The Symphony Reimagined App, co-created by Dr Joanne Cormac and Dr Laurence Cliffe, enables users to create their own arrangements of extracts from Beethoven’s Symphonies. A symphony is normally a long piece of music in 3 or 4 sections (or movements) for an orchestra. The app allows users to swap and change the instruments and hear them in different combinations, as well as change their spatial position, all in real time. For example, you could take something that was played originally on a cello and switch to the flute, take a part that is normally played by lots of instruments at the same time and turn it into a solo, or make the instruments sound like they are far away or very close.

The app contains three arrangements that were made in the nineteenth century. Castil-Blaze’s ‘Complainte’ was arranged from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, Movement 2 and performed as part of an opera by Beethoven called Fidelio. The other two pieces are hymn-tune arrangements made by William Gardiner. ‘I heard a Voice Angelic’ was arranged from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, Movement 2, while ‘Indulgent God’ was arranged from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, Movement 2. The app enables users to take these arrangements as a starting point and then adapt them to make new pieces.

This app users interactive spatialised audio. For the best experiences, please connect your headphones. No prior knowledge of Classical music required.

Android version via Google Play Store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lozcliffe.TheSymphonyReimagined&hl=en

Apple version via the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/the-symphony-reimagined/id6502826954

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