Peter Lieberson, RIP

[Kathleen O'Connell]

Composer Peter Lieberson, husband of the late singer Lorraine Hunt Lieberson and son of ballerina Vera Zorina (George Balanchine's second or third wife, depending on how you count Alexandra Danilova) and Goddard Lieberson (longtime head of Colombia Records) died in Tel Aviv yesterday from complications of lymphoma. He was 64.

NY Times obituary here.

A brief appreciation by Alex Ross (the New Yorker's music critic) here.

He wrote two very beautiful song cycles for Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, one to poems by Reiner Maria Rilke, the other to poems by Pablo Neruda. Hunt Lieberson was an exquisite, radiant singer; I was fortunate to hear her perform some of the Rilke songs and I treasure the experience still.

Peter Lieberson and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson were married in 1999. She died of breast cancer in 2006; he was diagnosed with lymphoma shortly thereafter. Carpe diem.

[dirac]

Carpe diem, indeed. I'm very sorry to hear this. The Rilke cycle is lovely. Thanks for posting the news, Kathleen.

[sandik]

Damn. Just, damn.

[Quiggin]

His brother Jonathan Lieberson, who taught philosophy and wrote for the New York Review, died in 1989. There's a mention in Ned Rorem's diary of his mother Brigitta's very touching acknowlegment of Rorem's condolence note. I met a schoolmate of his who talked about Brigitta (Vera Zorina) driving them both to school, smoking and the radio on loudly and carrying on intensely about some topic or other.