New Sasha journal ... 8/24/05

[nymkfan51]

Dee, she's keeping Dark Eyes.

 

[euterpe]

R&J is pleasantly romantic, but I wouldn't call it great music. Prokofiev's R&J is great music, as are parts of Tchaikovsky's R&J. Rota's R&J is movie music--tuneful, but not at all unusual or memorable.

 

[JanJam]

Sun Valley event attendees -- do inform us how many times she falls.

 

[R.D.]

Sun Valley event attendees -- do inform us how many times she falls.

Is she even doing a complete runthrough (I mean with jumps and all) there?

 

[kyla2]

Give It A Rest Folks

It's all about the technical content and the moves in the field. If Sasha can compete up to her potential she is a true contender. The music is fine and suits her style , which is most important.

 

[R.D.]

It's all about the technical content and the moves in the field. If Sasha can compete up to her potential she is a true contender. The music is fine and suits her style , which is most important.

Exactly- ITA. It's not so much the music as it is the content. I expanded on this in another post (in another thread?).

 

[soogar]

I was reading the new IFS, and it was interesting to read how Kristi Yamaguchi chose safe music for her Olympic program. According to Kristi (I'm paraphrasing here), she went with Malaguena b/c it was a safe music choice and she had used this piece of music 3 times in her career already. I can't remember exact details but it seemed that she was having problems picking music and went the safe route.

 

[R.D.]

That's interesting- I would be less than surprised if this is the exact route that Cohen chose to take.

 

[gezando]

Nina Rota's R&J theme is one of the most repetitive and boring piece of film music ever. IMO a good piece of lullaby music. IMO Corigliano's The Red Violin - Chaccone is so much more edgy and dramatic. In general I like Ennio Morricone as a film music composer much better than Rota.

 

[Doggygirl]

Is she even doing a complete runthrough (I mean with jumps and all) there?

IIRC, she said she will be doing an easier version at Sun Valley. Keep in mind it's not only early, but I've read in other reports that the ice surface is smaller than a regular competition rink and it's also outdoors - I believe in the evening under lights, etc. I get the general impression that the conditions are more like exhibition conditions than competition conditions.

I think it's a great opportunity for us fans to get a general feel for the skaters new programs (wish I could be there first hand!!). I don't get the impression it's anywhere close to a time or place where we will hear who has quads, 3X3's and level 4 elements.

I haven't been there - these are just my impressions. If I'm wrong, please correct me!

All that being said, I hope we will hear some first hand reports by Monday!!

DG

 

[gezando]

Finding a piece of music that nobody has skated to is a very very hard work. It needs many people's many hours and days reasearch. And you still not sure if the judges and audience will open their eyes to watch and listen by the time you debut the program.

Isn't that the mark of a champion in any sports, to challenge oneself? Since so many people here are saying skating as an olympic sport is half art half sport, therefore finding a piece of music that nobody has skated is part of the artistic challenge? In Cohen case both her sp, and lp are pieces that she had used for seasons. About many people and hrs of research, LOL, that is why choreographers are pay $$$

There hasn't been much variety in her musical choices, but really, if you look at it from a more objective standpoint, what does it matter? She's not being penalized for it

Avoding penalty is a conservative approach. Some skaters even commission people to write new pieces for them. In Gwendal and Anassina's case an olympic gold, and in Nancy Kerrigan's case an olympic silver. So skaters who are willing to take risk in their music choices are appropriately rewarded. When was the last time a skater who chose to reuse both sp, and lp music rewarded with an olympic gold medal, or any olympic medal

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I think selecting music should be part of a competititve skater's strategy, but it is not the only factor in the broad sense of strategy. Whether Sasha is doing the right thing we can only wait and see.

She is a two time World silver medalist and she is well known by the interntional judges and fans. How important the music choice is depends on the skate.

Joe

Joe

 

[gezando]

Of course music selection is not the only strategy for competitive skaters. In the context of artistic challenge, (and there had been so much discussion before here at GS about this topic), selecting some pieces that offer a change and challenge is part of art. I am sure if A and P did not skate to a new piece of music they still would have done well. afterall going into 02 olys, they were world gold medalists, not just world silver medalist. I am sure if Plushy did not commission a new piece of music for his lp a couple of season ago, he still would have done very well.

If we look back at one of the most glorious ladies oly competiton of 98.
Tara young at age of 15 skated to age appropriate music, new to her, and captured the gold. I am sure if she skated with the same speed, and 3/3s to her previous years music, the gold was hers, but Tara challenged herself

MK's lyra angelica was a challenge too, who had skated to a harp cto in a major competition before 98? (Ruh skated to Gliere's harp cto the next season),

Lu Lu's Butterfly lovers violin cto was also totally new to her and the skating world. I am sure if she used an oldie (to her) like Claire de Lune, she would still have won the bronze.

