What is Leo Borchard?
'''Leo Borchard''' (born [[Moscow]], 31 March 1899; died 23 August 1945) was a [[Russia]]n [[Conducting|conductor]] who became a [[naturalization|naturalized]] [[Germany|German]]. Borchard was born in Moscow. His parents were [[Germany|German]]. He spent his childhood in [[Saint Petersburg]] where he had music lessons. In 1920, after the [[Russian Revolution of 1917|Russian Revolution]], he emigrated to [[Germany]]. [[Otto Klemperer]] made him his assistant at the [[Kroll Opera]] in [[Berlin]]. He conducted the [[Berlin Philharmonic]] for the first time in January 1933. In 1935, he was banned by the [[Nazism|Nazi]]s for political reasons. He was not allowed to conduct, so he had to earn some money by teaching. During [[World War II]] he was an activist who was working against the Nazis. After the war had ended he conducted the world famous [[Berlin Philharmonic]] in a concert which was very successful. One week later he was given the job of conductor of the orchestra instead of [[Wilhelm Furtwängler]] who was in [[exile]] in [[Switzerland]]. The part of Germany he was in was run by the Russians at this time. Because he had been anti-Nazi, and because he spoke Russian, he was favoured by the political leaders. In less than four months he gave 22 concerts with the BPO. In [[Berlin]], as he was being driven home after a concert, he was shot dead by an [[Americans|American]] [[officer]] due to a [[misunderstanding]] at a [[military]] [[Security checkpoint|checkpoint]]. {{bio-stub}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Borchard, Leo}} [[Category:1899 births]] [[Category:1945 deaths]] [[Category:Deaths by firearm in Germany]] [[Category:German conductors]] [[Category:Musicians from Moscow]] [[Category:People from Saint Petersburg]] [[Category:Russian conductors]]