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We still have copies of Two for the Seesaw (not many), All in a Night's Work, and Elmer Gantry, and both Legrands, Cops and Robbers and Ode to Billy Joe are still with us.
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We still have copies of Two for the Seesaw (not many), All in a Night's Work, and Elmer Gantry, and both Legrands, Cops and Robbers and Ode to Billy Joe are still with us.
Of course I have all this CDs. It is sad that the death of a composer puts his works back into the limelight. Unfortunately, I am also depressed by the fact that none of Previn's few unreleased soundtracks has been released on CD for several years now. Fortunately, most of his compositions were released many years ago on CD.
One special soundtrack, however, I miss until today. The soundtrack to Billy Wilder's Cold War comedy ONE, TWO, THREE (1961). A soundtrack that Andre Previn should have been particularly close to the heart, because the film plays in Berlin, and Previn was born in Berlin.
Previn has also incorporated classic pieces of music, such as Aram Khachaturian's lively Sabre Dance and other distinctive melodies, into the score.
The soundtrack is definitely worth a release on CD and I could not imagine a better CD label than KRITZERLAND for this CD release. I just do not think that such a soundtrack would be taken up today by another CD label for a CD release. The interest of today's soundtrack fans has shifted too much in other directions - to more modern scores. It's the old question about the future of Golden Age score releases on CD.
But I hope a limited 500 CD release from Kritzerland could still arouse enough interest.
Damn, it's the funny soundtrack to a really good Billy Wilder movie …
And you could ask COCA COLA in Atlanta to sponsor the soundtrack release. Maybe with a voucher for a free bottle COCA COLA ... for a toast of Andre Previn's life and work!
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One special soundtrack, however, I miss until today. The soundtrack to Billy Wilder's Cold War comedy ONE, TWO, THREE (1961). A soundtrack that Andre Previn should have been particularly close to the heart, because the film plays in Berlin, and Previn was born in Berlin.
Previn has also incorporated classic pieces of music, such as Aram Khachaturian's lively Saber Dance and other distinctive melodies, into the score.
The soundtrack is definitely worth a release on CD
United Artists didn't even release an LP of the ONE, TWO, THREE soundtrack back in the day, probably because the score is primarily classical music (albeit adapted and conducted by Previn). I'd rather see CD releases of the Previn LPs from 1964's GOODBYE CHARLIE or 1956's INVITATION TO THE DANCE. The former, originally on 20th Century Fox Records, now lies with Universal Music Group, but the film itself seems headed to Disney. The latter was an MGM LP, but the Warner vaults for material that old have seemed impenetrable since FSM closed up shop.
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United Artists didn't even release an LP of the ONE, TWO, THREE soundtrack back in the day, probably because the score is primarily classical music (albeit adapted and conducted by Previn). I'd rather see CD releases of the Previn LPs from 1964's GOODBYE CHARLIE or 1956's INVITATION TO THE DANCE.
That a soundtrack that consists of classical pieces of music, nevertheless or because of it finds interested buyers, proved 2001 - A SPACE ODYSSEY definitely.
And since KRITZERLAND is also successful(I hope) in the release of recordings of classical music, I think that the soundtrack of ONE, TWO THREE is especially suitable for this CD label for its special composition of original ond adapted pieces of music. I am sure that I got to know and love the very memorable music piece Sabre Dance as a child for the first time through this film.
As a child, I logically thought that this piece of music was composed by the composer for this film!
And I think that just remembering pieces of music contributes to the success of a soundtrack and thus to the success of a film. John Williams and other composers have proven that often enough.
That at that time no LP was released, was probably due to the failure of the film. He came to the cinemas after the legendary Berlin Wall was built, and so the Iron Curtain took shape in all its bitter consequences. That no one wanted to see a funny movie about Berlin, was understandable.
I am very sorry for everyone who was involved in the film and especially for Billy Wilder.
I am glad that Billy Wilder's career was not over. Nowadays, every film flop can ruin a career.
Fortunately, the film still received its deserved appreciation in the 80s. And especially in Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
If I'm properly informed, the film has been shown every year since 1990 on 3 October (German Unity Day) on German TV and has probably become a kind of cult movie. So perhaps there could be a greater demand for this film music, especially from Germany.
