The world of classical music apps

If you’ve joined the global millions who have succumbed to the allure of an iPhone or iPad, then the world of apps will be yet another call on your time. I’ve been spending time sampling some of the free classical music-related apps out there, and here are some of my favourites. First up, a quick reminder that Gramophone is available as an app and is already attracting quite a following: in iPad format it’s easy to use and you can follow any URL out of the page. For more information, just visit Gramophone’s website.

One very useful app, an upgrade from the website, is Bachtrack, which allows you to search for concerts. Simply choose between ‘What’ (composer), ‘Where’, ‘Who’ or ‘When’ and you can view the listings for that venue/artist/date. It works very well and you can even choose to search by location, so if you find yourself away from home and in need of music, it couldn’t be simpler.

A number of orchestras and performing organisations have apps that are invariably pretty simple but quite effective: check out the London Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony and Royal Opera House websites. They’re all quite good at linking through for ticket purchase (though expect this to be a short cut for those hard-to-get opera tickets at Covent Garden when booking opens).

A number of radio stations have good apps, and don’t overlook the BBC iPlayer, which allows you to listen again for seven days following the initial broadcast (it’s best to be using a Wi-Fi connection) – and, of course, Radio 3’s output can be found here. One of the US’s leading classical stations, Boston’s WGBH, offers a simple streaming service and has an imaginative playlist. Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), another of the US’s best, is also worth downloading; it has a gimmick-free drivetime programme which winds up being a lunchtime show in Europe. Don’t forget Los Angeles’s KUSC, home of the eloquent and knowledgeable Jim Svejda: this is classical radio at its best – intelligent, uncluttered and unpatronising, and you rarely encounter ‘bleeding chunks’.

There are various fan sites of differing appeal: Gustavo Dudamel has one (Bravo Gustavo) that allows you to conduct along with your iPhone or iPad in your hand (I didn’t get too far into Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique for fear of sending my iPad flying). The site for Thomas Hampson is, needless to say, tasteful and stylish, basically a home for his blog – and, as he’s an intelligent guy, it’s well worth 
a detour.

James Jolly