mao's music choice

found this on youtube today. v. interesting that mao does want to skate to somber music. there are subtitles. would love people's thoughts.

http://bit.ly/2IQ40E

Thanks for the link dlnnyc!

Yes, Mao chose the music herself. I actually quite like Bells- I just think she should do something different for her SP- it would make everything much more dynamic.

I think that as long as Mao commits to it, she will be smiling at the end. Everyone is saying that it's not right for her etc., but she should decide what's best for herself. She does have a lyrical style, but with that she brings out the lyrical phrasing of Bells. The piece of music is not like vampires coming out of the ground like Kurt said- it's deeper than that, beautiful and haunting, exhibiting sadness but also hope and power. I actually hope that she sticks to it if she loves it so much- she is a 19 year old woman (although it's strange to say this since she was so young not too long ago), so she should choose her path.

I saw this video too. It helps me understand a little more why she wants to use this music, and why she's sticking to it. Although I much, much rather prefer "sweet sounding music" with Mao than "somber" music. I hope she gets this out of her system this season, and goes back something that is more "Mao" next time. I don't think Olympic season was a good season to experiment, and stray away from the type of music she knew worked for her, but it's done now. I see it's her mission to prove to people like me that she can make this music work just as well too. I've never really cared for this song much in the first place, so I guess I might be a little biased, but if anyone can make me like it more, it's Mao!

Star85 wrote:

I saw this video too. It helps me understand a little more why she wants to use this music, and why she's sticking to it. Although I much, much rather prefer "sweet sounding music" with Mao than "somber" music. I hope she gets this out of her system this season, and goes back something that is more "Mao" next time. I don't think Olympic season was a good season to experiment, and stray away from the type of music she knew worked for her, but it's done now. I see it's her mission to prove to people like me that she can make this music work just as well too. I've never really cared for this song much in the first place, so I guess I might be a little biased, but if anyone can make me like it more, it's Mao!

i wish team mao wouldve been more strategic about the olympic season because that is how one needs to approach it. if mao likes somber music so be it but find something a bit more audience/judge friendly that mao likes as well. its a win-win. and then take that music and add dimension/depth by careful editing and construction so mao can display her gentle, soft side as well as her speed and intricate step sequences and deep edges with faster tempos. this would show everyone how diverse she is. it would have been smart to also address her weaknesses (flutzing, under-rotation, etc) and practice hard to correct them. something that always sticks with me that scott hamilton says repeatedly is "the greatest strength is lack of weakness".

dlnnyc wrote:

Star85 wrote:

I saw this video too. It helps me understand a little more why she wants to use this music, and why she's sticking to it. Although I much, much rather prefer "sweet sounding music" with Mao than "somber" music. I hope she gets this out of her system this season, and goes back something that is more "Mao" next time. I don't think Olympic season was a good season to experiment, and stray away from the type of music she knew worked for her, but it's done now. I see it's her mission to prove to people like me that she can make this music work just as well too. I've never really cared for this song much in the first place, so I guess I might be a little biased, but if anyone can make me like it more, it's Mao!

i wish team mao wouldve been more strategic about the olympic season because that is how one needs to approach it. if mao likes somber music so be it but find something a bit more audience/judge friendly that mao likes as well. its a win-win. and then take that music and add dimension/depth by careful editing and construction so mao can display her gentle, soft side as well as her speed and intricate step sequences and deep edges with faster tempos. this would show everyone how diverse she is. it would have been smart to also address her weaknesses (flutzing, under-rotation, etc) and practice hard to correct them. something that always sticks with me that scott hamilton says repeatedly is "the greatest strength is lack of weakness".

Maybe they thought it would go over better than it did. I remember reading somewhere recently where Tat said something about Masquerade like, "It's music that everyone enjoys". Maybe Tat is a little out of touch too It was recieved better than Bells, but it wasn't exactly popular either.

