A 15-year-old pianist from Barnaul, Alexander Ryzhikov, has won the 11Th International Festival of Young Performers in Los Angeles.
News that yet another young Russian prodigy has grabbed a top prize at yet another prestigious international contest would raise no eyebrows but for the fact that the musician is blind by birth.
Alexander Ryzhikov dwells in a world of sounds transforming the rustle of wind, the pattering of rain, the siren of a ship and the scratching of tires into piano music. Disabled on account of blindness, Alexander learned to play the piano on his own. Someone taught him a couple of simple tunes and soon afterwards he was easily playing music from cartoons, commercials and television programs. His teacher, Lyudmila Tyukalova, trained him in reading notes but he was bored by standard programs, she recalls. He loved reproducing tunes from his head and he knew where he could enrich a piece he was playing with a flute, violin or trombone part. Alexander has a perfect ear and a phenomenal memory. He can reproduce a symphony's score in full after he has played it a few times. By now Alexander has acquired a good command of the bayan, the accordion, the balalaika and the organ, can sing well and has started to write jazz, classical music and pieces for the organ. His fellow students just can't wait to hear more of his new works and enjoy listening to his poems and fairytales. He loves concerts, readily picks any tunes on the piano and is the soul of any party.
Last year Alexander Ryzhikov won the Grand-Prix at the "Crystal Magnolia" Festival in Sochi. The most demanding of critics and the most pretentious of audiences were more than impressed. He can't see his admirers but derives endless inspiration from playing on stage and acclaim from his peers:
"The guys were happy for me when I won the prize, he says, they shook my hand in appreciation. I'd love to perform at a festival of this kind again".
His dream came true. In Los Angeles, Alexander Ryzhikov played Bach, Beethoven, Liszt and his own opuses. He says he feels so anxious playing the classics but stays calm playing his own music. The judges must have noticed that too and named Alexander the best in the composer and performer category. After the festival the young prodigy from Siberia played a duet with Carlos Velasco in the "Hollywood" Jazz Club and gave an organ music concert in a Catholic church. The producers invited him on a solo tour of US cities next year.
The young talent has already been spotted at home too. Prominent composer Igor Krutoy has been quick to offer help and invited Alexander to join his new project that he has launched in cooperation with pop star Dmitry Malikov.
Please rate: