Irina and Michelle choice of music

[gio]

What do you think about the choices of music of Irina and Michelle this season? Irina isn't one of my fav skaters, but I like her style this year. In Totentanz she was great and I liked also the music of her LP, but the choreography wasn't very good in her LP IMO.
Which interpretation of Totentanz did you like more, of Irina or Michelle? For me is a tie, because Michelle is my fav skater and Totentanz was the only program of Irina that I liked.

 

[mzheng]

I was hoping we can get to see her jump less Totentanz or LP in COI tour or Marshalls. Heard even without jumps, it still looked very beautyful......But now seems we have to settle for the new number done by Sara K. ('Japanese Choreographer' who's done COI choreo).

 

[Tonichelle]

I was hoping we can get to see her jump less Totentanz or LP in COI tour or Marshalls. Heard even without jumps, it still looked very beautyful......But now seems we have to settle for the new number done by Sara K. ('Japanese Choreographer' who's done COI choreo).

Sarah Kawahara is the bomb! Love her choreography!

 

[Mathman]

Sarah Kowahara choreographed the original version of Scheherazade for Michelle's 2002 Olympic program. However, Sarah was busy with choreographing the Olympic show itself, featuring Kristi as the main attraction. So Michelle, without a coach or a choreographer, had to work on the program pretty much by herself leading up to Salt Lake City.

I liked both Irina's and Michelle's programs just fine, but I can't say that I like the music standing alone. To me, superimposing that driving techno beat over a classical composition never seems to work out very well.

MM

 

[gio]

I liked both Irina's and Michelle's programs just fine, but I can't say that I like the music standing alone. To me, superimposing that driving techno beat over a classical composition never seems to work out very well.

Do you think that it ruins the classical compositions? Some people call this arrangements "Euro trash". I like this "trash", but I'm not a classical purist.
IMO for Irina it worked.

In your opinion, what is the ideal music that a skater has to use. Just classical compositions? I would like to see more programs constructed on ethnic, folkish music.

 

[flowjo35]

Sarah is also the one who chorographed Michelle's gorgeous Fields of Gold program. I hope this program is along those lines. It was such a moving piece.

 

[flowjo35]

I was hoping we can get to see her jump less Totentanz or LP in COI tour or Marshalls. Heard even without jumps, it still looked very beautyful......But now seems we have to settle for the new number done by Sara K. ('Japanese Choreographer' who's done COI choreo).

Mzheng, have you seen Michelle's new program? I wish COI was televised, because they canceled the show where I live.

 

[mzheng]

Mzheng, have you seen Michelle's new program? I wish COI was televised, because they canceled the show where I live.

Nop. Sorry, I don't live in South Califonia. Just heard last week, it suppose to be done this past week.

 

[flowjo35]

Nop. Sorry, I don't live in South Califonia. Just heard last week, it suppose to be done this past week.

Thanks. I hope to at least get to see it on TV.

 

[antmanb]

Sarah Kowahara choreographed the original version of Scheherazade for Michelle's 2002 Olympic program. However, Sarah was busy with choreographing the Olympic show itself, featuring Kristi as the main attraction. So Michelle, without a coach or a choreographer, had to work on the program pretty much by herself leading up to Salt Lake City.

I liked both Irina's and Michelle's programs just fine, but I can't say that I like the music standing alone. To me, superimposing that driving techno beat over a classical composition never seems to work out very well.

MM

I don't think it woul dbe a good sksating piece but one where i do think it worked was William Orbit's versions of Barber's Adaggio for strings.

Ant

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Sarah and all other choreographers, good or not so good, lay down the pattern of a skating routine. Since most of the skaters do not have the time or money to take dance and ballet classes the skating choreographers often have to teach the student how to use their arms and body.

Sarah gave Michelle a decent pattern for her warhorse music, Scheherezade. Unfortunately, Michelle was not able into get to the character of the music. JMO

It's more than just a beautiful pattern of steps and elements. Kowahara, Nichol, Wilson and who ever does Lambiel's choreo, make beautiful musical patterns. However, it is just the beginning of the program. It is up to the skater to put something real into it. IMO, most do not. That damn quad and 3x3 makes them nervous.

Joe

 

[Mathman]

In your opinion, what is the ideal music that a skater has to use. Just classical compositions? I would like to see more programs constructed on ethnic, folkish music.

I do like classical the best. In fact, I don't mind hearing the same old war horses over and over (there's a reason why they are the war horses, LOL.)

But I wish more skaters would try "classical" classical music. That is, music from the Haydn/Mozart era. Instead, most skaters choose music from the "romantic" period (second half of the nineteenth century). Yes, this music is grand (i.e, loud), but to me it represents classical music in it's death throes. After Beethoven, there was really nothing else to say in the classical genre, so people tried to cover up by adding more instruments to the orchestra (Tchaikovski, Mahler, Wagner). Well, OK.

I also think the Baroque era is overlooked. I wish someone would skate to natural Baroque trumpet music. That would be amazing.

