Day 5. Live Blog 2nd Rehearsals

Today we will follow the 2nd rehearsals in Ahoy, and will keep you informed live.                                                 In Cooperation with: Eurovision Artists. Photo & Video Credits: EBU

17.15 – Ukraine

Last of the day Go_A, performs with a stand-in (Emmy) for singer Kateryna Pavlenko. Kateryna did not feel quite fit this morning, and in accordance with the security measures, she remains in quarantine pending a Covid-19 test. Whether the stand-in Emmy sings live, or whether the tape recording from the first rehearsal was used, is not entirely clear. Fact is, whether you like this genre or not … the act is rock solid. With a 9th place in the polls, Ukraine will undoubtedly easily qualify for the final.

16.50 – Azerbaijan

Also today, Efendi puts down a solid rehearsal. Here and there some minor flaws in song and dance, and a little more conviction than last Sunday. 21st place in the poll. A place in the final is certainly not excluded.

 

16.25 – Romania

Roxen performs in the same comfortable as last Sunday. Although vocally a little bit stronger than during the 1st rehearsal, Roxen comes across as nervous and anxious, which does not help her voice and the strong message of her song. 16th in the polls … Final perhaps , if she manages to recover.

16.00 – Israel

During the first rehearsal it became clear that it is sometimes difficult for Eden to combine singing and dancing. The whole act looks energic and modern, but also today, Eden has trouble with the combination of singing and dancing. 17th in the polls, but will Israel make it to the final?

 

15.35 – Belgium.

Hooverphonic still impresses today with their modest, sober and well-thought-out act. A welcome change from all the visual violence. Only a 20th place in the polls, but hopefully thanks to the professional jury we will see Belgium back in the final.

14.45 – Croatia

Vocally, this rehearsal sounds a lot better than the first. The act is well put together, Albina herself still seems a bit insecure and nervous. Hopefully she will get over that before Tuesday. Own the stage girl!! With a 19th place in the polls, a final place should certainly be possible.

14.20 – Norway

Today TIX puts on a much better rehearsal than last saturday, when the nerves seemed to be playing tricks on him. TIX has a high favor- and sympathy factor, and with a 15th place in the polls, we would like to see him back in the final.

13:55 – Cyprus

Elena once again puts on an okay rehearsal, occasionally she sounds a bit out of breath. With seventh place in the polls, Cyprus will reach the final without too much trouble.

1.30 pm – Ireland

Hard work has been done in the Irish camp in recent days. The whole thing seemed very messy last Saturday, during the 2nd rehearsal all the graphics come into their own much better, and it seems as if Lesley is running barefoot through a book, turning the pages. Vocally, there is still some gains to be made. With a 24th place in the polls, the question is whether it is all good enough for a final place.

 

13.05 – North Macedonia

While there were some minor flaws in his vocals last Saturday, today Vasil puts down a solid rehearsal, although it seems that, especially at the end during the last blow, he is holding back to spare his voice. North Macedonia ranks 32 in the polls. It is very doubtful whether Vasil will be able to qualify for the final.

 

11.40 – Australia

Just like last Saturday, no rehearsal in Ahoy , since Montaigne is not present in Rotterdam, but an exclusive preview

11.15 – Sweden

Tusse had still some problems with his voice last Saturday, this now seems to have recovered completely. On stage there was an apparently self-assured, radiant Tusse, with a well-thought-out, slick act as we are used to from Sweden. Sweden ranks 10th in the polls. We will certainly see Tusse in the final

 

10.50 – Russia

No changes in the act here either. Solid and stable act and vocals. The powerful message / ode to the Russian woman is very clear! Russia is ranked 14th in the polls. Finals should not be a problem. We would not be surprised if Russia managed to get a top ten, perhaps even a 5 position  in the final

10.25 – Slovenia.

In the second rehearsal for Slovenia, Ana comes out better than last Saturday. More confident in her singing and movement across the stage, although it seems her shoes are killing her. Slovenia is in 35th place in the polls. A final place will be a challenge.

10.00 am – Lithuania. The Roop shows  a solid,  dynamic act again in the 2nd rehearsal, with little or no changes. The Roop is ranked 8th in the polls. A top ten listing should certainly be possible for the Roop.

 

