The world's biggest music competition will hold its final on Saturday the 14th of May in Turin. Eurovision offers a tour of Europe through music... Except for Luxembourg, which has not taken part in the show since its last appearance in 1993. Marc Reiser, a passionate Eurovision fan, tells us what goes on behind the scenes of the show that still attracts millions of viewers.
The first victory he remembers was Abba's in 1974. He was 9 years old, but still remembers it. Marc Reiser then managed to convince his parents to watch the broadcast of the Eurovision every year. A passion that grew until its climax and the holding in Luxembourg in 1984: "That was the first time I saw Eurovision live. It was quite something, the men were in dinner jackets, there was an orchestra, it really was another era!"
In 1984 the presenter was Désirée Nosbusch, the school friend of Marc Reiser's got tickets for him for the show that would leave a lasting impression on him. So much so that he attended almost every Eurovision event thereafter, apart from the last editions in Russia, Azerbaijan and Israel. "I remember fondly the Ukraine edition, especially with the recent events, it got me thinking even more. It was already political at the time when there were big tensions with Russia. The Ukrainians are impressive because they have qualified every time since the semi-finals were set up." And even though the competition is supposed to be neutral, the war in Ukraine is likely to influence the jury again this year: "I fear that everyone will feel sorry for the Ukrainians and that the competition will be distorted. This is what happened in 2016 with Jamala's song. It scares me a bit."
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