With the upcoming skating season approaching as are the start of our school year, music selections are being revealed. Not surprising considering the hype around Kim Yuna's comeback to the competitive ranks, her music selections have probably made the biggest splash and here they are:
SP: The Kiss of the Vampire (1963) OST
LP: Selections from Les Miserables
First off, short program music.
Background Information about the movie:
"Gerald and Marianne Harcourt are traveling by car when the car breaks down and they have to spend a few days in a small, remote village. It doesn't take long before they are invited to Dr. Ravna's castle. Without their knowledge, Dr. Ravna is the leader of a vampire cult, and he has become astonished by Marianne's beauty"
-IMDb
I've never heard the music from that movie, which isn't too surprising since I don't really watch older movies so I went on youtube and found this:
After listening, I wasn't too into the music. For me, the music doesn't really seem to have the depth I like to look for in my favorite skater's music. It's very dramatic no doubt but in my opinion in an overly "in your face" way. There's no subtlety and I wouldn't call this music "beautiful". I wonder what cuts from the film score she'll use but I hope she surprises me and overcome my low expectations. I am glad that she has finally chosen some music that hasn't been overdone, I'm sure this program will be unique for that. With David Wilson as the choreographer, we are probably in for a treat (especially after seeing daisuke takahashi's short program he choreographed from last season, masterpiece!) David Wilson choreographs for a lot of skaters but for the skaters who are themselves artists, his programs are a thing to behold. I don't think Yuna is as fluid or natural a "dancer" as daisuke but she can certainly hold her own against the rest of the women's field.
I was interested in seeing other programs done to "vampire" music because I remember there was a rule change a couple years back (?) that mandated that the music had to quote unquote "upbeat" because the previous year's music had so many masquerades and random witch music. The only one I could find in the short time I tried haha was Artur Gachinski's long program from the 2011-2012 season:
Here he's performing it at worlds
Music from "Interview With A Vampire", "Bram Stoker's Dracula", "The Red Violin"
Gachinski is far from one of favorite skaters or the most lyrical so his program but I put this in just for some perspective to see how it COULD and HAS been used. Hopefully Yuna can be a little more inspired/creative haha.
Onto the long program..
Background information on the musical:
"Prisoner 24601, known as Jean Valjean, is released from prison and breaks parole to create a new life for himself while evading the grip of the persistent Inspector Javert. Set in early revolutionary France, the story reaches resolution against the background of the June Rebellion."
-IMDb
Yuna's choice for her long program music is much more familiar to me and probably to most skating fans. Les Miserables is a wonderful play and I have listened to the soundtrack many times. My childhood friend was in love with the soundtrack and consequently when I was younger I even knew the words to some of the songs. This music is extremely touching and I have always have had a soft spot for orchestral and classical soundtracks. I love the highs and lows of this music. However, Les Miserables has been done in figure skating and at times not very well. I hate it when skaters skate to pretty music and skate right through it. They let the music carry them through without inspiring to make the music their own. Before I get to any of that here are some tracks from the score:
Come to Me (Fantine's Death)
On My Own (I really think the instrumental behind the voices in this is really nice)
One day more (something more strong)
Over the years watching skating, I have seen a fair number done to Les Miserables so here are some I managed to find again:
Pechalat and Bourzat 2006 Olympics FD
This team is known for their creativeness and have greatly matured over the years. I'm not a big fan of the beginning music cuts but I like the slow section toward the middle where they use "On my own".
Effortless elegance: Michelle Kwan 1997 "On My Own"
Nothing can really be said about the beauty of her skating, only amplified by the music. I hope Yuna can achieve the heart that Michelle portrayed in her skating. All we want is true emotion, for skating that touches our hearts.
Nicole Bobek LP in 1992
Not a big fan of this one, not memorable in my opinion. I feel like if I played another soundtrack while watching this it would fit just as well.
This is a different interpretation of Les Miserables, using the more upbeat pieces by Todd Eldridge in 1998:
It seems that "On My Own" is quite popular. I wonder what selections Yuna will use this season...
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