PHILADELPHIA — Apple's new classical music service, which launched March 28, has more than 5 million recordings and some serious shortcomings. You can't download directly, only stream; it's supposed to synchronize with your existing Apple Music library, and doesn't (at least, mine didn't); it's currently available only on iPhone.
But the biggest challenge in using Apple Music Classical is confronting that vast catalog, and that's by design.
Classical music, because of its age and size, may be the deep end of the musical pool. We Philadelphians, however, can wade into it with an advantage. Put the city's name in the Apple Music Classical search field and feel the civic pride. You get not just thousands of tracks of the Philadelphia Orchestra, but also our choirs and early-music groups — and of course, performers past and present from Marian Anderson to Jonathan Biss.
