Classical Live brings classical music into the streaming age

Five of the world’s leading orchestras have announced a new partnership called Classical Live that will see new live recordings of classical music available for streaming and download on Google Play.

Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra make up the partnership, which aims to bring live classical recording into the streaming age.

The first recordings were released on Monday, and include Bartók’s Miraculous Mandarin, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 and Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andris Nelsons.

Cleveland Orchestra meanwhile released new live recordings of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 and Wagner’s Overture to Tannhäuser, both conducted by Franz Welser-Möst. New York Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra have also made new material available, with 25 new tracks available in total.

Classical Live will see each participating orchestra release up to four live concert recordings each season, available through Google Play.

‘This program allows us to offer their music to their subscribers and existing fans, as well as offering new listeners access to the latest and most exciting performances happening today,’ said Ted Kartzman, global head of independent music companies at Google Play.

Google Play is currently the fastest growing platform for downloading and streaming music, with 30 million songs available.