When Everything Old is New Again: Skating Music Selections Made for 2012-13

We’re hitting that time of year when “new” music selections for the 2012-13 season start revealing themselves... whether it’s via an article a la Ice Network, or via word of mouth as the off-season competition circuit (if there is such a thing) runs its course. Of course, we have to use quotes around the word new because 9 times out of 10 it really isn’t—at least not to skating fans. But hope springs eternal that in such cases, the carousel of warhorses and WITs (Warhorses in Training) will, in fact, pair up with Just The Right Skater and be reborn in favorable fashion.




You may have already heard that U.S. Silver Medalist Adam Rippon plans to get his Don Draper on as he channels the Mad Men character for his new free skate (using music from The Incredibles)...you may also have gathered that U.S. Bronze Medalist Ross Miner is brushing up on his Errol Flynn films as he prepares a FS to Captain Blood (music which was once skated to, famously, by Dorothy Hamill at the ’76 Winter Olympics).





Miner has also announced his SP music—"Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini", which didn’t quite make it onto my Top 10 Warhorses list from back in January but was mentioned among the readers’ comments. As you study this list of choices made thus far for U.S. skaters, you’re bound to see other titles you recognize:


Jason Brown (9th at Nationals & World Junior Champ): SP "The Question of U" (Prince); FS "Liebestraume" (Liszt)


Prince for a competitive program? Color me intrigued... and it reminds me that someday soon we’ll have to get to talking about the upcoming vocals-in-competitive skating change. (Which doesn’t leave me intrigued; leaves me suspect is more like it. But I digress...)



Liebestraume, probably considered Warhorse territory by some, was most recently used by the likes of Mao Asada and Pang/Tong (and one other big name I think...?)


By the way, Brown’s choreographer for both is Rohene Ward—probably not well known on the international circuit, but a guy who made a splash at several U.S. championships despite never finishing higher than 14th (in 2002).


Gracie Gold (National Junior champ; Junior World Silver Medalist): SP "Hernando’s Hideaway"; FS Life is Beautiful



I’m tickled to see "Hernando’s Hideaway" on the list (originally from The Pajama Game, a 1954 Broadway hit), though it makes perfect sense given the number of tangos we’ve been witness to lately. Hernando has the potential for some campy fun, though, so I hope Gold works it well (I suspect she will). Life is Beautiful, of course, is the soundtrack of the 1997 Italian hit film La vita è bella and was utilized by Jeremy Abbott for his 2010-11 free skate.



Marley/Brubaker (National Silver Medalists, pairs): FS Umbrellas of Cherbourg



Taken from the soundtrack of another foreign film (1964’s Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, starring Catharine Deneuve), this WIT has been used by Virtue/Moir several years back and Nobunari Oda just last season (to name a few).



Agnes Zawadzki (National Bronze Medalist): SP Sex and the City 2



... which I presume to be a bouncy mambo-esque number in similar style to the original Sex and the City theme song. (Sorry— didn’t catch the sequel.)



By the way, she appears to be keeping her Rhapsody in Blue free skate from last season.



Caroline Zhang (National Pewter Medalist): FS "Nessum Dorma"



... ah, THERE’s the warhorse! Knew it’d find its way in here sooner or later.



Like Zawadzki, Zhang looks to be keeping a program from last year—in this case it’s the SP of "Rushing Wings of Dawn" by Tim Janis.



Oh, and Johnny Weir is rumored to be using the WIT Requiem for a Dream. Someone please wake me from that nightmare and tell me it isn’t true!


So what do you make of these choices thus far? Got any music recommendations for the remaining athletes? Be sure to sound off here!