http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f46LNKoiixY
The big story in pairs skating at Cup of Russia was Savchenko and Szolkowy. First off, they’re Germans, which doesn’t have much of a history in pairs. Secondly, they win the whole thing. As the commentators said, they’re very interesting to watch, and innovative. The irony about their free skate this year is that although Paul Wylie calls them “a compelling, modern couple,” they’re wearing iron crosses and skating to music from “The Mission.” In other words, Savchenko and Szolkowy are new and different at the same time they’re skating to venerable themes.
Yes, I’m biased, but I love it when artists use traditional themes in new ways, to introduce those themes to new audiences. So I love their costumes, and I love the music. Actually, “The Mission” is one of my favorite movies, and the soundtrack is one of my favorite modern classical music pieces. (Yo-Yo Ma’s version is the best.) During this performance, the audience was exceedingly quiet, probably because of the influence of the music. This performance does a wonderful job at exuding the themes of the film and piece of music. It’s one of the best long programs this season.
By the way, according to Wikipedia, the iron cross is an important symbol in German history. Again, I love the thoughtfulness of this couple; they were even able to pay homage to their home country.
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