Liminal Highway

About

Christopher Cerrone deals in one-of-a-kind musical experiences. His magnetic and “gorgeous” music (The New York Times) brings raw and deep emotions to the surface. Cerrone’s Invisible Cities, performed throughout the public spaces of Los Angeles’ Union Station, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Liminal Highway, written in 2015 for flutist Tim Munro, is inspired by John K. Samson’s poem of the same name. The opening of the poem reads:

when you fall asleep in transit
you rarely wake up much closer
to where you want to be
and you’ve missed the song
you were waiting to hear
coming up after the ad for a
funeral home and the traffic and weather
in a town you’ll never live in

or even see now that you’ve passed it
in a dream you don’t recall

Caught between sleeping and waking, Samson’s protagonist comes to understand who they are and where they are going. In Cerrone’s work, layers of flute shimmer, pulse, and glow, conjuring an atmosphere of anxiety tinged with a fragile sense of hope.

The cover photograph of this album was taken on board the SS United States. This ship was the hope of a nation, but lies, ruined, in the Philadelphia harbor. It was a perfect location for Four/Ten Media’s video of Liminal Highway, which echoes with memories of the past. This video will be released on the same day as this album.

Liminal Highway was commissioned by New Music USA and Miller Theatre at Columbia University for Tim Munro. Joan and Barry Miskin provided additional support for the recording and filming of the project.