2016 · Archival listening prototype
Four performances.
New perspectives.
Alex Ruthmann and the NYU Music Experience Design Lab developed Step Inside Mahler with the New York Philharmonic and Norwegian developer MusIT, using MusIT’s OIID technology.
The prototype brought together four historical performances of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony, conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos, Leonard Bernstein, Lorin Maazel and Alan Gilbert, with annotated scores from the Philharmonic’s Leon Levy Digital Archives.
Its score interface invited listeners to compare performances alongside the archival scores. A companion spatial-listening interface offered different instrumental perspectives within the orchestra.
Surviving records & credits
- Project record in the New York Philharmonic Archives — the project-specific record identified by Alex Ruthmann. It is documentation, not a replacement for the offline apps.
- Steinhardt Music App Allows Fans to “Step Inside” Symphonies — NYU News, February 2016. The announcement documents the collaboration, archival materials and February 10 event.
- Mahler Grooves in New Music App — John V. Bennett, WQXR, February 12, 2016.
The project record above is distinct from the historical scores and performance recordings used to create the prototype. Their use in the original app does not mean that a working version of the app survives in the archives.
Project partners: NYU MusEDLab, the New York Philharmonic and MusIT. Technology: OIID. Archival materials: the New York Philharmonic Leon Levy Digital Archives. Music and archival rights remain with their respective rights holders.
Keep exploring
Today’s Immersive Music & Media projects offer other ways to move through a recording, change a mix and play alongside musicians.
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