Laurie Anderson gave the first of five performances at Lincoln Center of her latest piece, Homeland, last night. The New York Sun's Joy Goodwin calls it "the work of a consummate artist at the highest level of her craft." The reviewer points out the "austere elegance" with which Homeland is staged and says "its abundant social commentary is carefully blended with song, myth, underscore, and digital sampling to produce an alluring hybrid."

Goodwin finds in this very contemporary piece a reference to the folk-rock scene of the 1960s. "Homeland feels like the natural extension of what Bob Dylan and the Byrds were doing back then—taking on the establishment with words and melodies, and holding an audience in the palm of their hand," she writes. "This is music that envelops you ..."

To read the full review, visit nysun.com.

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The Philadelphia Inquirer's classical music critic, David Patrick Stearns, finds that Laurie's "calm, cool, objective persona is particularly welcome these days." He praises "the way she re-contextualizes the everyday and the fantastical," concluding:

The literal, the absurd and unthinkable don't simply shake hands; in her show, they're one and the same. And didn't you always suspect that's the true reality of whatever version of The Matrix we're now living in? I like to think of Anderson with a flashlight and a miner's hat, venturing into any given heart of darkness, but with less fear than most people, and lots of extra batteries.

Read the complete performance review at philly.com.

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Democracy Now's Amy Goodman spoke with Laurie before the Lincoln Center opening, about her role as an artist in a time of war. You can watch, listen to, or read a transcript of the interview at i4.democracynow.org. The video stream also includes performance footage from Homeland.