Andre Previn at the BBC

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0:00:02 > 0:00:03Ladies and gentlemen, Andre Previn.

0:00:03 > 0:00:04DRUMROLL

0:00:04 > 0:00:09MUSIC: Piano Concerto in A minor by Edvard Grieg

0:00:09 > 0:00:10Eric, say hello to Mr Preview.

0:00:10 > 0:00:12Ah! Mr Preview, how are you?

0:00:12 > 0:00:13LAUGHTER

0:00:13 > 0:00:15A pleasure to be with you, and ready when you are.

0:00:15 > 0:00:17- A-one, two, a-one, two, three, four.- Wait...

0:00:17 > 0:00:19I was never a major television personality,

0:00:19 > 0:00:22I was just a musician, who happened to be on television.

0:00:22 > 0:00:23Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

0:00:23 > 0:00:26Welcome to another of the London Symphony Orchestra's

0:00:26 > 0:00:28television music nights.

0:00:28 > 0:00:29ORCHESTRAL MUSIC

0:00:33 > 0:00:36He also conducted symphony orchestras throughout the world,

0:00:36 > 0:00:38has won the Oscar four times for his film scores

0:00:38 > 0:00:40and is the only conductor I know who dared to work with

0:00:40 > 0:00:43Eric Morecambe's version of the Grieg Piano Concerto.

0:00:43 > 0:00:45- Grieg! - LAUGHTER

0:00:47 > 0:00:49LAUGHTER

0:00:49 > 0:00:51I'm Andre Previn.

0:00:51 > 0:00:54I worked with Morecambe and Wise.

0:00:54 > 0:00:55Look what happened to me.

0:00:55 > 0:00:57LAUGHTER, BELL RINGS

0:01:00 > 0:01:01APPLAUSE

0:01:05 > 0:01:07THEME TUNE: Blue Boy by Gerry Mulligan

0:01:17 > 0:01:19The jazz recordings of Andre Previn.

0:01:19 > 0:01:22He's a musician who can't be classified.

0:01:22 > 0:01:25He is a jazz pianist of exceptional flair, a concert pianist,

0:01:25 > 0:01:29a conductor and a composer and arranger of both classical and jazz.

0:02:06 > 0:02:09During your years in Hollywood, you were, I believe,

0:02:09 > 0:02:13in despair at the publicity machine and some of its mechanics,

0:02:13 > 0:02:16because you seemed to be a consummate publicity-dodger.

0:02:16 > 0:02:18Was this something you did consciously?

0:02:18 > 0:02:19I don't dodge publicity at all.

0:02:19 > 0:02:22I just don't think that there's that much to write about,

0:02:22 > 0:02:23in terms of what I do.

0:02:23 > 0:02:26I never mind - in point of fact, I always appreciate very much -

0:02:26 > 0:02:31when people take the bother to write about what I'm doing professionally.

0:03:34 > 0:03:35APPLAUSE

0:03:38 > 0:03:41'In order to quit films in Hollywood, you have to move geographically.'

0:03:41 > 0:03:43You have to get the hell out of there.

0:03:43 > 0:03:46So, I moved to London

0:03:46 > 0:03:49and I bought a little house in Surrey.

0:03:49 > 0:03:51And I began to work with the LSO.

0:03:51 > 0:03:52APPLAUSE

0:03:54 > 0:03:58'In those days, I really was so enamoured,'

0:03:58 > 0:04:01of getting the LSO as my orchestra,

0:04:01 > 0:04:02that I really concentrated on it.

0:06:18 > 0:06:20APPLAUSE

0:06:20 > 0:06:23'We were very popular and...

0:06:23 > 0:06:26'the BBC made us an offer to do a show.'

0:06:26 > 0:06:30And we did and the result was, really,

0:06:30 > 0:06:33that it was tougher to get a good seat for the LSO

0:06:33 > 0:06:35than it was for a West End show.

0:06:35 > 0:06:38Good evening, ladies and gentlemen and welcome to another

0:06:38 > 0:06:41television concert by the London Symphony Orchestra.

0:06:41 > 0:06:42ORCHESTRA PLAYS

0:06:57 > 0:06:58'I told the LSO'

0:06:58 > 0:07:01not to wear a white tie and tails.

0:07:01 > 0:07:05And we came in shirts and sweaters and people liked that.

