Apple Music goes classical

Apple has announced a new standalone app designed specifically for classical music. Apple Music Classical, it says, makes it quick and easy to find any recording in the world’s largest classical music catalogue, with optimised search. Initially available for iPhones, it will eventually also be released for Android devices.

Apple promises that 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 includes hundreds of curated playlists, thousands of exclusive albums, insightful composer biographies, deep-dive guides for many key works, and intuitive browsing features. 

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. 

You can pre-order today on the App Store HERE. Once 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 provided the following information on what 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 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 is expected to launch on 28 March 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, 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.