Day 3: start of the 2nd semi rehearsals

Day three of rehearsals: the second semifinal has started. Nobody knows about the stage anymore. We try to keep you informed. For the time being, we’ll stick to the nine countries that rehearsed.

FINLAND: Expectations were obviously high with a big name like The Rasmus in da’ house. In black and yellow rain gear, the stars stood on stage between huge black balloons. Eurovision.tv praises the professionalism of the band members.

ISRAEL: It was quite exciting whether Israel would participate or not. However, the security issues died down. And so Michael Ben David stood on stage in white, surrounded by his dancers. Remarkable: eurovision.tv reports that there is good singing. That has not been done so far.

SERBIA: Konstrakta’s act is little different from what we saw during the national final. She has the healthy hair of Megan Markle, which she also sings about. She washes her hands regularly. The dancers around her carry towels. Everything to stay “In corpore sano”, in a healthy body.

AZERBAIJAN: It was to be expected: Azerbaijan has a standout act. Nadir Rustamli sings from a sort of staircase that looks like a grandstand. There is also a dancer in that stand. Halfway through the act, the stand is split in two and the dancer and singer can see each other.

GEORGIA: Circus Mircus represents Georgia. And clowns belong to a circus. A singer in a leather jacket and flying goggles, a man with an eye patch and a belly organ and a bassist who seems to have borrowed the hat from the Ukrainians. That last man has a beard of flowers. Many colors can be seen on stage. Surreal is how even the official site describes it.

MALTA: Emma Muscat performs in a dress covered with silver. She is flanked by four dancers. Later during the act, she sits behind a huge piano. She also uses the so-called B-stage, just in front of the green room. The sun springs into action and gives off its golden light during this act.

SAN MARINO: You can expect a striking act from Achille Lauro. He wears body stocking, cowboy boots and hat, a black boa and he is at a red rodeo. While you’d expect that with the title “Stripper,” the clothes don’t come off. Where there is smoke there is fire: that certainly applies to this act, which ends with a lot of pyro technics.

AUSTRALIA: Of course Sheldon Reily wears his jeweled mask. Surprising is the huge white suit he is also wearing. At the bottom of the suit is a huge tow. Eurovision.tv compares it to a wedding dress that drags on the floor. It almost seems as if Sheldon is staying in the clouds.

CYPRUS: Andromache is singing in a purple dress with what looks like a huge fan behind her. The dancers move around that fan. The fan is also used to display the graphics. Different colors are visible.

