Listen to musical meditations on loss, largely for strings, a bit of piano, and plenty of spoken voice in works from Laurie Anderson and Kronos Quartet, Icelandic composer Valgeir Sigurðsson, Caleb Burhans, and more. 

Hear selections from “Landfall,” the post-Sandy work by New York-based Laurie Anderson in collaboration (for the first time?!) with the Kronos Quartet. Superstorm Sandy crashed into New York on Oct. 29, 2012, flooding lower Manhattan and Laurie Anderson’s building specifically, turning things she’d saved - keyboards, papers, books – into nothing but junk. She describes her experience of the storm along with other ideas of loss: specifically detailing a massive book listing earth's extinct species – civets, spotted lizards, mastodons, and “15 chapters on sloths” – in what sounds like her male alter ego voice of Fenway Bergamot. The juxtaposition of Kronos and electronics and Laurie Anderson's voices is utterly spellbinding. 

Listen also to a work by Valgeir Sigurðsson, originally composed as a score for a Stephen Petronio ballet, “Architecture of Loss.” In this portion of the work, “Crumbling,” spare acoustic violin, and sparse piano from Nico Muhly are augmented with electronics. Then, hear music by computer music pioneer Neil Rolnick from his five-part suite, “Extended Family,” which chronicled his experiences with family at the time of his mother’s death.  Listen to the movement entitled “Loss,” featuring the electric string quartet, ETHEL. Plus, hear a work by Caleb Burhans – “Jahrzeit,” which was written around the anniversary of his father's death. Featuring new music stalwarts ACME, “Jahrzeit” (also yahrzeit, which means “anniversary”) is a time of remembering the dead by reciting the Kaddish, lighting a 24-hour candle, and remembering the person who has died. - Caryn Havlik

ARTIST: Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet
WORK: The Water Rises [2:43]
RECORDING: Landfall
SOURCE: Nonesuch 564104
INFO: nonesuch.com | Due out Feb. 16

ARTIST: Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet
WORK: Dreams [4:01]
RECORDING: Landfall
SOURCE: Nonesuch 564104
INFO: nonesuch.com | Due out Feb. 16

ARTIST: Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet
WORK: The Dark Side [1:10]
RECORDING: Landfall
SOURCE: Nonesuch 564104
INFO: nonesuch.com | Due out Feb. 16

ARTIST: Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet
WORK: Built You A Mountain [2:16]
RECORDING: Landfall
SOURCE: Nonesuch 564104
INFO: nonesuch.com | Due out Feb. 16

ARTIST: Valgeir Sigurðsson
WORK: Architecture of Loss: The Crumbling [3:04]
RECORDING: Architecture of Loss
SOURCE: Bedroom Community
INFO: valgeir.bandcamp.com

ARTIST: Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet
WORK: Nothing Left But Their Names [9:38]
RECORDING: Landfall
SOURCE: Nonesuch 564104
INFO: nonesuch.com | Due out Feb. 16

ARTIST: ETHEL
WORK: Neil Rolnick: Extended Family - Loss [4:45]
RECORDING: Extended Family
SOURCE: Innova 782
INFO: innova.mu

ARTIST: Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet
WORK: All the Extinct Animals [2:50]
RECORDING: Landfall
SOURCE: Nonesuch 564104
INFO: nonesuch.com | Due out Feb. 16

ARTIST: Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet
WORK: Riding Bicycles Through The Muddy Streets [2:37]
RECORDING: Landfall
SOURCE: Nonesuch 564104
INFO: nonesuch.com | Due out Feb. 16

ARTIST: Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet
WORK: Everything is Floating [1:59]
RECORDING: Landfall
SOURCE: Nonesuch 564104
INFO: nonesuch.com | Due out Feb. 16

ARTIST: ACME
WORK: Caleb Burhans: Jahrzeit [10:11]
RECORDING: Thrive on Routine
SOURCE: Sono Lumius DSL-92211
INFO: sonoluminus.com