Previn Withdraws From Three Final L.A. Concerts : Arm Pain Forces Him to Drop Out

Andre Previn, outgoing music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has withdrawn from his three final Philharmonic conducting appearances this season due to recurring arm pain. He was scheduled to conduct three weekend concerts with soprano Jessye Norman.

Previn also told The Times he has reconsidered his Hollywood Bowl visits (scheduled Sept. 5, 7, 12 and 14) and will not appear. When he announced that he was quitting his post last week, he said he would maintain his scheduled Bowl appearances this summer.

The 60-year-old conductor and pianist was expected to undergo extensive tests in a local hospital Monday. He would not give further information about his ailment or his reason for the Bowl cancellation.

In place of Previn’s Philharmonic concerts this week, the Finnish conductor Neeme Jarvi will lead the Philharmonic in its scheduled performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center, Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Norman remains the soloist, but the new program now consists of excerpts from Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde,” excerpts from “Die Meistersinger” and Sibelius’ Seventh Symphony, according to Philharmonic spokeswoman Norma Flynn.

Previn, under the care of a specialist, said he was suffering from the same arm pains that caused him to cancel two local chamber music appearances as a pianist last month and last year. Both cancellations also were just before the concerts.

Last week, Previn unexpectedly announced his resignation as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, citing dissatisfaction with the organization’s administration. He said at that time that he would return to the Philharmonic for seven weeks of concerts during the 1989-1990 season, and six weeks each for the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons.

But Previn, apparently distancing himself from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and moving closer to other music scenes, told The Times on Monday that he was closing up his Los Angeles home just outside Beverly Hills and will be taking up residence in Bedford, N.Y., next week.

Replacements for the Bowl concerts will be announced shortly, Flynn said.