Music talk

[Xen]

On 3/6/2017 at 20:52, Murieleirum said:

 

You could link me the live video and give me the minute/second it plays, and I might be able to research with you xD I'm kinda curious now as well. 

 

Well, even if the music might come from Seimei-related movies-themes, he would definitely make a whole new program out of it. Something like Romeo&Juliet 2.0 - same theme, different music, different program. 

 

I would love something like that  But then again, I'd love anything. 

Well he did visit the Seimei shrine....it's supposedly for a TV program, so it could be a "story of Yuzuru from 2014-2018" promo film for the olympics.  But still...did we jinx ourselves? 

[Murieleirum]

1 hour ago, Xen said:

Well he did visit the Seimei shrine....it's supposedly for a TV program, so it could be a "story of Yuzuru from 2014-2018" promo film for the olympics.  But still...did we jinx ourselves? 

 

I suppose we won't know until we know  I am probably biased because at this point I fell absolutely in love with all the Onmyouji OST. 

Also, I am suffering from withdrawal symptoms and I need to see Yuzu skate to anything so EENEUSNSRUIG. 

[Xen]

19 minutes ago, Murieleirum said:

 

I suppose we won't know until we know  I am probably biased because at this point I fell absolutely in love with all the Onmyouji OST. 

Also, I am suffering from withdrawal symptoms and I need to see Yuzu skate to anything so EENEUSNSRUIG. 

I feel like we should do a music cut version where it's just a music that could work for a free skate, and not worry so much about the choreography. Listening to the OST in full, I don't think there is a way to match his old seimei program with a new music edit of the OST.  At this point, we have some idea already of which jump layouts he could tackle, and his general inclination towards overcomplicating entries, so it's possible to go for a music edit that would work as a potential Seimei 2.0. 

 

But I want a new FS....and if he shows up with Seimie 2.0, would be interesting to see if your edit is similar to what he ends up using...

[beki]

Now that Ballade has been chosen, I want to rekindle my excitement for the piece. I found an interesting article about an amateur pianist learning to play it. (That's almost like an adult skater trying to skate Yuzu's program.)

 

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jan/12/play-it-again-chopin-ballade-no-1-alan-rusbridger

Some good quotes from famous musicians:

Quote

I drive across town in the afternoon to interview Murray Perahia, who has asked me over to his new house in north London. We start with tea and chocolate cake, sitting in his light, airy kitchen/dining room.

 

"I always loved the Ballade," he says as he pours the tea. "It's a piece I went back to many times. I left it, went back to it. I was there when [Vladimir] Horowitz made his comeback and he played that Ballade and it was staggering. I've heard it since on YouTube, that performance; it's an amazing performance." 

 

"And how hard is it for you?"

 

"It's very hard. I think it's one of the hardest pieces in the repertoire. It's, what, about 10 minutes of music, and in those 10 minutes you have to express a world, and a continuous world. That's a difficulty because it can get segmented, it can get 'this little bit is like this' and 'that little bit is like that'."

 

Quote

Today I interview Daniel Barenboim, who's in town for a "cameo concert" at Tate Modern. His view of the Ballade? "Slippery."

 

Meaning? "The G minor Ballade," he replies, "uses so many difficult techniques – the leaps, the continuous movements, the soft playing, the loud playing, the chords [he mimics playing these different passages in the air, a cigar still in the grip of his right hand] – so that you are constantly bombarded with new difficulties and have no time to prepare for them because they are suddenly there and you're not ready for it."

 

Wow. In piano terms, it is an exact match for Yuzuru's skating style. The difficulty, the spontaneity and the worldbuilding. I am starting to feel better about this.

[Murieleirum]

Ah, the quotes that you brough here @beki explain perfectly why saying that Yuzuru's skating matches with Ballade like with no other music isn't really 'underestimating' Yuzuru's skating, or denying that his skating is eclectic and multifaceted. 

The truth is, Ballade IS an eclectic and multifaceted piano piece - and exactly like Yuzuru's performances, each performance of Ballade is different from the other, it's a whole world of feelings and colors that continuously change. And how Chopin music is, yes, slippery but also romantic - so, with high peaks of passional drama - soft one moment and then critical the moment right after... those quotes said everything in few, simple phrases, so I don't think any more explanation is required 

 

I can't wait to see Chopin and Yuzuru together again. Next year will be a beautiful competitive year for Yuzuru's Short Program. 

