Number 42 May 14, 2010

Another week of great and varied music performances.  Last Saturday night I saw Laurie Anderson at Zellerbach Auditorium.  I've seen Laurie many times, and she is always witty, thought provoking, and profound.  This piece, Homeland, was partially commissioned for the Vancouver Olympics and also by Cal Performances and BAM.  As with most of Laurie's pieces, it was multi-media, with computer and video driven projected images, an electronic score, and two jazz sax players wailing away behind back-lit screens.
Laurie made use of her by now familiar electronically altered voice.  Often used as a wry voice of mail authority, she stated that in this piece she wanted more of a dialogue between that voice and her own.  It's often easy to overlook what a wonderful violinist she is.  The piece was partially inspired by the recent death of her mother.  Very few artists can range from pathos to humor to political outrage in 90 minutes, and have it all somehow work.