0:07:05 > 0:07:08Will you change that, please? It'll be easier, and it'll be in tempo.

0:07:08 > 0:07:10ORCHESTRAL MUSIC

0:07:15 > 0:07:17I knew that I wanted to be comfortable

0:07:17 > 0:07:19and I wanted the orchestra to be comfortable.

0:07:19 > 0:07:21And, in a way, I thought that it would make

0:07:21 > 0:07:23the audience comfortable,

0:07:23 > 0:07:27because there weren't that many classical music shows on

0:07:27 > 0:07:30and the more we could do to bring it on home,

0:07:30 > 0:07:32why, the better. VIOLIN PLAYS

0:08:42 > 0:08:43QUIET APPLAUSE

0:08:48 > 0:08:49APPLAUSE

0:08:52 > 0:08:54I was a great fan of theirs.

0:08:54 > 0:08:56Tried not to miss their show.

0:08:57 > 0:08:59The head of BBC Two,

0:08:59 > 0:09:02he came to me and he said, "Would you ever...

0:09:02 > 0:09:05"do anything as outrageous as being on their show?"

0:09:05 > 0:09:06And I said, "Like a shot."

0:09:08 > 0:09:12'And I was on tour in America and, when I came back,'

0:09:12 > 0:09:16they had the sketch in mind.

0:09:16 > 0:09:18- Me playing the Grieg Piano Concerto. - Yes.- Mm.

0:09:18 > 0:09:21- A signed autograph later on, boys. - LAUGHTER

0:09:21 > 0:09:23And I rehearsed it on the way from the airport to the BBC

0:09:23 > 0:09:26and we did it. It's that simple.

0:09:26 > 0:09:28Grieg by...with him and him.

0:09:28 > 0:09:29LAUGHTER

0:09:32 > 0:09:34- Grieg! - LAUGHTER

0:09:34 > 0:09:36HE PLAYS DIFFERENT TUNE

0:09:37 > 0:09:38LAUGHTER

0:09:54 > 0:09:55MUSIC STOPS

0:09:55 > 0:09:56LAUGHTER

0:10:00 > 0:10:02Something wrong with the violins?

0:10:02 > 0:10:04LAUGHTER

0:10:04 > 0:10:07No. No, there's nothing wrong with the violins.

0:10:07 > 0:10:09- That's only YOUR opinion. - LAUGHTER

0:10:09 > 0:10:12What...? Wh... What, what were you playing just then?

0:10:12 > 0:10:14The Grieg Piano Concerto.

0:10:14 > 0:10:16HE PLAYS DIFFERENT TUNE

0:10:16 > 0:10:17LAUGHTER

0:10:17 > 0:10:19But...but...

0:10:19 > 0:10:22you're playing...you're playing all the wrong notes.

0:10:22 > 0:10:23LAUGHTER

0:10:25 > 0:10:27LAUGHTER

0:10:31 > 0:10:33LAUGHTER

0:10:35 > 0:10:37I'm playing all the right notes.

0:10:37 > 0:10:38LAUGHTER

0:10:38 > 0:10:40But not necessarily...

0:10:40 > 0:10:41in the right order.

0:10:41 > 0:10:43LAUGHTER

0:10:44 > 0:10:46I'll give you that.

0:10:46 > 0:10:48I'll give you that, sunshine.

0:10:48 > 0:10:50LAUGHTER

0:10:53 > 0:10:55That sounded quite reasonable to me.

0:10:55 > 0:10:57LAUGHTER

0:10:57 > 0:10:58Are you satisfied, Mr Preview?

0:10:58 > 0:10:59LAUGHTER

0:10:59 > 0:11:02- No! BOTH SHOUT:- No?

0:11:02 > 0:11:04- What do you mean, no? No, no, no, no!- I'm not satis...

0:11:04 > 0:11:05- I'm not satisfied.- Why not?

0:11:05 > 0:11:08Well, look here, with all due.... Would you mind, just...? One second.

0:11:08 > 0:11:10Morecambe and Wise seemed to be pleased by it.

0:11:10 > 0:11:12APPLAUSE

0:11:12 > 0:11:13HE PLAYS PIANO CONCERTO IN A MINOR

0:11:22 > 0:11:24'They had a press call and the photographers asked me to do'

0:11:24 > 0:11:26all kinds of things and I said, "Yes, sure."

