Author Archives | glenn petry
glenn petry - who has written 10 posts on Ecstatic Living Room.
Born in 1962, grew up on Shelter Island, NY. Graduated from Syracuse University in 1984. Was a member of New York alt band Drunken Boat, then began consulting for classical music promotion. Co-founded music promotion company 21C Media Group in 2000.
On the Transmigration of Souls
I remember with perfect clarity that crystal clear morning of September 11, 2001 and the explosion I heard from my New York City apartment window that I thought was just another outrageous New York City sound….until a neighbor climbed down the fire escape and banged on my window to come out and have a look. What [...]
Continue reading...Toru Takemitu’s Water Works
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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When Michael Tilson Thomas announced a meditative encore for the finale performance of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra on March 20 he explained: “This program, which was planned months ago, was designed to be spectacular and colorful, but tonight we are very mindful of people in Japan and New Zealand and Australia who are experiencing the consequences [...]
Continue reading...Music of Revolution
Monday, February 7, 2011
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One of the great contributions of the classical music tradition has been its illumination of the idea and reality of historic revolution. It may be a stretch to think that the people of Egypt will reach for the western music canon to inspire their current revolution, but we can project on how it could [...]
Continue reading...Contemporary Music for Contemporary Art Lovers
Friday, January 28, 2011
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My wife is a contemporary art dealer, so for the past few years I have been dutifully (and gratefully) attending the Art Basel Miami Fair not just for the break in the weather, but for the rapid immersion in the contemporary art scene. Even though as in many gatherings of cultural experts, passion [...]
Continue reading...Sibelius for the Solstice?
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
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The Christmas holiday has it’s famous music: Handel’s Messiah, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, to name a few. But what about the Winter Solstice? This landmark of seasons feels like one of the most potent, the shortest day of the year heralding our gradual climb toward spring, it marks the beginning of the [...]
Continue reading...Music for a Day of Thanks
Monday, November 22, 2010
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Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday for our melting-pot society. Its universal purpose to simply give thanks for our connection to other people and for whatever that you wish to be thankful for crosses easily all cultural and religious boundaries. Its focus on hearth and home, family and friends also makes it [...]
Continue reading...Protesting the G20 summit? Why not bring along some of the world’s greatest protest music?
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
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As much as iconic folk and rock musicians like Pete Seeger, Jimi Hendrix , Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Neil Young, Bob Marley, Pearl Jam and many others did to advance music as a means to foment and focus popular dissent, rock musicians of the 1960s did not invent protest music. We will never know who [...]
Continue reading...Ecstatic Meditation: Brahms, take me away!
Friday, April 2, 2010
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Listening to great music is often described as a religious experience. Why not take your listening to the next level and make it a real meditation? Whether you believe in a spiritual component, the practice of meditation is universally accepted as a great thing for body, mind and soul. The object of any meditation practice is [...]
Continue reading...Rach Symphony No. 2? Quick, Bring me the Antidote!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
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As my best friend and business partner, Albert Imperato, lectured passionately and convincingly on how to love Rachmaninov’s Sympony No. 2 (“don’t think about it, just do it!” he said equating the work to sunsets and chocolate cake, “do you question them?” he added), I remained unconvinced. We had just listened to a great performance [...]
Continue reading...Rameau and Martinis
Thursday, January 7, 2010
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It started out almost as a joke when Albert and I were planning to unwind after a day of work with a martini and some music. Albert suggested we listen to an advance recording of the new naïve classique release of conductor and in this case harpsichordist Christophe Rousset playing transcriptions of Rameau’s second opera, [...]
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Thursday, September 8, 2011
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