what music should Patrick Chan skate to next year?? | Golden Skate

what music should Patrick Chan skate to next year??

Becki

Medalist
Joined
Nov 28, 2011
A little bit off topic here, but after watching that video of Plushenko, I was looked for other videos and found this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVK8Cq2LLL4

Apparently he was a replacement at the 1998 Worlds, where he medaled (bronze) at his debut. His SP was to Concerto de Aranjuez, and the commentators provided a bit of insight into Plushenko's life at the time. Wow, Mishin did a lot for Plushenko - he paid for his airline ticket to Worlds as a back-up when the Russian Federation did not. And Plushenko wanted to win competitions 'cause his family was very poor at the time, and Mishin had to pay their rent.

Anyways, sorry back to the topic. I'll like to see Patrick skate to Tango de Roxanne!
 

OS

Sedated by Modonium
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Bolero? The greatest surely belong to Torvill and Dean? Although I must admit Plushenko is simply incredible.

Patrick need to stay away from pretty soft classical music if he really want to improve his artistry. Go for something more original, something he can call his own and stay away from someone else tried and tested music (aka cliched classical 101 greatest hits!). IMO, he has yet to produce a truly stunning signature program that people will pay to go and see, despite they are well scored performances. This is something he'd need as a 2 times world champion who's now probably after popularity (for sponsorships) more than prestige now. He is an astute student of figure skating, graduated top of the class, but he need to consider what skating means to him personally, even take a few risks here and there, experimenting and to have fun.

Something with a bit more originality, creativity, fully realized conceptual themes that goes beyond the surface of costumes. Something with greater variance in the emotional tones and risk of highs and lows, that can generate wild fan fare, raucousness that makes far great impression beyond the technical.

'Less is More' can be the highest form of artistic realization (love the Elegie in E Flat Minor by Buttle) , but there must be 'more' to begin with and in my opinion we haven't seen enough of the 'more' from Patrick Chan yet.
 

Jaana

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
Finland
I think "Bolero" would be an excellent SP choice for Chan! It does not matter that Torvill & Dean own it, because they are ice dancers. I like Plushenko´s Bolero a lot, but it is very much from different era and in my opinion Chan could express most of Plushenko´s hand gestures with his feet.

Chan´s LP could be "Caravan". The way he floates on the ice would really fit this music. He could use this version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5loTx0_KDE

and find additional material here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dJQyCYa8vY

I don´t share the enthusiasm for something new, because EVERY choreography to any music is new. What matters is the fact who is skating to the music....
 
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Aprilsnowy

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Bolero? The greatest surely belong to Torvill and Dean? Although I must admit Plushenko is simply incredible.

Patrick need to stay away from pretty soft classical music if he really want to improve his artistry. Go for something more original, something he can call his own and stay away from someone else tried and tested music (aka cliched classical 101 greatest hits!). IMO, he has yet to produce a truly stunning signature program that people will pay to go and see, despite they are well scored performances. This is something he'd need as a 2 times world champion who's now probably after popularity (for sponsorships) more than prestige now. He is an astute student of figure skating, graduated top of the class, but he need to consider what skating means to him personally, even take a few risks here and there, experimenting and to have fun.

Something with a bit more originality, creativity, fully realized conceptual themes that goes beyond the surface of costumes. Something with greater variance in the emotional tones and risk of highs and lows, that can generate wild fan fare, raucousness that makes far great impression beyond the technical.

'Less is More' can be the highest form of artistic realization (love the Elegie in E Flat Minor by Buttle) , but there must be 'more' to begin with and in my opinion we haven't seen enough of the 'more' from Patrick Chan yet.

Well said. I totally agree with you. It's time for Patrick to take a risk and try an unknown music!
 

STARushka

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 25, 2007
Bolero and Tango are used enough in FS. Plushenko, Lysacek etc. Patrick aslo already skated to this Tango. He needs smth new, I agree with Aprilsowy - it's time to try and take a risk.
 

skatinginbc

Medalist
Joined
Aug 26, 2010
Speaking of taking risk, Chan may consider the following:
1. Go to Nikolai Morozov and get a hip-hop program like Daisuke's famous Swan Lake. What I'm getting at is the rhythm and energy as shown in the step sequence of Yagudin's Winter and Daisuke's Swan Lake, something Chan hasn't demonstrated in a competitive program.
2. Go to David Wilson and get a soulful program like Jeffrey Buttle's Nagoygatsi. What I'm getting at is the prolonged glide and emotional expression as shown in the transition of Daisuke's "In the Garden of Souls" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ALhIy9ZyscQ#t=117s) and Jeffrey's Nagoygatsi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=MYv170n84Tw#t=124s). The difficulty of those "simple" moves is: (1) One cannot cheat at the timing. A perfect synchronization with the music is required. (2) All attention is on how well one can use his whole body (face, arms, torso, everything) to express the music/mood. (3) Any tiny wobble of the feet is plainly detectable. No hiding behind quick feet, almost like naked in front of spotlight.
 
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figureskate

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 7, 2011
does anyone know if he is going to use this season's lp again next year? I don't know if it would be a right choice. I am totally in love with this program and he hadn't performed it at his best in an international stage but it seems like he got bored of his short by presenting it for the second year
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
I have to admit that I'm not a fan of "Bolero" as a piece of music. I love Torvill and Dean's version, of course, but the music itself has never moved me. (Even when Michelle skated to it). And now it's been done, and done, and done.

