Marco Mengoni will represent Italy at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. Mengoni won Sanremo 2013 with the song “L’essenziale”, however, a decision on which song will be sung in Malmo is to be made in the following weeks. Mengoni rose to fame after he came third in the reality show “X Factor”. In 2010 he became the first Italian artist to win the Best European Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
The show begins with Daniel Harding conducting the Sanremo Philharmonic Orchestra which played Wagner’s most famous piece “The Ride of the Valkyries”. The hosts are now on stage presenting the jury and introducing the acts.
“Sai” by Raphael Gualazzi
The 2011 Italian Eurovision representative starts the night off. He stays true to his style, both playing the piano and singing. His vocals are good as usual and the audience awards it with a warm applause.
“Mamma non lo sa” by Almamegretta
This is one of the weirder songs you will hear this evening, which would probably end somewhere near the end of the scoreboard if it were to go to Eurovision. The lead singer has somewhat of a rough voice. He is wearing a suit and has a few groovy dance moves to show off.
“A bocca chiusa” by Daniele Silvestri
Daniele is playing the piano as he sings this fun piece which has a few tempo changes throughout. It is a nice song and Daniele sings well. Members of the Sanremo Orchestra make sign language gestures and movements which accompany the song. Near the end of his performance, Daniele stands away from the piano and joins in with the sign language. He gets a big applause from the audience.
“Se si potesse non morire” by Moda
Another slow paced song with the piano forming the centrepiece of the melody. The lead singer displays his exceptional vocal abilities. This is a well sung and engaging song.
“La prima volta (che sono morto)” by Simone Cristicchi
This quite a monotonous song with the singer standing put in a single place throughout the performance. It has traces of retro in it. The audience however seems to love it and it gets a big applause.
“E colpa mia” by Maria Nazionale
Maria has an outstanding voice. She sings this ballad perfectly and the music that accompanies it is beautiful. Maria wears a flowing blue dress. So far, this gets the biggest applause of the night.
“Scintille” by Annalisa Scarrone
Now its time for something completely different. Annalisa is wearing a green dress and sings this fast paced song well. This has Eurovision potential.
“Sotto Casa” by Max Gazze
This is probably the most fun entry of the night. Like with the other entries the vocals are good but Max engages with the audience and gets them clapping throughout the performance, conducting them at one point. This could do well if it were to go to Eurovision. Overall, the performance is memorable.
“Il futuro che sarà” by Chiara Galiazzo
“Il futuro che sarà” is a jazz entry with traces of pop. The staging, lighting and camera work creates a more intimate setting, which fits this song perfectly. Chiara’s vocals are exceptional and she is wearing a black dress. Another potential Eurovision entrant which could do well.
“Vorrei” by Marta sui Tubi
The band is playing the guitars and this is the first song of the evening which is a bit livelier. There is heavy use of pyrotechnics. The lead singer’s vocals are excellent and this is a memorable entry which stands out from the rest so far this evening.
“E se poi” by Malika Ayane
So far in the night, not a single singer can be faulted for their vocals and Malika is no exception. She is wearing a long and quite conservative black dress, creating quite a contrast to the colourful background. This song is nice and slow paced but would struggle to stand out from the circus that is Eurovision. A comedian, commercials and non ending chatter have created a long break since the last performance.
“La canzone mononota” by Elio e le Storie Tese
The band sings well and engages the audience in the performance. The song changes tempo several times thoruhgout and just when you think it is over it goes on. Overall the song is ok but would seriously struggle in a Eurovision setting.
“L’essenziale” by Marco Mengoni
It’s time for yet another ballad. Marco sings well. The stage here looks great with changing pink and purple lighting which blends well with the vibe of the song. This gets a huge response from the audience.
“La felicita” by Simona Molinari & Peter Cincottiffai
The last song of the night is a lively affair. Simona’s vocals are excellent though Peter does nothing more than constantly repeat “Oh I need you bad” though most of the song which becomes somewhat irritating after a while. He does play the piano though. One of the biggest applauses from the audience tonight.
Three hours after the show began, all the songs have finally been performed. The top three will perform their songs again before the winner is announced. Italy’s Eurovision representative will be announced just before the Sanremo winner is named.
The legendary Andrea Bocelli takes to the stage as the interval act. Following Andrea it is time for Birdy to perform “Skinny Love”. If you were hoping to know the results any time soon, settle in for a long night. The hosts have just broken into a song and dance. The hosts are now fooling around stage. We seem to have seen more of them than the singers themselves. The press award and the orchestra award for the best arrangement goes to the odd ensemble that goes by the name of Elio e le storie tese.
The top three are: Elio e le storie tese, Moda and Marco Mengoni who will represent Italy at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. The delirious audience begins chanting “Marco, Marco!”
The voting for the three super finalists now begins from scratch. They will now perform again. The winner of Sanremo 2013 is Marco Mengoni with the song “L’essenziale”!
That completes tonight’s live report.
1 comment
i love the stage
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