Star85 wrote:

dlnnyc wrote:

Star85 wrote:

I saw this video too. It helps me understand a little more why she wants to use this music, and why she's sticking to it. Although I much, much rather prefer "sweet sounding music" with Mao than "somber" music. I hope she gets this out of her system this season, and goes back something that is more "Mao" next time. I don't think Olympic season was a good season to experiment, and stray away from the type of music she knew worked for her, but it's done now. I see it's her mission to prove to people like me that she can make this music work just as well too. I've never really cared for this song much in the first place, so I guess I might be a little biased, but if anyone can make me like it more, it's Mao!

i wish team mao wouldve been more strategic about the olympic season because that is how one needs to approach it. if mao likes somber music so be it but find something a bit more audience/judge friendly that mao likes as well. its a win-win. and then take that music and add dimension/depth by careful editing and construction so mao can display her gentle, soft side as well as her speed and intricate step sequences and deep edges with faster tempos. this would show everyone how diverse she is. it would have been smart to also address her weaknesses (flutzing, under-rotation, etc) and practice hard to correct them. something that always sticks with me that scott hamilton says repeatedly is "the greatest strength is lack of weakness".

Maybe they thought it would go over better than it did. I remember reading somewhere recently where Tat said something about Masquerade like, "It's music that everyone enjoys". Maybe Tat is a little out of touch too It was recieved better than Bells, but it wasn't exactly popular either.

IMHO i do believe it is music people enjoy but it might not be right for a figure skating program. i think it is so important on what music gets selected for the olympic year (as well as any year). i would think critieria needs to be set so when evaluating music one can check off of a list that it meets these criteria. what is similar between masquerade and bells of moscow is the repetition of the melodies, the tempo doesnt change so it all sounds one note. not to criticize mao but i do have strong opinions on her interpretation of this type of music. masquerade has a carnival sound to it and it has such strong downbeats.. and being a waltz at that too. mao needs to really have swagger and bravura to "sell" the music more.. same thing goes for "bells..." it is so powerful and heavy that it needs someone who evokes weight and strength.... and maybe that was the strategy to make mao look very strong.

dlnnyc wrote:

IMHO i do believe it is music people enjoy but it might not be right for a figure skating program. i think it is so important on what music gets selected for the olympic year (as well as any year). i would think critieria needs to be set so when evaluating music one can check off of a list that it meets these criteria. what is similar between masquerade and bells of moscow is the repetition of the melodies, the tempo doesnt change so it all sounds one note. not to criticize mao but i do have strong opinions on her interpretation of this type of music. masquerade has a carnival sound to it and it has such strong downbeats.. and being a waltz at that too. mao needs to really have swagger and bravura to "sell" the music more.. same thing goes for "bells..." it is so powerful and heavy that it needs someone who evokes weight and strength.... and maybe that was the strategy to make mao look very strong.

You seem to have a great understanding of music, and make some good points, and I must agree with pretty much everything you said, except I don't really enjoy Masquerade. I can't speak for everyone though.

Ok, so I finally got around to watching this video.

Much of what the narrator said made me roll my eyes, but Mao's comments made me think something interesting.

"I want to show people that I can skate to somber music too," Mao says. And Yaginuma-san had a point about skaters needing to "not be swayed by others."

So yes, Mao's goal, as it always has been, is to win the gold medal at the Olympics. But there's a bigger goal--self improvement, continued evolution.

Mao could have taken the easy way out, skated to very sweet-sounding music. She could have caved into everyone else's criticism and changed her programs after the Rostelecom Cup.

But that's not Mao Asada. For her, challenge is life.

I, the greedy, base fan, would like Mao to change her programs to something that is very judge/audience/CoP friendly.

But Mao Asada is better than that. She won't compromise on what she wants to do, even if it costs her that gold medal that she wants so dearly.

It may be foolish, it may be stubborn, but it is Mao.

I agree with you 100% Batsuchan!