I mean to remember that Billy Wilder was in Berlin at some point in the 90s, and met Horst Buchholz and other German actors from the film again, and visited the old movie locations with them. The movie has meant quite a lot to Billy Wilder.
And because of the fact that Previn was born in Berlin, I would like to know if Andre Previn has ever commented on this film in any way. I hope one day I can read it in an informative CD booklet ...
I see two last optimal dates for a CD release of the soundtrack:
November 2019 - 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall or 2021 - 60th anniversary of the film release.
Apart from all this, of course, all other film scores by Andre Previn are worth a CD release. I have all Previn CDs released by KRITZERLAND, FSM, etc. And would be interested in other titles. But as I said earlier, I'm afraid that time is working against the continued release of many Golden Age scores. That's why I only see the opportunity for further Previn scores at KRITZERLAND. But only within the next few years. After that I fear, there is probably (apart from a few prominent film classics) generally no interest in this old film music on CD - unfortunately ...
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Double post, please skip down one.
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Among All the great and wonderful things Previn gifted us over the years I harbor a great affection for a "big-band-jazz" TV theme that he did way back in early 1962 for a Ron Ely/Jeremy Slate scuba diving show called MALIBU RUN. It sounded like the piano lead was probably done by Previn himself.
(I don't think he contributed any underscoring to the show which had started off in the fall of 61' as more of an hour long version of SEA HUNT and then entitled THE AQUANAUTS.)
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My LP of SEE SAW is worn out so I think I'll get the CD!
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Those things happen to me all the time!
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United Artists didn't even release an LP of the ONE, TWO, THREE soundtrack back in the day, probably because the score is primarily classical music (albeit adapted and conducted by Previn).
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That at that time no LP was released, was probably due to the failure of the film. [Wilder] came to the cinemas after the legendary Berlin Wall was built, and so the Iron Curtain took shape in all its bitter consequences. That no one wanted to see a funny movie about Berlin, was understandable.
I am very sorry for everyone who was involved in the film and especially for Billy Wilder.
I am glad that Billy Wilder's career was not over. Nowadays, every film flop can ruin a career.
I don't know that ONE, TWO, THREE was a financial flop. It earned $7.1 million at the box office when that was decent money. It was ranked #30 at the 1961 box office. But, profitable or not, I don't think that United Artists waited until the box office returns were in on a film to decide whether or not to release a soundtrack LP.
For example, in 1961 UA released soundtracks for GOODBYE AGAIN ($3.9 million box office) and PARIS BLUES ($3.1 million B.O.). But those films had original scores by Georges Auric and Duke Ellington, respectively.
So, I'm sticking with the proposition that it was a lack of enough original music that dissuaded a soundtrack LP. Andre Previn did write a waltz for the film, a cover version of which was released by bandleader Roger Wayne on Musicor Records, which was half-owned by UA. But the rest of the music was "Sabre Dance," "Ride of the Valkyries," and the pop tunes "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" and "Yes! We Have No Bananas". It was the latter that backed the 45rpm Musicor release of Previn's waltz. UA obviously felt that that was enough music coverage for the film.
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Oh, dear. Perhaps the last musician from the Golden Age. It might well be over and done.
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What a great talent. He certainly led a 'Double Life'. His scoring of musicals was unmatched and many of his original scores are the best of the era they were writtem( my favorite is Four Horsemen).
Does anyone know why he supposedly became so bitter about his first 'Life' as a wunderkind in Hollywood?
David Raksin once theorized that Previn, after starting to do classical concerts, disliked being reviewed, repeatedly, as the "Hollywood composer" trying to make his way into the classical field, that Previn might have felt it trivialized him.
Raksin thought that Previn then "turned his back" on his Hollywood past as a way of getting others to take him seriously as a classical musician.
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Bumping a three year old thread to post an interview - always fun.
Meanwhile, everyone who loves Previn should have heeded my advice to buy the big Sony/RCA box - $129 bucks. It went out of print in less than five months after I made that post and the cheapest price I've seen since then is $1,495. Good job, all! 
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