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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Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest, part 5

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 eighties and early nineties. Gary Lux returned again, and Thomas Forstner participated twice. And 1990 brings a special national final… 1986 – Timna Brauer – Die Zeit ist einsam Timna Brauer represented Austria in Eurovision 1986 with the song “Die Zeit ist einsam” (English: “Time is Lonely”). It was composed by Peter Janda with lyrics by Peter Cornelius. This introspective ballad scored 12 points in total and finished 18th in the final at Bergen. Brauer, an Austrian-Israeli singer-songwriter, comes from a famous artistic family. Her father is artist Arik Brauer. She was known for blending jazz and world music elements in her performances. 1987 – Gary Lux – Nur noch Gefühl Canadian-born singer Gary Lux returned to Austria in Eurovision 1987 with the song “Nur noch Gefühl” (“Only Feelings”). This gentle mid-tempo pop ballad was composed by Kenneth Westmore with lyrics by Austrian artist Stefanie Werger. On the night of the final in Brussels, Lux earned 8 points, placing 20th out of 22 entries. Gary Lux was already a Eurovision veteran. He had represented Austria multiple times in the 1980s, including as a solo act in 1985 and as part of the group Westend in 1983. His experience and smooth vocals made him a familiar name on the Eurovision stage, even though the 1987 entry did not score high. 1988 – Wilfried – Lisa, Mona Lisa Wilfried (Wilfried Scheutz) represented Austria in Eurovision 1988 with the song “Lisa, Mona Lisa”. This entry is a moody pop-rock number. It was co-written by Wilfried along with Klaus Kofler and Ronnie Herbolzheimer. In the Eurovision final held in Dublin, it unfortunately received nul points, finishing 21st (last) among the contenders. Wilfried was a prominent figure in Austropop: he had been one of the pioneers of Austrian pop/rock music since the 1970s. He even briefly served as lead singer of the band Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung (EAV) before pursuing a solo career. Despite his domestic success and unique vocal style, “Lisa, Mona Lisa” did not manage to score with the international juries. 1989 – Thomas Forstner – Nur ein Lied Nineteen-year-old Thomas Forstner represented Austria at Eurovision 1989 with the power ballad “Nur ein Lied” (“Only a Song”). German pop producer Dieter Bohlen composed the music, while Joachim Horn-Bernges wrote the lyrics. The song carries an uplifting message of hope and peace. Forstner delivered one of Austria’s strongest Eurovision performances. Austria finished 5th out of 22 countries and scored 97 points, the nation’s best result since its 1966 victory. The success turned Forstner into a national pop star. “Nur ein Lied” climbed to #1 on the Austrian charts and strengthened his position in the local music scene. His breakthrough in Lausanne helped revive Austria’s Eurovision presence at the end of the 1980s and remains a key moment in the country’s contest history. 1990 – Simone – Keine Mauern mehr Austria’s 1990 entry was the inspirational pop ballad “Keine Mauern mehr” (“No Walls Anymore”), performed by Simone Stelzer. Marc Berry and Nanna Berry composed the music, and Mario Botazzi wrote the lyrics. The song promotes unity and the removal of barriers, echoing the atmosphere after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the Eurovision final in Zagreb, Simone finished 10th out of 22 countries and earned 58 points for Austria. The national selection brought drama. During the live final, the duo Duett first won the competition, but their female singer fainted on stage while performing “Das Beste”. The song still topped the vote, yet officials later disqualified it because it had appeared in a 1988 German national final. As the runner-up, Simone took the Eurovision ticket and delivered a strong top-ten result for Austria. 1991 – Thomas Forstner – Venedig im Regen Thomas Forstner returned to represent Austria in Eurovision 1991 with “Venedig im Regen” (“Venice in the Rain”). Robby Musenbichler, Hubert Moser, and Wolfgang Eltner wrote this romantic ballad. The song was chosen out of 10. Also Anita Spanner (Eurovision 1984) was among the contestants. “Venedig im Regen” aimed to match Forstner’s strong 1989 result. The contest in Rome brought a very different outcome. Forstner scored 0 points, a sharp contrast to the 5th place he earned two years earlier. The song offers a smooth melody and heartfelt lyrics about a brief meeting in rainy Venice, yet international juries did not connect with it. This setback created one of the most striking turns in Austria’s Eurovision history, as Forstner became one of the rare artists to follow a top-five finish with a nul-points result.

