Alex Cariere

Evgenia Lavat: Our guest today is a ten -year -old boy Alex Prayer living in London, who, despite his age, has already won the British vocal competitions seven times. He performs opera arias, romances and songs in seven languages, including Russian. For Alex, who was born in England, Russian, like English, is his native language, his mother is Russian, his father is an Englishman. The boy had already performed in Russia, in particular, at concerts that took place under the auspices of the Vladimir Spivakov Foundation "New Names". The correspondent of Radio Liberty in London Natalya Golitsyna is talking with Alex and his mother Elena Prayer-Bromly.

Natalya Golitsyna: Elena, as far as I know, Alex was recently accepted to the Royal Music College, but it is known that children at such a young age are usually not accepted there. How did this happen?

Elena Preder-Bromli: In general, he is studying at the department for children and youth. And this happened in this way: last year we decided to go there in the piano class, but we still needed a second tool, but we did not have it. They said - he does not sing? I remembered how a year ago he sang “oh, frost, frost” in his school, and the whole hall was applauding him, and decided - of course, sings. Russians are always ready for battle. And they quickly learned three things, including "along St. Petersburg", a Russian folk song, and came to the exam. I watched through the door as the exam was: there was a pair of Japanese women before him, the director of the college looked at all this rather boring, lowering his head down. When Alex sang, I saw a glass through the door that he pushed his coffee, raised his eyes, opened his mouth, and I already knew after five minutes that he was taken. Indeed, the next day we received a call, then a letter came that we were offered a place in vocals and piano.

Natalya Golitsyna: Alex, when did you start singing at all?

Alex Priere: I started for a long time. When he was small, he loved the ballet, dancing all day to the music of Tchaikovsky. But it was not serious. And suddenly I began to sing.

Natalya Golitsyna: Do you remember that you were the first?

Alex Priner: Yes, I sang "Oh, frost, frost."

Natalya Golitsyna: How old were you?

Alex Priere: Seven. Actually, I really sing a year.

Natalya Golitsyna: Who are you doing vocals with?

Alex Priner: I'm not in college, I am engaged in at home with Estonka Julia.

Elena Preder-Bromli: Alex sang in an amazingly non-childish voice from the very beginning. I was really surprised that he had such a powerful voice. And Julia came to his concert, he had a solo concert in December last year, that is, a few months after he declared himself at the first competition and won it in July last year. He was offered a solo concert. Of course, this was a little adventure, a ten -year -old child. And she contacted us and said that she had fears, and she would like to help. And we were actively looking for teachers. When he was engaged in the Royal College, unfortunately, in England, the tradition of teaching boys to sing like chorists, that is, in a thin voice, like a violin. And they tried to rebuild Alex, he could not even speak after these lessons. We refused the vocals, because it is not suitable for us, he has a special voice. Julia offered her services and her voice looked like Alex, and he began to sing softer, because before that he crossed how the baritone sang. And now, when they are engaged, I don’t even know who sings - Julia or Alex. Of course, he will be offended that I say so, he believes that he sings more powerful, better, in fact she helped him a lot with this.

Natalya Golitsyna: And tell me, please, you think that you are professionally, really have been speaking for a year or so, tell me, and how many concerts have you given?

Alex Priere: Ten. But they were not all gala concerts. Even, probably, it was more, there were already solo concerts.

Natalya Golitsyna: Please tell me, and who makes your repertoire?

Alex Prayer: At first I said that I want this song, this song, this song. And mother and Julia decide that this song is suitable, but this song is not.

Natalya Golitsyna: And tell me, please, if you were asked and gave such an opportunity to make a repertoire yourself, without consultation, what would you sing?

Alex Prayer: "Victoria, Victoria", "along St. Petersburg", well, I already sing it myself. I love to sing Russian romances - "At the dawn you do not wake her", "bells."

Natalya Golitsyna: And who are you from the Russian singers who sing Russian romances, who do you like best?

Alex Priner: I like Khovrostovsky. I listen to the opera singers.

Natalya Golitsyna: What kind of music do you listen to when you have the opportunity?

Alex Priner: I listen and love Rachmaninov, Domingo, I really love Tchaikovsky.

Natalya Golitsyna: And when you listen, you yourself do not sing?

Alex Priner: Sometimes I sing along.

Natalya Golitsyna: Tell me, Elena, some already deceased pianist Shura Cherkassky once told me about how he started, he was also a child prodigy, he began to play very early. And so he always said that talented, in fact, are not children, but their parents are talented. Do you agree with this?

Elena Preder-Bromli: I don’t know, I can’t say so, because, it seems to me that if there is no talented child. Whatever talented parents, they cannot achieve anything. But to help a talented child, of course, you need not that talent, but the energy of parents is necessarily, and the desire and the opportunity to see this talent.

Natalya Golitsyna: Tell me, are you from a musical family? Because there is some experience, some kind of professional flair, some kind of musical instinct. Tell us about it.

Elena Prayer-Bromli: I am actually not a musician, but when I was a girl, I walked through the streets at the age of five, as my grandmother said, sang in a very low voice, similar to the voice of my son, “a red-haired cow, and all completely turned around on the street and said that this girl had an extraordinary voice. Then I sang in Loktev’s choir. And for me it remained an unforgettable upbringing when Tamara Sinyavskaya was already a soloist of the Bolshoi Theater, she sang with our choir, and I sang "stars of the sweet homeland" on the scene of the CDS. Then I studied at one time with Evgeny Evgenievich Nesterenko, I was 16 years old. But, unfortunately, unlike Alex, I did not have such a universal musicality as he, and my parents did not help me, so I made my way myself. Today my child is my unfulfilled dream.

