The Well-Tempered Ear

The new Apple Music Classical app is now available for Android users

June 3, 2023
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By Jacob Stockinger

The new Apple Music Classical app (logo is below) — before now available exclusively for Apple Music subscribers and the Apple OS operating system — is now available for Android operating systems and PCs through the Google Play store.

The streaming app, which costs about $10 a month (you need just a subscription to one of the music apps to get both), has been generally praised and highly rated by both professional critics and ordinary consumers. Most point out the wide variety of repertoire, performers and recordings, both current and historic or out-of-print; the quality of the sound; and the use of background documents about the music, the composers and the performers.

Here are links to two stories about Apple Music Classical for Android.

The first one, from TechCrunch, is the more general and comprehensive article.

The second story, briefer and written more for audiophiles, is from The Verge and contains more specific background information and technical specifications.

https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftechcrunch.com%2F2023%2F05%2F30%2Fapple-music-classical-is-now-available-on-android%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7C8c1fcb276cd04ef93b1e08db61e1f5cb%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638211395333941896%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Ju4MOSG9gJNCHFG3pB0%2F%2FgNIU%2BxUm7%2FNdKj8GpZzSA0%3D&reserved=0

https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theverge.com%2F2023%2F5%2F30%2F23742365%2Fapple-classical-music-app-android&data=05%7C01%7C%7Cea7895fc09c1432e646b08db61e1e2dc%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638211395026618829%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=bJXDA44Y0uENanEZhmmAZse6%2FY0eGzJqbpnjux%2BHzHI%3D&reserved=0

The Ear uses both  Apple Music and  Apple Music Classical, and will share his reactions to them in a future posting.

In the meantime, he wants to know:

Do you subscribe to Apple Music or Apple Music Classical?

Do you like it?

Dislike it?

Why?

Would you recommend Apple Music Classical or Apple Music to other listeners?

What do you think of other classical music apps such as Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Idagio, Presto — if you use them?

The Ear wants to hear.


Why are Asians dominating Western classical music?

May 27, 2023
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By Jacob Stockinger

The month of May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage month in the U.S.

And here is a perfect story to provide questions and raise issues that pertain to that theme as it figures in classical music.

We have not seen many of them booked for concerts locally, but perhaps you have noticed how so many Asian musicians, particularly pianists, have been winning major competitions.

Those competitions include the Van Cliburn (Korean Yunchan Lim, below top), the Chopin (Chinese-Canadian Bruce Liu, below bottom), the Tchaikovsky, the Arthur Rubinstein, the Queen Elizabeth of Belgium, the Leeds Competition, the Geneva Competition and many others that are less famous.


Perhaps you have also noticed how we hear more Asian opera singers at the Met and more Asian string players in orchestras around the world.

More Asians also seem to be studying and performing in lower and higher educational institutions and organizations. 

And perhaps you, like The Ear, have wondered what is behind that trend?

Here is a terrific first-person story — with research, details, photos and performance videos – written by a Canadian musician of Japanese descent that appeared on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

But The Ear thinks it could easily apply to the United States, Australia and other non-Asian places and cultures.

Here is a link:

https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbc.ca%2Fmusic%2Fwhat-s-behind-the-predominance-of-asians-in-classical-music-1.6846375&data=05%7C01%7C%7C852fdf58ce64492a4c6008db5e04e9c4%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638207147418451193%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=JNR5H4OH26QHqKlknDNTeQtjzcqfO%2BCKcMpLfvNuzUE%3D&reserved=0

Do you think this story applies to Asians and Asian-Americans in the U.S.?

If you yourself are an Asian or Asian-American musician or music student, do the observations and analysis in the story ring true to you own experience?

Do you have other thoughts to add about the cultural reasons for the surge of Western classical music in Asia and among Asians elsewhere?

Are there important lessons here for non-Asian people and places?

The Ear wants to hear. 


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How do post-pandemic concert attendance and programming in Madison compare to the rest of the U.S.?

May 25, 2023
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By Jacob Stockinger

How has concert attendance rebounded from the covid pandemic?

What kind of programming seems to help orchestras recover the most?

Earlier this week The New York Times published a well-researched story that explored those trends and questions in other major cities, including Cleveland, Detroit and St. Louis in the Midwest.  

It includes statistics about attendance figures rising after the pandemic and links the results to certain trends in programming, including scheduling more of the core repertoire that draws people in.

Overall it paints an optimistic and hopeful picture of recovery for symphony orchestras.

