Which Sasha? Fiery/Attitude or Graceful/Beautiful? | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Which Sasha? Fiery/Attitude or Graceful/Beautiful?

rtureck

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Jaana said:
I don´t remember what it was called, it just remained in my mind as a beautiful and lyrical performance. She may have had a white costume and it definetely was a short programme. Sasha got silver medal in US nationals that year, I believe. As far as I remember she won with that short programme over Kwan. Next season she was injured and did not participate in US Nationals.

Marjaana

Kwan fell on her triple toe in that competition. The piece was commonly called Albinoni's adagio (more accurately Giazotto's adagio) In 1945 Remo Giazotto discovered a music fragment from Albinoni in the Dresden State Library while he was working on a biography. Based on this fragment Giazotti composed the adagio

I think that was the only time I sensed that Sasha skated with some soul, since then all her programs came across rather cold.

I do not believe in bravura vs lyricisim. IMHO true bravura performers have PERFECT technique, and there are only rare few who have perfect technique. IMHO Sasha does not have perfect technique to qualify to be bravura. To me perfect technique is not important, soul and humanity are the key. Heifetz may qualify to have close to perfect technique. Sometimes he forgot to put in the soul, and his bravura left me cold, but when he was soulful e.g. Bruch's violin concerto and Bruch's Scottish fantasy (some of the technically easiest pieces) the music was out of this world beautiful.

It is not a matter of lyricism either. One of the greatest performace in my book was Oistrakh's interpretation of Shostakovich violin concerto. He was not particualarly lyric, but Oistrkah put his soul into the piece, and you can hear him sweating blood, with close to perfect technique to boot. Contrast that to Hahn's interpretation of the DSCH violin concerto, where she executed with superb technique, and leaves me cold asking where is the soul, where is the humanity?

To me therefore, it is not a choice of bravura or lyric, but whether a performer is willing to sweat blood for the soul and humanity to add to the lyric or bravura.

Back to Sasha, it really is not that important whether she is fiery or lyric, skating is still a sport, it is still about edges, jumps and spins.
 
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hockeyfan228

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I thought Cohen lyrical in her World quali performance of Swan Lake. I think Wagner's changes to the choreography emphasized edges and blade speed, and I saw quite an improvement, which didn't come through when she froze and reverted in the LP. She has beautiful spins, and except for the flutz, superb jumping technique. Her flow is consistently fine out of her single jumps. (She goes a bit dead in her jump/2T combos.)

I quite liked Hahn's performance of the Shostakovitch Violin Concerto. I don't think it's her final say -- she's was only 23 or 24 when she recorded it. I think it shows a more intellectual soul than other performances I've heard, but I didn't think it was soulless nor technique for technique's sake, which is my impression of most of Heifetz' work. JMO.
 

rtureck

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
hockeyfan228 said:
I quite liked Hahn's performance of the Shostakovitch Violin Concerto. I don't think it's her final say -- she's was only 23 or 24 when she recorded it. I think it shows a more intellectual soul than other performances I've heard, but I didn't think it was soulless nor technique for technique's sake, which is my impression of most of Heifetz' work. JMO.

I hope it is not Hahn's final say on the DSCH violin concerto. For my taste of the DSCH, maybe unfairly comparing everyone to King Daivd (Oistrakh) I prefer more humanity. Intellectual soul, OK good for the fast movement, she was lyrical with the nocturne, but I think her Passacaglia could use more soul, does not mean she was souless. Come on this is Shostakovich VC #1. (BTW, I am a HUGE HH fan) I think it is good for her to try a piece like DSCH VC #1, I think with more maturity and committment, she will be great with this piece.

Heifetz put his soul into the Wienawski, Bruch and Korngold, and these pieces are out of the world beautiful. Interestingly these are easier (technically speaking) pieces.

Skating is a sport, so it is still the jumps, spins and edge that count. JMHO, Cohen is probably middle of the road in this bravura ------ lyric spectrum. IMHO, Sarah who was also coached by Robin is more soulful than Cohen.
 
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shine

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
I always wondered why Cohen seemed to receive more hype than Stellato. If there was one skater who could be both "bravura" and "lyrical" at the time, it was Deanna. She was totally brilliant in all her technical elements, but skated with a sensitivity to music far beyond what Cohen had ever done. Too bad she quit.
To me, Cohen just doesn't have it in her to be a lyrical skater. Her body doesn't have that supple quality. All I see is tention, stretch and more tention and stretch. Sure her technical elements leave little room for criticism beside the flutz (which is why I think she will have an edge over Kwan and Arakawa), and she can wow everyone with her extra effort to make every element look spectacular. But in terms of intepreting the music, I still say she's better suited for Carmen, Malaguena and all the other rhythm-oriented, attitude requiring pieces; and I'd have liked that she left Rachmaninoff alone, because her drama and attitude didn't work there.
In a way she reminds me of Plushenko. Only that Plushenko has much more power and flow on that ice.
 
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rtureck

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
shine said:
Sure her technical elements leave little room for criticism beside the flutz (which is why I think she will have an edge over Kwan and Arakawa), .

I think Kwan and Arakawa have EDGES over Cohen, Sasha has spins over them.
 
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skatepixie

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 2, 2003
I couldnt do without either of them. Personally, I think its best when she has one of each, which she usually does.
 

reverie81

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 24, 2004
sasha

I personally am very curious to see her Nutcracker program choreographed by Zueva. I think that is a match to watch- because Zueva can put depth behind quiet music. And it's good for Sasha, I think, to try different things. If she played Carmen every season, it would get tiresome. A full reportoire never hurt anyone! :laugh:
 
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