Pair to play Gade sonatas

And even though Gade wasn't a pianist — he was a trained violinist who played in the Royal Orchestra in Copenhagen the piano writing is idiomatic, Conner said. "They're comfortably written for the piano. They're lovely parts and satisfying to play."

This will be Conner's first time playing these sonatas. She hadn't even known about the violin sonatas until Borup asked her to be his partner.

"It's interesting music," she said. "I jumped at the chance to play them with Hasse."

"I didn't have to twist her arm, that's true," Borup added.

Surprisingly, this will also be Borup's first time playing the complete set of Gade's sonatas. Born and raised in Denmark, Borup grew up with Gade's music. But he's never played the violin sonatas in their entirety. "I played part of one of the pieces while I was at the Royal Conservatory (in Copenhagen)," he said.

When the opportunity arose last fall to play these sonatas in a U. recital, Borup didn't hesitate to make the most of it. He contacted Naxos about recording them, and they were interested. "I was actually talking with a representative from Naxos about something else when I mentioned that I was interested in recording the complete Gade violin sonatas.

"To my knowledge, these sonatas have never been recorded on a major label."

A week after today's concert, Borup and Conner will record the pieces in Libby Gardner Concert Hall. Borup expects the CD to be released in the fall. "I hope we can keep to that schedule. Record companies are notorious for delays. I want to finish it and get done with it."

If you go . . .

What: Hasse Borup, violin; Heather Conner, piano

Where: Libby Gardner Concert Hall, University of Utah

When: today, 7:30 p.m.

How much: Free

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E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com