Watching this year’s Olympics, it became surprisingly clear how important the music is, especially in the moments when it was being talked over.
It shifted my attention to how much of the performance depends on what we hear, not just what we see.
Do the skaters choose their own music? How much of it is edited? How closely is everything built around it?
Notable Gold Medal Performances and Their Music
Yuzuru Hanyu
2014 Olympic Winter Games, Sochi — Men’s Singles (Gold Medal)
Music: Ballade No. 1 — Frédéric Chopin
Katarina Witt
1988 Olympic Winter Games, Calgary — Women’s Singles (Gold Medal)
Music: Carmen — Georges Bizet
Kristi Yamaguchi
1992 Olympic Winter Games, Albertville — Women’s Singles (Gold Medal)
Music: Malagueña — Ernesto Lecuona
Oksana Baiul
1994 Olympic Winter Games, Lillehammer — Women’s Singles (Gold Medal)
Music: Swan Lake — Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
From Swan Lake to contemporary film scores, the role of music in Olympic figure skating has remained constant.