It isn't often we get to listen to a musical great (let alone five) in the making. Or at least that's the hope. If Alex Prior's impressive volume of work so far is any indication, we have much more to look forward to. At 16 (when this CD was made last year)his work may not be as polished or mature as a more experienced adult's, but it IS original, quite listenable, and worth your time. Add to Alex's score the performances of the four other child prodigies featured, and you have a virtual juvenile tour de force. 10 year old "Jack" Zhang Xiao Ming, the pint-sized painist from China and 13 year old violinist Michael Province from Florida were my favorites, but that's not to take anything away from 15 year old chellist Nathan Chen and 12 year old violinist Simone Porter (both American), who all turned in intensely spirited virtuoso performances. If you haven't already done so, watch the You Tube clips from the BBC documentary on the preparations for this recording and accompanying performances. Then you'll little choice but to buy this CD. If you have music loving children in the family, you have NO choice!
Alex famously told his classmates at age 12 that he would become the greatest teenage operatic tenor in the world. They accused him of bragging and made his life so miserable that him parents had to pull him out of the school. The problem was, Alex was just speaking the truth. His first CD, Just A Boy, proves it. What's next?
