What music would you pick for MK to skate to in the 2002 oly

[The Hula Tiger]

Hi everyone!!!! I was just wondering what music you guys would like to see Michelle skate to for her short program or long program in the 2002 olympic season if she is still around by then. I don't really have an idea for a short program, but for her long program, I'd like to see her skate to PUCCINI's Nessun Dorma. The music would fit her perfectly I believe...maybe I'm wrong... The music is just really passionate and powerful, and she's the only skater I would like to see skate to PUCCINI!!!!!!!!!!! Actually...anything by PUCCINI would be nice...hehe...=)

[Joshua]

Answer: I wouldn't pick her music, except possibly her exhibition. My knowledge of obscure music is next to no knowledge at all. I want Michelle to skate to some brilliantly obscure classical music again....wondrous music that I would never have known about if I had not seen Michelle skate to it.

[Karin]

sp... Lulluby...then growing music... to symbolize MK's life!!! lp...I wanna relive Salome!!!

[Maeve]

Ooooooh! Ooooooooh! Ooooooooooh! Where do I start? SP: I don't know what she'd do to top Rach, it was as close to perfect as I can imagine. Nevertheless, these are kinda short-able IMO... *Rimsky-Korsakov's The Young Prince and the Young Princess from Scheherazade, which is very romantic. *Okay, hear me out. I have this CD with Disney songs in the style of classical composers. Bella Notte is done in the style of Satie and it's just gorgeous. I swear, you would never know it was a Disney song if you weren't told. *Brahms' Allegro giocoso from Violin Concerto in D. This is very quick and has a definate Hungarian feel like so much of Brahms' work. I really don't know how to describe it, its sorta big and dramatic with the full orchestra, and then softer with one dominating violin, and then big again, then quiet but dramatic, and back to very big. *I just love Grieg's To the Spring, but it has a very similar feel to Rach. I don't know that it's the right direction to go. LP: *Enescu's Romanian Rhapsody #1- I wish someone would skate to it, and it might was well be Michelle. *Chopin's Etude in E. This is also kinda similar to Rach but it really has a different texture - more romantic maybe? *Elgar's Cello Concerto in E (minor?). It's dangerous, sophisticated, complicated... all of the things I loved about Salome, FOC and the Red Violin. *Adagio for Strings by Barber, because it deserves Michelle. This song made me cry *before* NBC used it for the Columbine massacre, and it moves me even more now. Maybe slightly morbid, but it's my list.

[Amelia]

I know what you mean about the Elgar! I do *so* love that piece. I have a CD of Jacqueline du Pre playing it, and I like to listen to it at night with the lights off. It just fills the whole room, ya know? I would just love to see what Michelle could do with it. I think she's one of the few (if only) skaters who could handle the Dvorak b minor cello concerto also. It's beautiful, heart wrenching, thrilling ... it's really indescribable actually. And perfect for another gorgeous red costume! Amelia

[kwanette]

The music of LA just fills me up...Despite those who criticize her "obscure" choices, I love them....

[DianeO]

I'd like to see her skate to something by Vanessa-Mae (the electric violinist). I have several of her CDs and everytime I listen to them I try to picture how Michelle would skate to the music :) A lot of the songs *are* classical, but some of them are upbeat and have a more pop/rock type of feel.

[Maeve]

YES! Actually, the first time I heard Elgar's Cello Concerto was a recording of Yo-Yo Ma and I loved it then. But Jacqueline du Pre's is the only way to go. It kinda has a woman's touch or something, do you know what I mean? The Ma version is very grand and stirring, but du Pre gives the piece a bit of sadness and... maybe urgency? Despair? BTW, have you seen Hilary and Jackie? What a fabulous movie, it's the best one I've seen in a long time. It really reminds me of FOC in that what you are seeing and what you are hearing aren't exactly what you are feeling. Example: Salmome is very straightforward, the emotions are right here, the tension is obvious. FOC and the Elgar piece are almost bursting at the seams, as if the music has an underlying layer that's more complicated than what you can process. I also think that's the reason so many people didn't like FOC last year. They didn't get it - Michelle was not Carmen, she was not Carmen's life, she was not Carmen's death. She was Carmen's fate, the culmination of everything that happened to and about and because of and inspite of Carmen. I really didn't understand it all either until I saw Carmen live (the opera, that is) in September, and then I realized how complicated and complete Michelle's interpretation had been.

[skatingfan]

Wow, we prepare ahead of time, hehhe. Hula Tiger, I too love Nesum Dorma, but I think it will function better as exhibition music. I love the idea of Michelle skating to opera music, not Puccini, but Mozart though. I love Puccini operas, but I think if Mk skates to them she will be accused of being boring etc. Maeve, as I am typing right now, I am listening to Brahms' violin concerto - allergo giocoso. There is not a violin concerto that I do not like, and I love Brahms. Definitely skating to violin concertos has been popular first Kristi, and Sasha. I think it is not easy to edit a violin concerto into a 2 min 40 sec sp or 4 minute 10 sec lp. I think Kristi's Tchaikosky v concerto editing was ok. I really do not like the way they edit the Mendelssohn for Sasha. I think it will be good for MK to skate to Brahms, but why not excerpts from all 3 movements, and not just the last movement. I like to see Mk skate to some Beethoven piano concerto or sonatas, I think piano music is more acceptable to most audience or judges. Of course G&G had already used parts of pathetique sonata and moonlight sonata. I hope MK will skate to the emperor concerto some day.

[Maeve]

ITA about Sasha's music, skatingfan. I don't know that it would be a big deal if you weren't already familiar with the entire piece, but when you already have a pretty good handle on the music the editing can be abrupt. My main problem with Sasha's music is that there were several gorgeous sections that were obviously missing. It's as bad as taking a Top 10 song and yanking the middle 1/3 - the words don't make sense and it's very distracting. That's one of my pet peeves about professional skating. If you're gonna use a well known ballad, use the whole thing! I chose the last movement of the Brahms because I particularly like it. In hindsight all 3 would be better, especially for the LP... As for Nessun Dorma, it is quickly reaching Malaguena status IMO. Such a gorgeous song deserves to be skated to, but it's been fairly common in the past several years. I am in the process of compiling an Exhibitions 2002 list at this moment... I'll be back. I hope there isn't a three post rule here, because I WILL break it on this thread. ;-)

[Maeve]

Okay, this is by no means all of the stuff I want Michelle to try... I decided I was going to have to go with a theme or something to cut the list down to a managable size. I really, really wish Michelle would skate to something well-known, an old standard, maybe something with a touch of jazz. She hasn't ever gone in that direction before and I'd love to see her try. So here goes... -Ella Fitzgerald, especially Someone To Watch Over Me or Stardust -Ebb Tide, either orchestrated or with the words - much in the same vein as EOE but a much more romantic song So I ruuuush... to your siiiide... like the onnnn... coming tiiiide... with onnnne... burning thooooought... Will your arrrrrms... open wiiiiide? Sorry, I couldn't resist ~ I love that song! -Once again, hear me out. My grandma has a 700-year-old Barbra Streisand record (yes, record) with a version of "Autumn Leaves" that is just gorgeous. It's very simple, just Barbra and a viola(?), and very pretty. -Straight off of my parents' old 8-tracks, Mamas & the Papas' version of Dream A Little Dream -Pretty much any old torch song, like This Time The Dream's On Me or Stormy Weather

[Lara Michele]

ITA about Barber's Adagio Maeve. I've always wanted to see it skated to (it would have been perfect for G&G - sigh), but about the only lady who could pull it off right now is Michelle. Too bad most people would consider it totally boring LOL. For an exhibition, I'd love to see her skate to "Sogno" by Bocelli. An absolutely beautiful song that she'd be worthy of. Lara :-)

[Brian]

I love Barber's Adagio. The first time I heard it I cried. It really is beautiful.

