The Orchestra

It is even better in its original platform the iPad; but having it play in the background during a stressful medical clinic day takes some of the stress away while at my desk at lunch and the end of the day writing notes.

I want a refund

I have used this app in my classroom for over a decade. The recent redesign has removed a frustrating amount of features. Here are the things they removed or forgot to include: -You can no longer zoom in on instruments. -When the instrument excerpts were playing, the notes being played used to show up on the Piano. No longer. -The instrument video excerpts used to enlarge a little when you played them. No longer There’s a lot of great functionality and education to be found in this app, but while we used to be able to zoom in and get a closer look at instruments and see what was going on, we can’t do that any longer. These are little details, but they make a big difference in the classroom. I hope they’ll bring these features back.

Bought to introduce homeschool students to the orchestra. When I got to the home page, I was dumbfounded that there were only about 6 classical songs featured and a short bit about the instruments. There was not even a way to listen to an instrument and identify it. It was a complete waste of money. I thought that it would serve better than a book, and I was wrong.

Please add more songs like the Nutcracker please!

It’s very nice and easy to use and has a great design and description of all the orchestra’s instruments. It has a variety of almost if not perfect music that I don’t usually hear if never get to hear. It’s pretty much perfect.

I could not have asked for a better designed app. This thing really has everything; and as a classical music lover and modern day composer / producer I find the feature set so inspiring and enjoyable.

One of the reasons to own an iPad. Beautiful and endlessly entertaining. I have most of the titles from the company that made this software and they’re all very wonderfully crafted, stable, rich, intriguing and more than worth the seeming pittance they cost. This particular title covers the development of symphonic music by a set of carefully chosen examples, giving you the opportunity to see how this beautiful art form has evolved over time, while also giving you a taste of some of the finest pieces ever recorded.

The ORCHESTRA app offers an overture to listening to an orchestra like no other. Follow the instrumental notation as you hear instrumentalists appear, and see how they navigate every crescendo and diminuendo. Help yourself distinguish the oboe from clarinet and bassoon, and marvel at the foundations the violins often play. You will come to appreciate each composer’s artistry and marvel at his / her orchestrations in ways mere listening doesn’t allow. This app is moves Musical Appreciation to a new level. I highly recommend it.

So far I have only explored the Salonen of the eight pieces, but being able to see at all times the 1) soloist, 2) conductor, and 3) the entire orchestra represented as light pulses where they are seated, with 4) various musicians playing highlighted parts in the fourth video box simultaneously with the curated score below and subtitled commentary from either conductor or soloist for the section being played, has greatly enhanced my understanding of and appreciation for this fantastic work. While unfortunately only two of the four movements are represented, this one piece alone was worth the price of the app. I just saw it performed in open rehearsal and will attend the concert tonight. This app really captured the experience.