# The Orchestra — Classical music reimagined

> Interactive classical music exploration with conductor commentary and orchestral insights. (iPhone/iPad app by NatureGuides Ltd..)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-orchestra/id560078788 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [NatureGuides Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/310574314)
- Category: Music, Reference
- Price: $9.99 with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 303 App Store ratings · 262 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 14.7 · 2.0 GB
- Languages: American English, German (Germany), Chinese (Simplified, China), French (France), Japanese
- Released: 2012-12-06
- Data updated: 2026-08-28
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-orchestra/id560078788/reviews.md

## What is The Orchestra?

Classical music reinvented. Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the world-renowned Philharmonia Orchestra, performing extracts from eight works representing three centuries of symphonic music. 

Features:

• An orchestra at your command: Experience classical music like never before with fascinating features, including video, synchronized score, simplified score and commentary by Esa-Pekka Salonen.

• Expert explanations: World-class musicians explain their role in the orchestra and demonstrate how their instruments work. Use a keyboard to play samples of the instruments, and view each one in glorious detail with 360° rotations.

• Discover the BeatMap: This groundbreaking visualization of the performances shows different sections of the orchestra pulse in time with the music, helping you understand the complexity of each piece. Hold down your finger to hear different sections of the orchestra in isolation. 

• Unparalleled access: Watch beautiful multi-camera video of the acclaimed Philharmonia Orchestra, and switch effortlessly between different angles and sections of the orchestra.

• Discover the story: Read insightful text on the pieces, composers and instruments specially written by Mark Swed, music critic of the LA Times.

The Music:

• Haydn: Symphony No 6 (1st movement)
• Beethoven: Symphony No 5 (excerpt from 4th movement)
• Berlioz: Symphony Fantastique (March to the Scaffold)
• Debussy: Prélude à l’après midi d’un faune
• Mahler: Symphony No 6 (exposition from 1st movement)
• Stravinsky: The Firebird (excerpt)
• Lutosławski: Concerto for Orchestra (2nd movement)
• Salonen: Violin Concerto (2nd and 3rd movements)

If you enjoy The Orchestra, don’t forget to rate it and leave a review – it really helps!

## Key features

- Synchronized score
- Instrument demonstrations
- BeatMap visualization
- 360° instrument views
- Expert commentary
- Multi-camera video

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: $9.99.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Solo Audio | $0.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of The Orchestra?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 Great app for learning about the orchestra
- 🚀 Excellent production quality
- 💡 Innovative way to experience classical music
- 👍 Informative and engaging
- 👍 Helpful for music students and educators

**Cons**

- 🐛 Some bugs and crashes reported
- 💰 Considered expensive by some users
- 🔍 Limited content (only excerpts, not full pieces)
- 🔍 Alphabetical ordering of instruments in score not ideal

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes when selecting a piece
- Solo audio feature not working after update
- Compatibility issues with older iPad models

**Most requested features**

- More musical pieces and composers
- Option to listen to individual instrument tracks
- Ability to adjust playback tempo
- Support for traditional Chinese alphabet

## Recent user reviews (10 of 262)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-orchestra/id560078788/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Absolutely great

*2026-03-27*

One of the best musical apps

### 5/5 — Wow!

*2025-01-14*

Eine wirklich tolle App! Was allerdings etwas nervt ist, dass von den 4 Videoansichten nur noch 1-2 angezeigt werden, sobald man zurück zur Startseite geht, um von dort ein anderes Stück auszuwählen. Macht man es in der Videoansicht über den oberen mittigen Pfeil, geht es problemlos, sobald man zurück auf die Startseite geht, öffnen sich nicht mehr alle Perspektiven und man muss die App neu starten, damit es wieder geht.

Gerne eine Lösung dafür :)

### 2/5 — Needs updating

*2024-10-19*

I've just opened it again after many years, and it needs fixing: many of the music excerpts are missing one or even two camera angles (the orchestra ones), something must have gone wrong with the source file management. Please fix it, it's still a great app!

### 5/5 — Just wonderful that is on the iPhone

*2024-10-16, version 2.0.1*

It is even better in its original platform the iPad; but having it play in the background during a stressful medical clinic day takes some of the stress away while at my desk at lunch and the end of the day writing notes.

### 5/5 — Great app

*2024-08-17, version 2.0.1*

I think that this is a great app. It works very well on macOS with the exception of some bugs that occasionally happen.

### 5/5 — Top Choice

*2024-07-20, version 2.0.1*

The company that everyone loving symphony should have.

### 4/5 — Great App

*2024-04-23, version 2.0.1*

Fantastic app, I feel sad that so much work has gone into this and only one review and it is negative. This app works well here on macOS and great for going through with my children and teaching them and learning with them. They could have made the click and drag on the instruments to solo them a button to make that more obveous, nice feature to add in there sad to kind of hide it. It is a little odd the alphabetical order in the score wish there was a way to change that to default score order. The price is amazing for what you get and all the video and explanations. I hope that the app gets more positive reviews and more content like this is made. Clearly a lot of work has been put into this. Sad someone gives a 1 star because they don't like the orchestral order and disregards everything else.

### 1/5 — I want a refund

*2024-04-05, version 2.0.1*

I want a refund

### 5/5 — 希望工作人员看到可以帮我解决

*2024-01-07*

只有三首曲子可以听，其他几首点开就会闪退

### 5/5 — C’est dans la poche !

*2023-09-24*

Merci beaucoup pour cette mise à jour gratuite et vraiment bien optimisée pour les petits écrans.
Toutes mes félicitations à vos équipes en charge du UX design pour ce tour de force graphique. 🎩👏

## Frequently asked questions about The Orchestra

### What does The Orchestra app do?

The Orchestra app reimagines classical music by offering interactive features that allow users to experience symphonic works in new ways. It includes synchronized scores, detailed instrument demonstrations, and unique visualizations like the BeatMap to help users understand the music's complexity.

### What are the key features of The Orchestra app?

Key features include a synchronized score that follows the music, expert commentary from Esa-Pekka Salonen, detailed 360° views of instruments with playable samples, and the innovative BeatMap visualization. Users can also switch between multiple camera angles during performances.

### How much does The Orchestra app cost?

The app is free to download and offers in-app purchases. This allows users to explore certain features or content for free, with the option to purchase additional content or unlock full functionality.

### What kind of classical music is featured in the app?

The app features extracts from eight significant symphonic works spanning three centuries. This includes pieces by Haydn, Beethoven, Berlioz, Debussy, Mahler, Stravinsky, Lutosławski, and Salonen, covering various movements and styles.

### Who is the target audience for this app?

This app is designed for classical music lovers, students of music, and anyone curious about the intricacies of orchestral performance. It aims to provide an educational and engaging experience for both novice and experienced listeners.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.0.1 — 2023-03-26

Put the Orchestra in your pocket! We’ve redesigned the app so it now works on iPhone as well as iPad. There’s a clean new look and feel and we’ve made a load of improvements under the hood. We hope you love this new version as much as we do.

### 2.0.0 — 2023-03-24

Put the Orchestra in your pocket! We’ve redesigned the app so it now works on iPhone as well as iPad. There’s a clean new look and feel and we’ve made a load of improvements under the hood. We hope you love this new version as much as we do.

### 1.4.6 — 2018-11-07

Optimizations for iOS 12

### 1.4.5 — 2017-10-26

Thanks for updating! In this update, we've fixed a crash which a small number of users were experiencing on restoring their previous purchases. We appreciate your feedback which enabled us to fix this quickly

### 1.4.4 — 2017-09-26

We’ve updated the app to make sure you can continue to enjoy an amazing experience on iOS 11!

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-28.*