[sw10025]

Barber's Adagio is a beautiful piece, but it just wouldn't work. Its only got one mood, one tempo, and it would be hard to edit. Puccini is a good idea, but I can't think what piece would be best. Nessun Dorma is my personal favorite, but it is still so readily identifiable with Brian Boitano that MK should not touch it with a ten foot pole. Vissi D'Arte has been done to death, if I remember correctly, K&D did selections from La Traviata. My choice for SP would be a Duke Ellington piece (no really!), don't know the name, but which was choreographed by the American Ballet Theatre years and years ago and named "Ellingtonia". It was dramatic, complex, could easily be edited down to 2min40sec. It was featured in that 1970's Shirley MacLaine - Anne Bancroft ballet movie, the name of which I am also temporarily blanking on. It was the modern piece that Leslie Browne (who played MacLaine's eldest daughter) danced to. For LP, I also choose a violin concerto, but I can fix the problem with editing others selections by offering a different one: Bartok Violin Concerto No. 2, 1st movement. It would be an absolute snap to edit in any way they needed to and its got everything: emotion, lyricism, pathos, drama, quick fast footwork like sections, a good intro section, and a crescendo at the end that just begs for a Kwan spiral and a forward scratch spin!

[Banannak]

I would love to see Michelle skate to Elton John's Funeral for a Friend and Queens Bohemian Rhapsody. Beautiful music that is NOT classical!

[Kara]

"______ (piece of music) deserves Michelle"...and "...begs for a Kwan spiral and a forward scratch spin" Hehehehe! I love the way you guys put that! That *is* how a Michelle fan feels about good music and MK, isn't it:)? I don't know enough about classical music (your choices sound so exciting though!), but I wouldn't mind seeing an exhibition to "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkle.

[Deetlebug]

I too love Nesum Dorma but unfortunately it has already been skated to. (By Meno and Sand, and very nicely I might add, which is amazing for me to say because their skating always struck me as too sticky sweet.) But I digress. Michelle has set a standard for herself of not skating to music that has already been skated to. It's one of the things I like most about her. So in that light I would be perfectly happy never to see Michelle skate to this piece of music - even though it IS PERFECT FOR HER. 8-) PS - <FONT SIZE=5><FONT COLOR=RED>"The Hula Tiger"</FONT></FONT> - <FONT COLOR=AQUA>I LOVE THAT NAME</FONT>!! Where did you come up with it?

[The Hula Tiger]

The Hula Tiger...hehe...Since I go to Clemson University here in Clemson, SC, our mascot is the tiger. So, I am a Tiger!!!!! The Hula comes from nowhere I guess...hehe...maybe the dance...I'm not in any way Hawaiian though! Just wanted to let you know that. So put it all together and I came up with The Hula Tiger. Hehe. Thanks for the compliment...=)

[Amelia]

-- YES! Actually, the first time I heard Elgar's Cello Concerto was a recording of Yo-Yo Ma and I loved it then. But Jacqueline du Pre's is the only way to go. It kinda has a woman's touch or something, do you know what I mean? The Ma version is very grand and stirring, but du Pre gives the piece a bit of sadness and... maybe urgency? Despair? -- I've never heard Yo-Yo's version, but I *love* Jacqueline's. I'm a student cellist, and I would do *anything* to play like her. So much emotion ... it reminds me of how a young skater might think of Michelle. As for the attitude of the Elgar, I know exactly what you mean! It's just perfect for Michelle, I think. She could handle it, and I don't think very many skaters could. -- BTW, have you seen Hilary and Jackie? What a fabulous movie, it's the best one I've seen in a long time. -- No, I haven't seen it, but everybody I've heard from who did see it, (not including you), really disliked it. My teacher said it was "so bad," lol! -- It really reminds me of FOC in that what you are seeing and what you are hearing aren't exactly what you are feeling. Example: Salmome is very straightforward, the emotions are right here, the tension is obvious. FOC and the Elgar piece are almost bursting at the seams, as if the music has an underlying layer that's more complicated than what you can process. -- Again, I know *exactly* what you mean. It's like the music is trying to tell you something, maybe something you don't want to hear, so it walks around it, saying everything but what it originally wanted to. I can absolutely picture Michelle skaitng to it -- what an "oozey" piece! Amelia P.S. Like my new banner?

[virginia girl]

Glad to see so many mentions of the Barber Adagio. I listened to Barber's Violin Concerto yesterday, and thought how great it would be for Michelle. It has drama, lyricism, and a wide range of emotion. Parts of it remind me of TRV. Also, I'd love to see her skate to Dvorak's 9th Symphony ("New World"). The first movement is powerful, and the Largo is the basis for the spiritual "Going Home." Great stuff!