Natalya Golitsyna: Tell me, do you agree that talent genes are transmitted somehow by inheritance?

Elena Prayer-Bromli: I think that there can be no unequivocal answer, but in this case, Alex has both parameters with Alex: he has a genetic code that he inherited because he is the great-great-grandson of Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavsky. Well, about the cultural environment, too, of course, if he had not got into the opera, if he had not listened to this music, maybe he would play cricket, as his English dad would like.

Natalya Golitsyna: About your kinship with Stanislavsky, did you always know about this?

Elena Prayer-Bromli: As a little girl, I knew that I was Stanislavsky’s great-granddaughter, my dad told about this. But my grandfather, my dad’s father, Vladimir Sergeyevich Sergeyev was an illegitimate son of Stanislavsky and in Soviet times it was customary to keep silent about this. I even remember, the girl met with the son of Stanislavsky Igor, and in the personal circle they accepted as a closest relative. But this was not in publications. Father was academicians, he did not need any other support, he was a person in itself. And even I, it worried me little, I believed that I myself, that I am. Now the Brodskaya’s book has been published, which for the first time actually analyzed all the materials, the birth certificate of my grandfather, and proved according to these documents that he was not a foster son, as was customary, but was his own son from his economy Dunyashi.

Natalya Golitsyna: Do you know who was Stanislavsky?

Alex Priere: Of course. We were in Moscow recently, we went to the Moscow Art Theater.

Natalya Golitsyna: Alex, tell me, how do you feel on stage - are you worried?

Alex Priner: No. I love that the big hall is so that there are more people.

Natalya Golitsyna: As far as I know, you sing in English, in Russian, probably in Italian, since you are going to be a professional singer, and in what languages?

Alex Pryer: German, Spanish, Latin, Russian.

Natalya Golitsyna: What active languages you have in which you speak, write, read?

Alex Priner: I write, I speak Russian and write, I speak English. I also sing in French. Of course, when you sing in Italian, you begin to understand a little.

Natalya Golitsyna: But you yourself feel someone - an Englishman or Russians?

Alex Priere: Russian.

Natalya Golitsyna: Could you explain why?

Alex Priere: First Mom, Grandmother. I love Russian culture, Russian music.

Natalya Golitsyna: Tell me, please, how do you feel at school, in a regular school?

Alex Priner: At first I came to school, I had two friends. And all the others at first, in my opinion, envied, they did not like what I was Russian.

Natalya Golitsyna: Do they go to your concerts?

Alex Priner: Unfortunately, no.

Natalya Golitsyna: Do you invite them?

Alex Priner: I invite, but they do not come.

Natalya Golitsyna: But you are not only singing, I know that you also play. And how did this happen, why did you start playing?

Alex Priang: I study the piano. Because if you teach Wagner’s opera, you can’t rehearse seven hours with your voice, and if I play the piano, then you remember the melody.

Natalya Golitsyna: Do you still compose music?

Alex Priner: The first play was dedicated to mom, called "Fantasy in Re-Major." I have many different plays.

Natalya Golitsyna: What else are you composing?

Alex Priang: I compose piano music. On another tool I play, called Valtorna.

Natalya Golitsyna: Will you be a person who sings?

Alex Priner: I want to be a conductor, but I also want to write music, write words. The main thing is the singer and composer.

Natalya Golitsyna: If you were told - you will never sing again, what would you say?

Alex Priner: I would sing anyway.

Natalya Golitsyna: How many times have you been in Russia?

Alex Priere: Only two.

Natalya Golitsyna: And how do you feel there? Don't you feel like a foreigner?

Alex Cariere: No.

Natalya Golitsyna: Lena, tell me, please, probably there is a big criticism for Alex's performances. What kind of criticism is this kind?

Elena Preder-Bromli: there was a big article about Alex in the magazine Opera today, Classical Wave, even in the Times newspaper. Criticism, by the way, is good. These are reviews as a phenomenal voice that has never been. The journalist who wrote an article in Times, he talked with specialists, that is, he went to specialists who are engaged in children's votes, asked their opinion, everyone said that there was no such vote yet. On the other hand, on the sidelines of professional musicians, I hear the wary voices: be careful so that the voice does not tear off. People, not knowing his vocal possibilities, think that he force his voice, because he sings like ten children together, he scores the choir. In the royal college he sang with the choir, and there was one soloist, only Alex was heard, there is a hundred people on stage, a powerful voice. But all the same, all these tips, advice, the alert of some specialists, so that it does not tear off, it really worries me, I sometimes do not sleep. Regarding the repertoire, we said, he wants to sing Nisundorm, he was even put in a concert, little Pavarotti, Pavarottino - they called him. I think he wants it so, he already knows and sings her, and every time I think when he goes upstairs - what if he pluces it?

Natalya Golitsyna: Alex, tell me, if you were now asked to sing something for Russian listeners who will listen to this program?

Alex Cariere sings: "Along on St. Petersburg."