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Planet Hanyu Staff

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in Yuzuru Hanyu

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sota Mushroom

sota

Posted
Posted

is this the right place to post this? its from the sponichitokyophoto insta page!! how is he real. i feel like i just had a heart attack and then was reborn again with this photo. i might cry. yuzu is insane

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TallyT Recovery 3A

TallyT

Posted
Posted
55 minutes ago, sota said:

is this the right place to post this? its from the sponichitokyophoto insta page!! how is he real. i feel like i just had a heart attack and then was reborn again with this photo. i might cry. yuzu is insane

Fsww9UWaQAEpG9d?format=jpg&name=900x900

He really is the perfect personification of the dragon prince...

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Henni147 SEIMEI 2.0

Henni147

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, nekodearu said:

Exactly. However, I don't think that everyone sees the difference between actually interpreting the music and skating in a way that meets the overall mood of the song. Last season I saw on YT, iirc, Yuzu's Rondo with an altered soundtrack, based on some orchestral version (extracted from Shcherbakova's FP?). Someone in the comments section expressed their delight at how it fit perfectly. I remember that I was honestly surprised reading this, because my impression was quite the opposite, I saw a big difference, which for me was the ultimate proof of Yuzu's exceptional skills. Of course, the overall effect was still beautiful (after all, Saint-Saëns is great music and it was still Yuzu who skated, and we all know that his skating is captivating by itself, as you can see when the video is muted or even in slow-mo), but many of the most delightful details that make the movement of his body seem an integral part of this classic work were lost. 

As far as I understand from various interviews, the soundtracks for Yuzuru's programs are very carefully edited, with great precision, and then the choreo is adjusted so that each movement corresponds to such things as phrasing and musical accents, either following them or remaining in a kind of dialogue. When we change the soundtrack, we lose this unique connection that makes his performances unparalleled. 

But apparently not everyone pays attention to these things, which is perfectly fine - as long as it doesn't get in the way of properly evaluating Yuzu's and other skaters' work. Unfortunately, judges and commentators too often failed to distinguish between "great interpretation of music" and simply "skillful skating to pleasant music". The most notable example for me was "the king of skating skills", Patrick Chan - just mute his Free from Sochi and tell me: what is it about, where there are major slowdowns and longer pauses in the soundtrack during the program and when Winter begins.

 

Very big Yes to many things in this post.

 

Regarding the composition of Rondo, Saint Saens' original piece is characterized by two essential aspects:

1.  a change in time from 2/4 (Introduction) to 6/8 (Rondo Capriccioso)

2. a change in key from A minor to A major in the final coda

 

Shinya's special arrangement, however, remains in A minor until the end. The coda in A major is skipped entirely and replaced by an original composition from Shinya in A minor. It's a kind of reprise of the main theme that starts in the middle of the step sequence. Yuzu and Shae hinted in their interviews that the reason for this change was the story that Yuzu wanted to express with this program. It should capture the struggles and uncertainties during his quest for the 4A. While the 50:50 division of the program (Introduction part and Rondo part) nicely showed his gradual move from a state of melancholy and reminiscence to determination and strength, this final "light-up" or moment of glory hadn't come, so the change to A major didn't fit his situation at that time.

 

Another interesting aspect is:

The rather smooth timbre and continuous sound of the violin would have fit the slow pacing and melancholic atmosphere of the introduction part better.

However, the quick, accentuated and voluminous sound of the piano was the perfect choice to express the passion and determination in the Rondo part. This is the main reason why I personally prefer the piano to the violin for this piece overall, and I'm very happy that Yuzu decided to go with the piano here as well.

 

 

Regarding music interpretation, I distinguish between the following key aspects:

 

1. Capture of the musical lead theme(s) in the composition regarding:

  1.1  Shape, size, and symmetry of the skating pattern(s)

  1.2 Selection, design, placement, and alignment of movements

  1.3 Distribution and symmetry of elements

  1.4 Structure of the composition in accordance with the musical phrasing

 

2. Technical translation of the music to movement:

  2.1  Each music note initiates one movement

  2.2 The duration of the movement matches the length of the note

  2.3 The skating speed varies with the music tempo

  2.4 The stroking power/intensity varies with the sound volume

  2.5 The vertical body movement follows the change in pitch

 

3. Narration:

  3.1  Capture of key motifs and atmosphere in your (facial) expression and body language

  3.2 Selection of fitting movement(s)/dance style(s) in accordance with the musical theme(s)

  3.3 Translation of the story/lyrics with clear and logical gestures

  3.4 Creation of a fitting "world" or setting around you (incl. costume design, lighting, props, and decoration)

 

In skating discussions, these three aspects are often mixed together and understood as "music interpretation", but I think, it's important to distinguish between them because they require different skills: 1. cognitive 2. sensory 3. motoric/cognitive.

 

I became a fan of Yuzu because I haven't seen any other skater who is so elaborate in all aspects listed above. There are skaters with great carriage and strong body language, but poor compositions. Skaters with great feeling for timing and rhythm, but little to no understanding of the piece. Or skaters with good choreos that cannot be realized because of their limited skating skills. With Yuzu, everything comes together: he understands the piece and arranges it in a smart way, he develops clever and logical compositions, he has excellent sense for timing, tempo, volume, pitch (even timbre and fluctuations), and he knows how to tell his story in an authentic way with logical body language and a fitting setting that people remember. And of course, he has the skating, jumping, and spinning skills to realize what he wants to show.

 

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Anni StSq4

Anni

Posted
Posted

Clip from NewsEvery :tumblr_inline_mg16go8gBg1qdlkyg:

 

"Notte Stellata" behind the scenes footage from Yuzu & Kohei will be broadcast on 5th April on "news every":agree:

After that it will be uploaded on the official youtube channel.

 

 

Styling for Dynamite 🤗

 

[NEWS]

 

@Elly for the PH calendar. Thank you for the updating.👍 [EVENT]

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nekodearu Sparkly Ruffle

nekodearu

Posted
Posted

@Henni147 Thank you for all your information and analysis. I greatly appreciate your insights and envy the knowledge that allows you to break down Yuzu's skating in such detail and understand its compexity thoroughly. It is also extremely satisfying to have such precise tools to demonstrate why he is superior and that it is not entirely subjective or dependent on individual taste, as some would claim, as most of the factors you point out are measurable.

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