André Previn, considered one of the world’s most versatile musicians, is a conductor, composer, and pianist. Originally born Andreas Ludwig Priwin, Previn left his native Germany as a child in 1938 to escape Nazi persecution, eventually settling in Los Angeles with his family. Previn was classically trained, but is considered an equally gifted jazz pianist, and went on to conduct the Houston Symphony, London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, and the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestras. His compositions encompass a wide range of genres including contemporary classical, jazz, film music, and music theatre.

Previn’s Two Remembrances was written in 1995 with soprano Sylvia McNair in mind. The first movement, A Love Song, is by Else Lasker-Schüler, a Jewish-German expressionist writer known for her bohemian lifestyle. Along with an active literary life, Lasker-Schüler led an intense personal one marked by scandal, which served as inspiration for many of her works. Previn interprets this work with winding, tangled lines in the flute obbligato that set the stage for the poem’s amorous invitation. The Debussy-like instrumental accompaniment creates the effect of an exotic dream, and descending chromatic lines lead the listener down uncertain paths, ultimately reuniting the poem’s two lovers.

In contrast, Lyric by Frau Ava is a concrete declamation of love. The first lines I am yours, you are mine/ Of this we are certain, sets the tone for this delicate, sweet ode. The movement reaches a climax as the soprano exclaims that the small key is lost before gently winding down, resolving that her love must stay there forever.