Day 4: new sun troubles, a Swedish circle and many more

Today is the day of the stage again. Today the EBU has made an official statement about it: “During the technical tests in Turin, the production team has experienced challenges with how long it takes to adjust the “sun” to different positions in the time between the different performances. Together with the host station RAI it was therefore decided that the sun will remain in the same position during all 40 songs, to ensure a fair competition for all participating countries.”. What position that is, is still being discussed. So to be continued again. It is certain that a number of countries now have to make changes in their staging.

Meanwhile, 9 countries rehearsed for their performance in the second semifinal.

IRELAND: Brooke takes the stage in a bright blue suit. During her performance she is assisted by four dancers. They start the song lying on the floor! Ireland uses many floor projections. Brooke is also praised by Eurovision.tv for her strong voice. Pyrotechnics are used at the end of her performance.

NORTH MACEDONIA: Andrea stands alone on the podium for North Macedonia. She sings her song completely wrapped in black leather. In her performance she uses the lifting bridges over the water. Shadows of hands are visible on the LED screens. The sun is not only orange but also white and blue.

ESTONIA: Stefan starts his performance on the B stage. He is accompanied only by his guitar. Later in the song, he goes wild: then he uses the entire stage to present his performance. The two cowboys from the national final stayed home.

ROMANIA: WRS from Romania wears glittering wetlook trousers. He also wears a red blouse, but according to Eurovision tradition, that goes off. He turns out to be wearing a sleeveless shirt with glitter underneath. There is a lot of dancing. As a result, the Romanian likely gets a lot of attention from the crowd.

POLAND: The Polish competitor Ochman is also in black, he wears a black suit. He is assisted by four dancers, who seem to represent some kind of water spirits. Flashing light effects can be seen during the performance. The waterfall on the stage is also used… what else could we expect with a song about a river?

MONTENEGRO: Vladana has her entire performance on the B stage. She wears a blue dress during her performance. The background is also blue, with splashes of white as graphics. Vladana mainly remains in one place.

BELGIUM: The Belgian Jérémie Makiese impressed with his song. Jérémie is flanked by four dancers. He himself wears blue-grey trousers, a black shirt and a silver jacket, while the dancers wear black jackets. At the end of the act all the light falls on Jérémie, who is standing on a platform on which flames are projected.

SWEDEN: Cornelia Jakobs ranks high among the bookmakers. As the Swedes always do, Cornelia Jakobs also puts on the same act as during the national final Melodifestivalen. The starry sky at the beginning, the large, first green and then red, circular plate right behind Cornelia, even the silver-black clothing and the bare feet are the same.

CZECH REPUBLIC: The Czech group We Are Domi is the last to rehearse today. The group uses a lot of light, which makes you feel like you’re in a disco. Funny effect: the ‘sun’ on stage looks like a vinyl album here. Eurovision.tv mentions the cello-string guitar: the guitarist made it himself.

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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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