Lori Nichol has used both Bach and Mozart for Fumie.

On the other hand, I thought Lori's work with Michelle, when she found (and spliced together) unusual twentieth century classical music, like the Alwyn harp concerto "Lyra Angelica" -- that was pretty amazing, too.

All time worst music -- Brian Boitano's Wild Elephants, LOL.

MM

 

[antmanb]

Sarah and all other choreographers, good or not so good, lay down the pattern of a skating routine. Since most of the skaters do not have the time or money to take dance and ballet classes the skating choreographers often have to teach the student how to use their arms and body.

Sarah gave Michelle a decent pattern for her warhorse music, Scheherezade. Unfortunately, Michelle was not able into get to the character of the music. JMO

It's more than just a beautiful pattern of steps and elements. Kowahara, Nichol, Wilson and who ever does Lambiel's choreo, make beautiful musical patterns. However, it is just the beginning of the program. It is up to the skater to put something real into it. IMO, most do not. That damn quad and 3x3 makes them nervous.

Joe

Don't forget the 3A - most of the current top men have truly hideous entrance edges on their 3As, Sandhu, Buttle, Oda, Lysacek, VDP - all have horrible RBO prep edges. Lambiel's thankfully cleaned his up quite a bit. Plushy and Weir have a great nice entries (as well as the jump itself).

Ant

 

[Mathman]

Don't forget the 3A - most of the current top men have truly hideous entrance edges on their 3As, Sandhu, Buttle, Oda, Lysacek, VDP - all have horrible RBO prep edges.

I wonder if the quad killed off the triple Axel. Great champions of the past (Orser, Boitano, even Todd Eldredge) had amazing triple Axels.

Maybe training for the quad puts the 3A on the back burner these days.

 

[jenaj]

I was hoping we can get to see her jump less Totentanz or LP in COI tour or Marshalls. Heard even without jumps, it still looked very beautyful......But now seems we have to settle for the new number done by Sara K. ('Japanese Choreographer' who's done COI choreo).

Mzheng,
Have you heard that Michelle is unable to do jumps? Just wondering if she might not do one of these programs with fewer jumps rather than no jumps.

 

[gio]

I also think the Baroque era is overlooked. I wish someone would skate to natural Baroque trumpet music. That would be amazing.

Is the Baroque the era of Vivaldi and Albinoni?

 

[STL_Blues_fan]

wasn't Denkova and Staviskii OD from a few years back where they skated in mirror images a Baroque music? That was an amazing OD.

I actually like classical music arranged in modern beats. I have this amazing CD of various classical compositions done in with a quartet of guitars with Spanish influence. I love Vaness Mae's electric violin recordings (and her pieces have been used by skaters in the past). I also love "classical" rock done by orchestras.

 

[Mathman]

Is the Baroque the era of Vivaldi and Albinoni?

Yes. The Baroque era usually means from around 1600 to 1750. (Bach died in 1750, marking a convenient ending. Albinoni was born in 1671, Vivaldi in 1678, Bach and Handel both in 1685 (although Handel's music is least charateristic, IMHO, of what is usualy meant by the Baroque style.). It is characterized by ornate counterpoint rather than by harmony.

In general, I think I like the beginning of musical traditions better than endings. Louis Armstrong rather than Miles Davis. There is a huge wealth of really cool stuff from the 1600s that is hardly ever played. I think it would make great skating music.

MM

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

.In general, I think I like the beginning of musical traditions better than endings. Louis Armstrong rather than Miles Davis. There is a huge wealth of really cool stuff from the 1600s that is hardly ever played. I think it would make great skating music.MM

Next time you are in NYC check out the New York City Ballet. Ballanchine's ballets cover the entire scope of music and not just the 3 story ballets of Tschaikowsky.

You'll get everything from Bach and Vivaldi to Sousa and Jerome Kern, and lots of Stavrinski thrown in.

Joe

 

[antmanb]

I wonder if the quad killed off the triple Axel. Great champions of the past (Orser, Boitano, even Todd Eldredge) had amazing triple Axels.

Maybe training for the quad puts the 3A on the back burner these days.

Yeah i just don't get it - but then look at the skaters who's triple axel prep edge i criticised - they don't land the jump well. The theory on the prep edge for the Axel is to check all rotation and get your body lined up to step onto the LFO edge nice and square so that you can get you leg through and up with as little disturbance to you upper body as possible and keep yourself straight. Buttle, Sandhu and particularly VDP are on teh RBO edge with the free leg high and and bent their bodies' tipped forward way in front of the skate and wide step on the forward edge...no wonder they can't get the jump they're not completely over their skate.

Then compare it to Plushy and Weir (except Weir jumps the other way!) they sit on the prep edge standing straight up chest up, weight over the skate, free leg extended out then tuck it in close to the skating foot step onto the froward take off edge with minimal movement, all of their weight over the now jumping foot - perfect.

Ant