MOZART
the magazine for everyone in classical music

The Magical Mystery That Is Marco Borggreve

“Photography Is a Language More Universal Than Words.”—Minor White

By Kathy Geisler

INTERVIEW WITH MARCO BORGGREVE

June 1, 2025

Photography is often confused with the idea that it’s merely a captured moment of reality, a purely objective rendering. It is rather a crafted perspective, shaped by lenses, light, shadow, and emotion, with both photographer and subject contributing to the result.

And just as in music performance, the listener is part of the energy in the room. The viewer becomes the creator, and the subject becomes the reflection of that experience. As they say, it’s complicated, and so much more than the click of a button.

The photographer’s eye creates an image that shapes our experience, making it as precious as any gesture in the music. It’s not just capturing the motion in time, but the transcendence of that moment into art.

The classical music photographer has a vital role in how the world sees who and what represents the field. Through their images, the public is invited into a listening experience. We see this through promotional material, album covers, or portraits representing the ghosts of artists no longer with us, for posterity.

This particular photographer is the creator of masterful enigmas emerging from each personality—we are in the presence of an observer who sees what we otherwise would not. Thankfully we are less alone because of his work, since it accompanies so much of what we love to listen to.

It happens that with art, words become almost unnecessary. But still, inquiring minds want to know…

It’s also interesting to get a picture of the photographer’s voice. It’s as distinct as any composer’s. Through observing their visual language, we learn to recognize who was behind the camera. We see what they choose for us to see, and we know it is art when it is so unmistakable.

Now a peek at who is behind the camera…

Kathy Geisler Besides musicians, what is your favorite thing to photograph?

Marco Borggreve I used to photograph my children until they wouldn’t allow me to anymore—this made me very sad, but I did understand.

KG Can you talk a little about your process, how you prepare? Maybe what you tell your musician subject to do to prepare?

MB I try to prepare based on circumstances, light, location, and time of day. Otherwise I want to go fresh into a session—I need to be surprised. I do listen to the musician I photograph beforehand; mostly from that experience, a lot of conversation topics or ideas arise.

KG What do you do to prepare for a session musically? Do you have a favorite composer?

MB I listen to rehearsals preferably, witnessing how things develop is so great.

I don’t have a favorite composer anymore, my taste changed dramatically a few years ago, and the newer the notes the better these days!

KG Can you share any stories about working with famous artists?

MB No, apart from telling you that they are as crazy as we all are—and as normal!!

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Amihai Grosz – Photo by Marco Borggreve

KG Do you always know which photo will be the one—the money shot for an album cover—or have you been surprised by what image is used? How involved are you in the decision process, as in art direction?

MB Yes, that is always such a nice moment, the image revealing itself to you. This doesn’t mean it will land on the cover though…

I’m not really interested in that process, it’s sometimes so political why and how an image lands on a cover. I’m only interested in making it.

KG What would you tell a photographer who might be interested in working with classical musicians?

MB Love music more than photography—it is to me the only way to find an image in music.

KG Do you have photos up on your walls? Are they yours?

MB No images on my wall because I don’t have a wall yet.

I’ve been mostly traveling the last few years, but soon there will be new homes in Vienna and Utrecht. There I’ll make a place for images of my beloved ones.

KG What are the photos that you are most happy with that you have taken?

MB The images that made the sitter more secure about themselves, that provided them with a good energy about themselves, strengthened their self-esteem, and gave them positive energy.

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Nikolaus Harnoncourt – Photo by Marco Borggreve

But there are a few images that I am grateful to have been able to make. One in particular is Harnoncourt walking up a field. M

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Oslo Philharmonic & Klaus Mäkelä

Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic and Music Director of Orchestre de Paris Klaus Mäkelä announces his debut album Sibelius. Having played the music of Jean Sibelius for over 100 years, the Oslo Philharmonic performs all Sibelius symphonies plus fragments of the unfinished 8th as well as his last symphonic poem Tapiola.

ROBERT SCHUMANN Kian Soltani - Cello Concerto & Lied Transcriptions

Cellist Kian Soltani announces his much-anticipated album, on which he is joined by the CAMERATA Salzburg under musical direction of their concertmaster, Gregory Ahss, to perform works by Schumann. On the album, Soltani plays the composer’s landmark Cello Concerto, as well as orchestrated songs. Performing and recording the Concerto and the songs without a conductor brings this interpretation the warm transparency of chamber music, yielding a uniquely organic exchange between soloist and ensemble.

“His music is poetry – few other composers are as capable of triggering such powerful associations in me as Robert Schumann,” says Kian Soltani.

Dutch Masters

Pianists Lucas and Arthur Jussen present their new studio release, Dutch Masters, on Deutsche Grammophon. The album is dedicated to Dutch composers.

They say, “Everyone knows Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, but we also have plenty of lesser-known composers from our home country who have created a lot of beautiful compositions.”

It’s an ode to Dutch composers, but also to pianist and teacher Ton Hartsuiker, who introduced them to Dutch modern music when they were still children.

