Free classical music downloads of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony launch The Philadelphia Orchestra’s online music store.

(I like it!)

The Philadelphia Orchestra is the first major American orchestra to offer consumers the opportunity to download recent and archival music directly through its own website.

Also available for purchase in the store are the other Beethoven symphonies recorded under Christoph Eschenbach during the 2005-06 season, selections from the Orchestra’s highly acclaimed Centennial Collection with works conducted by the great maestros of Philadelphia – Stokowski, Ormandy, Muti and Sawallisch -– and pieces recorded during the past six years.

Initial prices range from $.99 (why is it always this price?!) for works under 10 minutes to $4.99 for a major work; in the future full concerts will be priced at $9.99. Special projects will be priced separately.

These recordings will initially be released as high-quality 256 kbps MP3s –- claimed to be a better-sounding audio format than similarly priced offerings available through the iTunes Music Store –- and in a true CD-quality format known as FLAC.

Future plans include downloads available in even higher-resolution 24-bit formats to further attract audiophiles who seek better than CD-quality audio recordings.

www.thephiladelphiaorchestra.com