I'm looking for music for a new free program (ie non vocal music), however I'd like to be able to recycle my competition dress. Currently I've a lilac kimono style dress from Carrie Jones and have a program skating to the Flower Duet from Lakme (British Airways music) - the lilac and the applique makes it suitable for the floaty flowery music. I'd like to have some completely different music and am thinking of going down the Japanese theme, although am open to having more "flowery" music. I'm just struggling with the vast repertoire of music available. I'm not in a hurry for the music yet as I've still to test and compete the current program a final time, but was hoping to narrow down the new selection before it comes to crunch time. I heard music from Gettysburg at a synchro competition and really liked that, but don't think that's going to fit with the dress. And I was recently reminded of Riverdance but I don't think I'm a strong enough skater for the fast music (I'm only at bronze level) but really liked the celtic theme.
So if anyone has any suggestions as to what might work, I'd be really grateful. (I'm sure I can save the dress for another program or use it for dance, but I was hoping to keep it for another season.)

Have you heard the soundtrack to: House of Flying Daggers? Some very beautiful music there...

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The soundtrack to "Autumn in New York" is lovely. The first 4 tracks are songs but the rest of the cd is instrumental. It is quite slow but very emotional.
My other suggestion is something my old partner used and that is "and then she kissed him" from the pearl harbour soundtrack by Hans Zimmer. You can hear it on youtube

Crouching Tiger, Memoirs of a Geisha, Hero (the Yimou movie, not the TV series), House of the Flying Daggers, and Raise the Red Lantern are also personal faves of mine.

I'd go for some Tchaikovsky, but it's a bit obvious, really.... There was a film, a TV series and a musical based on James Clavell's novel "Shogun", maybe something from that would fit the bill?

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
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How bout 'Nessun Dorma' from Turandot? I used that for my free and it is beautiful. It is well used though, very recognizable. Some people don't like it because of that.

Thanks for the suggestions. I liked the Pearl Harbor one, I'd not heard that soundtrack before and it then led onto some other soundtracks (amazon suggesting what others bough takes you down some weird paths) and I discovered that James Horner has done some interesting stuff beyond Titanic. I think he did the soundtrack to Rising Sun, the sample sounded interesting so I might end up with an album. (really liked Apollo 13 but don't think it's really me enough to skate to, despite being really me intellectually).
I'm begining to think I ought to watch more movies just so I can listen to the soundtracks. I decided I don't really like the Japanese style of music, although I did work through all the soundtrack suggestions. Thank you as I needed the suggestions to know what to go look for and to make this discovery. I think I must have thought it was more Chinese-like but it's not and it's not really me (not that I know what me is as otherwise I wouldn't have this problem).
Nessun Dorma would have been nice, but there's a lady using it for her artistic at the moment, and I don't want to be seen copying down the rink!
Tchaikovsky would be a good choice but I'm going to have to go through his CDs to find something that isn't Nutcracker or Swan Lake as I do want to be different and unusual.
Autumn in New York sounds like it's got some nice music, but I only found a vocal one in my hunt on the internet so I'll have to do some more hunting for the instrumental, but it's got my idea of flowery music to it.
Why is music selection so difficult? I might dislike the compulsory dance music with somewhat of a passion (even if I do test dance), but at least it takes out some of the pain and time of selection. Thankfully I've had music for a solo free dance (which I may get around to at some point) selected for ages, although I've yet to tell the coach. Having old synchro music that I never competed is quite useful in that regard.

Going with the dress...one year my synchro team's senior long was to a ballet called Red Poppy. It's about Chinese woman who falls in love with a Russian sailor. I don't think the ballet was popular, but it had some really nice music with a good mix of Russian with some Asian influence. I've never heard it used in skating other than our program.

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Don't forget music from Madama Butterfly and The Mikado...

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You miss 100% of the shots you never take.--Wayne Gretzky

Yes, I was thinking Madame Butterfly as well. It has a Japanese theme and is well recognized, but it doesn't actually sound Japanese. Then again, I don't think "Memoirs of a Geisha" sounds very Japanese, either.

A piece I absolutely love--although it may sound too Japanese for your tastes, Fsk8r--is the theme from "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Miki Ando skated to it a few years ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qA2NDd1R9Q

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

I Haved Dreamed from the King and I. Their is a lovely string version on I tunes from the Johnny Douglas Strings, or a piano version by Carol Stein. I found them for my DD but at age 10 she just isn't in to it .

Also if you like the Celtic type of music the End Title to the Greatest Game Ever Played is also very good.

