Happy Half Hours

Born in Venice, Antonio Sartorio (1630-1680) composed 14 operas. He often made the long journey from Hanover, where he held the post of Maestro di Capella to the Duke of Brunswick, to compose and present new operas in his native city and recruit musicians for the German court. He is credited with introducing Italian opera to the Hanover court in 1672. Sartorio finally returned to Venice to be Maestro at St Mark’s where he composed sacred music, albeit not as much as the renowned Coffi might have been expected of him in that position.

Laurie Anderson - United States Live (1983) {4CD Set Warner Bros. 9251922 rel 1991}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.26 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 702 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 75 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1983, 1991 Warner Bros. | 9 25192 2
Experimental Music / Avant-Garde / Alternative

Once her popularity seemed assured, Warner Bros. felt safe releasing this five-record set (since reissued on four CDs) comprising United States' entire four-and-a-half hours. It's not the first place I'd recommend going to hear Anderson's work, but for those so inclined it's well worth the effort. Although live performances of United States included film segments that ran during some of her monologues, United States is about communication and how we interpret and use language. It's a bit pretentious, a tad long-winded, and its size makes it unwieldy to listen to in one sitting, but this is an important work loaded with enough insight, wit, and humanity to make relistening and re-evaluating worthwhile.