"Bells" is a very difficult piece to pull off, because it's strange and empty feeling. Therefore, it draws extra focus to what the skater is actually doing. That's probably why the program won't work if Mao makes even one mistake because it becomes quite disruptive. Whereas, for a more pleasing type of music, little mistakes can be more tolerant. Also, I think why the music piece and Mao doesn't fit is because of her style of skating. Mao has always had a quiet presence on the ice. However, "Bells" needs a skater to have a larger than life presence on the ice to effectively pull it off. In other words, he/she needs to be a diva. However, it's pretty hard for anyone to picture Mao as a diva. I also watched Jeffrey Buttle's interpretation of this music and I didn't think he pulled it off either because he doesn't have that diva presence. I think this music could work on Yagudin or Plushenko because their egos were big enough.
After hearing orchestra version throughout the season, Jeff's piano Bells sounded so light. I like that sensitive quality. The orchestra version and the piano version give very different impressions. I can't really believe that they are the same piece! I now like the orchestra version better, but I think the piano version more beautiful.
I think that the orchestra Bells may have more naturally suited Yag or Shizuka before losing weight.