The riches technology brings to classical music
–Apple Music Classical and Fast Classic
Earlier this year, the news that classical music fans had been waiting for came. It was announced that Apple Music Classical, a streaming platform dedicated to classical music, would begin service in Korea. In addition to collaborating with young Korean pianists such as Cho Seong-jin and Lim Yun-chan, he also signed partnerships with organizations such as the Seoul Arts Center, Lotte Concert Hall, and the Tongyeong International Music Festival. Not only those who accessed music on Spotify or YouTube, but also users of IDAGIO, a streaming app dedicated to classical music, perked up their ears. I also signed up and tried it right away. It was my first time, so there were some regrets, but it was surprising and comfortable. The composer, performer, and song title were written in an easy-to-read manner, and it recommended what to listen to before you got lost and wondered what to listen to. In particular, the part that I paid most attention to was the Korean search. Except for very minor albums, I mostly reached the results I wanted with just one or two searches. Out of curiosity, ‘How many seconds will it take to find the music or album I want?’ I did a self-test, and in my case, it took about 15 to 25 seconds to listen to the music. This is faster than holding a McDonald’s hamburger in your hand. It is truly a ‘fast classic’. ‘Fast classic’ does not only apply to music streaming. You can quickly find high-quality videos on YouTube, Digital Concert Hall, and Stage+.
-The value of music that resonates in the field
At this point, one question arises. Do you really need to go to a concert hall and listen to music? There are a lot of things you have to endure to listen to music at a concert hall. You have to spend a lot of money and time, the seats are uncomfortable, you can’t pause or fast-forward, and it’s difficult to avoid some performers’ poor condition or mistakes. In this case, wouldn’t it be better to sit comfortably at home and listen to music? To this question, I say no. Nevertheless, real classical music is on the scene. The advancement of technology cannot surpass the value of music that resonates in the field. No matter how expensive audio or headphones are, they cannot replace the sound of the field. Not yet. Rather than saying which is better, the area itself is different. Aside from scientific evidence, the reason I am so confident comes from my field experience. This year alone, I have experienced the greatest happiness several times inside the concert hall. Even though I devoted a lot more time to Apple Music Classical. Basically, most classical music was composed to be heard in the field. The visual, auditory, and emotional experiences inside the concert hall are not something you can get anywhere else. Everyone who has been moved at least once at a concert hall knows. The happiness of composers, performers, and enthusiasts meeting in one space.
-The heyday of classical music lovers
Anyway, listening to music has become much easier. This is truly the heyday of classical music lovers. Among the songs I really enjoy listening to and playing, there is a song called Schumann. Starting this year, the moment I thought, ‘Should I listen to it?’, Apple Music Classical immediately came to mind. When I searched the two keywords ‘Schumann’ and ‘Poet’s Love’ in Korean, 226 search results for one work came out. After sorting them by popularity or release date, I listened to about 100 albums and chose my three favorites. It was quite a long time, but I was very happy. I was able to experience a variety of voices and sparkling interpretations from vocalists and pianists of all ages and from all over the world. I wonder if this has ever happened again. It was difficult to imagine just 20 years ago, when I first started listening to classical music intensively. Moreover, it has become much easier now to prepare and review for performances. If you listen to the performance after experiencing several versions of the work you will hear in the performance in advance, you will definitely be able to appreciate it more broadly and deeply. If the performance was so good, it became easy to continue that emotion. It is possible to listen to other works by composers I have encountered, and to listen to the same work by different performers. At least in my case, satisfaction with performances also increased after the advent of music streaming apps and video platforms. How about using technology wisely and enriching the value of the music that resonates in the field? The world of classical music is as wide and deep as a vast forest.
