Ranking the Warhorses: Requiem for a Dream

Hi everyone! I am back from competition and ready to roll! We are on to our second warhorse! Our first one was Bolero. If you missed it, go check it out! Today we are taking on a modern classical piece: Clint Mansell's "Requiem for a Dream". It is used in video game trailers, and I believe it is also in one of the Lord of the Rings movies. It's used all over the place on the internet whenever something dramatic happens. There are several comments on the "Requiem for a Dream Theme" video that are absolutely hilarious. I normally avoid YouTube comments, but these are well worth a look. You will sometimes see the title "Requiem for a Tower" as well. It is the same song, by the same composer. Requiem for a Tower added a choir and full orchestra to the musical arrangement.

In spite of Requiem for a Dream's reputation as being an overdone warhorse, I did not find a huge amount of videos, especially relative to other warhorses. For every actual skating program, there were about 10 montages using the song. There is even a Yuri on Ice montage using Requiem for a Dream! I will note one reason this sounds so repetitive. 3 out of my top 10 performances are from the 2009-2010 season.

We will now move on to a very important part of the post: Autumn's song love/hatred rating. I rate on a scale of 1 to 10, with the following criteria:
1= The most excellent jam, everyone should skate to this
10= Dear God, please put an end to this suffering

My rating for Requiem for a Dream is a 2. I LOVE REQUIEM. You can fight me. It's a powerful and dramatic piece, and it makes it sound like some epic things are about to go down!

Now, on to the countdown!

#10: Javier Fernandez (ESP)

Here we have a video of Javi in his junior days. He had yet to have the confidence and flair he has today, but you can definitely still see his potential. He's got huge jumps in this performance, particularly the triple axel and triple lutz.

#9: Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison (CAN)

Dube and Davison put out a solid performance here. No big mistakes, but I felt it could have had more drama, especially in the crescendos of the music. This was their big comeback season after an accident at the 2007 Four Continents Championships. Their opening lift is excellent, and I love the height they get on their throws.

#8: Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte (ITA)

Here we have an interesting program from Cappellini and Lanotte. This is a departure from a lot of their dances now, where they seem to favor traditional Italian pieces of music. Anna's costume is a cool and edgy choice. They have some really cool lifts in time with the music, and the effect was overall pleasant to watch.

#7: Alena Leonova (RUS)

Alena Leonova was so generous, she gave us 2 warhorses for the price of 1! The combination of "Adagio for Strings" and "Requiem for a Dream" goes quite well together. She had a seamless flow through the transition of music. Also, her side eye at the beginning is golden! The attention to detail in her costuming and makeup is really cool to see. She has crystal in her eye makeup that are the same shade as the crystals in her dress. Overall, I enjoy her skating and want to see more of her programs. Oh yeah, you know the drama I mentioned was lacking in Dube and Davison's performance? Miss Alena brought it.

#6: Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat (FRA)

Well, here's an awkward moment for you: In the 2009-2010 season, AKA "Requiem for a Dream" season, you have the European Championships. At this particular event, Cappellini and Lanotte and Pechalat and Bourzat both skated to Requiem. Well, at least Nathalie and Fabian weaved in some different music to make it less suspicious...All joking aside, I liked their interpretation of the piece and the choice of costumes. Her dress is gorgeous and his costume has an interesting steampunk vibe to it. I love how they have paid attention to the details and used them all for dramatic effect.

#5: Brooke Castile and Ben Okolski (USA)

I really love seeing a strong US pairs team, and I love a good comeback. Castile and Okolski were in 5th after the short program, and then ended up winning the 2007 US National Championships with this awesome free skate. That triple twist was amazing! I thought they had great unison on their step sequences as well.

#4: Brian Joubert (FRA)

I miss Brian Joubert's skating. He has a really unique skating style, has cool costumes, and is definitely not bad to look at 😉. This overall was a really strong performance, but then he fell on the double axel at the end. You can see his frustration after the program was over. I still thought it had a lot of impact and was dramatic at the right moments, combining speed and athleticism with artistry. And that footwork is 🔥🔥🔥!

#3: Karen Chen (USA)

This was the year that Karen came soaring onto the scene in her senior debut at the 2015 US Nationals. The whole competition was such an exciting event, and this program was one of the draws. She won the bronze medal at nationals in her first time out of the gate, and everyone could see she was a real contender. For someone at her young age, she skates with a great maturity. She did here at 15, and has continued to evolve as of the last season, where she won the US title. One of the highlights is definitely the Biellman! I look forward to seeing her at the Olympics next year too (even though she will be skating to the warhorse of all warhorses).

#2: Tomas Verner (CZE)

Tomas just nailed this program from the 2007 World Championships! It was a delight to see. He commanded the program from the very beginning with a huge quad toe/triple toe combination. It was also nice to hear a different cut of this warhorse. He also did one of my favorite skating elements: a huge triple axel at a key point in the music.

#1: Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres (FRA)

I just loved this program from James and Cipres. Their costumes were fabulous; the performance, even more so. All the sparkles are so beautiful. And many of you know how I'm mesmerized by shiny things. I love how they land all their jumps, throws, and twists so quietly and effortlessly. The music combination of Requiem with "Angels and Demons" sounds really cool too. That performance was just fabulous.

My final thoughts are this: Please continue to think of those in the path of all these storms and wildfires, and those still recovering. These are some trying times for many, and I hope my little blog can brighten your day 😊.

I have gotten several requests for Swan Lake/Black Swan, so thank you all for the recommendation. It shall be my next warhorse to cover!

Autumn at Icy Trails ⛸