Alone: Ballads for Solo Piano

Review of Classical Pianist Andre Previn's Latest Jazz Album

Sep 1, 2007

Classical pianist Andre Previn returns to his love of jazz piano with the release of his latest album "Alone: Ballads for Solo Piano."

Classical composer, conductor, and pianist Andre Previn has long had an interest in jazz and his latest album, Alone: Ballads for Solo Piano, reflects that proclivity. With several jazz albums to his credit (including Duke Ellington and George Gershwin albums), Previn approaches several decades of jazz with a mellow sound that mirrors the introspective mood suggested by the album’s title.

Alone: Ballads for Solo Piano

A masterful performer in the classical genre, the 78-year-old Andre Previn brings his sensitive touch to jazz and Broadway classics such as colorful “Angel Eyes” (Matt Dennis), “What is This Thing Called Love” (Cole Porter), “Night and Day” (Cole Porter), and “It Might As Well Be Spring” (from Rogers and Hammerstein’s musical State Fair).

But Previn doesn’t merely pay homage to the past: a couple minutes of improvisation resulted in “Andre’s Blues,” a piece whose crisp runs suggest the concert hall as much as the nightclub. In a brief 2 minutes and 19 seconds, Previn manages to reference a host of musical heroes, including jazz artist Art Tatum and singer Frank Sinatra.

While many of the tracks on this album showcase Previn’s sparkling technique, “Andre’s Blues” is packed with ornamental flourishes, crushed notes, and scales. Only the easy-going tempo keeps the piece from running away with the performer. Listeners can hear “Andre’s Blues” in its entirety at NPR's Song of the Day.

Album Information

Availability: The album can be purchased from itunes for $9.99 or from Amazon.

Andre Previn: Notable Achievements

German-born Andre Previn has received both the Austrian and German Cross of Merit. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1996 and was presented the Glenn Gould Award in Toronto in 2006. In 1999, Musical America named Previn "Musician of the Year."

Both his compositions and performances have received Grammy Awards: at the 47th Grammy Awards (2005) he and his then-wife Anne-Sophie Mutter shared the award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (With Orchestra), received for Previn: Violin Concerto "Anne-Sophie"/Bernstein: Serenade. Previn also guest-conducts some well-known orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Vienna Philharmonic.

The copyright of the article Alone: Ballads for Solo Piano in Modern Classical Musicians is owned by Sarah Canice Funke. Permission to republish Alone: Ballads for Solo Piano in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.