UPDATE
24 January 2024
Apple Music Classical is now available in Hong Kong
Lang Lang appointed artist ambassadors
China NCPA Orchestra and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra become partner organizations
China NCPA Orchestra and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra become partner organizations
Apple Music Classical — the standalone app designed specifically for classical music — is now available in Hong Kong. Apple Music subscribers can download and enjoy the Apple Music Classical app as part of their existing subscription at no additional cost.
Apple Music Classical makes it quick and easy to find any recording with its unparalleled classical catalog with fully optimized search, and listeners can enjoy the exceptional audio quality available and experience many classical favourites in a whole new way with immersive Spatial Audio. The combination of Apple Music Classical and Apple Music provides a complete music experience for everyone, from longtime classical fans to first-time listeners.
Apple Music Classical is the ultimate classical experience, with hundreds of curated playlists, thousands of exclusive recordings, insightful composer biographies, deep-dive guides for many key works, intuitive browsing features, and much more.
Apple Music Classical offers:
- An unparalleled classical catalog with over 5 million tracks and works, from new releases to celebrated masterpieces.
- The ability to search and browse by composer, work, conductor, instrument, period, orchestra, or choir, and find specific recordings instantly.
- An interface designed for classical music with complete and accurate metadata to make sure users know exactly what work and which artist is playing.
- Exceptional audio quality (up to 192 kHz/24 bit Hi-Res Lossless) with thousands of recordings in immersive Spatial Audio.
- Thousands of exclusive recordings.
- Thousands of editorial notes, including insightful composer biographies, descriptions of thousands of key works, and more.
“Everything we do comes down to our deep love for music,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s global lead for Apple Music. “Classical is so foundational to music of all genres, but until now, there was no great streaming experience available for artists and fans. We believe Apple Music Classical solves that problem, with the largest classical music selection in the world, the very best search and browse capabilities, the best premium sound experience with Spatial Audio, thousands of exclusive recordings from the world’s most incredible artists, and so much more. I’m so proud of this app, and I am excited to make it available to even more listeners all around the world today.”
Apple is working closely with some of the most prolific classical music artists and renowned classical music institutions in the world to offer Apple Music Classical listeners new, unique, and exclusive content and recordings at launch and beyond.
Pianist Lang Lang join Yunchan Lim and Hilary Hahn, among many others, as artist ambassadors for Apple Music Classical.
China NCPA Orchestra and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra become partner organizations, joining a list of the leading international venues and orchestras that includes the Berlin Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, Opéra national de Paris, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Vienna Philharmonic.
Exclusive content from the ambassador artists and partner organizations will be continually made available on the app, alongside exclusive curated playlists from Belle Chen, and classical sessions with Wang Yue Han, Chang Jing, and Lang Lang.
“I am thrilled to see Apple Music’s new classical music app provide an enriched and more immersive experience for classical music lovers,” said Lang Lang. “As I strive to inspire more kids and young people to discover classical music, I would like to the see the app’s accessibility and user-friendly interface draw in new audiences. I look forward to partnering with Apple Music Classical in pursuing the mission to pass on the love for the great universe of classical music to future generations.”
Apple Music Classical listeners will also enjoy brand-new, exclusive artwork, including a series of unique, high-resolution digital portraits for many of the world’s greatest composers, such as Nie Er, Xian Qinghai, and Huang Zi. Specially commissioned from a diverse group of artists, each image blends historical research with colour palettes and artistic references from the relevant classical period. The results display an astonishing attention to detail, bringing listeners face to face with leading classical figures like never before.
“Apple Music Classical is your wormhole to get you to travel through time and geography to primary sources of what people were actually listening to, way before recorded music,” said Yo-Yo Ma. “And there’s nothing more important today, I feel, than for people to have access to primary sources. Music, classical music, is not just about sounds and European music; it’s about ideas and the ideas that came from that music, that propelled that music, were the very ideas that propelled us to invent — in science, in nation building, in economics. And so to have a primary source gets us to the very moment of invention, of successful invention. We are living in a very complex time period where we need to have hope, legitimate hope, so that we can renew ourselves and get to a future we can believe in. So let’s celebrate.”
“Apple Music Classical directed me toward a hidden album that I didn’t know of in the vast world of music recordings,” said Yunchan Lim. “I particularly enjoy the possibility of making playlists by choosing album covers and track lists as if they were my own albums! This is my favourite hobby and a source of happiness for me. This is possible thanks to Apple Music Classical’s best sound quality in the world and their enormous music library. Indeed, when I hear music, I want to feel the things I have never experienced in my life. Through music, you can imagine the wind on the top of a mountain, hear the sound of flowers blooming, take a walk with a beautiful person, and — most importantly — you can dream! Music trespasses boundaries and connects people. Indeed, when music speaks, everyone understands. This is the message I like to share through my music, and this is possible thanks to Apple Music Classical. I’m incredibly proud to collaborate with Apple Music Classical worldwide and to share my musical dreams.”
Availability
- Apple Music Classical is available for download in the App Store beginning today.
- The app requires an Apple Music subscription (Individual, Student, Family, or Apple One).
- Apple Music Classical is available for all iPhone and iPad models running iOS 15.4 or later, and for Android.
- To listen to music on Apple Music Classical, users must have an internet connection.
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