0:11:26 > 0:11:29And then one of them said, "Would you jump up and down on the podium?"

0:11:29 > 0:11:32And I said, "No."

0:11:32 > 0:11:33And the guy said, "What do you mean, no?"

0:11:33 > 0:11:35And I said, "No, I won't do that."

0:11:35 > 0:11:37I said, "I'll make a fool of myself any time you want.

0:11:37 > 0:11:40"But I won't make a fool of the music."

0:11:40 > 0:11:41And Eric was in heaven.

0:11:41 > 0:11:44He said, "I love it when you tell the press off."

0:11:46 > 0:11:48AUDIENCE TALKS

0:11:48 > 0:11:51'This evening, the world premiere of A Concerto For Guitar'

0:11:51 > 0:11:53And Orchestra by Andre Previn.

0:11:53 > 0:11:54Written for John Williams,

0:11:54 > 0:11:55who's going to play it.

0:11:55 > 0:11:57APPLAUSE

0:12:00 > 0:12:02'Well, I've always composed

0:12:02 > 0:12:04'and John Williams is a great guitarist

0:12:04 > 0:12:05'and we were friends.'

0:12:05 > 0:12:09And he asked me for a concerto and I was happy to write it.

0:12:09 > 0:12:11And then he played it and I conducted it.

0:12:11 > 0:12:16Writing a concerto for a guitar is a very skilled business,

0:12:16 > 0:12:19because the guitar has a relatively small voice

0:12:19 > 0:12:21against the weight of a symphony orchestra.

0:12:21 > 0:12:23Needless to say, with a composer like Previn,

0:12:23 > 0:12:27who has enormous resource and expertise behind him,

0:12:27 > 0:12:29he knows exactly how to score

0:12:29 > 0:12:32for this rather difficult combination of sounds.

0:13:50 > 0:13:51I like working with John.

0:13:51 > 0:13:54He's a consummate technician.

0:13:54 > 0:13:57That's always a thrill, when somebody is that good.

0:14:12 > 0:14:16I've wasn't that familiar with the guitar, as an instrument.

0:14:16 > 0:14:20In fact, I made a little mock-up of the guitar out of matchboxes,

0:14:20 > 0:14:23so I could tell what strings would do what.

0:15:02 > 0:15:05I'm interested in almost any music,

0:15:05 > 0:15:07when it's played well.

0:15:07 > 0:15:11There are very few things, generically, that I don't like.

0:15:11 > 0:15:14I mean, for instance... Well, I can think of something.

0:15:14 > 0:15:16I hate Hawaiian music.

0:15:16 > 0:15:19Dreadful, whining kind of music.

0:15:19 > 0:15:20But...

0:15:21 > 0:15:25..it doesn't prevent me from liking the sunshine there.

0:17:04 > 0:17:08Those who often say that Rachmaninoff's music is vulgar...

0:17:08 > 0:17:11they miss a point -

0:17:11 > 0:17:13that it could never be considered

0:17:13 > 0:17:15vulgar in Russia.

0:17:15 > 0:17:17Now, if you consider Rachmaninoff vulgar,

0:17:17 > 0:17:20you've got to consider the whole of Russian culture vulgar.

0:17:20 > 0:17:24- Yes.- Rachmaninoff is a pure expression of the Russian soul.

0:17:24 > 0:17:26ORCHESTRA PLAYS

0:21:38 > 0:21:40'The third movement'

0:21:40 > 0:21:42of the Third Piano Concerto by Rachmaninoff.

0:21:42 > 0:21:45I was on television, I liked being on television.

0:21:45 > 0:21:47I appreciated being on television.

0:21:47 > 0:21:50But I was certainly just the representative of the music.

0:21:50 > 0:21:52MUSIC: Symphony No. 5 by Ludwig van Beethoven

0:22:14 > 0:22:17"Who needs a conductor?" is a rather dangerous question

0:22:17 > 0:22:19for anyone in my profession to ask.

0:22:19 > 0:22:23And yet, I am asked that question by people who are extremely erudite

0:22:23 > 0:22:25and intelligent and it certainly is a fair question,

0:22:25 > 0:22:27because here's what they say.

