Alma goes all Viennese...

[regriba]

I suppose at least some of the animosity comes from the hype about her being a 21st century Mozart etc., plus the fact that she is felt to be lecturing people about what is good music and so on. But isn't the lecturing a rather typical thing for people her age? I have now been a teacher of 15-20-year-olds for about 25 years, and it is my experience that many people enter that period of their lives with quite strong opinions about what is right and wrong (sometimes based considerably on parents' opinions, which may of course also be the case here). Opinions which they then modify as they mature and get experience. I'd like to reserve judgment on Alma's music until in about 5 or 10 years when, as I wrote earlier, I hope she has found for herself the path she wants to pursue.

On another note, I also think that, at a time when classical music is in serious danger of losing its audience, any young person who prefers Beethoven to Bieber is a sign of hope.

[Mark Thomas]

The waltz itself I thought innocuous enough, and I can't really see that it does Miss Deutscher or anyone else any harm. As for the young lady's introductory remarks, I felt rather sad listening to them - she's like no 15 year old I've ever met.

[Alan Howe]

It's not so much the music - which is utterly forgettable - but the context. A 15 year-old is trying to cheer us up with this? And the 'this' is part of a fairy-tale world which one can understand coming from an 8 year-old, but surely, surely she must have grown up - and away - a bit by now....

[Gareth Vaughan]

Yes. It is not unusual for mid to late teenagers to be highly opinionated, and subsequently to modify those opinions. That is part of growing up. However, to have those opinions broadcast widely on YouTube is a mistake, and one which, as I said, is likely to prove an embarrassment for Alma when she does grow up. That said, I must also endorse Alan's post. Enough said.

[TerraEpon]

Ok I suppose I can understand the issue with her intro. It was a little silly.

[Maury]

I had heard of Alma almost a decade ago and then forgot about her since nothing she did afterwards crossed my path. But a week ago I ran across her opera Cinderella and decided to listen to some of her works and look up her compositions. In terms of her compositions listed on wiki she definitely seems to be slowing down the last 5 years or so as the majority are between 2014-19. Is the list accurate or highly incomplete? I'm not questioning that she is or was a musical prodigy although not at the level of Korngold for example.

As for her performances on violin and piano I could only find performances of her own works. Has she ever performed another composer's violin or piano works?

Regarding the music, I was strongly reminded of Victor Herbert operettas but I'm in the US so that may influence it. Her music seems to me to be very early Romantic say 1840-50 Romantic save for the waltzes. She is definitely a professional composer as the music flows along albeit facilely and mostly predictably. But still she avoids the worst faults of very young composers.

Anyway the apparent slowing down of her compositions and the lack of any major development has me concerned since she is 19 now. I would note that prior prodigies had the advantage of growing up with an established mainstream style to work with, which is definitely not the case now. Under the present anything goes environment and drift to popular music is it even possible to be a successful music prodigy?

[Alan Howe]

Forgive me for merging these topics as we've been here before. The short answer is that we still haven't heard anything beyond what we might call her 'extended childhood' phase. Until something new and personal emerges from her, we won't be able to come to any firm judgment. But who knows? Perhaps she'll produce a Symphony in the grand tradition - a bit like Korngold's in F sharp major...

[Maury]

 Ah OK no need to apologize. It's always a judgment call as to starting a new thread or reviving a long dormant one. For context for others my original thread title was: Is Alma Deutscher a musical prodigy fading?

[Alan Howe]

Is Alma Deutscher a musical prodigy fading?

Nobody knows - yet. She's hardly a prodigy now at 19 anyway. Only time will tell.