Alexander Borovsky

Alexander Borovsky (also spelled Borowski and Borowsky; 1889-1968) was a Russian-American pianist. He completed his studies at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1912 with a gold medal and the Anton Rubinstein Prize.

Early life and career Alexander Borovsky was born in Mitau, Russian Empire (now Jelgava, Latvia) on March 18, 1889. His first piano teacher was his mother, a pupil of Vasily Safonov. He graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1912.

He created great attention in the 1912 Anton Rubinstein competition which he won.

"Occasionally, in the midst of scores of concerts, most of which are only of mediocre quality, we are reminded of the adage that while, "many are called, few are chosen." "One of the chosen, musically speaking of course, is the Russian pianist, Alexander Borowsky, who is certainly a rising star in the tonal heavens. One must hear him play Bach in order to admire his precision, clear articulation, dynamics and colorful shading. But not only does he excel in the classics, but he seems also to be a born interpreter of modern music, especially of the young Russian school. His success here was a genuine one."

After winning fame here as a pianist of widely diversified programs, Borovsky returned to Europe where, in 1937, he first devoted himself almost exclusively to presenting the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. At the outbreak of the war, Mr. Borovsky first went to South America, where he continued his Bach cycles—the first such recitals ever to be presented in many of the Latin-American capitals—and where he earned fresh laurels. He gave live Bach evenings in Buenos Aires, with marked acclaim, and, as a result, was invited to repeat his performances under the auspices of the Cutura Artistica of São Paulo, in Brazil.

Deciding to leave Russia after the October Revolution, he started touring in Europe and eventually made his American debut in Carnegie Hall in 1923. He became a US national in 1941 and a professor at the Boston University in 1956. He was a soloist with all the major orchestras in Europe and North and South America, appearing as soloist in more than 30 concerts with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the late Serge Koussevitzky. At the same time he began to record some of the significant works of Bach and Liszt and he was the first artist to record Bach's 30 Inventions and all of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies. Borovsky's work was distinguished by his objective interpretation of classical and romantic music. His playing of Bach, critics said, was notable for its architectural quality. Mme. Scriabin's writes in Musical Courier, October 18, 1917, page 27 "I also propose the name of Alexandre Borowsky, a young professor of the Conservatory of Moscow, who plays almost all the works of Scriabine, and who has already acquired a great reputation as a pianist in Russia. Mr. Borowsky is a member of the Scriabine Society." "Addresses on various aspects of Scriabin's art have been given by MM. Braudo, Makovsky, and Bryanchanimov, and the performance of the later works and also of some posthumous pieces has been in the hands of Borovsky's pianoforte music. Borovsky's position is the more honourable since no Russian recital programme is complete without Scriabin's name, and this artist has therefore no rivals."

In 1926 Borowski writes in Modern Masters of the Keyboard by Harriette Brower,

The following Welte-Mignon piano rolls were probably recorded in Russia by Borowski in 1910 at Moscow and St. Petersburg: #2029 Tchaikovsky: Sonata, Op 27, in G, Movement 1, #2030 Rachmaninoff's Elegie, fr "Morceaux de fantasie", Op 3 No 1 in E-flat minor (January, 1910), #2031 Arensky: Etude, fr. 24 Morceaux characteristiques, Op 36 no 13 in F-sharp, #2032: Liadow: Barcarolle, Op 44 in F-sharp, #2033 Rachmaninoff: Prelude, Op 23 No 3 in D minor (January 1910).

Later life Borovsky died in Waban, Massachusetts on April 27, 1968, and was buried at Newton Cemetery.