Previn Shares Musical Insights

Knights are rare enough these days, but add the labels of composer, musician, and conductor to that honor and the combination becomes practically unheard of. But Sir André Previn, who was knighted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1996, has just these distinctions. As a guest at Harvard this past Monday, Previn shared personal insights about music as well as anecdotes and advice with the community in an intimate setting.

A crowd of approximately 80 people gathered in the Kirkland Junior Common Room for a master class with Previn as part of the Learning From Performers series sponsored by the Office for the Arts. At the conclusion of the master class, Previn, making his first visit to Harvard in 26 years, was presented with the second annual Musician of the Year Award by the Harvard Music Society of Kirkland. The event was open to the public, and as a result, older musicians and fans were in attendance alongside Harvard students.

“[Previn is] obviously a wonderful musician, and this [was] a great opportunity to see him in person,” audience member Andrew R. Milewski ’12 said. “Anytime I am able to witness a master in his element, I am going to take advantage of that opportunity.”

The program began with a trio comprised of Alex Y. Shiozaki ’09 on violin, Kathryn S. Austin ’09 on cello, and John M. Sullivan ’09 on piano playing Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Piano Trio in E-flat, Op. 70. No. 2.”

After the piece, Previn offered criticism of the performance, with both compliments and suggestions for improvements. Besides calling the trio “absolutely wonderful,” he also offered some finer points, such as where to accent certain notes and how to sound more uniform as a trio by playing the same type of vibrato. “Play to each other’s strengths and not just to your own,” he said. “I wish you luck; I think you will do very well.”

Shortly thereafter, a second trio played a Johannes Brahms piece, the first movement of “Piano Trio in B, Op. 8.” The musicians included Rachel E. Lee ’10 on violin, Nicolas A. Olarte-Hayes ’11 on cello, and Amy T. Wu ’09 on piano, who were performing as a group for the first time. As they played, Previn sat on the side, following along with a Brahms score.

In response to the performance, Previn focused on certain passages in the piece, asking the trio to repeat specific parts of the movement. But he did not only focus on technicalities; he also made remarks about the trio’s holistic playing. “You don’t have to stick to the absolute metronomic legitimacy of this,” he said. “If you feel like it should go faster or slower, just do it.”

Throughout the discussion that followed the performances, Previn emphasized his own passion for music and how that passion spurred him on to take advantage of all opportunities. He spoke about his background working in film studios, his experiences working with European orchestras, and his thoughts about music in general.

“I grew to love music very quickly and I couldn’t do without it. As soon as a child thinks that, he’s going to be a musician,” he said, adding that an individual does not need to be a virtuoso to be a musician.

“One thing I know—that I am a musician,” he said. “I can’t think of anything else in the world I’d rather do. And you don’t have to be proficient at an instrument to do that.”

Previn also discussed his humble beginnings accompanying silent films on the piano. His recounting of one instance in which he unwittingly played a Tiger Rag in conjunction with a scene of Christ’s crucifixion drew much laughter, as did several of his other forthright comments. “I’ve made over 300 CDs,” he said. “That’s too many.”

Many of the audience members stayed around to talk to Previn in person. “His advice was really good, and not just because he’s a musician,” Shiyu Wei ’10 said. “He’s had a lot of experience as a man, as a person...It was insightful to hear him talk.”

Most of all, Previn urged the audience to seize the day. “Whatever is given to you, do it,” he said.