2015: An Overview
"BUILDING BRIDGES" IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA
Conchita Wurst's win in 2014 brought the most attention to the Eurovision Song Contest in years. The world finally took notice and Eurovision was now bigger than ever. Austria is a land renowned for it's musical history, the country was ready to impress the world with their orchestral prowess. The landlocked country had last hosted the contest in 1967, and with such a large gap in time they had a lot to show us.
The first semi-final opened with the first reprise of last year's winning song "Rise Like a Phoenix" before Conchita announced all the countries competing that day. The first time the semi-finals actually opened by showing all the participants, much like the contestant parade during the Grand Finals. The arena uses brand new technology incorporating the theme of "Building Bridges" with orbs of light that move like waves above the stage. As all the participants gather on stage, it was hard not to notice just how amazing this stage looks.
The second semi-final opened very simply, just the three hosts opening the contest and introducing the acts performing that night. Mirjam, Alice and Arabella aren't too entertaining, but Conchita is there to add some spice. Don't get me wrong, the girls were very professional and move things along perfectly, but they were nowhere near as entertaining as Petra or Pilou were in years past. The semi-finals themselves were stripped down affairs with the simplest interval acts in a long time. There were few surprises who qualified, with only favorites being left out.
While the semi-finals were stripped down, straight to the point affairs, the Grand Final was a gallant, extravagant, spectacle. It starts with the Vienna Radio Orchestra playing a medley of famous orchestral pieces written by famous Austrian composers, most notably Mozart. Then they played tribute to the first winner for Austria, Udo Jürgens, who had recently passed away featuring an accomplished violinist playing his winning song from 1966. Next, a new song based around the "Building Bridges" theme was sung by Conchita and the three hosts, later joined by an Austrian Boys Choir and one of Austria's best rappers. Epic is an understatement, the Grand Final opening was all about the power of symphonic music that the Austrians are so well known for. This all led to an unforgettable contest featuring postcards where the entrants got a package in their home country inviting them to participate in a traditional Austrian activity. From things as simple as skateboarding, to things like bungee jumping, the postcards really showed off the kind of fun you can have in their country.
This year was basically a three way match between Sweden, Russia and Italy. Sweden was performing in the first half, Russia in the last half and Italy at the very end. Many thought that Italy had the best advantage with their grandiose operatic song taking the last slot. Unlike the few past years, Russia was actually a favorite and instead of the usual boos the country got, the Russian singer was met with booming applause. Comparable to Sweden and Italy's reaction, the competition would be the closest in years. Before the voting, they presented us with two interval acts. The first was an amazing display of percussion and orchestration led by one of the world's most acclaimed, and happiest looking, drum leaders in the world, of course from Austria. The second was basically a small Conchita Wurst concert where she performed her new song echoing her winning speech, titled, "Unstoppable" and another song from her new album.
The voting was as I expected it to be, very very close. Even though there was a lot of hype surrounding Italy, the song was still third string to Russia and Sweden. Halfway through voting, it wasn't at all certain who would win in the end. With only two countries left to put in their vote, Sweden finally overtook Russia enough to be declared the winner. An incredibly psyched Måns Zelmerlöw took to the stage and again made a stirring call for peace and love before performing his song once more.
The Picks of 2015
2015: The Best (Estonia)
2015: The Worst (United Kingdom)
2015: The Guilty (The Netherlands)
2015: The Weird (Belgium)
2015: The Hilarious (San Marino)
2015: The Honorable (Australia)
2015: The Winner (Sweden)
Semi-Final One Song Recap May 19, 2015:
Semi-Final Two Song Recap May 21, 2015:
Grand Final Song Recap May 23, 2015: