The Story of Classical

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MUSIC HISTORY
SERIES

The Story of Classical is your essential nine-part companion guide to classical music. In each of our commentaries, we unlock the mystery and beauty of every musical period—from the Middle Ages to the present day—by chronicling an encounter between vital figures in music history.

EPISODE 1 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

The Story of Classical: Prelude

Join us as we begin a thrilling adventure in classical music.

59 min
EPISODE 2 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

The Story of Classical: Baroque Era

Music comes of age in the Baroque era and gives life to an astonishing genius.

58 min
EPISODE 3 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

The Story of Classical: Classical Era

Joseph Haydn meets a young Beethoven.

1 hr
EPISODE 4 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

The Story of Classical: Romantic Era

Brahms and the Schumanns lead our Romantic journey into sumptuous soundworlds.

57 min
EPISODE 5 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

The Story of Classical: Early 20th Century

Meeting of minds at the ballet provides the fuel for innovation.

58 min
EPISODE 6 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

The Story of Classical: Late 20th Century

Harmony and discord color music’s rocky journey toward a new century.

1h 1m
EPISODE 7 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

The Story of Classical: 21st Century

Classical finds common ground with other musical styles in our guide to the dizzying modern age.

57 min
EPISODE 8 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

The Story of Classical: Medieval Era

We transport you to the birth of music and discover visionary composer Hildegard von Bingen.

57 min
EPISODE 9 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

The Story of Classical: Renaissance

Music develops rapidly on the back of the church and the printing press.

1 hr
21 MAY

The Story of Classical Trailer

Get a preview of our exclusive nine-part audio guide to the world of classical music.

1 min

TRAILER

The Story of Classical Trailer

Get a preview of our exclusive nine-part audio guide to the world of classical music.

21 May

•

1 min

On his namesake show and New Music Daily, Apple Music 1’s flagship shows, host Zane Lowe brings users unparalleled music knowledge with headline interviews, breaking news, and emerging music from around the globe every day. It’s become the world’s go-to for the best brand-new music, sure, but it’s also popular music’s premier confessional booth: Day after day, Zane—who’s also Apple Music’s global creative director and co-head of artist relations—gets the biggest, most elusive superstars, from Justin Bieber to Taylor Swift to Kanye West, to let their guards down—laughs, tears, and news-making quotes are the norm. “I’m a curious person, I ask questions, and I guess if I'm passionate about something, I'll talk about it and engage people about it. I want to start a conversation and learn,” Zane explains of his approach. “Because the more you share, the more you learn, and vice versa. It’s just a circle that keeps spinning.” Zane earns guests’ trust with a music obsessive’s curiosity and enthusiasm, compassionate questioning, and firsthand music knowledge of life as an artist—he started his music career recording and performing, and continues to write, produce, and record. “The artist side of it, that really drives what I do,” he explains. “I'm not a conventional media-type personality. I’m no good at being a host, really. I'm not a journalist. I don't write, I'm not a writer. What I do is feel and translate.” Check out Zane on The Zane Lowe Show every Monday through Thursday on Apple Music 1 at 9 am LA/12 pm NYC/5 pm LDN and New Music Daily every Friday at 9 am LA, 12 pm NY, and 5 pm LDN.

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MUSIC COMMENTARY
One thing that today's biggest artists have in common: They all speak with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about their lives and the stories behind their songs. Hear why he is the interviewer the biggest stars open up to in these candid, in-depth conversations, now available in full on Apple Podcasts.

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MUSIC INTERVIEWS
Every music lover has personal classics that have been forgotten to time. You know the ones—the tracks that take you back to a particular time and place almost as soon as the first notes get played. Whether they were chart-toppers or lost personal favorites, you’ll hear those songs—from all variety of genres—on I Miss Radio. Tune in to Apple Music Hits and Apple Music Country to hear the music that left its mark, only on I Miss Radio.

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MUSIC HISTORY
Composer and pianist Alexis Ffrench is one of today’s most popular classical musicians. His work taps into the vast musical galaxy—from Bach and Debussy to Hollywood, gospel, and beyond—which makes him the perfect host for Classical Connections Radio, a show that takes listeners along exhilarating and often unexpected pathways through classical music. “I want to present classical in the way I believe it’s meant to be presented—as beautiful music that’s there to be enjoyed and without barriers,” he tells Apple Music. “We’re going to be zipping from here to there, but everything is going to be connected and curated. I see myself as a musical concierge!” Classical Connections Radio features the best new releases, interviews with exciting stars, and a few surprises, too. In his “Sampology” feature, Alexis unlocks the classical roots of a recent chart hit, while we get to hear his incredible improvisational skills in “60 Second Sonata” as he spontaneously crafts a piece of music at the piano, inspired by a listener. And in “Journeys,” he finds the influences in his own work through the composers and artists who have formed his musical DNA over the years. “The powerful thing about music is that it can be like these emotional postcards from various points in your life,” he says, “which I find so beautiful.” If Classical Connections Radio is about gathering different musical strands, it’s also about bringing together a musical community. “Classical music is not about dates or understanding different periods. It’s people, it’s emotions, and it’s love. That’s why it’s so dear to me.” Tune in to Classical Connections Radio with Alexis Ffrench on Apple Music 1 every Saturday at 10 am PT/6 pm UK.

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MUSIC COMMENTARY
A defining character of New York’s music scene and a trusted voice in hip-hop, Apple Music 1 host Ebro Darden brings the city's urgent mix of music and culture to the world. “When I hear something with real heart and energy,” he says, “I want everyone to hear it.” Ebro splits his time at Apple Music as host of his namesake show and Rap Life Radio and global editorial head of hip-hop and R&B, genres in which Apple Music has proved dominant. A longtime fixture in New York radio, he brings a five-boroughs outlook to Apple Music 1’s global audience, but in a way that incorporates both music from all over the African diaspora and Black culture’s worldwide impact. Shot in Apple Music’s studio near Manhattan’s Union Square, The Ebro Show “has a New York City lens, but because New York City is an international city, we embrace a lot of different cultures,” Ebro—who grew up in the Bay Area but has called New York home for decades—explains. “We lean heavily on rap, but hip-hop is a very international music, so through there comes what's going on in Africa, what's going on in the UK, what's going on in Latin America, what's going on in Australia, what's going on in Asia. I don't know of any show that plays as much Caribbean music as we play.” But the show doesn’t only touch on music. “I don’t shy away from talking about social issues as it pertains to the community, specifically Black and brown people,” Ebro adds. “I try to find records that speak to that, music that speaks to that.” Tune in to hear Ebro on The Ebro Show every Monday through Thursday at 12 pm LA/3 pm NY/8 pm LDN and on Rap Life Radio every Friday at 10 am LA/1 pm NY/6 pm LDN.

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MUSIC COMMENTARY
You might know her for her hit single “American Boy”, but Estelle—a Grammy-winning singer and accomplished actor—is an international woman. She’s one of nine siblings born in London to Grenadian and Senegalese parents, was raised musically on US gospel and hip-hop, moved to Los Angeles (for “career and peace”, she says) and has long collaborated with American peers like John Legend, Rick Ross, Kanye West and many more. On Apple Music Hits’ The Estelle Show, the singer shows off tastes that range from legends like Bob Marley, Prince and Madonna to 21st-century ground-shakers like Wizkid and Lil Wayne. But they’ve all got one thing in common: They’ve made what she considers to be some of the best music of the past few decades. "With my show," she says, "you get to go into my mind, influences and loves across the board as a kid from London to an adult now living in LA.” Listen to The Estelle Show every Monday through Friday, only on Apple Music Hits.

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MUSIC COMMENTARY