Previn and the Pittsburgh

    All Episodes 1977 - 1982

    • Ended
    • #<Network:0x00007faa237d21c8>
    • 1977-02-27T05:00:00Z
    • 55m
    • 1d 2h 30m (26 episodes)
    • United States
    • English
    • WQED
    • Documentary, Music
    Renowned composer, conductor, and pianist Andre Previn welcomes one or more musical guests for conversation and performance, either accompanied by Mr. Previn on piano or in concert with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Produced by WQED and syndicated nationally on PBS, the series was notable among musical performance programs for its deft camera work and editing. The episode The Music That Made the Movies was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Music Direction.

    26 episodes

    Series Premiere

    1977-02-27T05:00:00Z

    1x01 Mozart as Keyboard Prodigy

    Series Premiere

    1x01 Mozart as Keyboard Prodigy

    • 1977-02-27T05:00:00Z1h

    Previn discusses Mozart's life and genius, performs his "C-Major Sonata for Four Hands" with Patricia Prattis-Jennings, then conducts the symphony in "piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor".

    Previn conducts the symphony in Stravinsky's "Firebird", and soloist Horatio Gutierrez plays Tchaikovsky's "Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor".

    1x03 The World of Stephen Sondheim

    • 1977-03-13T05:00:00Z1h

    The award-winning Broadway composer-lyricist talks about his craft and the state of today's musical theatre. Cast members of the London revue "Side by Side by Sondheim" perform three of his songs, including the Grammy-winning "Send In The Clowns".

    1977-03-20T05:00:00Z

    1x04 Creating an Impression

    1x04 Creating an Impression

    • 1977-03-20T05:00:00Z1h

    Previn and guest Thomas Hoving, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, examine the Impressionistic movement and its influence in music. Previn conducts the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in examples of what they discussed: Debussy's "Afternoon of a Faun", Ravel's "Daphnis and Chloe", and others.

    1977-03-27T05:00:00Z

    1x05 Oscar Peterson

    1x05 Oscar Peterson

    • 1977-03-27T05:00:00Z1h

    Jazz pianist Oscar Peterson joins Previn at the keyboard for a lively two-man show of conversation and music reflecting on Peterson's career and the creation and improvisation of the jazz sound.

    1977-04-03T05:00:00Z

    1x06 Why a Rehearsal?

    1x06 Why a Rehearsal?

    • 1977-04-03T05:00:00Z1h

    As television cameras observe an actual Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra rehearsal, Previn explains the importance of the rehearsal process.

    1977-04-10T05:00:00Z

    1x07 Isaac Stern

    1x07 Isaac Stern

    • 1977-04-10T05:00:00Z1h

    Violinist Isaac Stern joins pianist Andre Previn and cellist Michael Grebanier of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for an intimate program of chamber music and conversation.

    1x08 Concert of Brahms and Prokofiev

    • 1977-04-17T05:00:00Z1h

    Previn conducts the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra as they perform "Symphony No. 2" by Brahms and "Classical Symphony" by Prokofiev.

    Season Premiere

    1978-03-26T05:00:00Z

    2x01 The Music That Made the Movies

    Season Premiere

    2x01 The Music That Made the Movies

    • 1978-03-26T05:00:00Z1h

    Composer John Williams, who wrote the music for Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star Wars, joins for performances of Star Wars Suite and music from Adventures of Robin Hood, Henry V, and The Blue Max.

    1978-04-02T05:00:00Z

    2x02 A Feast of Walton

    2x02 A Feast of Walton

    • 1978-04-02T05:00:00Z1h

    Composer Sir William Walton is honored with a performance of his oratorio "Belshazzar's Feast", which includes baritone John Shirley-Quirk, the Penn State University Chorus, and the Pittsburgh Symphony.

    2x03 An Evening with Comden and Green

    • 1978-04-09T05:00:00Z1h

    The musical comedy team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green join for reminiscences of their movie musical days in Hollywood. Classic material includes Bells Are Ringing, On The Town, and Singin' In The Rain.

    1978-04-16T05:00:00Z

    2x04 Two Concerti

    2x04 Two Concerti

    • 1978-04-16T05:00:00Z1h

    With principal pianist Patricia Prattis Jennings of the Pittsburgh Symphony, Previn performs Mozart's "Concerto for Two Pianos in E-Flat". The orchestra is joined by Korean violinist Kyung Wha Chung for the violin concerto of Sir William Walton.

    1978-04-23T05:00:00Z

    2x05 A Gathering of Players

    2x05 A Gathering of Players

    • 1978-04-23T05:00:00Z1h

    Isaac Stern, Pinchas Zukerman, and Nathaniel Rosen, principal cellist for the Pittsburgh Symphony, join Previn in an informal setting for some chat and music-making, including Mozart's G-Minor quartet for piano, violin, viola, and cello.

