A Liminal Space by David Faleris

I was first drawn to David Faleris’ music when I heard a performance of his fantastic trombone quartet, City of Arts and Sciences, and when it came time to start commissioning new works for my album Perspectives, David was right at the top of my wish list of composers.  There’s something about the humanity in his music, the unique mixture of epic grandiosity and intimate vulnerability, that speaks to me every single time I hear one of his works.

In commissioning A Liminal Space, I asked David to write a work that was “full of melodies” and that could “begin a concert program or finish one”.  Something that would grab the listener’s attention right from the very first note, yet also keep their attention until the final notes!   David absolutely hit the nail on the head with this piece.  It made the perfect first track for my album.  From the opening four-note motif, you *know* this piece is something you must listen to.  And then, as the title suggests, you journey through periods of doubt and transition, suspended in air with no idea where the ground is, before eventually finding your way through the “doorway” onto solid ground and a dramatic conclusion that leaves audiences breathless and inspired.

The composer writes about the piece:

A Liminal Space:  neither here nor there, after “what was” but before passing that threshold of “what’s next”.  A liminal space can be a time and place of paralyzing unknowns, and there is no way to easily navigate such indeterminate change.  What lies past the threshold is not simply a concealed or obscured future for one’s self, but rather a new version of one’s self about to be defined.  Although this state of unpredictable transformation can be threateningly mysterious, there is a beauty and power to the endless possibilities of “what will be”.