Recording: Laurie Anderson

Artist: Laurie Anderson

Song: The Art of Falling [The Birds and The Wall]

Recorded at Koerner Hall (21C Music Festival), January 18, 2020.

Laurie Anderson - The Art of Falling [The Birds and The Wall]

Laurie Anderson, along with cellist Rubin Kodheli, brought "The Art of Falling" to a performance at a packed Koerner Hall, a longform piece weaving together stories, song fragments and musical improvisation in a series of meditations on loss and life. It was definitely at its best when it focused on the hypnotic weave of Anderson's relaxed cadence, getting the audience to close their eyes and listen to her like a drivetime DJ who's eschewed the traffic report for a pressing update on the state of the listener's soul. This section involves a re-telling of Aristophanes' play The Birds as a commentary on today's wall-builders.