New Programs for Shizuka and Julia Sebestyen

[hrmsk8ngnutt]

Just saw this on BOI:

Shizuka Arakawa
SP: Puccini's Madame Butterfly
LP: Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet

Julia Sebestyen
SP: Fire on Ice by Bond
LP: Carmen

Here's the link, which also has news about programs for some dance teams
http://www.bladesonice.com/mag/blaweb1.htm

Herm (sk8ngnutt)

 

[JonnyCoop]

Carmen can actually be a good choice for Julia; I just hope she's worked on her EXPRESSION since last season.

Shizuka can pretty much skate to anything and it'll be gorgeous....

 

[dorispulaski]

Sasha started this trend for skating to old standards again and I wish it would stop. Just what we need. Another Carmen. Another Romeo and Juliet. More Bond.

Nuts.

 

[hockeyfan228]

Another Romeo and Juliet.

But the Tchaikovsky version isn't the usual standard; we've been hit over the head with the Prokofiev in recent memory.

The last entries in to the Skate Music database seem to be from 2000. The main people who used the Tchaikovsky version in the 90's were Gordeeva/Grinkov (long, 1990), Kovarikova/Novotny (short, 1995), Klimova/Ponomorenko (short, 1995 and long, 1996), and Kulik (long, 1996-7). I know Volosozhar/Kharchenko used it along with Prokofiev and Rota versions for their long in 2003.

My favorite listing was "Romeo & Juliet (Tchaikovsky) / Man In the Iron Mask Soundtrack" which the Hartsells used for their long in 1998-9.

 

[thisthingcalledlove]

Is Tarasova just giving away Sasha's old programs like they're hand-me-downs? Didn't she skate to this music before?

 

[Tony Wheeler]

Sebestyen's short program is actually by Bijan Mortazavi. Kulikova/Markov used this music (quite successfully) in 2003 before their split.

 

[RIskatingfan]

Is Tarasova just giving away Sasha's old programs like they're hand-me-downs? Didn't she skate to this music before?

Uh? What are you talking about? Sasha didn't skate to any of this music. If you want to count Carmen, Sasha skated to Carmen way before she was with Tatiana Tarasova and besides, Carmen is that music every skater has to use sometime in their career LOL

 

[BronzeisGolden]

Carmen is that music every skater has to use sometime in their career LOL

LOL, very true. I think it is written somewhere that a skater must use this music (in some form) at least once in their careers. Anyway, I really like Shizuka's choices. "Madame Butterfly" should be brilliant, and I have a feeling "Romeo & Juliet" will be just as stunning.

 

[hockeyfan228]

Sebestyen's short program is actually by Bijan Mortazavi. Kulikova/Markov used this music (quite successfully) in 2003 before their split.

Doing a Google search, there are many references to Kulikova/Markov's performance to Mortazavi's Fire on Ice. When I searched for "Fire on Ice Bond," I found:

1. One of many working titles for the James Bond film, "The World Is Not Enough" was "Fire on Ice." (The score for the film was not by Mortazavi.)

2. "Fire & Ice" is a cut from a dance album produced by Steven Bond

3. "The heartlessness of the modern commercial consumer society ruins the lives ot many. FIRE + ICE takes the purity and philosophy of early music and melds it into a message redolent with powerful seeds of honour truth, loyalty and the bond of true friendship."

While checking the "Bond" listings at amazon.com, I managed to relive most of my figure skating nightmares: checking titles, I found "Libertango," "Kismet," and "Quixote," but no "Fire on Ice," even on "Classified," their latest release (June '04). I also found out that among amazon buyers, people who bought Bond also bought Vanessa Mae, so that must explain it.

Mortazavi's Fire and Ice has modern energy and pop, and it will be a nice contrast to Carmen, although I hope Sebestyen uses some of the less hackneyed excerpts from that score.

 

[Fossi]

Shizuka doing Romeo and Juliet? This is a wonderful choice for her! I can just see this becoming a signature piece for her. Any news on her awesome 3/3's?
Go Shizuka!!!!

 

[SkateFan4Life]

Just saw this on BOI:

Shizuka Arakawa
SP: Puccini's Madame Butterfly
LP: Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet

Julia Sebestyen
SP: Fire on Ice by Bond
LP: Carmen


Herm (sk8ngnutt)

Stunning musical choices for both skaters!!

I think "Madame Butterfly" is a perfect choice for Shizuka, as is "Romeo and Juliet". Arakawa's wonderful artistry and great jumping ability will be showcased
with both of these programs. I'm looking forward to seeing them.

Julia Sebestyen's choices will really stretch her artistic abilities, and I applaud her for taking this step in her development as a skater. I think she will rise to the challenge and produce two strong programs.

Good luck, ladies!

