Jorge was my staunchest supporter among the faculty when I was at grad school and went to bat for me more than once. As several above have said, he was as much a friend as he was a teacher.

One of my fondest memories of him: I was showing him a piece I was working on at our composition seminar. It was the very end of the class and other students were starting to come in. He said to me “It seems like you didn’t spend very much time on this.” Which really bothered me, because I had.

Later that day he actually called me at home to apologize and explain that he was rushed and didn’t look carefully enough at my score. I thought that was truly remarkable – that a professor would call his student to apologize for an offhand caustic remark. It showed me that he was sensitive to my reaction and cared about my feelings, as well as that he had reflected on his own behavior. I felt extremely grateful for that and was endeared to him for the rest of the time we knew each other.

I remember Jorge as a dedicated and supportive teacher who was perhaps a little shy, but always generous and with a quiet sense of humour. I was fortunate enough to conduct the American premiere of Antigona Furiosa, an intense, challenging score.

I was more fortunate that, although he was not my advisor, he took the time to study my Piano Concerto (when I was working on my dissertation in 1994) and come up with many insightful observations and suggestions that ended up improving both its detail and large framework.

At this distance of time I have no idea what demons were tormenting him, except to say that sometimes a highly creative mind can turn on itself to become highly destructive.

My heart goes out to his family, colleagues and students.

Simon Andrews

http://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/presents/information_desk/program_notes/2007/pn_jorge_liderman.pdf

2.

http://www.albanyrecords.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=AR&Product_Code=TROY651&Category_Code=VCN&Search=liderman&Offset=&filter_cat=&exclude_word=&the_fieldlist=g.SRCH_CODE%7Cg.SRCH_NAME%7Cg.SRCH_PRICE%7Cg.SRCH_COMPOSER%7Cg.SRCH_CONTENTS&range_low=&range_high=&dopowersearch=1&SRCH_CATEGORY_HF=&PowerSearch_Begin_Only=

I am troubled that his experimental medical treatment for depression may have led to the terrible side-effect of his ‘sudden’ suicide.

I also hope that someone among the 19 or so former students who posted so eloquantly at New Music Box (or among Mr Liderman’s academic and professional colleagues) might be in the position to reach out to Jorge’s sister, Claudia, and to his mother — both in Argentina; in addition to Mr Liderman’s wife, Mimi.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/us/19suicide.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=suicide&st=nyt&oref=slogin

*

[I had meant to indicate earlier that I found Mr Liderman's earlier chamber music, on the Albany CD, to be "process-music influenced", rather than "minimalism-influenced". And I wish that Mr Liderman's award-winning Munich opera would become available on a recording. Does anyone reading recall the name of Mr Liderman's beautifully engraved score that was featured for several months in the central showcase of Berkeley's new Music Library?]

this might be of interest to those who’d like to learn more about jorge.

I accept your comment that I should not have stated a comparative opinion when mentioning Mr John Thow. I regret this error. (The second comment you cite was a reasonable response, I believe, to Jerry Bowles’s first comment above.)

That said, pace Mr Toub, I believe that my response to Mr Hajdu was a reasonable one.

*

Having now listened to both the Albany Records Jorge Liderman chamber music album and the Bridge Song of Songs, I recommend the Bridge Song of Songs most highly. (The earlier music is more minimalism-influenced.) The performances on both albums are superb.

I look foward to hearing more of Mr Liderman’s work.