SWITZERLAND – So far we knew two things. That the 1956 Eurovision Song Contest was never fully taped and that small footage was available, with Lys Assia singing the winning song.
Recently, new footage appeared as you can see in this post, with Lys Assia performing her winning entry but stopping the orchestra because she missed the lyrics.
Furthermore, a Lugano-based photographer named Vincenzo Vicari (1911-2007) took some pictures from the rehearsals and the final night.
From the rare photos presented we notice that already since its establishment, the contest gave each performance a unique staging.
Will there be more revelations of 1956 materials? We no nothing for now…
The Eurovision Song Contest 1956 was the inaugural edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Lugano, Switzerland, and was held at the Teatro Kursaal on Thursday 24 May 1956.
Organized by the European Broadcasting Union, the pan-European music competition was inspired by the Italian Sanremo Music Festival.
- Lohengrin Filipello hosted the first contest which lasted approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes.
- Seven countries participated, with each of them performing two songs.
- Two jury members from all participating countries cast their votes in secret, based on which song was their favorite.
This first edition of the Eurovision Song Contest included several procedures that were not repeated in any subsequent edition:
Two songs for each country, secret voting, double voting of one country on behalf of another, optional inclusion of the jury members’ own represented country in their voting, only “Grand Prix” title reception for the winner and a solo male presenter.
an original oikotimes text
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