Your favourite warhorse program!

[Skatesocs]

I was going to add Lu Chen’s Rach II as a co-favorite, but then I realized that the Second Movement, which she skated to, is not a warhorse at all. Who else skated to it in competition? I know Davis and White did it as an exhibition but I can’t think of anyone else.

You should have just cheated like the rest of us

 

[eppen]

I would accept most of the pieces of music by the OP as warhorses, but the term might have suffered a slight inflation - not every fashionable piece of music turns into a warhorse.

I personally would expect some longevity and in that time also relatively frequent use - Carmen, Don Quixote, Firebird have been used pretty regularly since the 1970s (Firebird probably much less than those others), for example. Carmen probably around 200 times so in average 4-5 times per season. The same with the R&J earlier versions than the 1970s (and West Side Story was not used at all last season, but before that pretty regularly one or more programs per season). Even the more recent ones, the Luhrmann movie OST esp qualify.

POTO was very slow considering that the musical was made made in the 1980s (however, the first time in competition already in 1988 by Natalia Lebedeva), but again a new life after vocals ban was lifted - the dreaded 2014-5 season featured at least 19 POTO programs in all disciplines, not just the ones in that were seen one after another in a men's competition (it was the worlds, right?).

Matrix and Pirates of the Caribbean are also at least minor warhorses with 50-60 programs in the last 20 years, but compared to Moulin Rouge nothing. That seemed to be slightly vaning before vocals were allowed for singles and pairs in 2014 and it seemed to get new life (35 programmes pre 2010-1 season and 73 since, 53 of them starting from 2014-5).

Vicente Amigo's Poeta album came out in 1996 and it was - as far as I could find out - first used in the early 2000s (maybe Tom Dickson's discovery? I have not checked very many ID and pairs for 1996-2000 though) and since then at least 35 times in all disciplines. Curiously enough, all before Lambiel in 2006-7 seem to have been junior programs. But compared to most others not hugely popular, borderline warhorse?

Chaplin theme has a strange history - the first I could find was Liz Manley SP in 1981-2, the Barber/Slater FD a few years later, one program used for 2 seasons in the 1990s (pre-2000 I have not checked pairs/ID and there could be some there). But has become quite popular in the 2000s - some 70 programs.

There have been shorter fashions, like a flurry of jazz/swing programs in the late 1980s - maybe related to the popularity of the movie Cotton Club? Some don't stick (and it is a great thing that there are so few Titanic programs, for example!).

It is a pity that tracing the use of music is so difficult - compared to several results databases organized in different ways, there is nothing for music despite its importance for the sport. There was one, Skate Music, but it died a long time ago. It seems not to have been saved by anyone which is a pity because it had a lot of data for the pre 2000s era. That is now maybe lost or at least very difficult to find and collect. Basically you would need a video to hear what they were skating to and even then identifying the music is not always easy. I wonder if ISU's archives would include paper versions of their current online skater bios?

I watched a lot of old FS during the spring and started to record occurrences of some pieces that interested me and the numbers cited above are results of that work - did not watch pairs or ID pre-2000s, so that is missing. For the 2000s the data is more reliable, because a lot of the music info is recorded in Wikipedia, but even there are gaps for the less popular skaters.

E

 

[Skatesocs]

FTR, I think if you typed in the name of a piece of music in here, you'll get several results. IDT it's complete by any means, but useful. Here's Liebestraume: https://figure-skating.fandom.com/wiki/Liebesträume

 

[noskates]

I always have to laugh when a question is posed as "what is your favorite!" and people list 15-20 or more programs. Which one is your favorite?

 

[icetug]

and West Side Story was not used at all last season

It was, by Lajoie/Lagha for their SP

 

[lappo]

It is a pity that tracing the use of music is so difficult - compared to several results databases organized in different ways, there is nothing for music despite its importance for the sport. There was one, Skate Music, but it died a long time ago. It seems not to have been saved by anyone which is a pity because it had a lot of data for the pre 2000s era. That is now maybe lost or at least very difficult to find and collect. Basically you would need a video to hear what they were skating to and even then identifying the music is not always easy. I wonder if ISU's archives would include paper versions of their current online skater bios?

