The representative of Russia Sergey Lazarev, following the results of the audience voting, reached the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. The first semi-final of the main musical battle of the year was held on May 10 in Stockholm, Sweden, andRussian artist entered the top ten. Now he is waiting for the fight for first place. In the meantime, there is time to, as the singer himself said, to improve the number, which already brought the audience into a real delight.
During the speech of Sergey Lazarev, Russian fans made a real stir in the press center. All cameras are filming Russian fans and a Russian participant.
Even more fans of the Russian singer are in the audience. Moreover, a huge number of non-Russians - citizens of Belgium, Sweden, Poland - came with Russian flags and even in Olympic jackets with the inscription "Russia". "I like Russia, I like the song - why not?" one of them explains.
The delegation of each country went to the stage, as if in a decisive battle. Many will have to leave home today. But according to the reaction of even competitors, it was clear that Sergey Lazarev was here for a long time. The backing vocalists of Lazarev - foreigners - learned the Russian word "Forward" for encouragement.
An incredibly difficult number of Lazarev - the composition You Are The Only One was written especially for him by a team led by Philip Kirkorov and is already the leader in the number of bookmaker bets for the final - the audience is amazed. At the moment when the singer begins to literally soar in the air, the hall explodes.
- Was it scary?
- Honestly? No. In the sense that I was so focused and so mentally ready that I just went out and did it. The first few rows - they chanted: Sergei, Sergei!
"And bring Eurovision to Russia," hopes Philip Kirkorov.
It is extremely difficult for the Eurovision Song Contest, which tries to stay out of politics, to do so. At the final press conference, a Ukrainian journalist became concerned about the life of sexual minorities in Russia: if Lazarev wins and Eurovision goes to Russia, then what about lovers of non-traditional relationships?
Lazarev explained in detail that, in general, no one oppresses anyone in Russia, and Russia knows how to brilliantly hold major events. But the Ukrainian reporter himself was somewhat confused in a conversation with us, since it turned out that others had asked him to ask this question.
- And who asked you to ask this question, in the end?
“The question was asked to be asked by the journalists who are sitting in the press center with whom we communicate. Why didn’t they ask this question themselves? Komadovsky.
A bold message about the provocation was simultaneously made by the national Ukrainian jury of Eurovision - allegedly telephone hooligans called its head and, introducing themselves as Mustafa Dzhamilev, offered some shady deals to support the singer Jamala. Attracting attention is understandable - the second semi-final is approaching, in which the Ukrainian singer will perform.
And Sergey Lazarev is already starting preparations for the final - he will perform in the second part of the show. She, according to the tradition of Eurovision, is considered more successful.
After the broadcast of the first semi-final of Eurovision, there was only talk about the performance of our Sergey Lazarev. During this time, a million people have already watched the video with his performance on YouTube, and the number was unanimously recognized as the most spectacular in the history of the European competition.
And this is really not in doubt. Real magic was happening on the stage in Stockholm: steps suddenly appeared from the screen, along which the singer climbed higher and higher, then disappeared, and it seemed that he was floating in space. We watched and wondered: how, how does he do it?!
Woman’s Day was asked about this by the director of the act himself, the Greek director Fokas Evangelinos. He has a huge experience of working at Eurovision behind him: he staged a number for the Greek singer Elena Paparizou, with whom she won in 2005, Ani Lorak embodied his idea in 2008, he came up with a production with ballerina Dime Bilanu appearing from the piano in 2006 . And now I was directing the act for Sergei Lazarev. According to Philip Kirkorov: "Phokas has outdone himself."
Intention: a man in search of love
Photo by Getty Images
“First I listened to the song, because only the lyrics can give an idea,” Fokas told Woman’s Day. - One time was enough for me to understand how Sergey should look on stage. All people in life are looking for their own or their only one. When we are born, the only thing for us is our mother, later it is a boyfriend or girlfriend, then a husband or wife, when we become grandparents, our meaning of life is in our grandchildren. We all pronounce the phrase “You are the only one” in life, only in a different context. And so I wanted to show the search process itself. At the beginning, Sergei tries to reach the goal with the help of wings, then he is helped by people who are personified by dancers, then he himself climbs the hills and ends up on top.
I knew that Sergey had all the abilities to perform a number of any complexity. This is quite rare on the stage. I realized that the number can and should be unique. But the most important thing is that I knew for sure that the artist could do it - that's what matters.
The uniqueness of the scenery
Photo freeze frame performance
“In the process of preparation, the scenery had to be transformed. The organizers of Eurovision insisted that there should be only one large construction on the stage, and we wanted to install three. I had to combine three parts into one. That is, the scenery looks like three objects on the stage, but in fact it is one whole structure - in this way we got out of the situation.
35 people behind the scenes
Photo by Getty Images
“We have been preparing a three-minute show for six months. In December I presented the idea, at the same time the first question was raised about how to implement it, how to work out the lighting, in January they began to build the scenery, and in February they started rehearsals. For three months every day we worked on the performance, we had to make sure that everything would go as planned, that Sergey would be able to do everything, because the production is actually very difficult.
