Jorge Liderman's death, on the eve of the world premiere of his new piece, Furthermore. . ., has stunned all of us. On Sunday afternoon, February 3, 2008, David Milnes, violinist Carla Kihlstedt, and the ensemble rehearsed and played Liderman's new piece for an audience of about 60 people at our Contemporary Insights: Music and Conversation series. What had been envisioned as an event at which the composer would speak about his music became instead a makeshift memorial.
We have been privileged to premiere a number of Liderman's pieces, and to record his Song of Songs. For me personally, it has been a pleasure in working with Jorge over some 16 years to witness his music grow in power and suppleness. Gestures that were interesting, yet almost backgrounded, in pieces we played in the early 1990s developed into the main expression of the later music. The more recent music is unusually accessible, yet never obvious or predictable.
We welcome your memories and comments about Jorge Liderman and his music here.
Monday, February 4, 2008
In memoriam Jorge Liderman
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2 comments:
Jorge Liderman was one of the most vital and engaging voices in modern music, and a man of unbreakable integrity and deep passion. The composer, the teacher, and the dear friend will be sorely missed.
I was one of Jorge's students at Berkeley soon after he started, and it's a great loss to the community that he is gone. I truly think that the music he wrote was getting better and better over time as well.
Berkeley has lost Thow, Imbrie, and Liderman in rapid succession - "depressing" hardly covers it.
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