Orchestra, The
© 2012 Amphio Limited
Dissect the inner workings of a working symphonic orchestra, with this well crafted, immersive musical experience. Content includes eight carefully documented performances by the England-based Philharmonia Orchestra (http://www.philharmonia.co.uk). To make the app, cameras were placed throughout the orchestra during each performance, and key members of the orchestra were interviewed, so you can hear their thoughts about each part of each song, in real time, as it is played. In addition, as the music plays, you can watch the score scroll by. The app contains performances of a sampling of classics designed to show off the diversity of an orchestra. These include Haydn: Symphony No., Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, Debussy: Prélude à l'après midi d'un faune, Mahler: Symphony No. 6, Stravinsky: The Firebird. As the music plays, you can touch to explore the score of any instrument, from the perspective of the conductor. If you have no interest in music, you can view a simplified representation, with the notes shown as pitch lines. You can explore the working of each instrument by way of traditional reading, watching videos, or hearing musicians explain their role in the orchestra. The text was written by Mark Swed, a music critic of with the LA Times. The app was created by Touch Press, in partnership with the Music Sales Group and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Two things you need to know. This is a big app -- 1.95 GB, so the download can take a while not to mention it can fill up your iPad. It's also pricy, at $13.99. Our testers -- comprised of both musicians and non-musicians found the app amazing at first, but quickly lost interest. For music teachers or music students, this is a must have addition to your library.
$9.99, iPad
Teaches: classical music, orchestra
CTR Rating: 92.5%