You sure that’s not Mozart reincarnated into a body of a child?
She seems more mature than 95% of adults.
What is she doing for fun while other kids are playing around? Composing her Ninth Symphony?
You may well ask. I first became aware of this child two years ago when her opera Cinderella premiered in Vienna under the patronage of the conductor Zubin Mehta. The production was very favorably reviewed in the Daily Telegraph and elsewhere.
From what was then available on YouTube and elsewhere, which was already a lot, it was clear we had a prodigious talent in out midst. Not only had she written some creditable compositions but from an early age was a formidable pianist and violinist. She has had tremendous media exposure on TV and social media mainly, but also on radio in Europe.
Interestingly she has lightened up with age and seems less serious now than when a very young child. According to her father Guy she does not like the exposure but realizes its inevitability. From the bubbly presence she projects you would never know it.
She comes across as a very happy and balanced individual with no trace of arrogance or superiority, but also conscious of her place and probably destiny ahead. She describes herself as a very happy person which from her persona is highly believable.
I find one of the most astonishing things about her is what appears to be not only her honesty but what seems to be her inborn sense of what it is to be a professional.
As a small child she was asked about her family background. Her father Guy is a linguist and an amateur flute player. Her mother though was an organ scholar, at I think Cambridge. As far as I know she has not had a professional career as an organist, but by history must be pretty good. Anyhow Alms answered the question: - "Well my parents are both amateur musicians, but I'm a professional musician." She was tiny! She certainly has a centered ego. At performance she never shows a trace of nervousness or stage fright. When asked about this replied: - "Well, if you know what you are doing, what is there to be nervous about?"
There are a lot of videos of her in rehearsal. She supports singers mainly from the piano and sometimes from the violin. She has them watch her face and leads them by expression especially her eyes. It is clear that all the professionals, all of course older then her, listen to her with great respect and recognize her authority. Some have written, and somewhat humorously, about having a 12 year old taking charge of them. However all of them hold her in great esteem and above all affection, singers especially. She has been outspoken about preserving signers voices and taken a lot of modern composers to task for ruining singers voices, which they have.
She is aware, and spoken about, the issue of a lost child hood recently. She says she has made time to do the things other children do and admitted it has been work to preserve a semblance of childhood. However ruefully she admitted that there are times she can be a child and at times she can not be. I think that interview was conducted in Vienna. When she is there they seem to make full use of her. Anyhow before the interview is over she is called away for something, and ruefully says: - "Busy life!" A couple of things I noted while there recently. She was asked to accompany the Vienna Schubert Boys Choir for one number, I suspect because the regular accompanist could not play it. It sounded really difficult and her fingers just flew over the key board. In another excerpt she was asked to help a conductor with a early unfamiliar piece they were having trouble with. She had her priceless De Jesu violin, which a generous benefactor has made available to her. She quickly showed were the accents should be and demonstrated on her violin. Now this is the interesting part she did not take over from the conductor. She stood back from the conductor, who I'm sure thought he was doing the lifting, but Alma was "conducting" with her head and expressive eyes. Anyhow she quickly had the issue sorted and the piece sounded just right.
So I'm sure it is not easy for her. She has to control demands. She is the youngest artist to have professional management. For some years she has been represented by Askonas Holt everywhere except the US when about a year ago she became represented by Columbia artists. She is now a Sony Classical artist.
She has been kept busy of late giving concerts around the world, but busiest with her opera. The Vienna State opera asked her to do a one hour version of her opera for children. She did not just take excerpts, but made a whole new musical arrangement. I do not have the DVD, but it is available from the Vienna State Opera. Nineteen performances were given between January and May of this year which all sold out. Her performances seem to sell out fast. Then a Ballet company in Berlin asked for a Ballet version of the score, again she had to oblige and rehearse the company.
Now she has put a halt to it all and pointed out that her primary role is as a composer. So apart from recording her Twas the Night Before Christmas with the famous US Baritone for Idagio in Berlin, she has returned to bass in Southern England to continue work on her first symphony. So she is not up to number 9 yet!
One of the things I suspect is that she is now the major bread winner for her parents and younger sister Helen, which if so, and I don't see how it can'be, must be an added burden. I can't seem much opportunity for her father to earn a substantial income with the work of organizing her appearances. Her relationship with her sister Helen seem to be close. Helen seems a talented violinist in her own right and apparently Alma is now teaching her composition.
Obviously Alma is still very much a blank sheet of paper. However with her unapologetic pursuit of melody she has really angered,much of the academic musical "intelligentsia". She has studied the serialist scores of the New Viennese school and spoken about it with Tom Service of the BBC on music matters, and pronounced it irritating to listen to, which is true. She maintains correctly, I think, that dissonance if used must be resolved. She says she always resolves it. She has called the music of the minimalists like Philip Glass boring, which it is. Until the success of her opera in San Jose last year she was under constant attach. However her opera contains three, by my count, of turbulent passages which are atonal and serialist. I'm certain this was to send a message to the critics, they she can do this, but they can't do what she does. In the last year they have fallen silent, as they empty concert halls and she fills them, making money for one and all. And so it should be. The market can and will decide, as it should. I take delight in knowing that annoys the left leaning academic set to their core.
This is well worth the purchase. Wonderful audio and video. The costumes and stage sets are spectacular.