It got The Ear to thinking: How are local groups such as the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the  Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and the Madison Opera doing in comparison?

Lessons from other organizations might help to explain why next season’s concerts include an all-film score concert celebrating Pixar and Disney, and a live mariachi band.

Perhaps I missed it, but I can’t recall any local media doing a similar story with hard box office statistics about ticket sales and attendance numbers. But it would certainly be enlightening to see specific data and commentary about how well local groups have rebounded from the pandemic.

Here is a link to The New York Times story. You should be able to read it if you scroll down past the ad that says you need to set up a free account:

Do you have some idea or sense about attendance trends from personal experience?

How do you think orchestras and other groups, including chamber music, have fared as covid fears have eased?

The Ear wants to hear.


Meet the Met’s’Mighty Mouse’ — Yannick Nézet-Ségiun

May 20, 2023
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By Jacob Stockinger

You might think you already know the famous, high-profile musician and conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin (below).

The Ear certainly did.

But then I saw the profile and comprehensive interview with the 48-year-old on CBS’ “60 Minutes” last Sunday. And I learned many new things, including how enjoyable and humorous the native French-Canadian can be as well as how he plans to breathe new life and bring new audience into the Met.

I learned how extremely busy he is being the music director of three major artistic organizations: the Metropolitan Opera in New York; the Philadelphia Orchestra; and the Metropolitan Orchestra of Montreal. In addition, he is a prolific recording artist.

I also learned much about his personal life (below, on vacation) and his professional career. You meet his parents and his longtime violist husband.

Not for nothing has the renowned mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato affectionately dubbed this openly gay man with the nickname of the cartoon character Mighty Mouse (below) because of his small size but muscular physique, his cheerful and expressive face, and his ambitious rescue mission as the third music director of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

Here is a link to the wide-ranging and candid interview, both amusingly serious and seriously amusing, which you can read it or watch and listen to it:

https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Fconductor-yannick-nezet-seguin-wants-to-open-world-of-classical-music-opera-to-new-audiences-60-minutes-transcript-2023-05-14%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7C6f0a0db68fb8435a0b5e08db554fba32%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638197573130968583%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=INvy0cRdPFLMJZXngDkYvrfh1LHKl0bCGe3Q2%2BAqzT8%3D&reserved=0

What do you think of Yannick Nézet-Séguin and his plans to revitalize the Metropolitan Opera with contemporary works and younger audiences?

What did you think of the “60 Minutes” interview?

The Ear wants to hear.


Collaborative pianist Ingrid Haebler has died at 93

May 19, 2023
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By Jacob Stockinger

The Austrian pianist Ingrid Haebler (below) has died at 93.

I call her a collaborative pianist but, like so many other pianists, she was also a soloist.

That is inherent in learning the piano, especially at the beginning.

Here is an obituary, with links, where you can read more about her and her her music-making:

https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmobile.theviolinchannel.com%2Faustrian-pianist-ingrid-haebler-has-died-aged-93%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7C4db54c3e094741b9b75708db57bd7f9d%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638200243618530912%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=CNgsSMgTWTVVsHLFO5Ss4UviOSL%2BuTCWw1nyovbJPdw%3D&reserved=0

Truth be told, Haebler made quite a few recording as a soloist, include all the piano concertos and piano sonatas by Mozart, as well as other Austrian and German composers, including Haydn, Schubert and Beethoven. The Viennese school was her forte.

But what stands out to The Ear are her early duets (below) with Henry Szeryng and Arthur Grumiaux in the violin sonatas of Beethoven and Mozart. She knew how to blend rather than to stand out, and clearly was more interested in musicality than virtuosity. In fact, critics often praised her gentleness, clarity and transparency rather than her assertiveness or boldness, especially in Mozart. Not for nothing was a tulip named after her.

In a word, she was an ideal collaborative pianist back in the days when they were still called accompanists and received second billing.

Indeed, along with Gerald Moore she was one of the performers who brought currency and respect as the term “accompanist” as it morphed into the more accurate term “collaborative pianist.”

Of course that is just my opinion. You might disagree.

Decide for yourself. You can listen to and sample many of her solo and collaborative recording on YouTube, including the video below one of my favorite violin sonatas by Mozart, the Violin Sonata in e minor, K. 304, played by Haebler and Henryk Szeryng.

Do you know Ingrid Haebler’s playing?

What do you think of her as a soloist and as a collaborative pianist?

Which side of her career do you think is stronger?

The Ear wants to hear.


