UK's Wigmore Hall is partnering in a new concert program that will see live recordings premiere exclusively on Apple Music Classical . Three years after its debut , Apple Music Classical has been adding listening guides and a dedicated app for CarPlay . But now it is following the mainstream Apple Music's lead in producing brand-new recordings, this time to mark the 125th anniversary of the renowned Wigmore Hall concert venue. "Wigmore Hall Live has always sought to capture something unique — the intimacy and spontaneity of live performance in the Hall, so we are delighted to partner with Apple Music Classical," said John Gilhooly, Director of Wigmore Hall, in a statement to Gramophone magazine. "Its advanced sound quality will allow listeners everywhere to experience Wigmore Hall concerts as close to the live event as possible." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
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Wigmore Hall Live today relaunches as a digital-only platform in partnership with Apple Music Classical , with all recording royalties passed directly to artists, Gramophone reports. Wigmore Hall is a prestigious 550-seat concert hall on Wigmore Street in London's Marylebone, widely regarded as one of the world's foremost venues for chamber music, early music, and vocal recitals. Opened in 1901 and noted for its particularly good acoustics, the Grade II listed building hosts over 500 concerts each year. The new partnership with Apple was announced as part of the Hall's 125th anniversary celebrations this year. Under the artist-first model, Wigmore Hall will cover all production costs for every release and take no share of recording income, passing 100% of royalties received directly to the performing artists. The platform will release four digital-only recordings per year, drawn from live performances at the Hall and developed in close collaboration with artists. Each new Wigmore Hall Live release will premiere exclusively on Apple Music Classical for three months. Director John Gilhooly said the partnership would allow listeners "to experience Wigmore Hall concerts as close to the live event as possible," citing ‌Apple Music‌ Classical's sound quality as central to that goal. The first release under the new model is Pianist Boris Giltburg's recording of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas Nos. 4, 8, 9, 20 ("Pathétique"), and 26 ("Les Adieux"), recorded live at Wigmore Hall in February 2025. The Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major is available now , with the entire album to launch tomorrow. The release includes an artist commentary track in which Giltburg offers deeper insight into the repertoire. ‌Apple Music‌ Classical has previously partnered with institutions including the Berlin Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and the Vienna Philharmonic. The app launched in most countries in March 2023 and is included with a standard ‌Apple Music‌ subscription at no additional cost, offering access to over five million classical music tracks. It is based on Primephonic, a classical music streaming service acquired by Apple in 2021 . Tags: Apple Music , Apple Music Classical , United Kingdom This article, " Apple Music Classical Announces New Partnership With London's Wigmore Hall " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
