From Deseret News archives:
U. faculty violinist to play
Danish-born Borup chooses diverse pieces for recital
"American Phantasies," the program that the Danish-born violinist has chosen to play, is by any account uniquely unusual and eminently imaginative. The recital will explore Arnold Schoenberg and his American students John Cage, Leon Kirchner and Donald Harris.
"We think of Schoenberg as a quintessential European, but he lived his last 20 years in America," Borup said. "He left quite a legacy here."
The idea to do a program like this came to Borup while he was a member of the Coolidge String Quartet. "We were scheduled to record all of the Schoenberg quartets," he said, but the project wasn't realized until after he left the group. "I learned quite a bit about Schoenberg, though," he said.
The starting point for today's recital is Schoenberg's Phantasy for Violin with Piano Accompaniment, op. 47, one of his last works, written about two years before his death. "When I learned the Phantasy, I also began to learn about his students."
What struck Borup was the diversity of styles found among these pieces. "It was quite surprising to discover how completely different they are from each other and from Schoenberg."
The Cage uses tonal chords, while Kirchner's works can best be described as neo-romantic and improvisatory. Only Harris' piece comes closest to Schoenberg's. "His and Schoenberg's are the only two pieces that are 12-tone," Borup said. Perhaps not unexpectedly, since Harris also studied with Max Deutsch, who was one of Schoenberg's closest apostles.
Borup said that it's unfortunate Schoenberg has been stigmatized as an inaccessible composer. "It's not true, because he revered the old masters. He had his students go their own way and didn't indoctrinate them. He almost discouraged them from using the 12-tone technique."
Schoenberg firmly believed that only by learning from the past could a composer break from that tradition and blaze new trails.
Pianist Mary Kathleen Ernst will accompany Borup for tonight's concert. She is a former colleague from the University of Virginia, where he taught before coming to the U. last fall.
Comments
- 'Family Ties' actor arrested 11:15 a.m.
- Dems mull Medicare expansion 11:14 a.m.
- Report: Brazil police have killed 11K 11:13 a.m.
- Texas AG to question jurors 11:08 a.m.
- Jehovah's Witnesses case in Russia 10:51 a.m.
- Baghdad blasts toll at 121 dead 10:36 a.m.
- Market slides as dollar strengthens 10:36 a.m.
- Storm pounds Utah for 2nd day 10:23 a.m.
- 5 top publishers plan Kindle rival 10:10 a.m.
- Obama has sharp criticism for GOP 9:48 a.m.
- Witness: Mitchell stalked victims
- BYU football: Bronco weighs in on Hall
- Williams' late jumper tops Spurs
- Yet again, we learn BCS is a big joke
- $2M error could mean layoffs
- Cougars in better mood about bowl
- Storm pounds Utah for 2nd day
- Ranking the bowl games
- BYU eager for crack at Oregon State
- TCU's BCS game missing something
- Y. profs: Beck not all-knowing
267 - TCU to play Boise in Fiesta Bowl
203 - Letters: Global warming a lie
178 - Cougars going back to Vegas
147 - Utah/BYU rivalry can be more civil
138 - George lost in rivalry hatefest
119 - Ed Smart 'appalled' at testimony
100 - Harpring's NBA career is over
98 - BYU football: Bronco weighs in on Hall
93 - Utahns want health care reform bills
82
I haven't yet played "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," and honestly I...
We've curtailed the threat to the U.S. let the countires in that region fight...
I fully believe that the outcome of the Texas-Nebraska game is due to the BCS...
We purchased her book - read it and concluded that Sarah Palin is not the...
@radical moderate, I listen to all side of the debate. Do you? Open your...
Anonymous | 8:43 a.m.- There is sales tax on natural gas and electricity...
thank god for global warming. Can you imagine how much snow and cold we'd...
I can't understand posts like failure 7:52. He expresses no sympathy for...
Mr. President, I know that you know that your party has control of the House...
Look I had a conversation with a couple of Utah Players who played against...
This is the biggest scam ever put on mankind. It will make liars like Al...




You can be the first to comment on this story.