Real-time online playlists return to Wisconsin Public Radio

May 10, 2023
5 Comments

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By Jacob Stockinger

Good news!

Really good news!

Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) has finally returned to posting real-time playlists on both its online website and its mobile app.

Now you can see and identify what has been played and what is being played (below, displayed in yellow) — AS it is being played as well as after it has been played.

 

The only recent exception was Saturday when there was nothing posted until later in the day when all-day programming was listed at the same time. No reason has been given for the suspension or tardiness.

The playlists are especially good given the many unknown composers and compositions that are increasingly being aired.

The Ear also finds the playlists helpful to see what is playing and who is performing — along with the record label and catalogue number when you click “More” — when he hears part of a piece and is interested but didn’t hear the introductory information or can’t complete listening to it.

Please leave kudos and congratulate WPR for serving its listeners and supporters.

Try it and see.

Will you find the online real-time playlists helpful and use them?

The Ear wants to hear.


Online playlists return to Wisconsin Public Radio

April 29, 2023
7 Comments

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By Jacob Stockinger

Good news!

News that deserve a big shout-out!

Online playlists for classical music programming have returned to Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR).

The user-friendly move comes after more than a year of absent playlists and, fortuitously, as WPR is conducting a spring membership drive seeking financial support from the public.

There is one major drawback: You still can’t check on pieces and performances in real time — that is, on the same day or even the same moment as you are listening. Now you have to wait until the next day to see the posting.

That is an unfortunate change from the past. And one hopes it will be fixed soon. Maybe WPR will even let listeners know if and when real-time postings will return.

The current one-day delay seems especially odd, given that the pieces played overnight on WPR — from Minnesota Public Radio, I believe  — are posted right as they begin to air.

But at least now we don’t have to wait weeks or months to find out information about something you have probably already forgotten about.

The new format seems less straightforward and less user-friendly than the old one, which put the information right in front of you when you went to the home website and clicked on playlists for News and Music Network.

But now you just go to the date bar and choose the day you are looking for. Once you find the piece, you will notice the name of the show on which it aired such as “Morning Classics” or “The Midday.” You also find the time with the composer, title and performer.

If you also click on “More,” you will see additional details such as the record label and catalogue number. Here a link to try it out:

https://www.wpr.org

The return of the playlists is especially useful now that WPR is programming so many neglected composers and so much unfamiliar music — something the current pledge drive seems to be explaining and emphasizing.

So let’s offer hearty congratulations and sincere thanks to WPR and its engineers for the move.

What do you think of the return of WPR playlists?

Have you used the new playlists?

What do you think about their usefulness and online display?

Should WPR playlists be posted in real time?

The Ear wants to hear.


Meet Kevin Chen, who just won the 17th Arthur Rubinstein Piano Competition

April 8, 2023
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By Jacob Stockinger

The Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition is one of the most prestigious keyboard competitions in the world.

It ranks right up there with the Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Leeds and Van Cliburn competitions.

It takes place every three years in Tel Aviv, Israel. And this year, it started on March 14 and wrapped up just a week ago, on April 1.

This was the 17th Rubinstein Competition.

And it was won by an 18-year-old Chinese-Canadian pianist from Calgary.

He is Kevin Chen (below). He also composes and seems well on his way to a major career, especially since last year he also won the Geneva piano competition and was the youngest winner ever of the Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Budapest.

Winning the Rubinstein has launched many major career from Emanuel Ax, the first winner in 1974, to Daniil Trifnov in 2011.

At the bottom is a YouTube video with a recital by Chen along with a recital by the Georgian pianist who placed second: Giorgi Gigashvili. Chen’s performance of Chopin’s 12 Etudes, Op. 10, for example, begins at 2 hours, 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

You can also find a YouTube video of Chen’s prize-winning performance of Mozart’s last piano concerto, No. 27 in B-flat major, K. 595; and a wonderful recital from the Geneva competition. And more solo videos from the Rubinstein are sure to be posted soon.

Here is a fine story, with lots of personal details, from Chen’s hometown newspaper:

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/kevin-chen-piano-arthur-rubinstein-competition

Here is a story about all the winners:

Israel’s Rubinstein Piano Competition Announces 2023 Winners

And for much more background about the competition’s history, the jury members for this year’s contestants, the past winners, repertoire requirements, mandatory stages, rules and so forth, go to:

https://arims.org.il/competition-2023-homepage/jury-2023/


Today is World Piano Day. Deutsche Grammophon has a free online celebration

March 29, 2023
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By Jacob Stockinger

Today — Wednesday March 29, 2023 — is World Piano Day.

