The annual shlock-fest of voyeuristic folly has a fervid fan.
The conductor Paavo Järvi, head of the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, has his eyeballs ready and his twitter-fingers itching. He can’t wait for the vote from Albania.
Paavo tells Christian Berzins of watson.ch that he’ll be in Basel on the night:
Paavo Järvi, you’re conducting in Frankfurt on May 16th, and in Munich on May 18th: In that case, you’ll be a guest at the Eurovision Song Contest final in Basel on May 17th?
I’ll probably sit in a hotel room and watch the Eurovision Song Contest final there—and probably comment on it, too, because (he begins to smile) every song has a deep psychological meaning.
You follow the Eurovision Song Contest every year. Where does this enthusiasm for the competition come from? Is it typically Baltic or even Estonian?
The Eurovision Song Contest was a major event in my youth in Estonia. Since then, I’ve always followed the final with great enthusiasm. When Estonian Tanel Padar won in 2001, the cult following in Estonia naturally grew. Anneli Peebo was the presenter the following year. I work with her regularly because she’s a very good soprano.
They sometimes commented on every song live on X: biting, nasty, witty, ironic. This seems to be more than just intellectual fun!
For me, the Eurovision Song Contest is not the place to have intellectual debates. These are purely personal comments on my part. A few years ago, when I had a free evening in London, I started commenting on the songs—every single one. I always get such positive reactions: But everyone also knows that my comments are ironic. And even if a comment is critical, it’s always in the spirit of fun and enjoyment….
More here.
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