[beki]

6 minutes ago, Murieleirum said:

Ah, the quotes that you brough here @beki explain perfectly why saying that Yuzuru's skating matches with Ballade like with no other music isn't really 'underestimating' Yuzuru's skating, or denying that his skating is eclectic and multifaceted. 

The truth is, Ballade IS an eclectic and multifaceted piano piece - and exactly like Yuzuru's performances, each performance of Ballade is different from the other, it's a whole world of feelings and colors that continuously change. And how Chopin music is, yes, slippery but also romantic - so, with high peaks of passional drama - soft one moment and then critical the moment right after... those quotes said everything in few, simple phrases, so I don't think any more explanation is required 

 

I can't wait to see Chopin and Yuzuru together again. Next year will be a beautiful competitive year for Yuzuru's Short Program. 

 

I watched Vladimir Horowitz's rendition of the entire piece (video embedded in the article), and it was interesting to hear the contrasting parts that didn't make it into the SP. It actually made me think that Ballade would work well expanded into an LP.

 

Anyway, listening to the whole thing makes it very clear to me that the combo belongs in the second half. Yuzuru is correct that the climax is there. In the final few minutes the music ramps up inexorably to the furious finish. In fact, I wouldn't mind 4T3T as the penultimate or final element instead of the step sequence and spin (like the 3S was intended to be in Caro's Bolero, but she couldn't quite manage it). But I know that is unrealistic; it's risky enough to put it as the last jumping pass. I don't think I was appreciating that enough before. There's no second chance for a combo—he's walking a tightrope without a net. No chance anyone else will copy that.

[Murieleirum]

30 minutes ago, beki said:

it's risky enough to put it as the last jumping pass. I don't think I was appreciating that enough before. There's no second chance for a combo—he's walking a tightrope without a net. No chance anyone else will copy that.

 

This is why I'm so happy that 4T became such a bff for Yuzu. I am sure there will be much less anxiety-induced mistakes for him next year, at least in the Short. It will help him regain the judges' trust in the Short Program - and his own trust, too. I love the fact that he's able to do a high-kick after it at Ice shows, now! The High-kick after a jump is like the ultimate proof of 'how stable is the jump'. If you can do a high kick after it, then you're good to go. 

 

Off-topic is all 4T's fault. 

 

No, but really, I know that a lot of people are still worried that judges may disapprove of the three-peat... but the problem never crossed my mind. It's excellent music, much better music than a lot of other popular choices (cough Michael Bublecough), you won't hear it used from another skater, it's interpreted in a unique and profound way... no way the judges AREN'T gonna love it, imo. I think Chopin is Yuzuru's not-so-secret-weapon to get that extra-deserved extra-candies. 

[Xen]

@Murieleirum About Chopin,  of the top male skaters right now, think Yuzuru is the only one whom I think can truly express Chopin. Speaking of which, almost all skaters have some specific trait/skating style that makes it easier for them to skate to certain types of music. For me, Chopin, and asian music, I think only Yuzuru can do the music justice.  He's the only top male skater right now I think,  who has sufficient delicacy, lightness and flow to express them correctly.  So other than Chopin, who are some other composers, when we listen to them, close our eyes, we can automatically see him skating to? I kind of see him capable of doing Rach and Ravel. 

 

And in this sense, are there any other composers/skaters who kind of naturally pair up well? 

[Murieleirum]

2 hours ago, Xen said:

@Murieleirum About Chopin,  of the top male skaters right now, think Yuzuru is the only one whom I think can truly express Chopin. Speaking of which, almost all skaters have some specific trait/skating style that makes it easier for them to skate to certain types of music. For me, Chopin, and asian music, I think only Yuzuru can do the music justice.  He's the only top male skater right now I think,  who has sufficient delicacy, lightness and flow to express them correctly.  So other than Chopin, who are some other composers, when we listen to them, close our eyes, we can automatically see him skating to? I kind of see him capable of doing Rach and Ravel. 

 

And in this sense, are there any other composers/skaters who kind of naturally pair up well? 

 

Mmmh well, I've already expressed my love for Stravinsky... maybe I'm biased, but I think his music has the perfect balance between raw power, and the mystery and delicacy of silence, for Yuzuru's quiet and passionate skating. The balance between the ying and the yang, or man and woman, if one allows. 

 

I've brought up Debussy, but it was told to me that Debussy floats a little too close to the undefined and the ethereal, and has little moments of Romanticism - of course, since he's not a Romantic composer. I'd see Patrick Chan as one who can interpret Debussy and fulfill the "concrete" part of the program, with his deep edges, unique skating style, and very passionate, present interpretation. But I'm really just going with my nose here, heh. 

