On Monday January 5, Naxos rings in the New Year with the worldwide launch of their ClassicsOnline HDLLclassical music streaming and download site. ClassicsOnline HDLL streams music in both "high-definition"—Naxos' term for high-resolution audio up to 24-bit/192kHz sampling rate—and full CD quality (lossless, or, in Naxos' lingo, LL). The site also sells high-def, lossless, and MP3 downloads in FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, and 320kbps MP3 formats.
Naxos claims that its service, which costs $14.99/month, is the first in the US to use "adaptive bitrate streaming technology." They further explain that adaptive bitrate streaming allows subscribers to "listen to classical music at the highest possible sound quality available on their home or mobile networks without buffering or loss of signal." In other words, you won't experience what I've experienced one too many times on Netflix: right at the climax, everything suddenly stops without warning as the signal rebuffers.
ClassicsOnlineHDLL includes an "intuitive search engine" crafted specifically for classical music, that allows you to search by performer, conductor, composer, period, country, instrument, year released, year composed, label, genre, and, of course, title. It claims a wide range of repertoire from "most" classical record labels, easy playlist creation, genre and artist radio programming, and off-line listening via mobile devices. The company also states that liner notes, libretti, and composer/artist information are provided for most recordings. This may be true for commercial recordings, but it is often not the case for "pirates" and live recordings from labels that specialize in reissues.
To take full advantage of ClassicsOnline HDLL, PC owners need Windows 7 (32-bit or above), a machine manufactured no later than 2010 that uses an Intel Core i3 processor or better, 2 GB RAM, and support for stereo 16/44.1 audio output. Mac users need at least OS X 10.6, and the same additional requirements as above. Supported browsers include Chrome 32 or above, Firefox 24 or above, Safari 7 or above, Opera 24 or above, and, for Windows-equipped computers, Internet Explorer 10 or above.
Yours truly has helped with the site's beta testing for Naxos. Not only has sound quality been excellent, but I have also found a host of delicious surprises on the site. When this vocal lover searched for recordings by the late soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, I came up with 27 albums, including rare opera recordings and recitals by the soprano. While I didn't necessarily find librettos or translations, nor issues from Schwarzkopf's major label, EMI/Warner, I was delighted to discover any number of rare opera recordings from the 1940s and 1950s; Idomeneo and Madama Butterfly sung in German(!); a Pelléas et Mélisande from 1954, conducted by von Karajan; Schwarzkopf's performance at Bruno Walter's Vienna Farewell Concert in 1960; and the famed Furtwängler 1953 Don Giovanni.
Speaking of Furtwängler, if you search under "Furtwangler," with no accent needed, you'll find no less than 72 albums, including material recorded as early as the 1920s. Toscanini brings up 43. However, given the absence of the Universal Classics, Sony, and EMI/Warner catalogs, one of the greatest conductors of our age, Claudio Abbado, scores only three entries, while the infrequently recorded Carlos Kleiber gets just four. Then again, the entire BBC Legends series is available, complete with liner notes, and there are 15 entries for Nicholas McGegan.
Contemporary recordings abound. If you want to hear the excellent work that conductor Ludovic Morlot is doing in Seattle, you'll discover his recent Cantaloupe Music recording of John Luther Adams Become Ocean streaming in either full CD-quality or 24-bit/96kHz high-resolution sound. If piano is your thing, you'll find a number of Paul Lewis' recordings for Harmonia Mundi, including two discs of Schubert Piano Sonatas and a set of the complete Beethoven Piano Concertos. Do an advanced search under the Chandos label, and you'll find no less than 1603 albums. And 13 of Chanticleer's albums are also available.
Nonetheless, collectors and aficionados will lament the absence of all of Naxos' excellent historic release remasterings that are available in Canada and Europe. I've sampled some of these on CD, and they are often superior to the filtered CD remasterings from the companies that own the masters, EMI/Warner being a prime example. While Naxos explains that the absence of their historic reissues is due to stringent US copyright laws, it seems to have no difficulty streaming releases of the same or similar material from other labels.
There are also inconsistencies in documentation. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf: Rare Recordings 1946–1954 (Idis) includes contents and attribution, as well as liner notes in Italian, but you'll find neither for Singers of the Century: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (Jube Classic), which includes studio and live tracks from 1941–1960. Some of this information may be on the CD's back cover or brochure, but it is not currently available on the site.
Balancing this out are the sound quality, and the wealth of music that is available. It would cost a small fortune to purchase such a collection, and far more to have the space to house it. Now it is readily available, 24 hours/day, for the price of something like 12–18 physical CDs a year. High-resolution classical music streaming is here, and it sounds wonderful.
