The Influence Of Opera On Figure Skating

**Maofan7** · 12-02-2012, 12:14 AM

**Vash01** · 12-02-2012, 12:42 AM

I will have to look for yt later, since I have to go out, but off the top of my head here are some more programs and some more operas:

Meditation from the opera Thais: Berezhnaya-Sikharulidze (2002 Oly), Gordeev-Grinkov (1991 Pro), Oksana Baiul (Ex)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4S7c9s56A4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKJYhweun0A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6_0VlvmVh8

I Pagliacci- Gordeeva-Grinkov (pro)- not my most favorite G&G program though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-a8pJ7zjhA

Bechke & Petrov skated to a Verdi opera for an exhibition, but I can't remember which one.

La Traviata: Viktor Petrenko 94 Oly LP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzkJxwZ_OXY

Madama Butterfly: Kristi Yamaguchi (pro)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNB_sx39FXE

Tosca: Yagudin (2000 worlds), Petrenko (Pro), Irina Slutskaya (2001-2002 season), Navka-Kostomarov (2005 worlds)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfKnryb76ZM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-2YJ0wlQwQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y118zXrE9IQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNNrm8MYC7E

Turandot: Boitano (Nessun Dorma-exhibition), Yukina Ota (Junior)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmWYoVxm_rc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg-rHQkUP6I

Carmen: Plushenko (2002 Oly LP), Krylova-Ovssianikov (98 FD), Petrenko 1992 Oly SP, Navka-Kostomarov 2006 Oly FD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhIiisXRBys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cphQkdw4fmw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KGCNGsKxmE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxAcG1_Pfd8

Alexei Urmanov skated to Rigoletto (SP) and Barber of Seville (LP) at the 94 Olympics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j8Imb-AIhA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5XlmJ2QGeA

**lulu** · 12-02-2012, 04:14 AM

Great thread!

Kazakova & Dmitriev skated to music from the opera La Traviata for their first season together

Of course Carmen is an extremely popular choice as well. Besides the ones mentioned, Bestiamanova & Bukin, NavKos, Debi Thomas and Viktor Petrenko

N&K performed Tosca for the 2004-2005 season.

**spikydurian** · 12-02-2012, 04:27 AM

Thanks Maofan7. That's a great collection, and it allows us to watch them again side by side.

**Belinda** · 12-02-2012, 07:46 PM

Talking of Pagliacci:

Janet Lynn - 1972 olympic LP (first 2 mins) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS581_gagjM
Kavaguti/Smirnov - 2008/09 LP http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9lV_rQfa3I
And of course:
Dai's this season's LP

I like the subtle use of the music (ie not the best known part of the opera) in Lynn's programme
I really like Dai's LP this season. I hope he will nail it at GPF.
The use of music in K/S's LP is also interesting. Effective patchwork to incorporate different pieces/moods from the opera.
I have not seen G/G's before. My first impression - considering the costumes they are not reflecting the characters in the opera (in the opera there is a lot of strife & conflict, but what do they want to portray?).

**Vash01** · 12-02-2012, 07:53 PM

Lambiel skating to Rigoletto:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AqL5YZrcsg

I wish he was competing right now.

**pani** · 12-02-2012, 07:59 PM

Jeffrey Buttle Pagliacci
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux9iTKvhWWY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-BtlrFrqj0

**robinhood** · 12-02-2012, 08:10 PM

marvellous!

**robinhood** · 12-02-2012, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by Vash01

Lambiel skating to Rigoletto:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AqL5YZrcsg

I wish he was competing right now.

marvellous!

**pani** · 12-02-2012, 08:27 PM

La Traviata
Anna Cappellini / Luca Lanotte http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaPARqRfSf8

**Susan M** · 12-02-2012, 08:34 PM

The fact that figure skaters have constructed programs around many of the great opera's

Actually, figure skaters have rarely constructed programs around an opera, they mostly just skate to music from operas, usually only the overtures due to the need to avoid vocals. For example, most Carmen's were not really skated to a recording of the opera Carmen but to Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy. I think the all-time worst example was probably Yagudin's Tosca, where short snippets of music were used repeatedly. Just as my ears were ready for the next bars of the score, the music would cut to something else or back to the same phrase just used. Really annoying.

**Vash01** · 12-02-2012, 09:05 PM

Originally Posted by Susan M

Actually, figure skaters have rarely constructed programs around an opera, they mostly just skate to music from operas, usually only the overtures due to the need to avoid vocals. For example, most Carmen's were not really skated to a recording of the opera Carmen but to Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy.

That's the way it should be. The skaters are meant to interpret the music, not play a role in the opera. The overtures offer the best music choice for a skater. I would hate it if they started using vocals from the opera (after the new rules allow vocals) and started making it an ice theater by playing scenes from the opera.

Sometimes we see a skater playing a role in (for example) a movie, but it's because there is a wider choice of music there. Sometimes they are able to make it work, but to me musical interpretation is more important than playing a character from an opera or movie or a play.

Regarding Yagudin's music cut, I was not looking for him to play a role in Tosca; I liked what he did to interpret the music through his skating.

**Susan M** · 12-02-2012, 09:59 PM

Originally Posted by Vash01

Regarding Yagudin's music cut, I was not looking for him to play a role in Tosca; I liked what he did to interpret the music through his skating.

I wasn't looking for him to act out the opera either, just to use some decent sections of the music, instead of repeating the same 8 bars over and over again. Whoever cut the music for that program just massacred it.

**shine** · 12-02-2012, 11:43 PM

Krylova & Ovsiannikov 1999 OD: La Traviata http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n2iIrWR5sA
Kostner & Lambiel duet at Opera On Ice 2012: Romeo & Juliette..just pure delight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqEC6OLkmJ4

**lala** · 12-02-2012, 11:48 PM

Plushenko:
Tosca: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEjwazLWB8A 2006
Caruso: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XriiUVXHe48 2006
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QdwwQeuSEs 2011
Rigoletto: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWf5aEpUvPg 2012
La Habanera: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v-Eyegdohc 2012

**VIETgrlTerifa** · 12-03-2012, 02:32 AM

I know Kwan was able to sell it, but man, Morosov got free money from her by just giving her Yagudin's old program (music cuts and choreography and all).

**skaters04** · 12-03-2012, 05:32 AM

**Maofan7** · 12-04-2012, 12:50 AM

Tristan und Isolde (Richard Wagner)

Original Opera - Tristan und Isolde (Aria: Liebestod)

Jamie Salé & David Pelletier - 2000/01 Long Program (2001 World Championships)

Salome (Richard Strauss)

Original Opera - Salome (Dance of the Seven Veils)

Michelle Kwan - 1995/96 Long Program (1996 World Championships) (Part of which came from the Strauss Opera, with the rest coming from Miklós Rózsa's score from the film King of Kings (1961), which starred Brigid Bazlen as Salome)

**Vash01** · 12-04-2012, 04:50 PM

I can't believe I forgot Salome, and I can't believe I forgot Die Fledermaus. Many skaters have skated to this, but my favorite is Gordeeva-Grinkov's 1989 worlds LP. It was pure perfection. I will post the yt later.

Others who skated to Die Fledermaus: Shishkova-Naumov, Davis & White, Jenny Kirk, Todd Eldredge. . I am sure I am forgetting some. I liked S&N and D&W's programs, but not as much as G&G's.

**l'etoile** · 12-04-2012, 08:27 PM

Yuna also skated to DF but didn't have one clean skate

Her Meditation de Thais gala in Vancouver.

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