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History

Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest, part 4

This year’s Eurovision Song Contest has been won by Austria. It was the 57th Austrian entry. Reason for us to go back to all the Austrian entries in history! For the fourth episode, we will look back at the early eighties. Austria returned to having a national final. Marty Brem and Gary Lux both took part twice. Austria 1980 – Blue Danube – “Du bist Musik” By 1980 Austria was back with “Du bist Musik”, performed by the group Blue Danube. Composer-lyricist Klaus-Peter Sattler wrote this German-language entry. The song is a love ballad comparing a beloved to music, name-dropping famous composers and dances. Blue Danube was a five-member ensemble formed just for Eurovision. Notably the group included singer Marty Brem. He would represent Austria again the following year. Conducted by Richard Österreicher, “Du bist Musik” opened the night’s show and scored 64 points for 8th place out of 19. Austria 1981 – Marty Brem – “Wenn du da bist” Marty Brem was part of Blue Danube in 1980. The singer returned solo for Austria in 1981. “Wenn du da bist” (“When You’re Here”) was composed and written by Werner Böhmler, and again Richard Österreicher conducted the orchestra. For the first time since 1963, the song was chosen through a national final. Brem was the only contestant. He sang three songs. “Wenn du da bist” is a romantic ballad with a slightly jazzy, complex composition. Unfortunately, it finished in 17th place (20 points) at the contest. Marty Brem’s performance featured an energetic stage show with flamboyant costumed dancers. The Austrian singer was frontman of a band called “Marty and the Bomfriz” at the time. After Eurovision, Brem pivoted to working in music journalism and the record industry. 1982 – Mess “Sonntag” Twelve songs competed in Austria’s 1982 national final. The duo Mess won with “Sonntag” (“Sunday”), an upbeat pop track full of early-’80s Europop charm. Both members, Michael Scheickl (also known as “Fritz”) and Elisabeth “Lizzi” Engstler, had also entered the competition as solo artists. Michael Scheickl (credited as “Michael Mell”) composed the song, while Rudolf Leve wrote the lyrics. Mess brought joyful energy to the stage with their lively, danceable performance. “Sonntag” celebrated the carefree feeling of a Sunday, wrapped in a catchy, cheerful style. The song earned 57 points and placed 9th out of 18 countries. Formed specifically for Eurovision, Mess disbanded soon after. Engstler, just 21 at the time, later built a successful career as a television presenter for Austria’s ORF network. 1983 – Westend “Hurricane” In 1983, Austria chose the pop group Westend to perform “Hurricane”, selecting them from 12 finalists that included Waterloo (ESC 1976). Band member Peter Vieweger composed the song, while Heli Deinboek and Heinz Nessizius wrote the lyrics. Sung in German, “Hurricane” delivers an upbeat synth-pop sound with Schlager influences, using a whirlwind metaphor to capture the chaos of lost love. The entry scored 53 points and finished in a tie for 9th place. Westend featured five members, including Gary Lux—whose role stood out. Lux went on to represent Austria at Eurovision six times during the 1980s, both as a solo performer and backing vocalist. “Hurricane” earned Austria a solid mid-table result and later became a beloved ’80s Eurovision memory. 1984 – Anita “Einfach weg” Twelve songs battled for the ticket to Luxembourg, with Gary Lux finishing as runner-up. Austria chose Anita Spanner, known simply as Anita, for the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest with “Einfach weg” (“Simply Gone”). Brigitte Seuberth composed the track, and Walter Müller wrote the lyrics. This energetic pop song featured a catchy melody and a synth-driven arrangement typical of the mid-80s. Despite strong expectations, Austria landed in 19th (last) place with just 5 points. Ironically, the song found huge success at home. It climbed to #1 on the Austrian singles chart and stayed in the Top 20 for ten weeks. Anita, a newcomer and surprise national final winner, took the stage in Luxembourg backed by vocalists including Gary Lux. Although “Einfach weg” didn’t resonate internationally, its popularity in Austria turned it into an iconic Austropop hit of the decade. 1985 – Gary Lux “Kinder dieser Welt” By 1985, Gary Lux had become a familiar face for Austria at Eurovision. Having been in Westend (1983) and a backing singer in 1984, Lux took center stage with “Kinder dieser Welt” (“Children of this World”) in Gothenburg. He was internally selected for the contest. His uplifting song was a pop anthem calling for hope and joy for children around the globe. It was written by prominent lyricist Michael Kunze and composed by the British duo Mick Jackson and Geoff Bastow. “Kinder dieser Welt” earned 60 points and secured 8th place for Austria out of 19 entries. The entry affirmed Gary Lux’s status as one of Austria’s most frequent Eurovision participants.

