Piano Hero: Level 1,812

I haven't written about Piano Hero much lately, but we've still been going strong, and the Season Finale is tomorrow at 12:20. Over the course of the semester, we've played Beethoven 1, 3, 5, 7, Mendelssohn 4, Mozart 40, and Copland's "Billy the Kid." Tomorrow (last day of classes!) will be especially festive though; we're playing an 8-hand arrangement of the 1812 Overture. As a warm-up, we'll play the Overture to "The Barber of Seville." It's a 4-hand arrangement that I've redistributed for 8 hands. Hope it works, as it has not been played or heard yet.

In other news, if you enjoyed my Twitter operaplot submissions, there are more than 500 others to amuse and confound you. (By the way, there are many I'd have never figured out on my own, and many operas I'd barely heard of - or never heard of.) See them arranged by opera on Miss Mussel's blog here. Or, if you really want to challenge yourself, see them in the order originally submitted (without solutions) here. You're sure to learn something you didn't know. Prizewinners will be announced at the end of the week.

Some of my favorites:

nbrockmann Adina's in love w/Belcore,/And can think of no other signore./Dulcamara gives vino/To poor Nemorino/And calls it Elisir d'Amore.

frindley Hello muddah, hello faddah, I'm in love w/ Gioconda! But she hates me (so enticing), And goes in for all this noble sacrificing

primalamusica Amatory lepidopterist traps fragile specimen among Nagasaki cherry blossoms. Fumbling to release her, he crushes her instead.

Amissio Creepy sailor wooes Norwegian lass. She falls for him. Off a cliff.

idmbassoon - take a summer job in the country watching 2 nice kids? great! wait…you didn’t mention the crazy ghosts.

txavacado - SM seeks SF for lifetime of enlightenment. Must match your picture and be open to adventure - esp firewalking and water sports.

primalamusica - Noble lady trapped in harem of surprisingly complex Pasha. Will her fiancé get to her before Stockholm syndrome does?

nbrockmann 2GuysMeetTheirGalsUndercover/TheirFidelityThusToDiscover/ TheyVow”Come Scoglio!”/ButInTheImbroglio/ Each1AlmostWedsTheWrongLover!

frindley Can we sort out this Olympian scandal with Euridice, Aristaeus/Pluto and Orpheus’s infernal fiddling? Yes we Can-Can!

And finally, check out this wonderful operaplot Wordle constructed by dumbledad. You may recall that I went through a Wordle phase last summer. As it happens, that was inspired by the same Miss Mussel who put the operaplot contest together. She's dangerous.

[click to enlarge]

The "boy gets girl" grouping is priceless.