I watched a lot of old FS during the spring and started to record occurrences of some pieces that interested me and the numbers cited above are results of that work - did not watch pairs or ID pre-2000s, so that is missing. For the 2000s the data is more reliable, because a lot of the music info is recorded in Wikipedia, but even there are gaps for the less popular skaters.

E

Thanks for your input! I find this part particularly interesting, it could be a good project to realize in a collective way on the forum combining the lknowledge of all of its members.

 

[jenaj]

I always have to laugh when a question is posed as "what is your favorite!" and people list 15-20 or more programs. Which one is your favorite?

The question called for a favorite for every warhorse program, not just one favorite program.

 

[gkelly]

Chaplin theme has a strange history - the first I could find was Liz Manley SP in 1981-2, the Barber/Slater FD a few years later, one program used for 2 seasons in the 1990s (pre-2000 I have not checked pairs/ID and there could be some there). But has become quite popular in the 2000s - some 70 programs.

I wasn't familiar with Manley's program before you mentioned this.

I have heard tell of a 1980s Chaplin show program by a professional skater named Kirk Wyse.


From the 1990s:
exhibition

freeskate (choreographed by Wyse)

freeskate

 

[EyesOfLove]

I was going to add Lu Chen’s Rach II as a co-favorite, but then I realized that the Second Movement, which she skated to, is not a warhorse at all. Who else skated to it in competition? I know Davis and White did it as an exhibition but I can’t think of anyone else.

There are quite a few skaters who used the 2nd mov in their programs, but mostly as the "slow section" rather than the entirety thereof. e.g., Cohen 02/03 LP, Hughes 01/02 LP (pre-olympics version), Fumie Suguri 05/06 LP, Takahashi 05/06 LP, and so forth.

 

[icybear]

It is a pity that tracing the use of music is so difficult - compared to several results databases organized in different ways, there is nothing for music despite its importance for the sport. There was one, Skate Music, but it died a long time ago. It seems not to have been saved by anyone which is a pity because it had a lot of data for the pre 2000s era. That is now maybe lost or at least very difficult to find and collect. Basically you would need a video to hear what they were skating to and even then identifying the music is not always easy. I wonder if ISU's archives would include paper versions of their current online skater bios?

E

There is a website which lists figure skating music and all the skaters that have used them. https://figure-skating.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Music

 

[TontoK]

I wasn't familiar with Manley's program before you mentioned this.

I have heard tell of a 1980s Chaplin show program by a professional skater named Kirk Wyse.


From the 1990s:
exhibition

freeskate (choreographed by Wyse)

freeskate

Huh. Me either. The earliest I can recall is Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze, 2000.

I loved this pair, if not the program.

Here's 2001 Worlds, complete with fluff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4hIg7pR_t0

 

[eppen]

Thanks for your input! I find this part particularly interesting, it could be a good project to realize in a collective way on the forum combining the lknowledge of all of its members.

That would probably be the way to do it, but it would be a huge undertaking!

Thanks for the posters for the links to the wikipedia music page - I did know of its existance and even dabbled a little with it when I was thinking of doing what I wanted to do and how to go about. But it seems that those pages include only a part of the skaters in wikipedia and with programs listings (I wonder if it might depend on links to the page of the music or sth? Have not figured out how it has been made...) But I checked it against my own collection and I have for example 61 competition programs for West Side Story since 2000 and the entry in the Fandom page has only 30 or so.

As I said earlier, Wikipedia pages for most skaters include programs regularly since 2000 - however, in the cases of popular skaters the list often extends to the 1990s. And vice versa, the less well-known ones don't have even a wikipedia entry, let alone a program listing even in the 2000s. That info tends to be documented with the ISU entries, often also archived properly - except for a lot of US skaters who have only a demised link to IceNetwork... But even then, it is a good idea to actually check the program music from video if possible. There are lots of mistakes in the ISU entries, plus missing info or vague expressions ("flamenco medley", "jazz medley", "tango medley"). Then the wikipedia has also mistakes, the data has not been entered correctly (eg to a wrong season).