 

[R.D.]

I think selecting music should be part of a competititve skater's strategy, but it is not the only factor in the broad sense of strategy. Whether Sasha is doing the right thing we can only wait and see.

She is a two time World silver medalist and she is well known by the interntional judges and fans. How important the music choice is depends on the skate.

Joe

This is all too true. We can all spell doom and gloom now for her but only time will tell at this point. Yes, it depends on the SKATE: that's the point I've been trying to make all this time.

 

[gezando]

This is all too true. We can all spell doom and gloom now for her but only time will tell at this point. Yes, it depends on the SKATE: that's the point I've been trying to make all this time.

Well that is a very general statement that can be generalized to all the skaters, so the her can apply to Irina, Arakawa, Fumie etc

My point is about the olympic medalists who are willing to take the artistic risks, and challenge, and are willing to choose pieces of music not just for avoiding penalty, or just to win a medal

 

[R.D.]

Well that is a very general statement that can be generalized to all the skaters, so the her can apply to Irina, Arakawa, Fumie etc

Not so much when you consider that the poster I was quoting was referring to Sasha last time I checked.

But In a way I do agree with you. The rules apply to everyone else as well.

 

[emma]

I'm trying to figure out how I feel about music choices and/or what I think about Sasha's choice specifically....I am bored with her R & J exhibition even though it was lovely, assume she won't use it this year, and thus, look forward to a new exhibition piece. Also, I (at this very moment, and this may change abruptly) feel this: it seems her choices, i.e. recycling short, using very familiar long program music from her now 2-3 year exhibition piece, are designed to do two things: minimize any distraction she may experience (in picking music, in not knowing the music well enough) and maximize comfort level to focus on delivering the goods. In that sense, it is a very olympic year strategic decision (if these are her reasons) to find ways to skate clean and with umph...to focus on the skate, period. If she delivers, it will be wonderful (at least for her, but i suspect for viewers as well), and she won't be the first to re-use programs/music (sale and peltier anyone, or heck, Kwan's olympic shorts come immediately to mind).

As for the chestnut aspect...i'm just not opposed to them, particularly when the skate is great (i loved, for example, Shen and Zhao's grand prix final skate to the Nutcracker, and world's was really good too)...but do appreciate innovation, trying out stuff no one has dared to or has bothered to learn about etc.
And when a skater (or pair of skaters) deliver and do so with new (to them), innovative music/programs there is just all that much more to rave about. So, I guess i'm saying if Sasha wins gold or even medals that will be really great; if she would do so with new programs and unusual for her music that would just be over the top spectacular, imho (and I feel the same, at the moment, for any skater).

 

[R.D.]

To change the subject a little (what a travesty ), do people know Kwan's music yet? What if SHE comes up with a "warhorse"? What if other skaters come up with "warhorses?" Will this same argument/issue apply to them as well? Hmm...(BTW, I think it should.)

 

[gezando]

To change the subject a little (what a travesty ), do people know Kwan's music yet? What if SHE comes up with a "warhorse"? What if other skaters come up with "warhorses?" Will this same argument/issue apply to them as well? Hmm...(BTW, I think it should.)

Well, have you ever seen an olympic medalist reusing both their sp and lp???
This is the 4th time Cohen uses Dark Eyes as a competitive program.
Sure all skaters music choices are good to discuss, (love to talk to you about Kwan's music when it is announced. Actually I already talked a bit about her rumored piece of music PIT's Capriccio Italien in another thread) but like you said reddog, this is a thread about Cohen.

Talking about old war horses, like Joesitz said before, TT was able to find nice unused parts of Swan Lake when she choreographed Cohen's first version of SL. But Dark Eyes is not exactly Swan Lake
http://www.everythingdulcimer.com/tab/darkeyesdul.pdf

If you have acrobat, you will see it is very repetitive, basically a folk song with only one theme, and one tempo and one rhythm

Same goes for the very very repetitive R and J tempo, one rhythm, and one theme with some variation on the theme. The only skater who used R and J and made it interesting was AP, but she mixed in Prokofiv's Cinderella and she won jr worlds in 02 with it

So in terms of artistic and music challenge there is not much risk that I see Cohen is willing to take .

OTOH, many old warhorses have much more variations of themes and tempo e.g.

 

[~Rainbow~]

When will Sasha choose something challenging, different, and basically un-used like Bjork, Sigur Ros, Emiliana Torrini, Goldfrapp, Poe, Evanescence, Radiohead etc. Of course this isn't what you'd exactly call skating music but it would be nice to see her skate to some dark, haunting, gothic, ethereal music. She has such lovely skating though I don't know if anyone can skate to that music.

Now I have an image of her skating to "All is full of love." by Bjork. I actually think she would do better with "Pagan Poetry."