Edmund von Borck

Edmund Konstantin Wilhelm von Borck (22 February 1906 – 16 February 1944) was a German composer of (modern) classical music and a conductor.

Life Edmund von Borck was born in Breslau, Germany to a landholding family that had joined the nobility in 1796. His father, Eduard von Borck (1864–1938) was a captain (Rittmeister) with the Silesian cuirassier regiment (:de:Leib-Kürassier-Regiment „Großer Kurfürst“ (Schlesisches) Nr. 1). His mother, Erika (née Lübbecke) (1880–1945), was related to Johann Friedrich Reichardt.

Borck studied piano with Bronisław von Poźniak from 1920 to 1926 and had composition lessons from Ernst Kirsch. After graduating from school with his Abitur, he began studying musicology. He continued this study in Berlin in 1928, but soon afterwards switched his focus to conducting, and completed the conducting (Kapellmeister) class at the Berliner Musikhochschule under the direction of Julius Prüwer. His works were published by Universal Edition in Vienna starting in 1936.

Borck was called up for military service in 1940 and died in Nettuno, Italy during Operation Shingle, the allied invasion of Italy. His grave is in the German military cemetery in Pomezia (Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof Pomezia).

Works Choral works op. 9 Ländliche Kantate (rural cantata) for female, male, and boys' voices and string orchestra, on texts by Richard Billinger

Chamber music op. 7 Sonata for violin and piano op. 11/1 Introduction and Capriccio for violin and piano (1934) op. 11/2 Präludium (prelude) for violin op. 12 Allegro ditirambico for piano (1934) op. 13 Altlieder (old songs) (1937) op. 15a Sextet for flute and string quintet (1936) op. 19 Kleine Suite (Little suite) for flute op. 23 Three songs for alto voice, viola, and piano, on poems of Rainer Maria Rilke

Operas op. 18 Napoleon, opera in three acts, freely adapted from Ch. D. Grabbe's drama (1940–42), (premiered 19 September 1942 at the Theater Gera in Gera, Thuringia, Germany)

Orchestral works op. 6 Concerto for alto saxophone and orchestra (1932), (premiered 1932 at Musikfest Hannover by saxophonist Sigurd Raschèr and conductor Rudolf Krasselt) op. 8 Five orchestral pieces (1933) op. 10 Prelude and fugue for orchestra (1934) op. 14 Concerto for orchestra (1935) (Premiered 4 February 1936 in the Kurzwellensender Berlin) op. 15b Concertino for flute and string orchestra (1936) op. 16 Theme, four variations, and finale (1936) (premiered 21 April 1936 at the Dresden Musikfest by the Dresdner Philharmonie, Paul van Kempen, conductor) op. 17 Two fantasy pieces (Fantasiestücke) (1940) (premiered 1940 at the Hamburg State Opera (Hamburger Staatsoper), Eugen Jochum, conductor) op. 20 Concerto for piano and orchestra (1941) (premiered May 1941 in Berlin with pianist Conrad Hansen) op. 21 Orphika (1942), (premiered 21 November 1948 by the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra (Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig)