Thank you very much Arriba for transcribing the Bridgestone Ice Desk interview! And I do agree, they discuss interesting things about the Men's FS, especially this part at the beginning. Also interesting is Ashley's point of view since she was still competing until very recently, so I presume she has a skater's perspective on choice of music:
MW: He was about 9 points behind Vincent Zhou and we talked about the places he can make it up in his component score. This program is just really well performed, well executed, he uses this quiet subtlety to his advantage. We talk sometimes that the most powerful thing is silence, and this program has a silent element to it that is just really powerful. And when he hit that opening 4F, that was the one that was going to be the question for him. The 4Ts have been awesome all week. Those elements were the ones he was sure of. The flip was the one we were concerned about. When he got past that, he was home free.
AW: But I think it was also his skating qualities. This is really difficult music to skate to because, quite honestly, it can either create something so captivating and commanding or it can be really boring. You have to be perfect for this to be really good, and he delivered today. The quality of spins, his edges. He hits every little nuance there is in the music, and it's just so interesting to watch as a viewer. I appreciate every moment of this program beyond the quads that he did phenomenally tonight.
I have... thoughts, about Moonlight Sonata (or, in its official name, Piano Sonata No. 14) and how it's used in figure skating, but, ever since that fateful day when Shoma announced that he will use it for his free skate this season, I was intrigued. I'm a pianist, and my point of view is that Moonlight Sonata is a very, very difficult music to skate to or to make a program out of. Of course, it has been used by many skaters, even this season Shoma shares the choice of music with plenty of skaters- and there have been some programs by top skaters and top choreographers that don't just win many medals, but also is universally acclaimed.
It's still a difficult music to skate to, and honestly not a lot of programs (universally acclaimed or otherwise) get the music cut right.
What impressed me the most is how Mihoko (and Shoma) structured this free skate. Musically. Even before it was adjusted to fit the 4:00 time limit, it already did what most of the programs didn't do, which is not cutting the First Movement abruptly to Third Movement in order to fit elements into the program. I believe Mihoko is one of the most musically-inclined choreographer currently working (choice of eclectic music notwithstanding... in my eyes, it somehow solidifies her credibility XD) but I've had enough bad MS cuts to wince at. So that's nice. But by having the First Movement takes so much time, with it comes another challenge: how do you sustain the crowd's and judges' attention to this program? The First Movement of MS is one of the most beautiful and recognizable melody in the world, but it's also very repetitive and with the wrong energy, you can sleep it off and think of it as boring.
That's why I thought it was a bold decision when it was announced. I don't think Shoma has ever dealt with this kind of music (the closest programs I think he has to MS is... This Town and SYA, weirdly. Even Kreutzer/Violin Sonata No. 9, which shares the same composer, has more edge, dynamic and drama to it) so the fact that Mihoko just gives it to him is almost like a challenge? Because making the competition cut of MS to be compelling is a pretty difficult thing to ask. It's structured beautifully, though. Every single element may not be full of innovative movement or creative entries/transitions but it just amplifies the music in a subtle, beautiful way. It's like the approach was not how to use this music for this program but how to structure this program with the music in a way that can elevate both Shoma's skating, the elements, and MS itself. Heck, even the ChSq is a subtle, beautiful thing: the spreadeagle carves a crescent moon on the ice (bonus point: the spreadeagle move itself is called "luna" in Italian figure skating terms...)
Even when the program is structured beautifully (it gets adjusted and simplified here and there, but it's never gone directly against the music to the point that it created actual dissonance), there's still one more aspect: Shoma himself. The way this program is, how Mihoko lets the music be, it leaves Shoma with no choice but to fill the silence with his presence. And with this kind of music (I used to doubt the Ashkenazy choice, I thought Shoma would be better served with a wilder interpretation of MS- Nobuyuki Tsujii's came to mind, but since Japanese Nationals, I came to realize that maybe the Ashkenazy choice was the right way to go- it challenges Shoma to meet it instead of meeting him) it asks him to be... soft, delicate but powerful. Full of presence but also hollow, in a way that haunts the entire arena. Almost... otherworldly, when one of the most defining characteristic of Shoma's skating is that it's so grounded.
That's why I didn't really worry about MS being another warhorse (therefore, Shoma is playing it safe) because it's a really different breed of warhorse compared to Turandot, which is identical to pomp and bombast, or even Lavender, with the wailing strings full of emotion, or Winter, full of almost an avant-garde sense of edge and drama and frosty branches. It's such a different sound, a different challenge, that I thought it can challenge Shoma to find a certain quality within him that he hasn't really bring out before.
And it's such a joy, to see how MS has grown with each competition. Every subtle nuance Shoma is hitting better and better, the connection he has with the music, the way he just sinks down into this different, still world (the Moon? Or the still lake where the Moon is reflected?) the moment the music starts and brings the entire arena with him. TSL has their review on 4CC up, and they refer to all Men's Program as jumping drills (because of the lack of transitions) and they hilariously refer to MS as a very beautiful jumping drill XD Like... sure, MS isn't a bastion of creative transitions and variety of entries and abundance of choreographic moments. But Mihoko and Shoma makes it its own unique thing. And it's beautiful, and difficult, and represents a different challenge to overcome, and I honestly feel that if it's not Shoma and Mihoko, this program might not even work at all, much less set a World Record. It truly demands total trust, restraint, commitment and conviction to the music. I feel like it's a different beast entirely, and I hope we can see Shoma with it at their peak, in Worlds.
TL;DR Moonlight Sonata is a difficult music to skate to, and I love what Mihoko and Shoma did with it.
Edited to add: As I wrote this post, the First Movement started playing on my Spotify XD
So interesting to hear you're a pianist. I'm sure that makes you bring a completely different perspective on how he uses the nuances and subtleties of the music...I know a lot of people thought "Oh no!" :dumb: when they heard of his music choice for the season. I never felt that way. I could immediately close my eyes and envision him skating to that haunting music! 
)...TSL had some very interesting comments too.
Bye kakkoi look, it's kawaii again.
