Leo Borchard
Lew Ljewitsch "Leo" Borchard (31 March 1899 – 23 August 1945) was a
Biography
Borchard was born in Moscow to
During World War II he remained in Berlin as a Resistance activist under the name Andrik Krassnow, during which time his duties included contact with Ludwig Lichtwitz, a specialist in false identity papers.[citation needed]
On 26 May 1945, two and a half weeks after Germany's
After a concert on 23 August 1945 Borchard and his partner Ruth Andreas-Friedrich were invited to dinner by a British colonel. The pair had a wonderful evening especially as it gave them the chance to eat real meat and white sandwiches. Afterwards there was whiskey to enjoy as they discussed music and other subjects with their host. There was a curfew at 10.45pm, but the colonel assured them there was no need to hurry home as he would drive them home in his official car.[5] Unfortunately there had been a gunfight between some drunk Americans and Russians the previous night which meant the checkpoints were on edge in Berlin. Their British driver misinterpreted an American sentry's hand signal to stop at the checkpoint on the border between the British and American sectors at Kaiserplatz (today called Bundesplatz , in Wilmersdorf, a borough of Berlin) and drove through. This caused the sentries to open fire on the car killing Borchard instantly.[6] The British driver and Andreas-Friedrich survived. As a result of this incident, it was decided to mark military checkpoints more prominently so that hand signals were not required.[6]
Memorials
In 1943 Gottfried von Einem dedicated his Capriccio for Orchestra, op. 2 to him. Borchard also conducted the world premiere with the Berlin Philharmonic on 11 March 1943.
In October 1988, a Berlin memorial plaque was unveiled on former the home of Andreas-Friedrich and Borchard.
In April 1990, the music school in the Berlin district of Steglitz was named the Leo-Borchard-Musikschule (Leo Borchard Music School). Today it is considered the largest music school in Germany.
On 5 and 6 September 1995 Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic marked the anniversary of Borchard's death with performances of Mahler's 6th Symphony.[2]
Recordings
- Boccherini – Minuet
- Delibes – Mazurka & Valse Lente from Coppelia
- Françaix – Piano Concertino
- Glazounov – Stenka Razin*
- Puccini – orchestral selection from Tosca
- Rebikov – Berceuse
- Suppé – Overture to Banditenstreiche
- Tchaikovsky – Fantasy Overture, Romeo and Juliet*; Excerpts from The Nutcracker
- Wagner – Wotan's Farewell
- Weber – Overture Oberon*
(*broadcasts from June 1945)[7]
Notes
- ISBN 0-521-24488-9.
- ^ a b Friedrich, Ruth-Andreas. Der Schattenmann – Tagebuch Aufzeichnungen 1938-1945. Surhrkamp Verlag, 1947; as quoted in notes by Myriam Scherchen and René Trémine for CD Tahra 520.
- Classic Record Collector, August 2004.
- ISBN 0-8078-2944-7.
- ISBN 9780753557877.
- ^ ISBN 1-4289-1650-4.
- ^ Discographical details from Darrell R D. The Gramophone Shop Encyclopedia of Recorded Music. The Gramophone Shop Inc, New York, 1936, and the Classic Record Collector review.
References
- Gary Lemco (March 2005). "Leo Borchard conducts Berlin Philharmonic". Audiophile Audition. Retrieved 2007-08-17.