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Luckey

I liked the music Miki Ando used, but would be really scared to do something given that I couldn't skate it half as well as she does... The Mikado was something I'd forgotten about (although had remembered Madame Butterfly) but I'll have to go borrow a friend's CD to properly listen to both of them. I don't think samples really ever give you the best bits (in skating terms) of opera pieces.
but I really like the red poppy ballet. I'd thought ballet might throw up some interesting pieces and I'd never heard that, but I get the whole not quite chinese not quite russian feel it has. Shame Amazon UK doesn't have it as I'm now going to have to hunt it down from somewhere. (And I might also suggest it to the synchro coach as she's starting to worry about next season's program)
And I still need to have a look into the King and I. I'd had a thought of Anna and the King but had forgotten the older title, but that should throw up some interesting pieces.
I'm beginning to feel culturally and musically illiterate given that there is so much out there that I never knew about before. Then again, I have a feeling that most skaters are probably like that.

Yep, that's why you'll always find somebody skating to Carmen every season, LOL! But I'm in no position to talk; I'm skating to Romeo & Juliet.

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

''Nessun Dorma would have been nice, but there's a lady using it for her artistic at the moment, and I don't want to be seen copying down the rink! ''


Maybe you could ask the woman if she'd mind if you used the same music. Remember.. the rendition you select will probably be from a different orchestra and you will probably have a different edit. You really don't need her permission though.. just a suggestion. My skating bud patatty was planning on using the same music I am (she's not .. it's a long story)but she will be in a different age group and probably by the time she uses it at a different level. We do practice at the same rink on certain days and it would be interesting/ annoying to others to hear the same stuff over and over. But, I didn't care. Even if we were in the same age group and level I really don't care. Because when you go to competition there is no guarentee that someone won't have the same music. Just my rambling thoughts.

I like "The Moon and I" from Mikado. Also "Bali Ha'i" from South Pacific. "Flower Drum Song" may have some stuff too but I'm not real familiar with the soundtrack.

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You miss 100% of the shots you never take.--Wayne Gretzky

If you've been watching the Olympic games round-ups, listen to the music they do between the news stories. I don't mean the programme theme tunes - that's vocal - but there's a really nice bit of music they use between the stories on the round-up section. I don't know what it's called, but it might suit you.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I'll have to listen again tonight. I thought I heard something I recognised last night, not that I could play name that tune to it. I'll have to have a look at the BBC website and find out what they're using this time. I don't suppose there are any sports at the summer olympics which have musical accompaniments which I'll have to take up watching for ideas?

Women's gymnastics floor exercise (not that they actually perform to it the way skaters have to.. but it IS there playing and occassionally a gymnast will use highlights in the music for arm and head gestures) and synchronized swimming use music. I haven't heard anything from the floor ex that would lend itself to skating.. but the synchro teams sometimes have good music for skating programs... although our water IS harder than theirs.

Somehow I suspect that synchro swimming won't be on the mainstream channels in the UK (probably hidden away somewhere on digital). Unfortunately synchro swimming just has that reputation of watching paint dry (although I bet the swimmers say that about our synchro). But I'll have to keep a look out for it to see what sort of music they use.

I just head a beautiful song and thought of this thread. It's from "Riders on the Storm: The Doors Concerto." Its an album full of instrumental Doors songs. Anyways, "Riders on the Storm," the first track, is gorgeous and has an Asian theme woven throughout. I'm actually considering playing it for my coach, as I need a new program for competition (a month away...)

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I've only heard the sample on Amazon but I really really like that. As you say it's got an asian theme but isn't overtly asian. Think I'm ordering the CD and hope that I can persuade the coach that she likes it.

Thanks for all the ideas, if there are any more, feel free to post as I'm not making a final decision just yet, and currently I don't mind collecting lots of music and for all those future programs that I hope to get to, as I imagine that the coach will keep getting bored with the program as she realises that she can keep making the footwork ridiculously hard (well I ain't landing any impressive jumps any time soon and my spins are useless).

Is that the same version of "Riders on the Storm" that Carolina Kostner skated to this past season?

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

No, this one doesn't have very much piano in it (none that I can pick up on). I just watched Carolina Kostner's Euros SP and did NOT like that version of the music at all...

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Yeah, me neither. A little cheesy. . .

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

And I thought it was me. It didn't even sound like the doors sample I listened to. She's still a pleasure to watch skate. And thankfully because her music sounds so different, I wouldn't mind using the doors version!