fbpx

Tag Archives: wcpe

Primephonic Classical Music Streaming | REVIEW

When approaching Primephonic (website), one of the few high-res (24-bit/192kHz) streaming services devoted to classical music, I was interested to see if they could go beyond the existential questions of survival that tend to dominate any discussion of the genre. Working a fundraiser at a classical radio station, I was once told by a listener making a donation that she also gave to endangered species protection funds. This well-intended listener revealed that the questions of survival are pervasive and exist at every level of the classical ecosystem from the local symphony and radio station, to agencies and record labels. As I logged into Primephonic for the first time, I was hoping that this angst would lead to genuine creativity in the streaming platform rather than just be a streaming platform without all that pesky stuff known as other genres of music. I was also hoping that it would advance the conversation in classical music, moving from the yes/no question of “will we survive?” to the broader question of “how will we survive?,” and maybe to provide part of the answer. After listening for several months now and seeing continuous updates to the platform, I feel like Primephonic is taking major […]

The Golden Spinning Wheel: Classical Music Radio Keeps Bringing Us Back to Life

Czech composer Antonín Dvořák wrote a series of fantastical tone poems in 1896 that are some of my favorite short pieces in the classical canon. One called The Golden Spinning Wheel tells the tale of Dornička, a young woman who receives a marriage proposal from a king. She is on her way to the castle to wed the king when her evil stepmother and stepsister decide to kill her in the forest and send the disguised stepsister in Dornička’s place so that she can have the royal marriage instead. The king unknowingly marries the evil stepsister and remains fooled until a magician bewitches a golden spinning wheel and brings the forest-lorn remains of Dornička back to life. The king learns the truth of Dornička’s short-lived-murder from the now magically animated golden spinning wheel and runs to the forest to reunite with his love. Words and Photos by Nan Pincus As the Assistant Music Director of The Classical Station, an independent FM and digital radio network that broadcasts original playlists of classical music 24 hours a day, I get to make a lot of people listen to my favorite music. It’s a wonderful power because like Dvořák’s The Golden Spinning Wheel, […]

Select your currency