"Roxanne"--I'd mind it less if someone didn't use the lyrics. Even taking away the crude aspect of it, it has an emotional rawness that doesn't work with someone as young and sheltered as most singles skaters. There are other tangos out there, folks.

There's so much other Russian music than just Swan Lake and Scheherezade! Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov were the two most dominant and prolific Russian composers of the nineteenth century. There are sections of the last movement of Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony that have all the motion and passion anyone could want. Rimsky-Korsakov's operas are full of rich and vibrant music. As an example, here's the Wedding Procession from his Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh, which has far more rhythmic possibilities than "Bolero."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j35_5jIAKIo



Another great composer for full-blooded music is Sibelius. Here is the Nocturne from his King Christian II suite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4eAsOZtkIk

Both these pieces would have to be cut, but they would make for truly memorable programs, I think. And there's a lot more where that came from.
 

OS

Sedated by Modonium
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Muse, Knights of Cydonia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkU5RPPezyE

Skipped to 30 seconds on. Obviously the music need to be edited/recorded over to cut out any vocals, but the sound has an haunting, edgy, epic quality all over it. Great pacing, maintaining the rhythm and tension Patrick lacks in his other program. He need to win over the audience with his technical marvel while breaking their heart playing the fool king/lord/knight, braving doom with melancholy likely leading to a tragic but glorious ending waltzed in a very dark fairy tale/fantasy. In the right hands, this would make a fantastic competition program that can also sell out shows.

A more lighter version have been recorded by others such as this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ln6VksuYhA
 
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wallylutz

Medalist
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Some suggestions

Led Zeppelin's "Moby Dick"
"Vltava" from Bedřich Smetana Ma Vlast symphonic poem
Tan Dun compositions for the movie Hero
Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity by Gustav Holst
"Escape to India" from the Kundun soundtrack, by (interestingly enough) Phillip Glass

I listened to all your suggestions and like the Hero and Jupiter suggestions. As for the Kundun soundtrack - that is a very bad idea for the simple reason that is a politically sensitive choice for Chan to skate to due to the Dalai Lama connection. A large part of his fan base is in fact Chinese and it would be inappropriate for being associated in a political sensitive issue. Athletes should try to remain clear from political statements, even just the appearance of such connection, for their own good.
 

OS

Sedated by Modonium
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
I listened to all your suggestions and like the Hero and Jupiter suggestions. As for the Kundun soundtrack - that is a very bad idea for the simple reason that is a politically sensitive choice for Chan to skate to due to the Dalai Lama connection. A large part of his fan base is in fact Chinese and it would be inappropriate for being associated in a political sensitive issue. Athletes should try to remain clear from political statements, even just the appearance of such connection, for their own good.

Politics is part of art and art are usually derived from politics. To artificially separate them would be denying the existence of art in the sport and made the whole thing overly politically correct with the art superficial and bland with no where to go. If such statement is true, no Russian skaters are allowed to skate to Russian Music, No American skaters are allowed to skate to Gershwin etc.
 
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ImaginaryPogue

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
In this case, though, I'd argue it would be wiser for Chan (who stated he wasn't aware that China had any human rights violations in an interview to PJ Kwong) to avoid this political issue.
 

skatinginbc

Medalist
Joined
Aug 26, 2010
Muse, Knights of Cydonia...
I listened to it again and again, trying to envision a skating program. What I saw was Daisuke skating to it as his short program, and when he finished, the entire audience, enthused by his powerful and colorful performance that went perfectly with the music, burst into clapping in a prolonged standing ovation.
 

OS

Sedated by Modonium
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
In this case, though, I'd argue it would be wiser for Chan (who stated he wasn't aware that China had any human rights violations in an interview to PJ Kwong) to avoid this political issue.

It is sad to see the double standard applied here, so basically Chan despite his last name are 'wiser' to never skate anything that may refer to his ethnic root or one of his largest supporters (at least financially?), or is it more to do with the western media vendetta that has nothing to do with is being performed and acknowledged? Human violation happens everywhere not just in China (and certainly include USA and UK against the non existance WMD) and it should be condoned to the extreme, but we shouldn't muck up everything for the sake of a cause without acknowledging the whole.

Since when is Mozart anti semitic? Or Tchaikovsky Communist music?

I listened to it again and again, trying to envision a skating program. What I saw was Daisuke skating to it as his short program, and when he finished, the entire audience, enthused by his powerful and colorful performance that went perfectly with the music, burst into clapping in a prolonged standing ovation.

Yeah Daisuke can do this and he would be amazing for it but maybe that's the reason he shouldn't do it. I am a big fan of see how skaters capable of reinvent themselves year after year such as Daisuke this year from the year before. I think it would be a better suited for Patrick, since he is the current king of figure skating and he already has this the sort of built in stature and the technical brilliance already. It is also something we rarely see him do, skate something current and right for his age. (I'd argue Take 5 is so 4 decades ago) He is a young man capable of pleasing beyond the grandparents/parents/skating connoisseur crowd, and you need something that can make him even bigger star, a pop/epic theme capable of sustain a year of repeats and reach out to new audiences as the head of men's figure skating.
 
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