There are 35 people in the Lazarev delegation: workers with lighting, with scenery, vocalists, vocal teachers, doctors in case something happens to Serezha, a lot of people behind the scenes.
Running through the air, or 3D effect
Photo freeze frame performance
They write: what happens on stage during the performance is magic. But since it's magic, we decided to turn to a professional in this field - magician Sergei Safronov.
“My six-year-old daughter watched Eurovision with me, opening her mouth, and at the end she asked:“ Dad, how did he do it? .
Photo freeze frame performance
In fact, according to Safronov, no revolutionary technologies were used in the room. Wings, like Sergei's prints, and the universe is a powerful projection. The retractable steps that Lazarev climbs are not a breakthrough either, they are simply very well inscribed and disguised. And the key word here is very.
“It was done incredibly powerfully and competently, a huge role is played by Sergey’s clearly honed movements, which allowed him to exist absolutely synchronously and naturally in this projection. Do you know that this number was perfected by Lazarev for several months on tour? He painstakingly rehearsed every move. Goosebumps ran down my skin when I watched the number, because I understood how difficult it was, what miracles of balancing act Sergey performs, he looked straight ahead with his fingers crossed, realizing that at any second he could fall. His work showed how much sweat and blood he shed in rehearsals and training. Imagine how jittery he is, what degree of responsibility is entrusted to him - and not a single nerve twitched in him.
And all in real danger!
Photo by Getty Images
To perform the most spectacular trick in the middle of the number, according to the professionals, Sergey had to exert a lot of physical strength, as he had to keep himself on a small ledge. But at the same time, sing upside down, without losing your breath for a second!
It should be noted that this year there is no Russian representative at the Eurovision International Music Contest, which takes place in Kyiv. But last year, singer Sergey Lazarev represented our country so worthily by performing the song You are the only one, accompanied by a spectacular number, that many countries took note of this idea and, in 2017, presented their compositions, introducing elements from Lazarev's performance into them.
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This was demonstrated by the broadcast of the first semi-final of Eurovision, which took place on May 9. So, the representative of Cyprus literally copied the speech of Lazarev, during which he rotated against the background of the starry sky and geometric figures.
Following him, against the backdrop of screens with views of the universe, a singer from Montenegro sprawled out. The number of the representative of Azerbaijan was also performed in the style of Sergey Lazarev - the singer rushed about in a transforming room. Attentive Eurovision viewers have already expressed their opinion on this situation on social networks by posting relevant collages.
0 May 14, 2016, 06:15 PM"A copy is always worse than the original", "Damn it!!!", "😂😂😂😂 how original", "... He thought no one would notice... Congratulations, you're in the final! But we've seen everything 😏 know about this!" - Lazarev's fans wrote on a fan page dedicated to the artist.
Recall, the opening ceremony of the International Music Contest "Eurovision" took place three days ago in the Mariinsky Park in Kyiv. The second semi-final will be held on May 11, and the final on the 13th. Russia refused to participate in the event after the Security Service of Ukraine banned the entry of Yulia Samoilova. Allegedly, she violated Ukrainian law by speaking in Crimea.
Sergey Lazarev
According to Lazarev, his entire team are real professionals who have worked more than once at Eurovision with other participants. For example, stage director and choreographer Fokas Evangelinos staged a number with a piano and a ballerina at Eurovision for Dmitry Bilan for the song Never Let Me Go in 2006, with which he took second place. And Dmitry Kontopoulos, who together with Phillip Kirkorov worked on the song You Are The Only One, has extensive experience writing songs for Eurovision: Sakis Rouvas already performed with his composition at the competition in 2009 and took seventh place. Kontopoulos also wrote music for songs by Ani Lorak, Farid Mamedov, Anna Vissi, Demy, Kostas Martakis, Dmitry Koldun and the Tolmachev sisters. All together they created a truly bright and memorable stage number for Lazarev - with installations, video projections, complex choreography and more.
Kirkorov has no doubts about the success of his ward, along with whom to support the artist and help prepare for the final (that Sergey will go to the final, it seems, was clear to everyone from the very beginning).
Sergey Lazarev and Philip Kirkorov
But Lazarev did not take relatives and friends with him to Eurovision:
None of my relatives will go to Stockholm with me, 25 people are allowed in the delegation of each artist, and all our places have already been booked. But this is not the only thing, I don’t want to be distracted from the working mood, I’m going there to work, represent the country, and not relax and have fun. I don’t want to think about where my relatives are at the moment, whether they have eaten, are they not lost. There shouldn't be any disturbances of this nature.
Lazarev said.
Not only foreign experts predict victory for the Russian performer, but also, of course, Russian ones.
Joseph Prigogine: Sergei is a wonderful artist, confident, stable. And his number is strong. Lazarev's competition is weak, the chance that he will take first place is high. Speaking in aggregate, Serezha should win.
Igor Matvienko: A good number, just like a number - it is the best, I think Sergey will enter the top three.