Read More »
History
Martijn

Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest, part 4

This year’s Eurovision Song Contest has been won by Austria. It was the 57th Austrian entry. Reason for us to go back to all the Austrian entries in history! For the fourth episode, we will look back at the early eighties. Austria returned to having a national final. Marty Brem and Gary Lux both took part twice. Austria 1980 – Blue Danube – “Du bist Musik” By 1980 Austria was back with “Du bist Musik”, performed by the group Blue Danube. Composer-lyricist Klaus-Peter Sattler wrote this German-language entry. The song is a love ballad comparing a beloved to music, name-dropping famous composers and dances. Blue Danube was a five-member ensemble formed just for Eurovision. Notably the group included singer Marty Brem. He would represent Austria again the following year. Conducted by Richard Österreicher, “Du bist Musik” opened the night’s show and scored 64 points for 8th place out of 19. Austria 1981 – Marty Brem – “Wenn du da bist” Marty Brem was part of Blue Danube in 1980. The singer returned solo for Austria in 1981. “Wenn du da bist” (“When You’re Here”) was composed and written by Werner Böhmler, and again Richard Österreicher conducted the orchestra. For the first time since 1963, the song was chosen through a national final. Brem was the only contestant. He sang three songs. “Wenn du da bist” is a romantic ballad with a slightly jazzy, complex composition. Unfortunately, it finished in 17th place (20 points) at the contest. Marty Brem’s performance featured an energetic stage show with flamboyant costumed dancers. The Austrian singer was frontman of a band called “Marty and the Bomfriz” at the time. After Eurovision, Brem pivoted to working in music journalism and the record industry. 1982 – Mess “Sonntag” Twelve songs competed in Austria’s 1982 national final. The duo Mess won with “Sonntag” (“Sunday”), an upbeat pop track full of early-’80s Europop charm. Both members, Michael Scheickl (also known as “Fritz”) and Elisabeth “Lizzi” Engstler, had also entered the competition as solo artists. Michael Scheickl (credited as “Michael Mell”) composed the song, while Rudolf Leve wrote the lyrics. Mess brought joyful energy to the stage with their lively, danceable performance. “Sonntag” celebrated the carefree feeling of a Sunday, wrapped in a catchy, cheerful style. The song earned 57 points and placed 9th out of 18 countries. Formed specifically for Eurovision, Mess disbanded soon after. Engstler, just 21 at the time, later built a successful career as a television presenter for Austria’s ORF network. 1983 – Westend “Hurricane” In 1983, Austria chose the pop group Westend to perform “Hurricane”, selecting them from 12 finalists that included Waterloo (ESC 1976). Band member Peter Vieweger composed the song, while Heli Deinboek and Heinz Nessizius wrote the lyrics. Sung in German, “Hurricane” delivers an upbeat synth-pop sound with Schlager influences, using a whirlwind metaphor to capture the chaos of lost love. The entry scored 53 points and finished in a tie for 9th place. Westend featured five members, including Gary Lux—whose role stood out. Lux went on to represent Austria at Eurovision six times during the 1980s, both as a solo performer and backing vocalist. “Hurricane” earned Austria a solid mid-table result and later became a beloved ’80s Eurovision memory. 1984 – Anita “Einfach weg” Twelve songs battled for the ticket to Luxembourg, with Gary Lux finishing as runner-up. Austria chose Anita Spanner, known simply as Anita, for the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest with “Einfach weg” (“Simply Gone”). Brigitte Seuberth composed the track, and Walter Müller wrote the lyrics. This energetic pop song featured a catchy melody and a synth-driven arrangement typical of the mid-80s. Despite strong expectations, Austria landed in 19th (last) place with just 5 points. Ironically, the song found huge success at home. It climbed to #1 on the Austrian singles chart and stayed in the Top 20 for ten weeks. Anita, a newcomer and surprise national final winner, took the stage in Luxembourg backed by vocalists including Gary Lux. Although “Einfach weg” didn’t resonate internationally, its popularity in Austria turned it into an iconic Austropop hit of the decade. 1985 – Gary Lux “Kinder dieser Welt” By 1985, Gary Lux had become a familiar face for Austria at Eurovision. Having been in Westend (1983) and a backing singer in 1984, Lux took center stage with “Kinder dieser Welt” (“Children of this World”) in Gothenburg. He was internally selected for the contest. His uplifting song was a pop anthem calling for hope and joy for children around the globe. It was written by prominent lyricist Michael Kunze and composed by the British duo Mick Jackson and Geoff Bastow. “Kinder dieser Welt” earned 60 points and secured 8th place for Austria out of 19 entries. The entry affirmed Gary Lux’s status as one of Austria’s most frequent Eurovision participants.

Read More »
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