orchestra: 3. Allegro agitato

4. The Man I Love, song (from Strike Up the Band, 1st version; orig. composed for Lady, Be Good!)

5. Embraceable You, song (from Girl Crazy, musical)

6. I Got Rhythm, song (from Girl Crazy, 1930)

7. Someone to Watch Over Me, song (from Oh, Kay!, musical)

8. Work(s): Boy! What Love Has Done to Me! - I've Got a Crush on You

9. 'S Wonderful, song (from Funny Face, musical)

10. Rhapsody in Blue, for piano & orchestra (orchestrated by F. Grofé)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's difficult to locate fully André Previn the concert pianist, but this collection, which gathers Mozart and Gershwin convincingly, might just give a full-on portrait. There are loads of documents of his jazz-pianist days--mainly in the 1950s on the West Coast scene--and, with the premiere of his operatic adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire, increased attention on Previn as a composer. But the selections collected on these two CDs (both over 75 minutes long) show a versatility that only a full discography could otherwise woodenly demonstrate.

Previn's Mozart is muted, his piano applying shade at the edges, whereas his Poulenc solos are forcibly naked and colorfully chromatic, showing off his virtuoso chops to great, even flowering, effect. Like everything here, his Shostakovich (recorded in 1962 with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic, one year after the Poulenc solos) shows flaring brilliance and control of both the brittlest and most strenuous runs. But it's the overall package, with the Gershwin songs (from 1997) and Rhapsody in Blue (recorded in 1984) that will excite most Previn fans. The song performances rival the improvisations of Bill Evans and still present the works as hybrid jazz-concert works. For a wide-angle shot of one of the century's great polymaths, this is excellent. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Previn as pianist rather than conductor, March 23, 2001

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Andre Previn: Great Pianists Of The 20th Century (Music Of Mozart, Poulenc, Shostakovich, Gershwin) (Audio CD)

I got this cd on the recommendation of a "real" pianist because of the Poulenc Trois Pieces. They are really stunning. And the Concerto in F, that mysterious-sounding work by Gershwin never sounded better to me. The jazz Gershwin (Embraceable You, etc) are Previn's and not Gershwin's own arrangements.

Previn shines in 20th Century music. I wish there were more on this cd set. The entire Great Pianists Series is pretty wonderful; I have the Andre Watts and it is also terrific.