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Martijn

Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest, part 5

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 eighties and early nineties. Gary Lux returned again, and Thomas Forstner participated twice. And 1990 brings a special national final… 1986 – Timna Brauer – Die Zeit ist einsam Timna Brauer represented Austria in Eurovision 1986 with the song “Die Zeit ist einsam” (English: “Time is Lonely”). It was composed by Peter Janda with lyrics by Peter Cornelius. This introspective ballad scored 12 points in total and finished 18th in the final at Bergen. Brauer, an Austrian-Israeli singer-songwriter, comes from a famous artistic family. Her father is artist Arik Brauer. She was known for blending jazz and world music elements in her performances. 1987 – Gary Lux – Nur noch Gefühl Canadian-born singer Gary Lux returned to Austria in Eurovision 1987 with the song “Nur noch Gefühl” (“Only Feelings”). This gentle mid-tempo pop ballad was composed by Kenneth Westmore with lyrics by Austrian artist Stefanie Werger. On the night of the final in Brussels, Lux earned 8 points, placing 20th out of 22 entries. Gary Lux was already a Eurovision veteran. He had represented Austria multiple times in the 1980s, including as a solo act in 1985 and as part of the group Westend in 1983. His experience and smooth vocals made him a familiar name on the Eurovision stage, even though the 1987 entry did not score high. 1988 – Wilfried – Lisa, Mona Lisa Wilfried (Wilfried Scheutz) represented Austria in Eurovision 1988 with the song “Lisa, Mona Lisa”. This entry is a moody pop-rock number. It was co-written by Wilfried along with Klaus Kofler and Ronnie Herbolzheimer. In the Eurovision final held in Dublin, it unfortunately received nul points, finishing 21st (last) among the contenders. Wilfried was a prominent figure in Austropop: he had been one of the pioneers of Austrian pop/rock music since the 1970s. He even briefly served as lead singer of the band Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung (EAV) before pursuing a solo career. Despite his domestic success and unique vocal style, “Lisa, Mona Lisa” did not manage to score with the international juries. 1989 – Thomas Forstner – Nur ein Lied Nineteen-year-old Thomas Forstner represented Austria at Eurovision 1989 with the power ballad “Nur ein Lied” (“Only a Song”). German pop producer Dieter Bohlen composed the music, while Joachim Horn-Bernges wrote the lyrics. The song carries an uplifting message of hope and peace. Forstner delivered one of Austria’s strongest Eurovision performances. Austria finished 5th out of 22 countries and scored 97 points, the nation’s best result since its 1966 victory. The success turned Forstner into a national pop star. “Nur ein Lied” climbed to #1 on the Austrian charts and strengthened his position in the local music scene. His breakthrough in Lausanne helped revive Austria’s Eurovision presence at the end of the 1980s and remains a key moment in the country’s contest history. 1990 – Simone – Keine Mauern mehr Austria’s 1990 entry was the inspirational pop ballad “Keine Mauern mehr” (“No Walls Anymore”), performed by Simone Stelzer. Marc Berry and Nanna Berry composed the music, and Mario Botazzi wrote the lyrics. The song promotes unity and the removal of barriers, echoing the atmosphere after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the Eurovision final in Zagreb, Simone finished 10th out of 22 countries and earned 58 points for Austria. The national selection brought drama. During the live final, the duo Duett first won the competition, but their female singer fainted on stage while performing “Das Beste”. The song still topped the vote, yet officials later disqualified it because it had appeared in a 1988 German national final. As the runner-up, Simone took the Eurovision ticket and delivered a strong top-ten result for Austria. 1991 – Thomas Forstner – Venedig im Regen Thomas Forstner returned to represent Austria in Eurovision 1991 with “Venedig im Regen” (“Venice in the Rain”). Robby Musenbichler, Hubert Moser, and Wolfgang Eltner wrote this romantic ballad. The song was chosen out of 10. Also Anita Spanner (Eurovision 1984) was among the contestants. “Venedig im Regen” aimed to match Forstner’s strong 1989 result. The contest in Rome brought a very different outcome. Forstner scored 0 points, a sharp contrast to the 5th place he earned two years earlier. The song offers a smooth melody and heartfelt lyrics about a brief meeting in rainy Venice, yet international juries did not connect with it. This setback created one of the most striking turns in Austria’s Eurovision history, as Forstner became one of the rare artists to follow a top-five finish with a nul-points result.

Read More »
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