0:22:27 > 0:22:30They say, "Look, a professional orchestra can all read music.

0:22:30 > 0:22:33"The music's right there in front of them.

0:22:33 > 0:22:35"The music never changes, it's always the same.

0:22:35 > 0:22:38"And they've probably played it 100 times anyway.

0:22:38 > 0:22:42"So the question is, who needs you to stand there, waving your arms about?"

0:22:42 > 0:22:44Let's try a small experiment.

0:22:44 > 0:22:46ORCHESTRA CONTINUES TO PLAY

0:22:55 > 0:22:57Now, you watch. Any second now,

0:22:57 > 0:23:00they'll just go completely to pieces without me.

0:23:03 > 0:23:05You watch. Any second. This can't go on, they'll just...

0:23:05 > 0:23:07they'll just fall apart.

0:23:11 > 0:23:14You know what's going to happen? Just to get even with me,

0:23:14 > 0:23:18this orchestra's going to finish this section perfectly, without me.

0:23:25 > 0:23:26MUSIC ENDS

0:23:28 > 0:23:29LAUGHTER

0:23:34 > 0:23:35Thank you.

0:23:35 > 0:23:37You're all fired.

0:23:37 > 0:23:38LAUGHTER

0:23:38 > 0:23:40Well, what a dirty trick.

0:23:40 > 0:23:41LAUGHTER

0:23:41 > 0:23:43'Yeah, I wrote my own scripts'

0:23:43 > 0:23:46and I did my own talk and...

0:23:47 > 0:23:50..even if it was not as good as the ones

0:23:50 > 0:23:52the professional scriptwriters would have written,

0:23:52 > 0:23:54I felt more comfortable doing it.

0:23:54 > 0:23:56The actual mechanics of conducting,

0:23:56 > 0:23:59I mean the waving one's hands about,

0:23:59 > 0:24:03that's what we call stick technique. And that is relatively simple.

0:24:03 > 0:24:05And can be taught quite easily.

0:24:05 > 0:24:09As a matter of fact, there used to be handbooks, textbooks,

0:24:09 > 0:24:11with sensational illustrations.

0:24:11 > 0:24:15And we found one, absolutely legitimate, which has,

0:24:15 > 0:24:18really, the damnedest pictures in it. And I really love them.

0:24:18 > 0:24:20I'm going to show you a couple now.

0:24:20 > 0:24:23For instance, in this handbook,

0:24:23 > 0:24:27the first one is called "Testing the stick for straightness".

0:24:27 > 0:24:30LAUGHTER Yes. Yes.

0:24:30 > 0:24:33That's... I've never conducted with a totally bent stick, but that's...

0:24:33 > 0:24:34LAUGHTER

0:24:34 > 0:24:38All right. Here's one called, "The starting position".

0:24:38 > 0:24:41Note the passion and the poise in that.

0:24:41 > 0:24:43LAUGHTER Right? Really inspiring.

0:24:43 > 0:24:45Fine.

0:24:45 > 0:24:47This one I like a lot.

0:24:47 > 0:24:49This one is called "Indicating a forte".

0:24:51 > 0:24:53LAUGHTER Yes.

0:24:53 > 0:24:56It's also like waiting for change from the parking lot.

0:24:56 > 0:24:58LAUGHTER Er...

0:24:58 > 0:25:01And this one is called "Indicating a piano".

0:25:01 > 0:25:03Yes. That's indicating that the piano

0:25:03 > 0:25:04is on your foot and you want it moved.

0:25:04 > 0:25:07LAUGHTER Well, all right.

0:29:02 > 0:29:05Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to

0:29:05 > 0:29:08the Christmas Eve Music Night with the London Symphony Orchestra.

0:29:08 > 0:29:09ORCHESTRA PLAYS

0:29:16 > 0:29:19To begin, we're going to play a work for which we've had

0:29:19 > 0:29:21more requests than any other one -

0:29:21 > 0:29:23George Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue.

0:29:25 > 0:29:28So, if Mr Jack Brymer will start the famous clarinet solo,

0:29:28 > 0:29:31we'll play for you. George Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue.

0:32:36 > 0:32:41Rhapsody in Blue, it's a very good piece and it's very...

0:32:41 > 0:32:43one of those very impudent...

0:32:43 > 0:32:46and I like playing it, I think it's great fun.

