“Musicians are trained—tirelessly, feverishly—to keep audiences awake,” writes David Patrick Stearns in Wednesday’s (1/20) Philadelphia Inquirer. “Not in the new Bowerbird concert series Liminal States, seven streamed events slotted at 10 or 11 p.m. that aim to put listeners into a sort-of slumber somewhere between sleeping and waking. The series is co-produced with West Philly’s Rotunda, Bowerbird’s home venue. ‘Everybody is so traumatized and beat up that if a concert involves another state of awareness, that’s a very attractive prospect,’ said pianist Marilyn Nonken, who opens the series Wednesday with Morton Feldman’s spare, meditative, 90-minute Triadic Memories…. The hard-to-categorize indy artists include … Philadelphia-born Laraaji … described as often as a mystic as he is a percussionist who creates shimmering, luminous sound environments…. Bowerbird artistic director Dustin Hurt is encouraging live performances…. Some artists will be pre-recorded, though nocturnally, in the late-night slot that their streaming will occupy…. Performances will not be available on demand, partly to create a sense of occasion…. ‘This idea has been around, inside my mind, for a long time,’ said Hurt, who has enjoyed liminal states when listening to Feldman while lying on the floor (an option not available at most in-person concerts).”
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