Wunderkind! Ovation for Mini Mozart age 11
A British girl of 11 has been dubbed a ‘wunderkind’ after receiving a standing ovation for an opera she has composed.
the audience in Austrian capital Vienna applauded for ten minutes to show their appreciation for prodigy Alma Deutscher and her version of the classic tale Cinderella.
Four years ago she saw her first major composition – the sweeper Of Dreams – highly commended by the English National Opera.
And this week she was able to premiere her latest production, which is in German, at the Casino Baumgarten theatre.
Alma not only composed the piece but also took part in the performance by playing musical interludes on the piano and then accompanying Cinderella on the violin.
Previously the schoolgirl has been dubbed ‘Little Miss Mozart’ and the Austrian media also compared her to Vienna’s most famous child prodigy.
speaking on BBC radio 4’s today programme yesterday Alma, from Dorking, surrey, revealed that quite a few of her ‘melodies and themes for this opera came while i was skipping’. she said: ‘i take my skipping rope to the rehearsals and skip with it in the breaks. i don’t go to school, i learn at home, i’m home schooled. i read lots of books, i love reading… i read biographies about scientists and composers.’
Alma’s Pr manager Judy Grahame said tickets had sold out for the premiere and last night’s performance. two shows are due to be staged next week.
Alma plans to complete a piano concerto and then a book which she plans to turn into a film – once again writing the score herself.
the Daily Mail revealed Alma’s talents four years ago when she was ‘highly commended’ by the ENO for composing her first opera. she was given a violin for her third birthday and was playing handel sonatas within a year.