We seem to be getting a healthy dose of piano music from Olympic figure skating, lots of Rachmaninoff and wistful stuff.

I wasn't in the same room as the TV for some of the ladies' program last night. Am I correct to think I overheard someone skating to Schubert's "Serenade?" http://www.sheetmusicarchive.net/dlpage.cfm?composition_id=757\0

I enjoyed the American pair Zimmerman and Ina skating to portions of Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini." John Zimmerman is originally from my neck of the woods. I used to skate around (badly) at the same rink he used in Homewood, AL.

I don't always feel too great about how skaters' coaches and choreographers butcher up works to fit the time allowed. What do we all think?

[ February 20, 2002: Message edited by: MacDuff ]

on all the rachmaninoff pieces (i think there have been close to 5 total) they butcher it so badly i really wince..though it is passionate music, so i can see why they skate to it...

Hank,
Yes it was the Schubert Serenade. Did you also catch the Rach 3rd? I've missed most of everything this year.

To me the Rach 3 portion was poorly excerpted and applied.

The Rach 3 was almost unrecognisable! At the end of the program I was like, "Oooohhh ! That's what they were playing!" Grrr.

Eldon, it's David, not Hank. I use the handle MacDuff as there are/were several Davids.

In the past more skaters seemed to use movie scores, which adapt for skating better than symphonies and concertos. Before her fall from grace, I remember Tonya Harding skating to the score from Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of "Much Ado About Nothing," which was quite nice. Paul Wylie skated to lots of movie scores (what happened to him--retired?).

MacDuff,
Sorry about the mistake. Now we've a skater (Japan) skating to the Moonlight Sonata. It's pretty fragmented, though. :rolleyes: