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.