Laurie Anderson - Born, Never Asked / It's Cold Outside (1978/1981)

Shortly before beginning work on what would become her magnum opus 'United States Parts I-IV', Laurie Anderson began receiving commissions for new music from several American orchestras. Unfortunately, she had no previous experience writing for orchestras, having preferring to work with small ensembles and electronics in her performance art. The result was an uncomfortable mix of prerecorded tape, electronic instrumentation, and unorthodox orchestral writing. Anderson later came to regard these works as 'failures' but they represent an important step in the creative production of a number of her most important compositions including 'O Superman', 'Let X=X', and 'Big Science.'

Born, Never Asked (1978-79; performed May 17th 1980 by the Oakland Youth Orchestra, cond. Robert Hughes)
I (contains elements of 'O Superman' and 'Talkshow'): 0:00
II (contains elements of 'Let X=X'): 17:32
III (contains elements of 'Born, Never Asked'): 32:32

It's Cold Outside (1981; performed February 1982 by the WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln, cond. Dennis Russell Davies; contains elements of 'Big Science' and 'Dr. Miller'): 40:05