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Rating: Switzerland, 1956. A handful of European countries create an international event, modeled after the Festival della Canzone Italiana di Sanremo, the so-called Eurovision Song Contest or Concours Eurovision de la Chanson, immediately renamed Eurofestival in Italy. There are six countries from so-called free Europe: Switzerland, Netherlands, West Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Italy; the Iron Curtain divides the continent and never in a million years would a Soviet bloc country dream of participating in such an exquisitely frivolous, exquisitely continental-popular, and pacifist event like this, full of "volemose bene" spirit. No one would ever dream of inviting the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, or other Warsaw Pact countries to the event.
Fifty-four years later, the festivity, considered one of the most important musical events in the world, arrives right in Moscow, the capital of the former Soviet Empire: who would have thought?
Russia earned the honor and burden of organizing this year's event thanks to Dima Bilan's victory in Belgrade last year.
This edition is somewhat out of the ordinary: on one side arrives a beautiful message of peace from Israel, on the other, Russia manages to exclude Georgia from the competition which had presented a song by Stephan & 3G with the eloquent title "We Don’t Wanna Put In", a clearly intended play on words referring to the Russian federation's president as a consequence of the invasion of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia claims that the competition rules prohibit political lyrics, while Georgia defends itself by saying that – although the resemblance between the verb Put In and the name Putin is obvious – the song’s lyrics have nothing political. In the end, Russia wins: Georgia is required to modify the lyrics, but the Caucasian country refuses and proudly prefers to withdraw from the competition.
One of the main criticisms of the ESC in recent years is that the final results – determined by a public vote – rarely reward the best song, being influenced by the cultural affinities of the various countries. In other words, Belarus votes for Russia and vice versa, Azerbaijan votes for Turkey and vice versa, the same for Cyprus and Greece, the ex-Yugoslav countries, and so on, leading to a progressive rise of ex-Soviet bloc countries in recent editions, consequently excluding Western countries from the final or from the "high ranks" of the scoreboard. To counter this issue, a technical jury has been introduced this year alongside the popular vote: each country allocates its votes fifty-fifty, popular vote/technical jury.
Two semifinals air on May 12 and 14, allowing 42 competing countries to vie for the final on Saturday the 16th.
This year as well, the quality of the offerings is extremely varied: there’s the refined execution of Urban Symphony and their talented vocalist and violinist for Estonia, performing "Rändajad", to the outright trash "Aven Romale", by Gipsy.cz for the Czech Republic.
As previously mentioned, noteworthy is Israel's commendable initiative, presenting a duet between the Israeli Noa and the Palestinian Mira Awad, interpreting a beautiful song partly in Hebrew, partly in Arabic, and partly in English titled "There Must Be Another Way". The brilliant voices of the two singers search for, meet, merge, and separate to give the audience a truly remarkable performance, though it does not achieve the impact it surely deserved: Israel will not go beyond a disappointing sixteenth place. To be honest, I was greatly surprised to see that during the vote tally, Israel did not secure high positions: I was sure such an important message and a pleasant song would be rewarded by the European audience, who evidently preferred lighter songs and younger and more charming performers.
Armenian twins Inga and Anush stand out with their piece "Jan Jan". It's a song partly in English and partly in Armenian, a successful blend of ethnic and pop genres. The two twins, dressed in long electric blue dresses reminiscent of traditional Caucasian costumes, move symmetrically; their heavily made-up eyes and gestures make them seem like a dark duo or little witches. Nice movements, nice concept, but it clashes with the joyful lyrics of the song.
Hungary counters with Zoli Adok and his "Dance With Me": a convergence of Alcazar, George Michael, and GayPride (if there's a difference between the three). The athletic Adok showcases good skills as a musical performer, since throughout the performance he jumps and dances without hitting a wrong note. Horrible costumes, the song is rather predictable, and won’t pass the semifinal.
As every year, Greece enters as a big favorite: the handsome Sakis Rouvas performs "This Is Our Night", perhaps a bit too smugly, promptly penalized by the audience.
Contrary to what one might think, the most sensual and provocative performance comes from Turkey, also traditionally favored, and its young performer Hadise (reviewed on DeBaser with her latest album) who sinuously sways to the notes of "Düm Tek Tek". The stage (huge and high-tech) is a scarlet explosion, the young woman, scantily clad, gyrates and initiates belly dance moves, then rubs against an equally attractive and sparsely dressed dancer.
Energetic is Nelly Ciobanu, for Moldova, with her "Hora Din Moldova", a fun song with decidedly Balkan flavors in which the artist sings the praises of her country. Norway counters with the very young Alexander Rybak, originally from Belarus but a resident of Norway since the age of two. The song is fresh, nice, and the performance makes it clear that the young man is aware of his great appeal to the teens of his country: he winks and smiles at the cameras, winning over not only young Norwegians but also the rest of Europe's youths. Ukrainian Svetlana Loboda also delivers a strong rendition of her piece "Be My Valentine (Anti-Crisis Girl)". The intro vaguely resembles Madonna and Justin Timberlake's "Four Minutes", and the beautiful Ukrainian dances surrounded by four gladiators. Towards the end of the piece, she also showcases her drumming skills in a decidedly rhythmic passage. Good performances also come from Azeris AySel and Arash with their "Always", Maltese Chiara with "What If We", and the Albanian Kejsi Tola with "Carry Me In Your Dreams".
During the performance of the German band Alex Swings Oscar Sings, a surprise guest appears: the queen of burlesque Dita Von Teese struts and winks alongside the representation of her country.
As is tradition, once the performances are over, the audience has fifteen minutes to vote, after which the tallying of the results begins with connections from all participating countries.
This year, unfortunately, there’s not much suspense: Alexander Rybak with "Fairytale" for Norway starts immediately in the lead, clearly distancing from the runners-up Iceland (Yohanna, "Is It True?"), United Kingdom (Jade Ewen "My Time"), Azerbaijan, and Turkey. The fight for second, third, and fourth place is more thrilling, ultimately given to Iceland, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, respectively. It shows that the idea of reinstating a technical jury in the voting process is useful: while the popular vote continues to be awarded based on cultural affinities, the jury adjusts the outcome: in fact, the excellent placement of the United Kingdom, fifth, and France, eighth (last year tied for last place), and the downsizing of other representatives who have always been front runners, such as Ukraine and Greece, just to name two.
Norway's victory is thus guaranteed from the start, but this does not limit the grand celebration that follows the announcement of Alexander Rybak as the fifty-fourth winner of the Eurovision Song Contest. See you in May 2010 in Oslo.
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