0:33:44 > 0:33:45APPLAUSE

0:33:49 > 0:33:52MUSIC: Turangalila-Symphonie by Olivier Messiaen

0:34:01 > 0:34:05When it comes to Turangalila, that's one of my great favourites.

0:34:05 > 0:34:08It's a huge piece. It's over an hour long.

0:34:08 > 0:34:09ORCHESTRA PLAYS

0:34:12 > 0:34:15And it's got an orchestra of 9,000... HE LAUGHS

0:34:15 > 0:34:16But, er...

0:34:16 > 0:34:20it's very inventive and very personal.

0:34:20 > 0:34:24I was driving, in fact, to Manchester and I turned on Radio 3, and it was

0:34:24 > 0:34:28a piece I could not identify, either specifically, or even by style.

0:34:28 > 0:34:30ORCHESTRA PLAYS

0:34:32 > 0:34:36And I was fascinated by it. And it came to a great, crashing ending.

0:34:36 > 0:34:39And I thought, "Right, here comes the announcer." And it just went on.

0:34:39 > 0:34:41And it came to a great, crashing ending. And I thought,

0:34:41 > 0:34:44"Right, here comes the announcer." And it went on.

0:34:44 > 0:34:46And I think I drove to Manchester, and back, actually,

0:34:46 > 0:34:48before it finished.

0:34:48 > 0:34:51And, by that time, I was totally fascinated

0:34:51 > 0:34:53and enamoured with the piece.

0:34:53 > 0:34:54CYMBALS CRASH

0:35:27 > 0:35:29Not every orchestra likes it.

0:35:29 > 0:35:31And certainly not every audience likes it.

0:35:31 > 0:35:33And I have been in conservative cities,

0:35:33 > 0:35:36where they just wouldn't listen to it.

0:35:36 > 0:35:38ORCHESTRA PLAYS

0:36:03 > 0:36:06On the other hand, you get points for doing something that

0:36:06 > 0:36:08revolutionary and it was really...

0:36:08 > 0:36:10It really is an amazing piece. Amazing.

0:36:14 > 0:36:17I can never get past my admiration for it.

0:36:18 > 0:36:20I like all of his music.

0:36:20 > 0:36:24Well, I can't say all of his music - I haven't DONE all of his music.

0:36:24 > 0:36:26But I like a lot of it.

0:36:26 > 0:36:28APPLAUSE

0:36:33 > 0:36:35What was the first time that you heard -

0:36:35 > 0:36:38that you recall hearing - a great symphony orchestra?

0:36:38 > 0:36:41When I was...six,

0:36:41 > 0:36:45my father thought it was high time to make up for that, you know,

0:36:45 > 0:36:48regression in my education, so I was taken to the Berlin Philharmonic

0:36:48 > 0:36:52and I heard Furtwangler do a Brahms concert.

0:36:52 > 0:36:53And, er...

0:36:53 > 0:36:57I'm told, mind you, that I was brought home

0:36:57 > 0:37:00and actually put to bed with a fever, because I thought it was so exciting.

0:37:00 > 0:37:02You were hooked, were you, from that point on?

0:37:02 > 0:37:04Oh, yeah. Completely, totally.

0:37:04 > 0:37:07What was it about it that you found so compelling?

0:37:07 > 0:37:09Well, that, I don't know. That, I don't know.

0:37:09 > 0:37:12I wish I could tell you, for the sake of the anecdote,

0:37:12 > 0:37:14that, at that moment, I decided to be a conductor. But I didn't.

0:37:14 > 0:37:18I just knew that that extraordinary,

0:37:18 > 0:37:21glamorous noise that came out of that body of people, up there

0:37:21 > 0:37:24on the stage, was something that would interest me all my life long.

0:37:24 > 0:37:28# Where are they now?

0:37:28 > 0:37:30# Where are they now? #

0:37:30 > 0:37:33In one of the classic Walter Mitty fantasies,

0:37:33 > 0:37:36the star collapses and the understudy takes over.

0:37:36 > 0:37:38The show must go on.

0:37:38 > 0:37:41But what happens when it's not the understudy,

0:37:41 > 0:37:43but a member of the audience that takes over?

