Isolation can be a lonely and worrying time, from the uncertainty around how long lockdown might go on for, to not being able to see friends and family at the weekends. Yet, it also provides ample opportunity to learn a new skill or hone an existing one. There is only so much boxset binging and Pinot Noir drinking you can do before you crave something a tad more productive.
A study published in Psychological Science found that adults who were given a complex skill to learn, such as quilting (yes really) or learning a musical instrument, significantly improved their memory after three months, where as those who did simple crossword puzzles did not. So, whether it is mastering a Rubix Cube or learning to vogue, now is the time to kick the isolation fatigue and go big â or in this case, go Bach!
For the past fortnight I took it upon myself to gain a better understanding of classical music. Yes, from the outside the genre can seem like an inaccessible, stuffy minefield but I (spoiler alert) soon found out that is just a massive misconception. This music is one, deep down, we truly adore. From the dramatic film soundtracks of Hans Zimmer (The Dark Knight and Gladiator to name but a few) to the Disney scores composed by Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast plus Aladdin), classical is a genre we have all grown up with yet have very little knowledge of â well at least for my generation.
Thankfully, classical music streaming service Primephonic acts as a welcoming gateway into the genre. The high resolution, accurate search, inspiring recommendations platform is the work of a squad of classical enthusiasts in Amsterdam who enter the musicâs data by hand. Long story short, the classical genre has many more parameters, such as composer/opus number/conductor versus popâs song/artist/album, so it requires much more care and attention to ensure it is inputted properly resulting in better results. Something Apple Music and Spotify are yet to, or care to, crack.
My first port of call was the 101 composer playlists, essential music by the great composers. From Poulenc to Puccini and from Verdi to Vivaldi, Primephonicâs educational and introductory walkthroughs held my novice hand. Each playlist provides a brief history of an iconic composer, detailing their inspirations, childhood, methods of recording plus nuggets of knowledge you might otherwise miss. For example, did you know Jacob Gershowitz wrote over 500 songs for Broadway and Hollywood films whilst Schumann threw himself into the Rhine trying to escape demonic music he heard relentlessly in his head. As well as the bios, each track list guides you through the âmust knowâ works of each famous face, think of it as a âNow Thatâs What I Call Classicalâ. These 101 composer playlists provided a solid groundwork for my education of the genre.
Elsewhere, I turned to Primephonicâs recently launched artist podcasts. Uploaded every Wednesday, each interview with a contemporary classical superstar delves into their creative process and helped me to understand how each artist approaches and interprets a work of music differently. I canât recommend the conversation with BBC Young Musician of the Year 2016 Sheku Kanneh-Mason enough. Most well-known for performing at Harry and Meghanâs wedding in 2018, this rising cellist commentated through his latest album âElgarâ. Expertly guided by the dulcet tones of Primephonicâs head of curation, Guy Jones, Sheku discusses his thoughts on classical education, diversity in music and how each of his performances is part preparation but always part instinct. The artist podcasts brought the genre to life for me, moving the music from something that was stuck in history to a contemporary and dynamic art form.
But the wonder of Wolfgang was the cherry on top. The #BehindTheMusic integration with live classical music app Wolfgang, provided minute-by-minute subtitles at moments when I felt lost, explaining the stories behind the music, a composerâs intentions and what the musicians were playing at any given point. Primephonic is the first, and only, streaming service in the world to currently offer this integration. Think of it as Genius for rap buffs. It was just the hand holding I needed to properly understand and appreciate the genre even more.
In closing, after a two-week crash course of classical, thanks to Primephonic, I now have a much better understanding of the so called âstuffyâ genre. On top of that, I feel totally zen in these turbulent times. Brava!
