Conductor / Composer
Born in London to a Russian … Read Full Bio ↴Alexander Prior
Conductor / Composer
Born in London to a Russian mother and British father, Alexander Prior's passion for music stood out from a very young age. He began composing at the age of eight and he has now written more than 40 works, including symphonies, concertos, two ballets, two operas and a Requiem for the children of Beslan. He has already seen his music performed by respected orchestra and ensembles, and been the recipient of several prestigious composition awards - at 12 he was the youngest commended in the BBC Young Composer Competition. As he began piano lessons, his musical abilities flourished and later he enrolled in the junior department of the Royal College of Music. At 13, Alexander became a student at the St Petersburg Conservatory where he is currently studying composition with Professor Alexander Tchaikovsky and conducting with Professor Alexeev.
Since his solo debut, age 10, at St Paul's Covent Garden, Alexander has been recognized internationally as one of the most promising composers and performers of his generation. He has collaborated with many leading orchestras and ensembles including The BBC Singers and The Enydmion Ensemble. Highlights include a performance of his Sonata for Cello and Piano at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the selection of a symphonic poem, Stalin's March as part of the Arts Council funded New Music Day with the City of London Sinfonia. Respected British composer, Roxanna Panufnik commented that Alexander's music has 'a seething intensity about it, both rhythmically and harmonically'.
Alexander's Piano Concerto No.1 was premiered at the prestigious V International Piano Festival in St Petersburg in September 2006. This work represented the 21st Century alongside Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 1 from 19th and Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No.1 from 20th Centuries. A finalist in this year's International Prokofiev Composers Competition, his Concerto for piano and orchestra No 2 Northern Dances will be performed by the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra at the final round in April 2008. In 2006, Alexander's ballet Mowgli (based on Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book) was commissioned by renowned choreographers Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vassilev of The Moscow State Classical Ballet. The first performance, conducted by Alexander himself, was in June 2007 at the New Opera Theatre in Moscow and met with great success. The official premiere took place at the Kremlin theatre, Moscow in February 2008 - also conducted by Alexander, with a tour of the work in the pipeline.
Alexander made his UK conducting debut with The National Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican, and he immediately received a reinvitation. He has also conducted The State Symphony Orchestra of St. Petersburg in a performance of his own String Symphony No.1, in a concert in the St Petersburg Philharmonic Hall entirely devoted to his own compositions.
En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor
Alex Prior Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Un lugar de ensuenos y de amor
Donde u rumor de fuentes
de cristal
En el jardin parece hablar
En voz baja a las rosas
Aranjuez
Que barre el viento
Son recuerdos del romance
Que una vez
Juntos empezamos tu y yo
Y sin razon olvidamos
Quiza ese amor escondido este
En un atardecer
En la brisa o en la flor
Esperando tu regreso
Aranjuez
Hoy las hojas secas sin color
Que barre el viento
Son recuerdos del romace
Que una vez
Juntos empezamos tu y yo
Y sin razon olvidamos
En Aranjuez amor
Tu y yo
The lyrics of Alex Prior's song "En Aranjuez con tu amor" portray a dreamy and romantic place called Aranjuez. The surroundings of the place are described as having the sound of crystal fountains, and the garden is represented as communicating in a low voice with the roses. The first stanza describes Aranjuez as a place of dreams and love. There is a juxtaposition between the crystal-clear fountains and the quiet whispers with the colorful romantic memories of two lovers who once began their journey in the garden.
In the second stanza, the lyrics turn melancholic as the singer mentions the dry and colorless leaves swept away by the wind. These leaves remind the singer of the love that was once shared, but was forgotten without any reason. Perhaps the love is hidden, waiting for a sunset, a gentle breeze, or within a flower, waiting for the lover to return.
Throughout the song, Aranjuez is used as a metaphor for love and the memories it leaves behind. The lyrics are poetic and evoke a sense of longing and nostalgia for a love that was once cherished. The song's tune is also just as dreamy, with its guitar solos and expressive melodies, making it a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
Aranjuez
A place of dreams and love where the sound of crystal fountains seems to whisper quietly to the roses in the garden.
Hoy las hojas secas sin color que barre el viento
Today, the wind sweeps away the dry and colorless leaves that remind us of the romance we once began together in Aranjuez.
Son recuerdos del romance que una vez juntos empezamos tu y yo y sin razon olvidamos
These leaves are memories of the romance that we began together but forgot for no reason.
Quiza ese amor escondido este en un atardecer en la brisa o en la flor esperando tu regreso
Perhaps that hidden love is waiting for your return, in the sunset, the breeze, or the flower.
En Aranjuez amor tu y yo
In Aranjuez, my love, it's just you and me.
Contributed by Savannah V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.