 

But to me, to think of a composer and then automatically think of a skater, that skater already has to have his own mature interpretation. I don't think that's the case with Boyang, Uno and Chen. I don't see their interpretation as mature yet. I see Boyang as present and entertaining, Uno as focused and 'lyrical', Chen as determined in nailing his technical content. 

 

To compare these three to a composer, and say they fit that composer, they first need to find themselves a little more, imo. It's normal, they need time. I don't think 2014 Yuzuru was yet perfect for Chopin. He became perfect for Chopin while he was working on it, and finding his own skating style, and finding himself. 

[Amura365]

Any guesses on what Hanyu's FS will be? War horse? Japanese again? Classical? Jazz? 
I personally would for him to skate to "Through the Eyes of Love" from the movie Ice Castles. It's a modern classical piece. I like the orchestra version best. 
If he goes with Japanese again I'd love to see another soundtrack. Preferably to an NHK Taiga drama. 
"Yae No Sakura" or "Yoshitsune" or "Tenchijin"

[Aotoshiro]

46 minutes ago, Amura365 said:

Any guesses on what Hanyu's FS will be? War horse? Japanese again? Classical? Jazz? 

 The only guess I have is that he won't use Tchaikovsky's R&J as a R&J3 (if this was to happen) as it is supposedly a cursed piece in skating (thank god for suggested vids on YT for pointing that out to me).

Something upbeat, as he mentioned that he enjoyed the dynamic of upbeat Short-piano Long, and since Chopin took the Short... well, you get what I mean. Also, something easier to understand, maybe not a warhorse (unless it's POTO again...I wouldn't scratch that idea for him...), but definitely something that is/easily will become popular, so a movie soundtrack maybe, a song he and Shae-Lynn will like, something like that. A wild thought but, Malaguena for a Long? Javier would have time of his life watching Yuzu learn it xD

[Anony]

6 hours ago, Amura365 said:

Any guesses on what Hanyu's FS will be? War horse? Japanese again? Classical? Jazz? 
I personally would for him to skate to "Through the Eyes of Love" from the movie Ice Castles. It's a modern classical piece. I like the orchestra version best. 
If he goes with Japanese again I'd love to see another soundtrack. Preferably to an NHK Taiga drama. 
"Yae No Sakura" or "Yoshitsune" or "Tenchijin"

Japanese OST please.

 

But if we NEED a Warhorse then I standby the idea that Yuzuru could do a mean tango program.

[Danibellerika]

Okay just bringing the general chat discussion here to liven up the place.  So yeah I'd love to see if he could do either the piano version of full version of Omnis Lacrima from Final Fantasy XV. It's dramatic, powerful, and has really nice arrangements that could make it suitable for a skating program right outside of the box. Not too much tinkering required I think. I mean seriously jumps timed to the cymbals. Great spin sequence at 1:45. Epic footwork at 3:10. The program Writes. Its. Self.

 

 

The piano version is wonderful too and definitely within his means to perform.  

 

 

And I also really like Lindsey Stirling so I'd love to see her stuff skated to one day. This one in particular:

 

And for good measure I've always been a fan of the ending theme for FFX which is a full orchestral version of To Zanarkand:

 

 

Yay me, finally getting some stuff on the board! 

[Murieleirum]

I don't know what happened to me, but there's not a single possible FS warhorse that I'm thinking about without wanting to see it... I woke up this morning thinking 'oh but Romeo and Juliet 3.0 wouldn't be so bad...'. I need medical attention xD 

Plus the more I listen to Ballade (long version) the more I think the judges are gonna love it. they're suckers for classics like this one. 

[Smultron]

3 часов назад , Murieleirum said:

I don't know what happened to me, but there's not a single possible FS warhorse that I'm thinking about without wanting to see it... I woke up this morning thinking 'oh but Romeo and Juliet 3.0 wouldn't be so bad...'. I need medical attention xD 

Plus the more I listen to Ballade (long version) the more I think the judges are gonna love it. they're suckers for classics like this one. 

 

Haha, you are not alone 

I've been listening to R&J music lately and it's so fierce and fascinating that somehow the idea of R&J 3.0 doesn't seem too bad? As long as it is a different cut - yes, please!  

The only piece of music I don't ever want to hear again is POTO (ugh, that cruel joke from twitter during the first day of Kobe  )