Beethoven
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Google plans cross-continent concert for Beethoven's 250th birthday
Were he still alive today, Ludwig van Beethoven would turn 250-years-old on December 17th. Google is celebrating the occasion through its Arts and Culture app.
Notezilla for iPad syncs sheet music to high-quality audio
Notezilla for iPad is a library of beautifully laid out, classical sheet music which syncs to accompanying, high-quality audio recordings. From Beethoven's Fur Elise to Handel's Messiah, Notezilla comes preloaded with the well-known classical favorites as well as an ever-expanding library of Roman-era, Baroque, classical era and contemporary classical pieces, available for a one-off US$4.99 in-app purchase. The app is perfect for those wanting to develop their sight reading while practicing their instrument. Notezilla's clear and detailed sheet music allows users to create and repeat sections of the score, change the speed of audio playback as well as revealing letter notes in the actual note heads of the music. App developer Christopher Dickson has promised to add at least one new piece of music to the app per week, and encourages users to suggest pieces to be added. If you're a classical enthusiast, this free app is certainly worth checking out. With a great selection of free pieces to sample -- and numerous more for a one-off purchase -- Notezilla provides an exciting and encouraging environment to learn and hone your classical music-playing skills.
Just about everything you'll want to know about Beethoven's 9th on your iPad
Beethoven's 9th Symphony (free plus in-app purchases) is an epic iPad app that lets you explore one of the greatest symphonies ever written in a unique, compelling way. Classical music lovers will definitely want to check it out. Beethoven's 9th Symphony uses every trick in the multimedia tool box. For starters, you can listen to four different performances of the work, taken from the well-known DGG catalog. As you listen, follow along with the the score in real time. The original manuscript displays each page as the music plays, but with modern notation. An interesting feature called the "BeatMap" offers an overhead view of the orchestra, complete with symbols of the various instruments that glow as they are played. The app also features several interviews, both contemporary and historic, with notable people like Leonard Bernstein and Gustavo Dudamel. The four included performances date from 1962, with the most recent from 1992 played with period instruments. The Leonard Bernstein 1979 recording contains video of the performance, that you can watch in full-screen mode. It's interesting to compare the four concerts, and you can instantly switch between them, hearing how recording technology has advanced, and how performances differ. Having the four concerts in sync for comparison is unique and valuable. This app is a great experience for adults and young musicians. I can't think of a better way to share this musical treasure in such depth. %Gallery-188990% On to some negatives. The app does not directly support AirPlay, which is a mistake. You can certainly listen on headphones, but one should be able to hear this on a nice sound system. You can force AirPlay output with video mirroring by double-clicking the Home button and using the icon bar AirPlay tool, but the sound output stutters at times, and the video struggles to remain in sync. Beethoven's 9th Symphony is not cheap. While you can download the app for free, you only get two minutes of each movement. A $13.99 in-app purchase unlocks the complete works. While the app is relatively expensive, it's less than the price of the four performances on separate CDs, and you wouldn't get the videos, the interviews or the full scores. Even if you opt for the free version, you download everything, and this is a large app at 1.53 GB. I had to do some housecleaning before I could run it. I previously took a look at the first offering in this series, called The Orchestra. It was also excellent, but the Beethoven app is superior because it goes into great depth on a single work. If you're interested in classical music, I think this is an app you will return to again and again. There's a lot of information, as well as the visual and sonic joys. I'd also suggest you take a look at some parallel and less expensive apps if Beethoven appeals to you. Beethoven Symphonies ($1.99) has some nice selctions and performances. I also liked the free, ad-supported Beethoven Symphony Collection which also includes the scores to view. Beethoven's 9th Symphony requires an iPad and iOS 6.
Three things to get you excited about Shiren 3
First reason to be hyped about Shiren the Wanderer: The Sleeping Princess in the Clockwork Palace's release, even though no one has announced a U.S. localization yet -- Famitsu's review score: 35/40 (9 / 9 / 8 / 9). Though many consider Famitsu to be too forgiving with its reviews for highly advertised, big-budget games, the Shiren series doesn't seem to fit that description. For such a niche game to receive a high score like this, Chunsoft must have done something right!Second reason -- See Asuka model pictured above (and past the break). We're not the type to leave figures of female anime characters posed around our rooms, giving women even more reason to run away from the mess we've made of our lives, but as we demonstrated with the Koppa remote stand preorder bonus, we have a weakness to Shiren merchandise. As for our third reason, swing your sword to check for traps, and step past the break for a new Shiren 3 commercial. It features a collection of player deaths set to Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 -- what's not to like?
What's your favorite music to play to?
Don't get me wrong, I think some of the background music in many of the MMOs I've played is downright fantastic, full of sweeping moments, uplifting passages, and sections of near-earworm quality. However, everyone's taste is different; the same piece of music cannot appeal to every player equally well. And there are, regrettably, moments when what the game has for you to listen to just doesn't do justice to what you're feeling at the time.So, what do you put on instead? Do you prefer to have some Alice In Chains for those dungeon crawls? Indulge in Beethoven for battleground free-for-alls? A little Kraftwerk for ... for craftwork? Or do you just let whatever's in the queue play on? I'm curious; lemme hear it!
