by Marc Hannaford
Liminal is a new collection of works for solo piano, with occasional electronics from Melbourne’s Marc Hannaford. In recent years Hannaford has established himself as one of Australia’s most progressive and, at times challenging improvising musicians. That reputation has been further enhanced with his recent success as the recipient of the 2013 MCA/Freedman Fellowship for Jazz.
Make no mistake however, Liminal is certainly not a jazz record. In fact it’s hard to identify just what type of album Liminal is at all. At times the album is breathtakingly beautiful, while at other moments it can be uncomfortable, leaving the listener with a feeling that certain musical ideas have been left tantalizingly (and deliberately) unresolved. The work was developed by the way of a commission from the Museum of Old and New Art's 2012 Synesthesia Festival and draws on elements of the Western art-music canon, from the 16th century through to the 21st, and post-production electronic processing.
Hannaford name-checks composers such as Carlo Gesualdo, J.S. Bach, Alexander Scriabin and Elliott Carter as influences, however for me it’s the work of Olivier Messiaen, and Hannaford’s own recorded work, that immediately comes to mind when immersed in the gentle strains of Liminal.
Above all else Liminal is an album to sit down and listen to – not in the background, not in the car, and not on a Melbourne tram through an iPod. Who knows, you may even hear it on PBS 106.7.
Liminal is available via http://marchannaford.bandcamp.com/album/liminal
by Owen McKern - PBS Program Manager
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