Intermezzo

get on the Hampster's* wheel

Tomorrow at 2pm Thomas Hampson is coaching a Mahler Masterclass at the Manhattan School of Music. The Hampster's affinity for Mahler has been bolstered by countless hours of study, so he should have plenty of precious gems to share. Unusually, his students this time are not singers, but instrumentalists, who will work on transcriptions of the composer's songs. 

The session is open to the public - for free - on a first-come first-served basis. It will also be streamed live on http://dl.msmnyc.edu/live. 

And in what is believed to be a first for live classical music, it's available via iPhone (by downloading the free app 'Thomas Hampson').

*I know, thx

Battle of Puppets - let the operatic slaughter commence

 

Got £1.19 to spare?

Operatically-themed apps are thin on the ground. And I'm pretty certain Battle of Puppets, launched yesterday, is the first opera game.

It's basically a castle battle between two opera armies - you can choose from Carmen, Aida, Madam Butterfly, Valkyrie and Salome. The sweet little units are all naked except for their operatically-themed headgear (was it directed by David McVicar?) The action is set in various US cities, and the battlefields are stages with moving scenery. It's all very cute and charming and retro, and if the gameplay isn't very sophisticated, what do you expect for the price of a bag of peanuts?

There's a detailed review on toucharcade.com, and here's a video: