Pfeifer Plans to Compose His Own Music for Programs

Viktor Pfeifer

December 4, 2005
Article & Photo © J. Barry Mittan 

Austria's Viktor Pfeifer has an unusual plan in mind for next season. He wants to compose and play his own music. "I plan to compose my free program music and play it myself," he said. "I already have some melodies and I've already composed some music for the cello. The program will be part classical and part modern. I still have many friends at the conservatory and they said they will play with me so I'll have my own ensemble for the music."

The 18-year-old began playing the cello at the age of seven and attended the biggest music conservatory in Voarlberg, Austria before he switched to a sports school. "I was very talented but it was boring," he said. "I just lived for skating so when we had a lot of free time to practice the cello, I was skating."

Pfeifer accomplished his first goal for this season by qualifying for the Olympic Games at the Karl Schaefer Memorial in Vienna, finishing fifth. He also finished fourth at the Golden Spin of Zagreb and fifth at two Junior Grand Prixs, the Sofia Cup and the Tallinn Cup. Last season he placed 12th at Junior Worlds, 18th at Europeans and 23rd at Worlds. He has won the novice, junior and senior titles in Austria. For this year, Pfeifer's primary goal is to win the Junior World Championships. "I really want to be good this year," he said.

"I went to kindergarten skating when I was seven," Pfeifer said, "but I didn't start taking lessons until I was nine. I really went to lessons when a girl from school that I liked went skating and I followed her. Then she quit but I already liked skating so I stayed. When I was 14, I really started training professionally, before then I was just skating without any serious thoughts. I had been an alpine skier until I was 12, but it was just for fun."

"I landed my first triple when I was 12 or 13," he recalled. "It was a toe loop. And by 15, I had all my triples. I like doing triple-triples. They're real consistent. I have a triple flip-triple toe in the long and triple loop-triple toe. I'm also working on three triple combinations. Once I even did triple salchow-triple toe-triple toe-triple toe in practice."

"I've been trying quads and have landed quad toe loop in practice but it's not yet consistent. I tried my first quad in competition at the Montfort Cup in Feldkirch in October. I hope to have quad toe-triple toe in my long program by Europeans. You need it for the points. I've also tried the quad salchow and the quad flip in practice. I've landed them but cheated."

Pfeifer normally trains in Feldkirch with Elena Romanova. "I usually train two to three hours a day on the ice, six days a week," he said. "Sometimes I do four hours but then I'm too tired the next day because the training is very intensive with lots of jumps. I take notes about how many jumps I do and how many are completed. I've had no problems with my elements in practice, getting almost 100 percent, but I still have to practice more on my programs to be more consistent and not make mistakes. Pfeifer also trains in Flims, Switzerland in the summer with Viktor Kudriatsev and some of the Russian skaters like Ilia Klimkin.

"I work off ice every day with my coach," he continued. "It's mainly jumps and turning. It's harder to turn off ice so you can learn how to turn better. I do an hour or two every day, including going to the gym. I also go to a sports psychologist and physiotherapy once a week. I realized that it's not just about competitions. You need a mental coach too. I can tell him my problems and he helps me and motivates me. Before in practice, I just went on the ice. Now I prepare my mind in practices. I learn how to solve problems and crises."

Marina Kudriatseva choreographs Pfeifer's programs. This season, he is using "Chronologie Part 2" and "Zoolook Number 3" by Jean Michel Jarre for the short and music from the soundtracks of "La Strada", "Eight and a Half" and "Il Bidone" for the long. "The music for both programs is new," he said. "I always like to skate to slow music and do slow movements, but then there is not enough time in the short to do the elements and the choreography. So we decided that it's better to do one fast program and one slow program. So the short is faster and the free is slower. I really like the free program music and feel good skating to it."

He used a Charlie Chaplin medley for his gala program this season. "I first did Charlie Chaplin five years ago," he said. "I made it myself. A lot of it, I'm just improvising, especially in the step sequences. I also put many personal ideas in my own programs for the last two years before this year. And this year, I added many movements. I think it's important that skaters show their individuality."

Pfeifer has completed high school but not enrolled in university. "I just want to keep skating for as long as I can, " he said. "Maybe ten more years. In Austria, sportsmen can get good jobs in managing, both in business and in sports centers. If you're a good sportsman, they are interested in hiring you. I'm also interested in architecture. My father is an architect."

Among his off ice interests are listening to music, especially hip-hop, playing soccer, and sometimes playing computer games.