Google Play Music’s world-first initiatives offers music lovers the chance to download and stream the latest concert recordings.

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra has become the first orchestra in the entire Asia-Pacific region to be inducted into a collective of the world’s best for Classical Live, a new digital initiative by Google Play Music making current orchestral concert recordings available to classical music-lovers all over the planet, it was announced earlier today.

SSO join an impressive lineup of other world-class orchestras featured on the online streaming service, including Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. Classical Live is the first initiative of its type in the world, offering current concert recordings for digital download and streaming. The first SSO recordings available will be the second symphonies of Schumann and Sibelius, conducted by Chief Conductor and Artistic Director David Robertson, and an excerpt from Respighi’s The Pines of Rome with Charles Dutoit, recorded by ABC Classic FM at the Sydney Opera House.

David Robertson said these recordings from the orchestra’s 2015 season are perfect for the Classical Live service because they showcase the distinct...