Season 2013/2014: New Programmes, Part 2

The highest stakes in figure skating have always been in the men's competition. They have the most difficult elements, so it's only natural they should receive the greatest glory. However, having fans expect great things from you is a double-edged sword and many a skater has chosen a grand programme just for the sake of grandness, ensuring a big fat flop. Let's see how some of the top skaters decide to play their hand this season:

 Evan Lysacek - his name is on everyone's lips because when an Olympic champion sets his mind on a second gold medal, he is bound to become 'the skater of the moment' (at least as far as America is concerned). This is a skater whose always had grand programmes (he won the last Olympics with Scheherazade) so there was really no point in him going another direction. For the short program he chose the oh-so-famous Swan Lake by Pyotr Iylich Tchaikovsky. The bad thing about this music is that it's been chosen so many times by so many skaters, it feels a bit over-used. But who knows? Maybe Lysacek will throw a new light on it. The long program will feature another two famous stories, though not quite as over-used as that of the swans: Don Quixote by Leon Minkus and Samson and Delilah by Camille Saint-Saens.

Evgeni Plushenko - the other name that's been on everyone's lips since...forever, because his constant attempts to return on the ice have kept him in the spotlight. As far as Europe is concerned, he's 'the man of the hour', but that's probably just continental patriotism. The truth is the Russian has been presenting problem after problem and at this point it seems saner if he retired for good. But since that's not even close to his plans, let's see what he has in store for us. The music for the short program is a piece I personally never heard before (and I'm sure you're with me on this one), probably because it's Ukrainian. It's called: Taka jak ty, which apparently means A Girl Like You (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7jsYsAGGV8). His choice of not doing a big story is actually a good one - one of the rules of the Olympics is 'do something no one's done before.'

Patrick Chan - he's the man most likely to win the gold medal, despite the two veterans' pedigree. Chan is artistic, he's got the quadruple jumps in his back pocket and he seems to be the judge's favourites, not to mention he's been on the ice this whole time. So, what to expect from him? The elite of classic music. For the short he's chosen Sergei Rachmaninoff's Elegie in E Flat Minor and for the long, Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Both leave room for Chan's impeccable interpretation, so we're in for a treat.

Daisuke Takahashi - he's one of the best skaters in the world when he can hold his nerves and he's worth at least one Olympic medal, so here's hoping this will be his year. His short will feature the music of Mamoru Samuragochi, a blind Japanese composer. The song Takahashi chose is Sonatina for Violin in C-sharp Minor. As far as the long is concerned, Takahashi will channel his inner showman and skate on a Beatles Medley paired with George Martin's Friends and Lovers.

Javier Fernandez - he may not be a favourite for the gold medal, but his mad quad skills make him a skater to watch for. He's not one to go for stereotypical music in his programs and he is definitely proving it this season. For the short, he's got Satan Takes a Holiday in the interpretation of Larry Clinton and for the long, Henry Macini's Peter Gunn and Earle Hagen's Harlem Nocturne. It's worth mentioning that his long program has been choreographed by Kurt Browning.

Denis Ten - the skater from Kazakhstan awed us all last season, so he's got some big expectations to rise to. His short music is Camille Saint Saens' Danse Macabre, while his long program features Dmitri Shostakovich's The Lady and the Hooligan. None of these songs is famous enough to allow Ten to fall into a grandness trap, so here's hoping he can maintain the status he worked for so hard last season.

Florent Amodio - he starts the season with a big change of direction: replacing Nikolai Morozov with Katia Krier. Will a more home-based coach help him or not, we'll see. His long program music is less adventurous than usual and more romantic, La vie en rose by Louis Armstrong, so it will be interesting to see how well he manages the transition.

Yuzuru Hanyu - the emotional (and very young) Japanese skater has kept his 2012/2013 short program (Parisienne Walkways by Gary Moore in the choreography of Jeffrey Buttle), but chose the biggest theme of them all for his long program: Romeo and Juliet by Nino Rota. Although that theme's been used countless times, Hanyu has such a beautiful style that you can't help but get excited about his choice.

Artur Gachinski - although he's been out of the major international competitions this year (there's so many Russian skaters, there can't possibly be room for everyone), Gachinski is a personal favourite and a valuable item for Russia's future in figure skating. In the hopes that he'll appear more on the international stage this season, here's his two new programs: Flamenco for the short (which he co-choreographed with Jeffrey Buttle) and Dario Marianelli's Anna Karenina for the long program.

Tomas Verner - another skater that's been letting us all down, but who is hard to let go of despite everything. Verner is artistically very good, but has some major technical issues to solve, so created a long program that seems to be focusing on interpretation. The music is a medley of some of the finest tangos out there: Oblivion, Adios Nonino, Libertango and La Cumparasita. All I can say is 'Good luck!'.

Keep an eye out for updates of Michal Brezina, Sergei Voronov, Brian Joubert and Kevin Reynolds' new programs.