Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, Concerto in F

After earning his musical stripes in Hollywood, André Previn turned away from “commercial” music (writing and performing movie music) and pursued a highly successful career as a conductor, pianist and composer. His chief conductorship of the London Symphony Orchestra (1968-1979) was one of the LSO’s golden eras, and together they made a string of wonderful recordings. As a pianist, Previn always claimed to be a “musician who plays jazz, rather than a jazz musician”. His musicality was prodigious, and this 1971 album of George Gershwin’s two great works for piano and orchestra shows what a fine player he was. On the podium, Previn conducts a sizzling performance of An American in Paris, insouciant and full of charm.