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History

70 years of Eurovision: the first years

The Eurovision Song Contest is celebrating its 70th anniversary. That is a wonderful milestone. We at Eurovision Universe love diving into the history of the contest. That is why we are taking a closer look at the contests of the past 70 years. 1956 Seven countries lined up at the start of the Song Contest. Lugano, Switzerland hosted the event. Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland took part. Each country could submit two songs, which helped fill the programme. Lohengrin Filipello presented the show entirely in Italian. The scoring lacked suspense. Two jurors from each country gave their verdict. At the end of the evening, Rolf Liebermann, the Martin Green of his time, came on stage and announced Switzerland as the winner. That result did not come as a surprise. Luxembourg did not send any jurors and instead asked two Swiss jurors to vote on their behalf. The winning song was the Swiss “Refrain”. When singer Lys Assia had to sing her song again, it became too much for her. She said she was overcome by emotions and decided to start over. Few moving images of the festival have survived; however, an audio recording does. 1957 United Kingdom, Denmark, and Austria joined the seven already participating countries. The contest was held in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. And this time, there was a voting procedure. Host Anaid Iplikjan had an assistant who established the telephone connections. It was a tough job for the presenter: not every jury chairman had read the instructions properly. Anaid had to constantly make adjustments. One entry that should not go unmentioned is that of Denmark. Birthe Wilke and Gustav Winckler played a fishing couple. She said goodbye to him because he had to go sailing. The act ended with a kiss. At a sign from the director, the two were supposed to let go of each other. However, the person who was supposed to give that sign was not paying attention, causing the kiss to last an extremely long time. And this happened in 1957! It did not get any more exciting after that. The Dutch Corry Brokken won with a landslide. She made quite an impression with her “Net als toen”. This was due in no small part to the beautiful solo by violinist Sem Nijveen. 1958 For the first time, the winning country hosted the Song Contest the following year. Ten countries competed in the AVRO studio in Hilversum. Great Britain skipped this edition, but Sweden made its debut. Hannie Lips served as the host. She only appeared after all the songs had been performed. At that point, she explained that technical problems had prevented some countries from broadcasting the first entry, Italy’s song. The organisers therefore repeated it. He did not win. However, it was a lucrative experience for the Italian Domenico Modugno. His song “Nel blu dipinto di blu”, under the title “Volare”, probably became the biggest Eurovision hit ever. Countless versions have been made of it. Dean Martin’s is the best known, but David Bowie and Paul McCartney also sang the song. The battle for first place was incredibly exciting. This one was between France and Switzerland. 1956 winner Lys Assia seemed poised to take first place with her “Giorgio”. She just missed out. It was the Frenchman André Claveau who claimed first place with “Dors mon amour”. And for anyone who thinks he went on to buy a villa or a yacht with the proceeds from this song: not at all. He happily announced that he could now purchase an extra cow for his herd!

Read More »
History
Martijn

70 years of Eurovision: the first years

The Eurovision Song Contest is celebrating its 70th anniversary. That is a wonderful milestone. We at Eurovision Universe love diving into the history of the contest. That is why we are taking a closer look at the contests of the past 70 years. 1956 Seven countries lined up at the start of the Song Contest. Lugano, Switzerland hosted the event. Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland took part. Each country could submit two songs, which helped fill the programme. Lohengrin Filipello presented the show entirely in Italian. The scoring lacked suspense. Two jurors from each country gave their verdict. At the end of the evening, Rolf Liebermann, the Martin Green of his time, came on stage and announced Switzerland as the winner. That result did not come as a surprise. Luxembourg did not send any jurors and instead asked two Swiss jurors to vote on their behalf. The winning song was the Swiss “Refrain”. When singer Lys Assia had to sing her song again, it became too much for her. She said she was overcome by emotions and decided to start over. Few moving images of the festival have survived; however, an audio recording does. 1957 United Kingdom, Denmark, and Austria joined the seven already participating countries. The contest was held in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. And this time, there was a voting procedure. Host Anaid Iplikjan had an assistant who established the telephone connections. It was a tough job for the presenter: not every jury chairman had read the instructions properly. Anaid had to constantly make adjustments. One entry that should not go unmentioned is that of Denmark. Birthe Wilke and Gustav Winckler played a fishing couple. She said goodbye to him because he had to go sailing. The act ended with a kiss. At a sign from the director, the two were supposed to let go of each other. However, the person who was supposed to give that sign was not paying attention, causing the kiss to last an extremely long time. And this happened in 1957! It did not get any more exciting after that. The Dutch Corry Brokken won with a landslide. She made quite an impression with her “Net als toen”. This was due in no small part to the beautiful solo by violinist Sem Nijveen. 1958 For the first time, the winning country hosted the Song Contest the following year. Ten countries competed in the AVRO studio in Hilversum. Great Britain skipped this edition, but Sweden made its debut. Hannie Lips served as the host. She only appeared after all the songs had been performed. At that point, she explained that technical problems had prevented some countries from broadcasting the first entry, Italy’s song. The organisers therefore repeated it. He did not win. However, it was a lucrative experience for the Italian Domenico Modugno. His song “Nel blu dipinto di blu”, under the title “Volare”, probably became the biggest Eurovision hit ever. Countless versions have been made of it. Dean Martin’s is the best known, but David Bowie and Paul McCartney also sang the song. The battle for first place was incredibly exciting. This one was between France and Switzerland. 1956 winner Lys Assia seemed poised to take first place with her “Giorgio”. She just missed out. It was the Frenchman André Claveau who claimed first place with “Dors mon amour”. And for anyone who thinks he went on to buy a villa or a yacht with the proceeds from this song: not at all. He happily announced that he could now purchase an extra cow for his herd!

Read More »
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