New York Phil to launch big Apple app

New York Phil to launch big Apple app

News

norman lebrecht

March 31, 2023

We’ve just heard that the New York Philharmonic will perform at Apple Fifth Avenue at 6pm tonight to launch Apple’s classical music app.

The orchestra is one of six world leading ensembles to contribute streaming to the new app.

The event, which is already full, will include performances of Steve Reich’s New York Counterpoint, bit of Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, and Duke Ellington’s Clarinet Lament.

Comments

  • Gustavo says:

    Is Apple now taking over the entire classical business?

    Hope SD remains independent…

  • Thornhill says:

    Despite Apple spending a year or so developing the app, I find it underwhelming and half-baked.

    Content seems to be identical to Spotify except for a handful of live recordings from several A-list ensembles (and a lot of those selections are banal).

    Album list remains clogged with several releases of the same recording (e.g. the original CD release, remastered CD released, second remastered CD release).

    Artist searches pull in albums that they do not appear in.

    No CarPlay support (WTF, Apple?).

    Hi-rez resolutions are downsampled to 16/44 when you airplay to an AppleTV (which I do for the purposes of playing the music through my speaker system).

  • PS says:

    Is Trump & The J6 Prison Choir classical music or not? Did Trump take classical music to the top of the charts?

  • Chicagorat says:

    As far as I am concerned, Apple displays unerring competence and taste. Kudos to the apps creators and curators.

    I downloaded the app and it’s obvious that Apple knows what it’s doing. I directed my attention right to the Exclusive Albums section (a key commercial hook) and saw that Apple has signed up and is giving the shiny top digital shelf to the best of the crop: Vienna Phil/Barenboim, SFP/Salonen, LSO/Pappano, Philarmonia /Rouvali, Met/Rustioni, NY Phil/van Zweden, Concertgebouw/Fischer, LSO/Rattle, BPO/Petrenko, Concertgebouw/Haitink .

    Tier 2/3 Orchestra/Conductor combinations like CSO/Muti are nowhere to be found on the top digital “Exclusive Albums” shelf, as far as I can see. (Even if it wanted, Apple would have their work cut out dealing with Muti’s sons and lawyers, who may be more concerned about how many Muti coffee mugs the CSO actually sold – i.e., not many, trust me).

    Furthermore, Apple appears to have carefully calibrated the supporting content based on a deep understanding of the absolute values of interpreters. While Kleiber is described as “among the greatest conductors of all time”, a declined, historically inconsequential character like Muti is sketched as a conductor of “solid technique”. Which I guess it’s fair, if one is inclined to be generous (the Apple reviewed had to write something …)

    This research increased my confidence in the quality of the app. I will subscribe.

  • MOST READ TODAY: