Burge, David (Russell)

Burge, David (Russell), American pianist, teacher, writer, and composer; b. Evanston, III., March 25, 1930. He was educated at Northwestern Univ. (B.M., 1951; M.M., 1952), the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. (D.M.A. and Artist’s Diploma, 1956), and the Cherubini Cons, in Florence on a Fulbright scholarship (1956–57). Thereafter he pursued a highly active career as a pianist, giving numerous concerts in the U.S. as well as in Europe, the Near East, the Far East, and Australia. After serving as an assoc. prof, at Whitman Coll. (1957–62), he was a prof, at the Univ. of Colo. (1962–75) and music director of the Boulder Phil. (1965–72). In 1975 he was artist–in–residence at the Univ. of Calif. at Davis. From 1975 to 1993 he was a prof, at the Eastman School of Music, where he was also chairman of the piano dept. from 1975 to 1987. He was prof, of composition at the Univ. of Pa. in 1977, and served on the faculties of the Banff Centre in Canada (1983–84; 1986) and at the Chautauqua Institution in N.Y. (1986–90). From 1989 to 1994 he was music chair of the National Assn. for Advancement in the Arts in Miami. He wrote music criticism for the San Diego Union–Tribune from 1994 to 1996. In 1995 he became composer–in–residence of the San Diego Ballet. In 1978 and 1979 he won the Deems Taylor Award for music journalism. In addition to his many articles and reviews in various publications, Burge also wrote the study Twentieth–Century Piano Music (1990) and the novel Vanishing Spring (1999). As a pianist, he has won particular distinction as an indefatigable and persuasive exponent of contemporary music. He has given the premieres of many new works, including scores by Krenek, Per–sichetti, Berio, Crumb, William Albright, and Ward–Steinman.

Works

DRAMATIC: Blood Wedding, songs and incidental music after Garcia Lorca (1951); Infernal Machine, songs and incidental music after Cocteau (1952); Popojf, music comedy after Chekhov (1961); Intervals, chamber opera (1961); Twone in Sunshine, “entertainment for theater” (1969); Liana’s Song, ballet for Piano, 4–Hands (1995); Luna Lunera, ballet (1996); Lotería, ballet (1998). orch.: Piano Concerto (1956); Concerto for Viola and Small Orch. (1959); Serenade No. 1 for Violin and Orch. (1960); “...that no one knew” for Violin and Orch. (1969); Dances of Love and Laughter for Piano and Orch. (1998). chamber: 2 string quartets (1950, 1969); Woodwind Quintet (1955); Piano Quintet (1958); Sources I for Flute and Piano (1964), II for Violin, Celesta, and Piano (1965), and III for Clarinet and Percussion (1967); 2 Pieces for Cello and Piano (1982); Violin Sonata (1994; rev. 1999); Moku (Island) for 3 Percussionists (1998). piano: 4 sonatas (1948, 1958, 1959, 1962); Go–hyang (Ancestral Home; 1994); 24 Preludes (1996). vocal:Pie Jesu for Soprano and Piano (1952); Vanishing Spring for Soprano and Piano (1953); Portami il Girasole for Soprano and Piano (1957); Gloria del distesso mezzogiorno for Soprano, Violin, and Cello (1985); Songs of Love and Sorrow for Soprano and Piano (1989); Candytata for Soprano and Piano (1993); Life Begins at 40 for Mezzo–soprano and Piano (1998).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire