At first sight, Alma Deutscher, a sixteen-year-old girl from England appears to be like any other typical teenager. She loves to skip rope, read and play with her younger sister. But this modest youngster, who composed her first musical work at age six, first short opera at age seven, and first full-length opera based on Cinderella at age ten, is anything but average. Though her parents downplayed(淡化)her extraordinary talent, young Alma is being described as “little Mozart” by the music world.
Alma’s opera based on the classic fairy tale, which she began writing at age eight, has a slight twist. Her Cinderella is a musician who meets her Prince Charming, a poet through a song. “In my Cinderella, she sings the beginning of a ballad—but at midnight she flees. Eventually, the prince finds her after asking all the girls of the country to sing the end of the ballad.”
The opera was first performed in Vienna, Austria on December 29, 2016, where the then eleven-year-old skillfully switched between the piano and the violin and received enthusiastic reviews. The young genius has since performed two new piano works, one in Australia and the other in China.
While this may appear to be a lot for someone so young, Alma is not worried. She says, “Of course I have to work hard. But all children have to work hard for exams, and at least when I work hard, I work hard for something incredibly exciting, like seeing my whole opera put on.”
Alma’s musical talent first came to light before she could even talk. Her parents recall that as an 18-month-old toddler, she was able to hum a perfect version of the children’s rhyme Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
However, Alma’s abilities only gained international attention in 2012, after a family friend posted a video online comparing her to Mozart. The family was suddenly swamped with media and Alma became an overnight star, dubbed “little Mozart”. This nickname makes her parents unhappy because they believe it puts added pressure on the young girl. They would instead prefer her to be called “a composer and musician”.
Alma does not want to be compared to the famous artist either, saying “There was only one Mozart, and I prefer to be little Alma.” Regardless of what she calls herself, the sixteen-year-old is changing the world of music forever!
【小题1】Which of the following statement about Alma is WRONG?| A．She can play the piano and the violin skillfully. |
| B．She can write operas and compose music as well. |
| C．Her talent goes far beyond that of Mozart. |
| D．She displayed her talent for music at an early age. |
| A．Disadvantage. | B．Change. | C．Improvement. | D．Error. |
| A．Cinderella meets her Mr. Right through a song. |
| B．It is a short opera based on the classic fairy tale. |
| C．The prince finds her with the help of a crystal shoe. |
| D．It enjoys a great success and has been performed in China. |
| A．Overexcited. | B．Concerned. | C．Happy. | D．Shocked. |
