Author Archives | albert imperato
albert imperato - who has written 32 posts on Ecstatic Living Room.
Born in New York City in 1962. Graduated from Stanford University in 1984. Worked for record company 1987-2000. Co-founded music promotion company, 21C Media Group, in 2000.
Musical Comfort Food – Or, Everyone Loves Haydn
It’s rare that I don’t begin the morning with some music by Austrian composer Joseph Haydn, usually a piano trio, string quartet or symphony, which I enjoy while reading the newspaper and drinking my morning coffee. With so many works to choose from (he wrote roughly 45, 68 and 104 of each genre respectively!), you [...]
Continue reading...Winter Reveries, Icy Terrors
Sunday, January 10, 2010
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One of my favorite musical rituals involves the Winter Solstice, the first day of the winter season and the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. At the heart of this ritual is listening to Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony, which bears the nickname “Winter Dreams.” I discovered the piece in college when I was [...]
Continue reading...Tropical Tracks
Sunday, January 10, 2010
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For as long as I can remember my family has been spending the Christmas/New Year’s holiday together on a Caribbean vacation. For years I was the odd man out, believing somehow that Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas unless I was in a cold and snowy place, which meant that I never traveled with my family for [...]
Continue reading...20 (Plus) Questions with… Natalie Dessay
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
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As she prepared to make a much-anticipated role debut as Violetta in La Traviata in Santa Fe, the affable opera superstar donated her time to answer a few questions for this informal Q&A session.
Continue reading...20 (Plus) Questions with… Harpsichordist and Conductor Christophe Rousset
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
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The French harpsichordist and conductor Christophe Rousset has long been one of the bright lights of the early music and period instruments scene. At twenty-two he won the prestigious First Prize, as well as the Public Prize, in the Seventh Bruges Harpsichord Competition (1983). He performed with Les Arts Florissants and then Il Seminario Musicale before embarking on a career as a music director, which led him to form his own ensemble, Les Talens Lyriques, in 1991.
Continue reading...A Maverick Composer’s Memorial Day Music
Monday, May 25, 2009
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Memorial Day has something of a split personality, especially on the kind of gorgeous day we had today in Upstate New York. Despite the parades, the holiday itself has a somber character and purpose, paying tribute to those who have served and died while serving in the armed forces. But with the picnics and barbecues, not to mention all the usual commercialization, it’s taken on new qualities if not a completely different identity. It’s now pushed as the official beginning of the summer, not to mention the Hollywood blockbuster season, and my inbox today received no less than 20 special Memorial Day sale offers to buy everything from sneakers and workout gear to outdoor furniture and cars.
Continue reading...20 (Plus) Questions with… Guitarist Xuefei Yang
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
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A fan of Mamma Mia! and Charlie Parker, Yang is the first Chinese guitarist to attain professional status on the international classical circuit. She has performed concertos with the world’s leading orchestras and will record her latest CD for EMI this summer.
Continue reading...Running on Classics
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
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A few days ago, I almost flew off the treadmill running at full-sprint speed – that is, I was going at more than 10 miles per hour! Everyone in the gym threw a look my way, some gasping, as my running shoe made a loud, squeaking sound as it hit the part of the belt [...]
Continue reading...20 (Plus) Questions with… Giuseppe Filianoti
Thursday, April 30, 2009
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Italian-born Giuseppe Filianoti has won acclaim around the world for his superb performances in the Bel Canto repertoire. The well-read family man appears May 12-25 as Nemorino (opposite Diana Damrau) in Laurent Pelly's staging of L'Elisir d'Amore at Covent Garden.
Continue reading...20 (Plus) Questions with… Soprano Nicole Cabell
Thursday, April 23, 2009
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Cabell - who shot to fame after winning the 2005 BBC Singer of the World Competition in Cardiff - graces the Met stage as Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore through April 22. She is the latest to donate her time and musings to our Q&A.
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Saturday, January 16, 2010
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