The info for most pre-2000 programs - at least that I could easily access - seems to be available only on video. Basically you have to watch and listen and figure out what it is. I have started to love the copyright info generated to quite a few videos. And knowledgeable fan comments. 1990s is still relatively easy, because the thematic selection of music started at that time and a lot of the programs have been put together from bits and pieces from one source. But the 1980s make me shudder with horror - most programs were cut and pasted from 2-x number of pieces which could be almost anything from classical to jazz to pop and beyond. Shazam has become my trusted friend, but even that database does not include most of the stuff appearing in those 1980s soundtracks...

What I did started with Carmen, the warhorse of the ages, so to say, and then extended to thinking about the Spanish theme as a larger phenomenon (Don Quixote, Malaguena, Espana Cani, Aranjuez, Capriccio Espagnol, Isaac Albeniz, later flamenco in very many different versions, and movie soundtracks). Spanishness is an incredibly commonly used cultural theme in figure skating, there is really no other similar one (Argentine tango maybe, but that is a much later infatuation). Then, because of my love for Javier Fernández, I also started to look at some other bits that he has skated to (Matrix, Pirates, Chaplin). And out of sheer curiosity did also Romeo & Juliet theme, Moulin Rouge and POTO. For the pre-2000s it was mostly watching or at least browsing whatever was available on YT, then 2000s was helped by wikipedia. I based my list on those who managed to get into one of the major championships (Worlds, Euros, 4CC, Junior worlds) which still leaves a lot of skaters outside. This has been an excellent form of entertainment over the corona quarantine confinement...

I am now also enormously delighted that I was able to provide a tidbit of information that the amazing memory monster gkelly did not know! The 1990s competition program with Chaplin was Anna Jurkiewicz of Poland, SP 1995-7.

E

 

[iluvtodd]

Huh. Me either. The earliest I can recall is Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze, 2000.

I loved this pair, if not the program.

Here's 2001 Worlds, complete with fluff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4hIg7pR_t0

Re: Chaplin programs, Todd E. also did one circa 1992/1993. Petr Barna also did a Chaplin program (exhibition @ 1992 Winter Olympics, I think)

Re: Kirk Wyse - He choreographed Todd's 1996 "First Knight" program! :luv17:

 

[mrrice]

I don't know if La Strada is considered a Warhorse but, I sure do love that music. They were just babies but Haven and Brandon won Junior Worlds with it in 2012/13......https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eihOf2ZoyQ8

 

[labgoat]

Petr Barna did a Chaplin exhibition that was quite popular
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x846VvrNEQM

 

[TontoK]

Having seen the video, now I do remember Todd doing a Chaplin program.

Same story for me as with B&S. Love the skater, the program not so much. Can't hold a candle to First Knight.

I don't recall Petr Barna's program even being reminded, but I don't watch galas very often, and he wasn't one of my favorites.

 

[MGstyle]

Oh Chaplin - several memorable ones that I hold dear to my heart! B&S of course, Misha Ge, Anna & Luca, Keegan, Daniel Grassl... :luv17:

La Strada, to me it belongs to Daisuke Takahashi, with Rahkamo & Kokko closely behind.

 

[LadyB]

Bolero:Torvill/Dean
Carmen: Stolbova/Klimov
Firebird:Toller Cranston
Les Miserables: Andrey Kutovoy
Rach II: Tarasova/Morozov
Turandot: Shoma Uno

Maria de Buenos Aires: Weaver/Poje
Masquerade Waltz: Volosozhar/Trankov

- - - Updated - - -

There is a website which lists figure skating music and all the skaters that have used them. https://figure-skating.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Music

Fantastic!!! I never knew that existed!

 

[iluvtodd]

I :luv17: the "La Strada" music, and particularly like Nam Nguyen's program to it!

 

[labgoat]

Having seen the video, now I do remember Todd doing a Chaplin program.

Same story for me as with B&S. Love the skater, the program not so much. Can't hold a candle to First Knight.

I don't recall Petr Barna's program even being reminded, but I don't watch galas very often, and he wasn't one of my favorites.

I think Petrr's version was such a change of pace from his usually serious work,; it was really nice to see his sense of humor come alive and I think he did the lovable tramp well.