EUROVISION-2012

It was incredible, great and fun! It's not just that Azerbaijan hosted one of the most prestigious competitions in the world. Eurovision demonstrated the scale and high spirit with which our country hosted this festival. Eurovision in Baku became a precedent of what we, Azerbaijanis, ourselves find very hard to believe. Now we know that Azerbaijan, and specifically, Baku is capable of hosting large-scale events with all the circumstances that ensue for the host capital, not to mention the fact that the very air of Baku and the atmosphere were literally imbued with Eurovision relaxedness and sense of celebration. The well-known phrase "expecting the holiday was better than the holiday itself" could not even be applied to Eurovision realities in Baku, as the festival really did take place.

Street festivities, youth flash mobs, grand fireworks, concerts devoted to Eurovision. Seeing our hometown very different - in order to achieve this effect, we had to try hard. The organizers of Eurovision in Baku ensured that the local residents looked at their city through the eyes of foreign visitors.

It was a real two-week trip to your own town. You really wanted to walk through its streets, mix with people, observe the reaction of guests, smiles, cross the road with the crowd for which the road police stops the traffic, hear the clicks of cameras, foreign speech and laughing. And all that is echoed by a magnificent backdrop - live music, which could be heard on the boulevard every day at concerts staged not only by representatives of the Azerbaijani show business and culture, but also representatives of Eurovision.

Each of us discovered new facets in our city and loved it with renewed vigour. In each of us, there appeared an indescribable sense of pride that we are Bakuvians, we are the owners of this city on the Caspian Sea, and we are citizens of our country, which could do what seemed impossible in a very short period of time through pain and loss. Proving that you are a bearer of ancient culture does not mean lagging behind modernity, and a clear confirmation of that is the Azerbaijani youth, who now fluently speak English, and the modern architecture of the capital, which is becoming more beautiful day by day. And I want to believe that tomorrow will be even better, because the intellectual youth are our future, and ancient culture is our past and present. It is the basis of the achievements that we now possess.

It is a synthesis of East and West, ancient and modern times. The main attraction of Baku - the Maiden's Tower - was a symbol of this synthesis. The timing - the run-up to Eurovision - of the 3rd Qiz Qalasi International Festival of Arts in Baku was very well chosen. This year, the festival was held to promote the Maiden's Tower worldwide, as it has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is considered a symbol of the capital. And the hallmark of this festival was the use of video-mapping technology on its walls. The laser projection of Maiden's Tower models made at previous festivals was created on the monument. As it got dark, a half-hour musical programme, followed by the work of lasers "painting" on the tower, was played. Every night, the impressive show attracted thousands of residents and visitors to the city who observed the spectacle. And to ensure 360-degree visibility of the tower, 30 projectors shone on the tower from seven different points. This fantastic light show could be watched infinitely. It is impossible to say how much it excited children.

The action of the official fan club of Eurovision with the motto "Light your fire" was no less spectacular. On the occasion of the first semi-final of Eurovision, participants in the action launched hundreds of burning lanterns into the sky above the Caspian Sea. It was a real surprise for kids and a sort of opportunity to plunge into the world of fairy tales - there is a scene with such lanterns even in the cartoon "Rapunzel". I am sure many will remember it - filled with romance and beauty to the brim. And for adults, it was a very beautiful and colourful touch to the festival. After all, the process itself creates an atmosphere of wonder and fulfillment of desires. In the East, it is believed that the flight of these unusual gifts has a philosophical sense. Contemplating the flames rushing up, you get more faith in life and thus enhance your health and immunity, freeing your mind from internal stress. And people looking at the lanterns in the sky think of their most innermost desires. Surely anyone who watched this enchanting action made a wish.

"Unique Eurovision in Baku"

There is no doubt that during the Eurovision Song Contest, the world's attention was focused on Azerbaijan. Influential foreign media published material on the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku. For example, Agence France Presse observed: "The Eurovision Song Contest has created a good opportunity to promote Baku - the capital of oil-rich Azerbaijan. At the competition watched by more than a 100 million viewers, this country demonstrated its cultural identity at the highest level."

The agency also says that "the Azerbaijani capital Baku is a very beautiful city. If anyone doubts Baku's love for fashion, let them turn back and look at the Flame Towers stretching to the sky. The author notes that Baku had prepared perfectly for the Eurovision Song Contest. On the facades of the houses there are symbols of Eurovision-2012, not to mention the clock tower with neon lighting in the form of an oil rig. Eurovision logos were also on buses and London cabs."

The well-known American newspaper The Washington Post said in an article that Baku has got rid of its gloomy industrial image and become a vibrant centre of business life, combining the charm of Istanbul and architectural achievements of Dubai. The holding of Eurovision is a perfect stage to showcase the results of transformation.

Other media in the region and the world were also full of articles full of admiration for the beauty of the Azerbaijani capital and amazement at the scale of Eurovision in Baku. For many people, even those who knew about Azerbaijan, the country on the Caspian coast was a real discovery. It turns out that they are rich not just in oil, but also people, culture, history and traditions.