Salonen Cello Concerto / Ravel Sonata for Violin & Cello

“The first movement opens with what, in my sketchbook, was called Chaos to line,” says Esa-Pekka Salonen. Chaos, a metaphorical comet, a rhythmic mantra with congas and bongos, a wild dance… Salonen goes on to say of the third movement: “I imagined the orchestra as some kind of gigantic lung, expanding and contracting first slowly, but accelerating to a point of mild hyperventilation which leads back to the dance-like material.”

The coupling is the famous Duo Ravel (to give it the original title used at its premiere), which Nicolas Altstaedt and Pekka Kuusisto have been performing and refining ever since 2010—and which it was high time to record.

Piano Dances - Anna Vinnitskaya

In his Valses nobles et sentimentales, Ravel paid tribute to Schubert. A few years later, he transcribed for solo piano his ballet score La Valse, in which “billowing clouds part from time to time, allowing us to glimpse waltzing couples.” “Shostakovich’s Dances of the Dolls make me think of the Soviet cartoons of my childhood,” says Anna Vinnitskaya. “They also remind me of Mozart: they are as bright as diamonds, sincere and beautiful.”

The Zirkustänze (Circus Dances) composed by Jörg Widmann in 2012—a brilliant kaleidoscope of emotions and parodies—round off the program.

Oslo Philharmonic & Klaus Mäkelä

ROBERT SCHUMANN Kian Soltani - Cello Concerto & Lied Transcriptions

Dutch Masters

Pianists Lucas and Arthur Jussen present their new studio release, Dutch Masters, on Deutsche Grammophon. The album is dedicated to Dutch composers. They say, “Everyone knows Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, but we also have plenty of lesser-known composers from our home country who have created a lot of beautiful compositions.” It’s an ode to Dutch composers, but also to pianist and teacher Ton Hartsuiker, who introduced them to Dutch modern music when they were still children.

Salonen Cello Concerto / Ravel Sonata for Violin & Cello

Nicolas Altstaedt presents here his version of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s monumental Cello Concerto, originally composed for Yo-Yo Ma and given its Finnish premiere by the Franco-German cellist under the composer’s direction. In partnership with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Dima Slobodeniouk, he reveals its full expressive dimension here. “The first movement opens with what, in my sketchbook, was called Chaos to line,” says Esa-Pekka Salonen. Chaos, a metaphorical comet, a rhythmic mantra with congas and bongos, a wild dance… Salonen goes on to say of the third movement: “I imagined the orchestra as some kind of gigantic lung, expanding and contracting first slowly, but accelerating to a point of mild hyperventilation which leads back to the dance-like material.” The coupling is the famous Duo Ravel (to give it the original title used at its premiere), which Nicolas Altstaedt and Pekka Kuusisto have been performing and refining ever since 2010—and which it was high time to record.

Piano Dances - Anna Vinnitskaya

Anna Vinnitskaya celebrates dance, or rather the dances of composers from very different periods and styles: Ravel, Shostakovich, and Widmann. “In all these works, you can feel in some way transported to the world of childhood. Because I believe the childhoods of each of these three composers are reflected there,” says the pianist. In his Valses nobles et sentimentales, Ravel paid tribute to Schubert. A few years later, he transcribed for solo piano his ballet score La Valse, in which “billowing clouds part from time to time, allowing us to glimpse waltzing couples.” “Shostakovich’s Dances of the Dolls make me think of the Soviet cartoons of my childhood,” says Anna Vinnitskaya. “They also remind me of Mozart: they are as bright as diamonds, sincere and beautiful.” The Zirkustänze (Circus Dances) composed by Jörg Widmann in 2012—a brilliant kaleidoscope of emotions and parodies—round off the program.

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AI SUMMARY:

In this insightful interview with renowned classical music photographer Marco Borggreve, we discover the depth of his artistry and the philosophy that shapes his work. Borggreve reveals that photography is far more than just capturing a moment; it is a crafted perspective, where light, shadow, and emotion converge. His approach is spontaneous yet thoughtful—he prefers to enter photo sessions fresh, with minimal preparation, allowing the experience to surprise him.

When asked about his process, Borggreve emphasizes the importance of listening to the musicians he photographs, drawing inspiration from their performances. Though he listens primarily to rehearsals, his musical taste has evolved, and he now prefers more contemporary works. He believes that to photograph musicians well, one must love music even more than photography itself.

Borggreve also shares his thoughts on the so-called “Money Shot,” explaining that while the perfect image often reveals itself during the shoot, the decision on what appears on album covers can be political. His true satisfaction comes from creating images that boost his subjects’ self-esteem and energy, such as his famous portrait of Nikolaus Harnoncourt walking through a field. Borggreve’s images allow us to see what we otherwise might miss, offering us new ways to experience classical music.

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Kathy Geisler is a contributing writer and editor for MOZART – the magazine for everyone in classical music.

The Magical Mystery That Is Marco Borggreve

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