    1978-04-30T05:00:00Z

    2x06 Alpine

    2x06 Alpine

    • 1978-04-30T05:00:00Z1h

    Previn conducts the Pittsburgh Symphony in a performance of Richard Strauss' Alpine Symphony, then examines some of Strauss' musical themes and discusses their use in a lecture-demonstration at the piano.

    1978-05-07T04:00:00Z

    2x07 Dame Janet Baker

    2x07 Dame Janet Baker

    • 1978-05-07T04:00:00Z1h

    Dame Janet discusses her artistic career with Previn, who accompanies her in a performance of the song cycle she commissioned him to write.

    1978-05-14T04:00:00Z

    2x08 Brahms' Requiem

    2x08 Brahms' Requiem

    • 1978-05-14T04:00:00Z1h 30m

    The 70-minute-long requiem features the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, soprano Barbara Hendricks, and baritone Ryan Edwards. An informal talk by Previn, revealing his deepest feelings on the piece, follows in this expanded 90-minute season finale.

    Season Premiere

    1979-04-03T05:00:00Z

    3x01 Mistress of Jazz / Jazz Great Ella Fitzgerald

    Season Premiere

    3x01 Mistress of Jazz / Jazz Great Ella Fitzgerald

    • 1979-04-03T05:00:00Z1h

    Ella Fitzgerald discusses her career, from Chick Webb to the big bands to the song books of Gershwin and Cole Porter and beyond. and sings some old favorites with her combo.

    1979-04-10T05:00:00Z

    3x02 Movie Music

    3x02 Movie Music

    • 1979-04-10T05:00:00Z1h

    Composer John Williams premieres his new "Superman Suite", Miklos Rozsa conducts the Pittsburgh Symphony in his "Ben Hur Suite", and Previn conducts film scores from Psycho, The Seahawk, and Now Voyager. Previn, Williams, and Rozsa talk about the relationship between composers and movie producers in the old - and new - days of Hollywood.

    1979-04-17T05:00:00Z

    3x03 Itzhak Perlman

    3x03 Itzhak Perlman

    • 1979-04-17T05:00:00Z1h

    Violinist Itzhak Perlman performs the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Pittsburgh Symphony, then talks with conductor Andre Previn.

    1979-04-24T05:00:00Z

    3x04 Nathaniel Rosen

    3x04 Nathaniel Rosen

    • 1979-04-24T05:00:00Z1h

    Cellist Nathaniel Rosen, the first American to win the Tchaikovsky Competition since Van Cliburn, is featured soloist in Richard Strauss' "Don Quixote". Rosen also performs a movement from the Prokofiev Cello Sonata, accompanied by Previn on piano, and talks about his experience in Moscow.

    1979-05-08T04:00:00Z

    3x05 Yehudi Menuhin

    3x05 Yehudi Menuhin

    • 1979-05-08T04:00:00Z1h

    Violinist Yehudi Menuhin performs chamber music with Pittsburgh Symphony cellist Ann Martindale Williams and Previn.

    1979-05-15T04:00:00Z

    3x06 Carmina Burana

    3x06 Carmina Burana

    • 1979-05-15T04:00:00Z1h

    Pittsburgh Symphony and Penn State University Choir perform the concert favorite, Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" - a lively piece set to medieval poems.

    1979-05-22T04:00:00Z

    3x07 Benjamin Britten

    3x07 Benjamin Britten

    • 1979-05-22T04:00:00Z1h

    This tribute to English composer Benjamin Britten features concert tenor Robert Tear and French hornist Barry Tuckwell soloing in "Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings", and also includes the ballet suite "Prince of the Pagoda". Previn, Tear, and Tuckwell reminisce about the composer.

    Season Premiere

    1982-10-06T04:00:00Z

    4x01 Perlman: Cool and Classic

    Season Premiere

    4x01 Perlman: Cool and Classic

    • 1982-10-06T04:00:00Z1h

    A candid close-up on the making of a jazz record, this special features violinist Itzhak Perlman, Andre Previn on piano, Shelly Manne on drums, Red Mitchell on bass, and Jim Hall on guitar playing original music by Previn.

    1982-11-03T05:00:00Z

    4x02 Rachmaninov

    4x02 Rachmaninov

    • 1982-11-03T05:00:00Z1h

    Pianist Horacio Gutierrez joins Andre Previn and the Pittsburgh Symphony for a performance of Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto from Heinz Hall, and a humorous chat about the composer's thoughts and problems with his 1909 masterpiece.

    1982-12-15T05:00:00Z

    4x03 The British Festival

    4x03 The British Festival

    • 1982-12-15T05:00:00Z1h

    Highlights from Pittsburgh's city-wide festival honoring British music and arts in the fall of 1981. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma joins Previn and the Pittsburgh Symphony to perform Sir Edward Elgar's "Cello Concerto". The Symphony also performs the final movement of the Second Symphony of Sir William Walton. British composers Oliver Knussen, John McCabe, and Sir Michael Tippett also appear.

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