That is because today is the 88th day of the year — and most pianos these days have 88 keys, with the exception of the Austrian high-end maker Bösendorfer, which also makes models with 91 and 97 keys.

Deutsche Grammophon is the world’s oldest recording label and has signed many great pianists in the past and continues to do so  today, including two of the Ear’s young favorites: South Korean pianist and 2015 Chopin Competition gold medalist Seong-Jin Cho (below top) and Icelandic pianist Vikingur Olaffsson (below bottom).

Here’s the press release:

“Deutsche Grammophon is set to mark World Piano Day on 29 March 2023 with its fourth international festival of pianism. 

“Available to enjoy without charge on DG’s streaming service STAGE+ and the label’s YouTube channel, the festival will turn the spotlight on artists including Joep Beving, Seong-Jin Cho, Brian Eno and Roger Eno, Jan Lisiecki, Hélène Grimaud, Lucas and Arthur Jussen, Evgeny Kissin, Lang Lang, Bruce Liu, Fabian Müller, Víkingur Ólafsson, Max Richter, Grigory Sokolov and Daniil Trifonov.

“Together they will offer a feast of music ranging from the keyboard works of J.S. Bach and Handel to contemporary compositions.

“Music-lovers will be able to tune in free of charge for 30 days by using promo code WORLDPIANODAY. Full details can be found at https://worldpianoday.com.”

Piano students and fans will love the many close-ups and hand shots.

You can also sample the 1 hour, 21 minute-digital celebration on YouTube via this link (be sure to click of HEAR MORE to see the pianist, the piece and the timing) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H5ZRqfDZ7Y.

You can hear one of The Ear’s favorite young pianists, pieces and recordings — a new release — at the bottom.

Who is your favorite established pianist?

Who is your favorite young pianist?

What are your favorite piano pieces?

Do you have a favorite piano recording, old or new, to recommend?

The Ear wants to hear.

 


Apple Music’s new all-Classical streaming service launches March 28. Here are details

March 10, 2023
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By Jacob Stockinger

The long-awaited, overdue announcement is here.

Apple Music’s all-classical service app will launch for iPhones on March 28. Android systems will be a bit later.

Here are details from Wednesday’s press release:


Apple today announced Apple Music Classical, a brand-new stand-alone app designed specifically for classical music. Pre-order now on App Store HERE and follow @appleclassical on Twitter

Apple Music Classical makes it quick and easy to find any recording in the world’s largest classical music catalog with fully optimized search, and listeners can enjoy the highest audio quality available and experience many classical favorites in a whole new way with immersive spatial audio.

Apple Music Classical is the ultimate classical experience with hundreds of curated playlists, thousands of exclusive albums, insightful composer biographies, deep-dive guides for many key works, intuitive browsing features and much more.

Apple Music Classical will launch later this month and Apple Music subscribers will be able to download and enjoy the Apple Music Classical app as part of their existing subscription at no additional cost.

Pre-order today on the App Store HERE. Once the pre-order is complete, Apple Music Classical will automatically download at launch to enable immediate listening for users who have Auto Update turned on in their settings.



Apple Music Classical offers… The world’s largest classical music catalog, with over 5 million tracks, and works from new releases to celebrated masterpieces Thousands of exclusive albums The ability to search by composer, work, conductor or even catalog number, and find specific recordings instantly.

The Apple Music Classical introductory trailer is: HERE

The highest audio quality (up to 192 kHz/24-bit Hi-Res Lossless) with thousands of recordings in immersive spatial audio Complete and accurate metadata to make sure you know exactly what work and which artist is playing Thousands of editorial notes, including composer biographies, descriptions of key works, and more

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. Follow Apple Music Classical on Twitter @appleclassical for news and updates.

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 – with more to come. Specially commissioned from a diverse group of artists, each image blends historical research with color 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. Download composer portraits for Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin and Johann Sebastian Bach HERE.



Availability: Apple Music Classical will be launching on March 28 and is available for pre-order now. Requires an Apple Music subscription (Individual, Student, Family or Apple One). Not available with the Apple Music Voice Plan. Available worldwide where Apple Music is offered, with the exception of China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, with those regions to follow.

Apple Music Classical is available for all iPhone models running iOS 15.4 or later.

Apple Music Classical for Android is coming soon. To listen to music on Apple Music Classical, you must have an internet connection.


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