 

[sashasbeau]

Just saw this on BOI:

Shizuka Arakawa
SP: Puccini's Madame Butterfly
LP: Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet





I personally wish she would use Madame Butterfly for the long and R&J for the Short

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

There are 3 R&J's that I know of and all of them (Prokofiev; Tschaikowsky, and Movie Soundtrack) have become tiresome to listen to yet again. Maybe there is an obscure R&J that someone could come up with? :sheesh:

I could say the same about Butterfly (and Tosca, and Turandot, and Boheme). Oh, my dear, where would figure skater's be without Puccini?

There is nothing that will convince me that another Carmen will be interpeted differently than ALL the previous Carmen's we've seen. Maybe she could do Escamillio's role. That would be novel.

I am not aware of the Bond music so at least it will be novel to me.

Joe

 

[Glacierskater]

I wish that they would outlaw Carmen for further skating use. I love creative and new music. All of these seem repetitive...if not at the elite level, certainly on the lower levels.

 

[hockeyfan228]

There is nothing that will convince me that another Carmen will be interpeted differently than ALL the previous Carmen's we've seen. Maybe she could do Escamillio's role. That would be novel.
Joe

I think Plushenko did that version.

 

[thisthingcalledlove]

Uh? What are you talking about? Sasha didn't skate to any of this music. If you want to count Carmen, Sasha skated to Carmen way before she was with Tatiana Tarasova and besides, Carmen is that music every skater has to use sometime in their career LOL

Actually, out of that list, the only one she didn't skate to was the Bond piece. Sasha skated to Un Bel Di (the famous aria from Mme. Butterfly), and Romeo and Juliet as an exhibition piece

 

[Germanice]

I think Plushenko did that version.

When he skated this program in SLC I was wondering who the heck he did interpret: Escamillo? Don Jose?? Or even Carmen??? Sometimes I got the impression he was playing all three characters at once! Quite weird.

Carmen can actually be a good choice for Julia; I just hope she's worked on her EXPRESSION since last season.

And on her hair as well - such simple things like that could do miracles sometimes!!!

And I have to agree with Johnny Coop here - it doesn't matter which kind of music Shizuka choses, it's gonna be amazing! She's actually some of those rare people who could skate to the telephone book, it still'd be wonderful and outstanding. However, just can't wait to see her new programs!

Anke

 

[diver chick]

I am one of those people who wishes that Carmen would just die a death in the skating world - I am tired of the same ol same ol and there is no other way to interpret Carmen to make it interesting, unless of course you are Lauren Tobel and then it just becomes hilariously funny and a caricature of every skater who portrayed Carmen.

Also as much as I can find some of the funked-up classical music up lifting and sometimes even makes me enjoy some of the more fuddy duddy pieces of music a bit more, I am a sucker for the classics and the originals. I almost cried when A&P massacred Beethoven for their 2001 free dance and while the techno Swan lake was a breath of fresh air I still had to put on the original after to remind myself how good it was. So from that point of view I am getting tired of music like Bond being used.

Madame Butterfly - I saw this as a ballet recently and loved the interpretation. I think Shizuka has the ability to pull this off. I was amazed at how short and stocky tv makes her look. In reality she is a beautifully elegant skater and is actually on the taller side of short Plus she has the 'look' for Mdame Butterfly which will add to the whole feel.

Romeo & Juliet - lets just see how she does. It is one of those ho-hum pieces of music that I am still waiting ot be blown away by an interpretation to either Prokofiev or Tchaikovsky, although A&P's did come close. I really hope Shizuka is the one to do it as I love her skating.

 

[RIskatingfan]

Actually, out of that list, the only one she didn't skate to was the Bond piece. Sasha skated to Un Bel Di (the famous aria from Mme. Butterfly), and Romeo and Juliet as an exhibition piece

As it was already said in this thread, I believe, Sasha has skated to Nino Rota's R&J. Shizuka's R&J is Tchaikovsky's version, quite different. It is definitely not the same piece.

I didn't know Sasha had skated to Madame Butterfly before. When was this? Maybe an exhibition or a junior program?

 

[Vash01]

But the Tchaikovsky version isn't the usual standard; we've been hit over the head with the Prokofiev in recent memory.

The last entries in to the Skate Music database seem to be from 2000. The main people who used the Tchaikovsky version in the 90's were Gordeeva/Grinkov (long, 1990), Kovarikova/Novotny (short, 1995), Klimova/Ponomorenko (short, 1995 and long, 1996), and Kulik (long, 1996-7). I know Volosozhar/Kharchenko used it along with Prokofiev and Rota versions for their long in 2003.

My favorite listing was "Romeo & Juliet (Tchaikovsky) / Man In the Iron Mask Soundtrack" which the Hartsells used for their long in 1998-9.

You listed K&P's SP and LP. In fact they were pros at that time so there was no SP or LP (besides, in dance it is OD and FD). The pros had technical and artistic programs. They could skate it for either one, but they usually used it for the artistic. They may have used it for the technical program in 95 since you listed it as SP.

Also Tiffany & Johnny Stiegler skated an LP to Tchaikovsky's R&J in the 1999-2000 season.