Beethoven’s 9th Symphony for iPhone app review: listen and watch

19 May 2013 Reviews

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony for iPhone

Price: Free

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony for iPhone by Touch Press brings you some wonderful recordings that you can enjoy at any time.

This app gives you access to four of Deutsche Grammophon's recordings of the iconic work of Beethoven. What's fun is that you can switch between the music by just pointing to it. This is more than a listening experience you'll also be able to watch the score in synchronization, check out the gorgeous graphical BetaMap of the orchestra, guided commentary, and each note is highlighted.

Features of the app include the typeset score, commentary by David Owen Norris, and the four legendary performances. These performances include Herbert von Karajan's 1962 recording, Ferenc Fricsay's work from 1958 with the Berliner Philharmoniker, and maestro Leonard Bernstein's video recording dating back to 1970.

It's important to note that the free version of the app gives you access to two minutes from the second movement of the symphony with all the features. It should also be noted that by unlocking the iPhone version you'll get a discount when you unlock the iPad version as well.

The app itself is very easy to use, the quality of the music is fabulous, and watching a scrolling version of the sheet music is an innovative and unique experience for most. It’s a way to experience the music rather than just hear it.

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony for iPhone was released on May 16, 2013 and currently has 14 customer ratings with an average rating of four out of five stars.

I really enjoyed the full experience this app offered users. The music was fabulous but rather that just sitting back and listen I was able to become fully immersed thanks to the visuals.

For: iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation), iPad 2 Wi-Fi, iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, iPad (3rd generation), iPad Wi-Fi + 4G, iPad (4th generation), iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular (4th generation), iPad mini, and iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular with iOS 6.0 or later. Beethoven’s 9th Symphony for iPhone is optimized for iPhone 5.