0:37:43 > 0:37:45HE SINGS IN LATIN

0:38:02 > 0:38:04'Carmina Burana, it's not a piece,'

0:38:04 > 0:38:06the contents of which I particularly admire,

0:38:06 > 0:38:09but it's very exciting and people love to hear it.

0:38:09 > 0:38:11HE SINGS IN LATIN

0:38:22 > 0:38:25'We all enjoy daydreaming and, you know,

0:38:25 > 0:38:28'sometimes, dreams can come true.'

0:38:28 > 0:38:30Well, six years ago, Patrick McCarthy,

0:38:30 > 0:38:34a young music student, was enjoying a night out at the Proms.

0:38:34 > 0:38:36HE SINGS IN LATIN: # Wafna, wafna! #

0:38:36 > 0:38:37ORCHESTRA PLAYS

0:38:37 > 0:38:40# Wafna, wafna! #

0:38:40 > 0:38:41ORCHESTRA PLAYS

0:38:41 > 0:38:44# Quid fecisti sors turpassima? #

0:38:44 > 0:38:46ORCHESTRA PLAYS

0:38:46 > 0:38:48CHOIR SINGS

0:38:48 > 0:38:49MUFFLED THUDDING

0:38:52 > 0:38:56'This time, the performance came to a full stop.

0:38:56 > 0:38:59'Thomas Allen had collapsed, because of the heat,

0:38:59 > 0:39:01'and was carried off the stage.'

0:39:01 > 0:39:04'That particular time of Carmina Burana,

0:39:04 > 0:39:08'he fell over in a dead faint, went crashing into the cellos.

0:39:08 > 0:39:10'And we all thought, my God.

0:39:10 > 0:39:12'You know, something horrible has happened.

0:39:12 > 0:39:14'And they carted him offstage and they came back'

0:39:14 > 0:39:17and they said, "No, he said the heat overcame him."

0:39:21 > 0:39:25'The young man emerged from the audience, clutching the score.

0:39:25 > 0:39:30'He knew the music well and came to the stage to take over Thomas Allen.

0:39:30 > 0:39:32'Andre Previn didn't know who he was,

0:39:32 > 0:39:36'he just hoped that Patrick could sing the part.'

0:39:36 > 0:39:38And he came out on stage

0:39:38 > 0:39:40and we thought it was to make an announcement

0:39:40 > 0:39:43and he, as he walked past the podium, he said,

0:39:43 > 0:39:46"I know this piece. I'll do it."

0:39:46 > 0:39:47And I said, "Fine."

0:39:47 > 0:39:50And then he took his place in front of the podium

0:39:50 > 0:39:53and I thought, "What if this guy is a nutter?

0:39:53 > 0:39:55"You know, what if he can't sing at all?"

0:39:55 > 0:39:57But he sang.

0:39:57 > 0:39:59It would be a nice story if I told you he was a great singer.

0:39:59 > 0:40:01He wasn't. But he did know it

0:40:01 > 0:40:04and he knocked the audience out and us, too.

0:40:04 > 0:40:06HE SINGS IN LATIN

0:40:36 > 0:40:38Well, Patrick went on to complete the performance

0:40:38 > 0:40:41and made musical history.

0:40:41 > 0:40:42A brave man.

0:41:18 > 0:41:21Good evening, ladies and gentlemen and welcome to another programme,

0:41:21 > 0:41:25where the guests are friends of mine, with whom I will make some music.

0:44:47 > 0:44:49A long time ago, when I was first in America,

0:44:49 > 0:44:52I had a very good piece of advice

0:44:52 > 0:44:54from a lady who ran a music club

0:44:54 > 0:44:55just outside Boston.

0:44:57 > 0:45:01And she said to me, "What you have to do, when you plan a programme,

0:45:01 > 0:45:05"dear, is start with a bang and end with a flash.

0:45:05 > 0:45:11"One must, at some point in the programme, provide fireworks."

0:45:11 > 0:45:14And I can't think of any fireworks more thrilling than this one.

