Unused pieces in old warhorses

[janetfan]

How come no one ever skates to the 1812 Overture?

Does anyone have an answer for that :think:

And why so little skating to Respighi?

Fountains
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABU-YDuHqFk&feature=related

Ancient Airs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvJC5t7-zQk

Pines
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYz7PfHrDWk

 

[Mathman]

Does anyone have an answer for that :think:

I think it might be too overwhelming. A tiny skater whirling delicately about while a thousand church bells are gonging their hearts out, cannons booming, Moscow in flames, the army of Napoleon sweeping forward on the wings of La Marseillaise...

But then again, someone did Beethoven's Fifth last year.

 

[Olympia]

Does anyone have an answer for that :think:

And why so little skating to Respighi?

Fountains
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABU-YDuHqFk&feature=related

Ancient Airs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvJC5t7-zQk

Pines
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYz7PfHrDWk

Yeah, Respighi is such a wonderful orchestrator that I'd love to hear someone skate to him, especially Fountains of Rome. Or the third section of the Botticelli Triptych, the Birth of Venus:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdQ9ONMsxd8

 

[Tinymavy15]

Oh and out of the Nutcracker, "Arabian Dance" is beautiful yet very little used. I would love to see someone do justice to it.

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

I always wait for someone to skate to this piece. I thought Caroline Zhang in her heyday would have been awesome since the ballet dance calls for very flexible moves which Caroline could translate to the ice so well.

I can't wait for an ice dance team to take on "Past the Point of No Return" from POTO. That score is used so much but that piece not really, and if used it is always part of a medley. It would be nice to see it as a standalone Tango, maybe for a SD one year.

 

[janetfan]

I think it might be too overwhelming. A tiny skater whirling delicately about while a thousand church bells are gonging their hearts out, cannons booming, Moscow in flames, the army of Napoleon sweeping forward on the wings of La Marseillaise...

.

Or we could just say Yagudin has retired and none of today's Men are up to it.

Thinking ahead to 2014, perhaps the returning Olympic champion could bring 1812 with him to Sochi. He seems to like warhorses and it would be fun watching him skate to 1812 as Grandpa once again tries to prove he is the tango king.

By that time Chan will have finaly mastered his "Phantom" program only to find ou too late the judges are sick of it

 

[Spun Silver]

But then again, someone did Beethoven's Fifth last year.

And it was a big mistake.

 

[A.H.Black]

Concerning Respighi; There are a few skaters that have used it a U.S. Nationals, but not successfully. I think the problem may be the dynamic shading of his music. When I listen to Pines of Rome I find myself having to adjust the volume more than once. If I'm in the car, I can never hear half of the catacomb's section and I can't begin to get the full effect of the Appian Way. I think Respighi's music is enjoyed best in live performances.

I'm sure an expert sound engineer could overcome these issues. It only needs a skater with some funds to cut the music well and Pines of Rome could become one of the great skating "warhorses".

Just like I love those chords in Daphnis and Chloe, I thrill to the way that "Pines of the Appian Way" gets all the way there and leaves me feeling complete. With the right skater it could be a masterpiece.

As with Daphnis and Chloe, I can't find a really good version of Pines of the Appian Way on youtube.

 

[blue dog]

In response to the poster who asked if Nocturne from Carmen had been used-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bgiMdbiPHk

Just that once, I believe.

I have also never heard of anyone using Clara's pas de deux:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=742QkQYRmqE

 

[Olympia]

Concerning Respighi; There are a few skaters that have used it a U.S. Nationals, but not successfully. I think the problem may be the dynamic shading of his music. When I listen to Pines of Rome I find myself having to adjust the volume more than once. If I'm in the car, I can never hear half of the catacomb's section and I can't begin to get the full effect of the Appian Way. I think Respighi's music is enjoyed best in live performances.

I'm sure an expert sound engineer could overcome these issues. It only needs a skater with some funds to cut the music well and Pines of Rome could become one of the great skating "warhorses".

Just like I love those chords in Daphnis and Chloe, I thrill to the way that "Pines of the Appian Way" gets all the way there and leaves me feeling complete. With the right skater it could be a masterpiece.

As with Daphnis and Chloe, I can't find a really good version of Pines of the Appian Way on youtube.

You're right about the audio in "Pines" and "Fountains" also, but the Botticelli one has a pretty constant volume, and it accelerates beautifully in tempo. It could make a lovely short program, with some cuts. There's a bit in the end where the music stops and then starts again...I always imagined a pair routine with death spiral that became airborne there, the way Grinkov used to spin Gordeyeva into the air for a rotation or two in pro programs.

Math, I'm still chuckling over your description of the 1812 Overture as a vehicle for a ladies' singles skater. Don't let Mao see your post, or she'll commission TAT to choreograph it for her! And I've got her pegged for the Botticelli piece.

Postscript: Speaking of warhorses, no one's mentioned Dvorak's New World Symphony. Wouldn't that be a rich trove of music, some suitable and some not so much. The first movement especially, with that fierce A theme and the serene B theme, would have lots of potential.

 

[blue dog]

Postscript: Speaking of warhorses, no one's mentioned Dvorak's New World Symphony. Wouldn't that be a rich trove of music, some suitable and some not so much. The first movement especially, with that fierce A theme and the serene B theme, would have lots of potential.

OMG YES! I love that selection--and it is very dynamic. It has lots of levels, and if edited correctly, could make a wonderful program!

In general, I've found Dvorak to be the "forgotten" composer in skating. He doesn't get as much play as Tchaikovsky, Bizet, or the others.

I would also like to see Elgar's Cello Concerto. Very elegiac, yes, but for the right introspective skater, it could be a masterpiece.

 

[snowflake]

I think it was Klimkin who actually used it. He was a master interpreter of music on ice. I believe his choreographer died and while Klimkin continued to skate according to the norms of figure skating, he was no longer special, imo. Also the era was dominated by that master jumper, Evgeni. c'est la vie.

I can't resist... yes, that was him

 

[Olympia]

You know what occurs to me...the opera Hansel and Gretel could be considered a warhorse, and the overture is so lush and gorgeous that it would make a really outstanding program. It's not cutesy music at all but very stirring in the tradition of Wagner (of whom Humperdinck was a follower), very "German forest"--sweeping and lyrical, with plenty of varying tempi. It suggests a complete narrative thread.

overture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Fm60b0X51c&feature=related
(This is just under eight minutes long, but it can be cut, of course.)

 

[A.H.Black]

You know what occurs to me...the opera Hansel and Gretel could be considered a warhorse, and the overture is so lush and gorgeous that it would make a really outstanding program. It's not cutesy music at all but very stirring in the tradition of Wagner (of whom Humperdinck was a follower), very "German forest"--sweeping and lyrical, with plenty of varying tempi. It suggests a complete narrative thread.

I agree. It's beautiful music.