IN CONCERT
What: The Victoria Symphony presents Music of the Ice: Figure Skating鈥檚 Greatest Hits with Kurt Browning
When: Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Where: Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St.
Tickets: $32 and up at the Royal and McPherson Box Office, 250-386-6121 or online at rmts.bc.ca
In the interests of full disclosure, I should state up front that this will not be an entirely objective piece of reporting.
I say this because it鈥檚 based on an interview with Kurt Browning, and when I casually mentioned to my wife that I would be interviewing the Canadian figure-skating legend this week, she said: 鈥淏ut you love Kurt Browning.鈥�
鈥淚 know,鈥� I said. 鈥淚 love Kurt Browning.鈥�
And then, when I told her why he was coming to Victoria, she said: 鈥淭hat sounds like fun. We should get tickets.鈥�
So you can see why this might not be the most unbiased article you鈥檝e ever read.
But, seriously, I鈥檓 not alone in this, am I? Surely most Canadians with even a passing interest in sports have an affinity for Browning, one of the most graceful skaters ever to strap on a pair of blades.
It鈥檚 not just because he was a four-time Canadian and world champion, the first person to land a quadruple jump in competition, and a flag-bearer for sa国际传媒 at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. No, it鈥檚 because, on television at least, he always seemed so damn humble and down-to-earth.
He鈥檚 like that in person, too. Or at least, that鈥檚 how he seemed on the telephone from his home in Toronto, where he accidentally turned on the vacuum cleaner at the start of our interview.
鈥淚 guess you can鈥檛 hear me so well now, right?鈥� he said.
My excuse for speaking with Browning was that he鈥檚 coming to town on Saturday to host Music of the Ice: Figure Skating鈥檚 Greatest Hits with the Victoria Symphony.
As the show鈥檚 narrator, he鈥檒l take the audience behind the scenes at figure-skating competitions, tell personal stories about his life and career, and set up the video montages and musical numbers for the orchestra.
The symphony, conducted by Lucas Waldin, artist-in-residence at the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, will perform pieces that Browning and others have skated to over the years, including music from Phantom of the Opera, Casablanca, Singin鈥� in the Rain and Carmen.
鈥淲hat a Wonderful World is in there, which is certainly not typical for a symphony to play, but I have a personal story to that song that I present,鈥� Browning said.
His longtime friend Geoffrey Tyler will sing 鈥� the two of them have cooked up a special number that Browning insists will leave the audience 鈥済enuinely, honestly surprised.鈥�
It鈥檚 a rare chance to see Browning in person. These days, he鈥檚 becoming more of a homebody, turning down skating gigs in favour of spending time with his 10-year-old and 14-year-old sons.
鈥淚 want to be a dad more and a skater less and travel less, not be on the road as much,鈥� he said.
He describes it as an 鈥渆xperimental hiatus.鈥� He did an exhibition skate for charity a few weeks ago, but generally rejects more jobs than he accepts.
鈥淚鈥檓 51 now and I鈥檓 in great shape for somebody who鈥檚 51,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut every once in a while, something kind of hurts and I step on the ice and I go: 鈥業鈥檓 not sure I鈥檓 going to give Sudbury a great show tonight.鈥�
鈥淎nd I don鈥檛 like that feeling. I don鈥檛 want my skating to diminish much at the end. I want it to end strong. So I鈥檓 comfortable with saying 鈥楴o鈥� more than 鈥榊es.鈥� 鈥�
Although he鈥檚 performing less, he鈥檚 still heavily involved in the sport and will return to the Olympics next month as a commentator for CBC when the Winter Games open in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
He鈥檚 also enjoying watching his youngest son getting into skating. 鈥淲e haven鈥檛 been very serious about it, but he鈥檚 just now doing single axels and double jumps, and he鈥檚 more excited to go to the rink.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fun for me to watch him go through that. It鈥檚 awesome. I鈥檓 definitely getting to see skating from every aspect.鈥�
Browning said he would only want his son to pursue the sport if he鈥檚 having fun. 鈥淚 did,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 enjoyed it. I didn鈥檛 really have a day in my life where I ever wanted to quit skating. Lots of skaters have said: 鈥楾here鈥檚 been times where I don鈥檛 want to do this any more.鈥� Because it鈥檚 tough.
鈥淏ut I loved it.鈥�
Maybe that, more anything, is what came through in so many of his performances, and why, speaking objectively of course, Kurt Browning remains such a beloved figure all these years later.