0:45:37 > 0:45:39# Oh, had I Jubal's lyre

0:45:39 > 0:45:41# Or Miriam's tuneful voice

0:45:41 > 0:45:44# Oh, had I Jubal's lyre

0:45:44 > 0:45:46# Or Miriam's tuneful voice

0:45:46 > 0:45:50# To sounds like his I would aspire

0:45:50 > 0:45:54# To sounds like his I would aspire

0:45:54 > 0:45:56# In songs like hers

0:45:56 > 0:45:58# In songs like hers

0:45:58 > 0:46:07# Rejoice

0:46:07 > 0:46:08# In songs

0:46:08 > 0:46:09# Like hers

0:46:09 > 0:46:12# Rejoice

0:46:12 > 0:46:16# In songs like hers rejoice

0:46:24 > 0:46:26# Oh, had I Jubal's lyre

0:46:26 > 0:46:28# Or Miriam's tuneful voice

0:46:28 > 0:46:30# Oh, had I Jubal's lyre

0:46:30 > 0:46:32# Or Miriam's tuneful voice

0:46:32 > 0:46:37# To sounds like his I would aspire

0:46:37 > 0:46:39# In songs like hers

0:46:39 > 0:46:41# In songs like hers

0:46:41 > 0:46:49# Rejoice

0:46:49 > 0:46:56# In songs like hers rejoice

0:46:56 > 0:46:59# In songs like hers rejoice

0:47:02 > 0:47:06# My humble strains but faintly show

0:47:06 > 0:47:11# How much to heav'n and Thee I owe

0:47:11 > 0:47:15# My humble strains do faintly show

0:47:15 > 0:47:21# How much to heav'n and Thee I owe

0:47:21 > 0:47:29# How much to heav'n

0:47:29 > 0:47:33# And Thee

0:47:33 > 0:47:37# I owe. #

0:47:44 > 0:47:49It was wonderful. She was a really great and serious musician.

0:47:49 > 0:47:51Had a wonderful sense of humour,

0:47:51 > 0:47:54and she could sing anything she wanted to.

0:47:54 > 0:47:56She had a beautiful voice.

0:47:56 > 0:48:00You understood all the words she was singing.

0:48:00 > 0:48:01She was really one of a kind.

0:48:01 > 0:48:07# Through bushes and through briars

0:48:07 > 0:48:13# I lately took my way

0:48:13 > 0:48:21# All for to hear the small birds sing

0:48:21 > 0:48:29# And the lambs to skip and play. #

0:51:22 > 0:51:28I was not a television person. I was a person who was on television.

0:51:28 > 0:51:29There's a huge difference.

0:51:43 > 0:51:47Mozart excelled in so many facets of composition.

0:51:47 > 0:51:50Operas, symphonies, chamber music and so on and on,

0:51:50 > 0:51:54but it is in the solo concertos and in particular the piano concertos

0:51:54 > 0:51:58that he brought an unparalleled range of expressiveness and understanding.

0:51:58 > 0:52:00Look at the start of the last movement.

0:52:05 > 0:52:09Mozart had bought a pet, a caged bird, for 34 kroner.

0:52:09 > 0:52:11It was a starling.

0:52:12 > 0:52:16Now, I haven't the remotest idea how much 34 kroner was worth,

0:52:16 > 0:52:20but I do know that starling had real talent because it could sing,

0:52:20 > 0:52:22and Mozart adored it.

0:52:22 > 0:52:27In his diary from May 27, 1784, Mozart wrote down the actual

0:52:27 > 0:52:29birdsong that it chirped,

0:52:29 > 0:52:31and this is what he wrote.

0:52:38 > 0:52:41It's one of the loveliest concertos in the repertory,

0:52:41 > 0:52:44Mozart's G Major Piano Concerto, K453.

0:56:21 > 0:56:25All through my life there have been well-meaning people

0:56:25 > 0:56:28who have said to me, "Why don't you just do one thing?"

0:56:28 > 0:56:31"Why don't you just play the piano, just conduct or just compose?"

0:56:31 > 0:56:34Well, the answer to that is, it's selfish,

0:56:34 > 0:56:37and that is that, as long as people will let me get away with it

0:56:37 > 0:56:41and will want to hear me do those things, I will do them,

0:56:41 > 0:56:44because I like doing all three.

0:57:03 > 0:57:05APPLAUSE

0:58:08 > 0:58:10I was never a major television personality,

0:58:10 > 0:58:14I was just a musician who happened to be on television.

0:58:14 > 0:58:16I liked all my time here in England

0:58:16 > 0:58:20and with the LSO - those were very happy days for me.