André Previn

The Man, The Maestro, and The World that Made Him

Like most biographers, I love research, finding archival treasures and conducting revealing interviews. I also like the writing. But constructing a narrative that flows and does not get bogged down in too many detail, is challenging. I am repeatedly told to “streamline the narrative,” as I write the story of musical polymath and who is also my cousin André Previn.

That is what I am trying to do, as we prepare to submit a full proposal for André Previn: The Surprising Saga of the Man, the Maestro, and the World That Made Him.

For me, this has meant a major shift from my initial idea for the book, a biography of my great uncle Charles Previn. Uncle Charlie was a friend and associate of George Gershwin, conducted more than 50 Broadway shows, produced and hosted early radio network programs, and as the musical director of Universal Studios, mentored many young ingenues (like Deanna Durbin) and brought the young German-Jewish refugee Andréas Ludwig Priwin to LA and helped him launch his career.

“My Search for Uncle Charlie, the Other Previn” was what I first intended to write. And why not? Charlie was the brighter star in my immediate family. But there was no market for a Charles Previn biography. So next came: Maestros! The Magnificent Previns and the World that Made Them. A dual biography, but still not good enough.

Many books take years from conception to publication. Undaunted, I reframed the narrative to focus on André, with Charlie in a supporting role. The family roots that led to André began in 19^th century Minsk, so decades would pass before the birth of the wunderkind in Berlin on April 6, 1929.

From there the story gets darker, in the Third Reich, then brighter, as the André’s family immigrates and his star rises, soon eclipsing “Uncle Charlie.” André would win four Oscars and ten Grammys, be the principal conductor of orchestras in Houston, London, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. He would be married and divorced five times, most notably to actress-activist Mia Farrow, and the mostly absent father to ten—my third cousins! I’ve been fortunate to be able to interview three of his ex-wives, four of his children, and his best friends “Star Wars” composer John Williams and the late Czech-British playwright Tom Stoppard, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and many others.

For now I’ll just add that I love this project. For me, it’s been a voyage of discovery, a story of immigrant striving, survival and success. It’s also my family’s story.