- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
There is a nice discussion going on in the Campbell's folder about Michelle's "Tosca" program. So much so that I think I'll continue it here in The Edge so more people will see it and maybe want to respond.
This analysis "came across my desk," as they say in the newspaper business. All you opera buffs, what do you think?
Many people have questioned why Michelle would choose to skate to "Irina's music." But is it really Irina's Tosca, or is it Alexei Yagudin's version from the 2000 season?
Did Morosov choreograph this piece for Yagudin? Michelle's and Yags' programs used the exact same cut of music, the same placement of footwork, even the same split jump. Yags did a Russian split and MK did the falling leaf. Perhaps since Yags skated to it once and won (by default because Plushy self- destructed), not too many people have dug up his 2000 world LP yet to compare it to Michelle's.
Analysis of music cuts:
Morosov used the melody from E lucevan le stele, and Come e lunga l attesa. Fortunately Puccini orchestrated these melodies even in the original opera, meaning these melodies lend themselves nicely to the entire orchestra, and can stand alone without the human voice. Contrast that to Sasha’s Carmen music cuts, e.g. the Don Jose aria is orchestrated by someone else, not by Bizet in the original opera.
Details of the music cuts:
1. MK and Yags used the exact cuts, and placement of these cuts for the programs (with one minor difference, Yag’s Come e lunga l attesa is about 10 seconds or one musical phrase longer, because the men’s program is slightly longer than the ladies).
2. MK’s program opened with the orchestration of the melody for Oh dolci baci o languide carezze. Puccini orchestrated this for the second piece “Mario Cavaradossi” in act 3. This is followed by the orchestration of the entire E lucevan le stele. (E lucevan le stele opens with the melody of Oh dolci baci o languide carezze.) Mk skated this up to the end of the double axel. In the story, Cavaradossi is brought on under military guard, signaling the beginning of the end, leading to the tragic ending. When all this is happening he reminisced about times with Tosca -- and the stars are shining aria.
The music then changed to Come e lunga. (IMO not the place for the camel spin, perhaps some footwork. But I understand MK had finished a few jumps, and she really had to put a spin there.) The Come e lunga was played almost for it’s entirely. Then it changed into the soft yearning e lucevan le stelle, not bad for the Kwan spiral. The rest of the music is a repeat of the orchestration of e lucevan le stele, mainly the Oh dolci theme again. There is some variation of tempo and volume of this theme, but the same theme nonetheless, in MK's and Yag's programs. When MK started the footwork (to the exact beat of music of Yags free skate at 2000 Worlds) it was the dramatic violent orchestration of Oh dolci. In the opera Tosca just jumped off the tower screaming “Scarpia, I will see you in judgment day”, with soprano still screaming at the top of her lungs, the orchestra played the melody Oh dolci, and then the opera comes to the dramatic violent end. (Scarpia, Cavaradossi and Tosca all died violent deaths).
It will be interesting to see how Michelle will "make this music her own," as she has done so dramatically in the past.
So, did Morosov just dust off an old Yagudin program for Michelle? One would think that as world champion she would command greater respect from her choreographer. No wonder Morosov could create this program in two hours. What do you all think?
Mathman
This analysis "came across my desk," as they say in the newspaper business. All you opera buffs, what do you think?
Many people have questioned why Michelle would choose to skate to "Irina's music." But is it really Irina's Tosca, or is it Alexei Yagudin's version from the 2000 season?
Did Morosov choreograph this piece for Yagudin? Michelle's and Yags' programs used the exact same cut of music, the same placement of footwork, even the same split jump. Yags did a Russian split and MK did the falling leaf. Perhaps since Yags skated to it once and won (by default because Plushy self- destructed), not too many people have dug up his 2000 world LP yet to compare it to Michelle's.
Analysis of music cuts:
Morosov used the melody from E lucevan le stele, and Come e lunga l attesa. Fortunately Puccini orchestrated these melodies even in the original opera, meaning these melodies lend themselves nicely to the entire orchestra, and can stand alone without the human voice. Contrast that to Sasha’s Carmen music cuts, e.g. the Don Jose aria is orchestrated by someone else, not by Bizet in the original opera.
Details of the music cuts:
1. MK and Yags used the exact cuts, and placement of these cuts for the programs (with one minor difference, Yag’s Come e lunga l attesa is about 10 seconds or one musical phrase longer, because the men’s program is slightly longer than the ladies).
2. MK’s program opened with the orchestration of the melody for Oh dolci baci o languide carezze. Puccini orchestrated this for the second piece “Mario Cavaradossi” in act 3. This is followed by the orchestration of the entire E lucevan le stele. (E lucevan le stele opens with the melody of Oh dolci baci o languide carezze.) Mk skated this up to the end of the double axel. In the story, Cavaradossi is brought on under military guard, signaling the beginning of the end, leading to the tragic ending. When all this is happening he reminisced about times with Tosca -- and the stars are shining aria.
The music then changed to Come e lunga. (IMO not the place for the camel spin, perhaps some footwork. But I understand MK had finished a few jumps, and she really had to put a spin there.) The Come e lunga was played almost for it’s entirely. Then it changed into the soft yearning e lucevan le stelle, not bad for the Kwan spiral. The rest of the music is a repeat of the orchestration of e lucevan le stele, mainly the Oh dolci theme again. There is some variation of tempo and volume of this theme, but the same theme nonetheless, in MK's and Yag's programs. When MK started the footwork (to the exact beat of music of Yags free skate at 2000 Worlds) it was the dramatic violent orchestration of Oh dolci. In the opera Tosca just jumped off the tower screaming “Scarpia, I will see you in judgment day”, with soprano still screaming at the top of her lungs, the orchestra played the melody Oh dolci, and then the opera comes to the dramatic violent end. (Scarpia, Cavaradossi and Tosca all died violent deaths).
It will be interesting to see how Michelle will "make this music her own," as she has done so dramatically in the past.
So, did Morosov just dust off an old Yagudin program for Michelle? One would think that as world champion she would command greater respect from her choreographer. No wonder Morosov could create this program in two hours. What do you all think?
Mathman
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