Brilliant conclusion

Europe learnt the name of the winner of the 57th Eurovision Song Contest on the night of 27 May. It is the Swedish singer of Moroccan-Berber origin, 28-year-old Loreen, who presented her song "Euphoria" at the competition. Second place went to Russia - Buranovskiye Babushki, while the "bronze" was taken by Serbia's Zeljko Joksimovic. By the way, Loreen's victory was predicted long before the final by several bookmakers in Europe. In March this year, Loreen won the popular Swedish television contest Melodifestivalen, which gave her the right to represent her country at the annual song contest Eurovision. According to Loreen herself, she likes solitude and has little interest in new technologies. The singer has no TV set at home, but has a computer which she needs to check her e-mail. Sweden has won Eurovision for the fifth time in its 57-year history. The Scandinavian kingdom celebrated its first triumph in 1974 when the contest was won by ABBA.

As for the "silver medallists" of the contest, Buranovskiy Babushki were met with songs and dances to the accordion, and welcoming posters in their native village of Buranovo in Russia. Reporters asked the grannies why they did not bring Azerbaijani granddads with them, to which they replied that their Udmurt ones are good enough, although so many men tried to court them in Baku, according to them. Within two weeks, the pensioners from the village of Buranovo became international celebrities, and their "Party for everybody" is sung by the whole of Europe today.

Serbia's Zeljko Joksimovic kept the second position for a long time, but eventually lost it to the Russian grannies, gaining 214 points. Zeljko failed to stay on the second position despite the fact that he can play 11 musical instruments, including the piano, drums and guitar. He has already participated in the contest and written songs for it, which is why he is known as a legend of Eurovision. And in 2008, he was even the host of Eurovision-2008 in Belgrade.

"The Big Five" - Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain and France - sent "heavy artillery" represented by popular artists to the contest. Britain, for example, "dispatched" the British pop legend Engelbert Humperdinck to Eurovision. He is the oldest performer in the new century (Humperdinck is 76 years old). The singer performed a touching ballad called "Love will set you free", but he clearly had no luck. Sir Humperdinck scored only 12 points.

The host was Azerbaijan. Sabina Babayeva. The singer appeared on the stage of the Baku Crystal Hall with People's Artist Alim Qasimov and literally blew up the hall. As a result of the voting, Sabina took 4th place, gaining 150 votes. Experts say that Azerbaijan is celebrating the brilliant end of the large-scale song festival of the whole of Europe - Eurovision-2012, including the remarkable result of Sabina Babayeva, which brought the country an honorable place in the top five of the competition.

European public sympathy was also confirmed by the honorary Marcel Besancon Award, which was given this year only to the winner from Sweden, Loreen, and Sabina Babayeva from Azerbaijan. This award, named after the creator of the Eurovision Song Contest, has been traditionally awarded for more than 10 years to the best artists in the opinion of composers, television commentators and media accredited at the competition. The Azerbaijani song received the highest recognition from journalists' voting.

Over the past 10 years, Eurovision has had a firm tradition according to which the host countries, despite active support for the singers at home, do not always occupy the highest places in the competition. For example, Germany took 10th place at home in 2011, Norway came 20th in 2010, Russia took 10th place in Moscow in 2009, Serbia came 6th in 2008, Finland - 17th in 2007 and Greece - 9th in 2006. In the history of the competition, only a few countries have won at home, and only when the number of participants was 2-3 times less than now and the Eurovision rules were much less stringent.

As a result of Eurovision-2012, the Land of Fire got another status - the most brilliant and successful debut in the history of the competition. Azerbaijan started at Eurovision in 2008 with 8th place, and in five years it never went below the top 10 (and in the last four years - the top 5) in the final, not to mention the unforgettable victory in Dusseldorf. No other country participating in the contest has shown such a result in 5 years.

We would like to note the excellent work of the organizing committee of the contest in Baku. The Organizing Committee provided the media and tourists, as well as citizens of the capital with full security. All conditions were created for the 1,500 journalists who came from more than 70 countries around the world: high-speed wireless Internet access, scanners and printers, as well as a huge screen on which they could watch the rehearsals in the Crystal Hall. The highlight of the Azerbaijani press centre was the presence of interview rooms: Karabakh, Quba, Ganca, Saki, Naxcivan, Qabala, Xaqani, Nizami, Sabir and Xatai. Of course, the volunteers managed to tell the foreigners what these names meant, arranging a kind of tour of the cities and history of Azerbaijan for them.

The Azerbaijani entry did not repeat any previously used methods (which is often done by many artists), and it was not focused on the extent and amount of decorations and effects, although the projection on Sabina's dress shown on the Eurovision stage for the first time required the use of two high-precision HD projectors and video design developed in the best studios in Europe, and many months of preparation. As a result, this unusual effect literally merged with the mood of the song, helping to convey its story, create a special atmosphere on the stage and therefore, did not distract the viewer (as often happens). By contrast, it drew him into the plot, making him empathize with the singer's emotions.

Sabina's dress united luxury and simplicity: white chiffon, insertions from bright fringe, a magnificent trail, snow-white feathers, and thousands of Swarovski crystals and stones. The creator of the dress is Lars Wallin, a Swedish fashion designer who also works for the Swedish royal family.

When on the Saturday night of 27 May, the whole country and all of Europe set their eyes on TV screens and online broadcasts with bated breath, one last spurt was left. Everything depended only on the singer and on how he will be able to reach out to the hearts of the audience, show high vocal and professional preparedness and, of course, be emotionally strong before tens of thousands of spectators in the hall and over 100 million viewers. And Sabina did it! It was the culmination of the work of a great team - in one three-minute performance and even tens of minutes of waiting for the result. And finally, the joy of a worthy assessment, thanks to all of Europe for recognition, congratulations and hugs. Uьurlar, Azяrbaycan!!!