Latest news with #MoritzStadler
Asharq Al-Awsat
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Eurovision Says 'Wait And See' on Celine Dion
Just hours before Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest grand final, organizers were tight-lipped about whether ailing superstar Celine Dion might make an emotional appearance, 37 years after winning the competition. "Father Christmas exists, and you'll have to wait and see," Eurovision director Martin Green told a press conference, when asked directly if Dion might show up. At both of Friday's dress rehearsals for the final, as at Tuesday's semi-final, a video message from Dion was played, with the presenters announcing that she could not be with them in Basel, Switzerland for the world's biggest televised live music event, AFP said. But Eurovision 2025 co-executive producer Moritz Stadler said on Saturday that the show was still being adapted. "There are constant changes. Our team has been working overnight until very late," he said. "We continue changing it for the grand final." BBC television reported that Dion's private plane was in Basel, but did not know if she was on it. And Swiss newspaper Blick said that selected staff with printed schedules for the final "can see that the recorded greeting from the rehearsals and the first Eurovision semi-final is no longer included". "This indicates that the clip played during rehearsals has been replaced," the tabloid added. Dion's health 'top priority' Dion, 57, is now a global music icon. But she has never forgotten the role the song contest played in launching her on the international stage. Dion was 20 and little-known outside her native French-speaking Quebec province in Canada when she won Eurovision in 1988, representing Switzerland with the song "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi". Switzerland duly hosted Eurovision 1989, where Dion opened the TV extravaganza with her winning French-language song. She then premiered the single "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" -- heralding her career switch into English, which set her on the path to global chart domination. With Eurovision 2025 returning to Switzerland, organizers reached out to Dion. However, the singer is now battling a debilitating health condition and rarely appears in public. "We are still in contact with Celine Dion. As always, her health remains our top priority," a Eurovision 2025 spokeswoman told AFP on Friday. 'Music unites us' Dion first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, a painful autoimmune disorder which is progressive and for which there is no cure. She was forced to cancel a string of shows scheduled for 2023 and 2024, saying she was not strong enough to tour. But she gave a surprise, show-stopping performance from the Eiffel Tower at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony. "I'd love nothing more than to be with you in Basel right now," Dion said in her video clip. "Winning the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland in 1988 was a life-changing moment for me. "Music unites us -- not only tonight, not only in this wonderful moment. It is our strength, our support, and our accompaniment in times of need."
Jordan Times
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Jordan Times
Eurovision says 'wait and see' on Celine Dion
A giant screen shows Canadian singer Celine Dion giving a recorded message during the dress rehearsal for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 at the St Jakobshalle Arena in Basel on Friday (AFP photo) BASEL, Switzerland — Just hours before Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest grand final, organisers were tight-lipped about whether ailing superstar Celine Dion might make an emotional appearance, 37 years after winning the competition. "Father Christmas exists, and you'll have to wait and see," Eurovision director Martin Green told a press conference, when asked directly if Dion might show up. At both of Friday's dress rehearsals for the final, as at Tuesday's semi-final, a video message from Dion was played, with the presenters announcing that she could not be with them in Basel, Switzerland for the world's biggest televised live music event. But Eurovision 2025 co-executive producer Moritz Stadler said on Saturday that the show was still being adapted. "There are constant changes. Our team has been working overnight until very late," he said. "We continue changing it for the grand final." BBC television reported that Dion's private plane was in Basel, but did not know if she was on it. And Swiss newspaper Blick said that selected staff with printed schedules for the final "can see that the recorded greeting from the rehearsals and the first Eurovision semi-final is no longer included". "This indicates that the clip played during rehearsals has been replaced," the tabloid added. Dion's health 'top priority' Dion, 57, is now a global music icon. But she has never forgotten the role the song contest played in launching her on the international stage. Dion was 20 and little-known outside her native French-speaking Quebec province in Canada when she won Eurovision in 1988, representing Switzerland with the song "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi". Switzerland duly hosted Eurovision 1989, where Dion opened the TV extravaganza with her winning French-language song. She then premiered the single "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" -- heralding her career switch into English, which set her on the path to global chart domination. With Eurovision 2025 returning to Switzerland, organisers reached out to Dion. However, the singer is now battling a debilitating health condition and rarely appears in public. "We are still in contact with Celine Dion. As always, her health remains our top priority," a Eurovision 2025 spokeswoman told AFP on Friday. 'Music unites us' Dion first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, a painful autoimmune disorder which is progressive and for which there is no cure. She was forced to cancel a string of shows scheduled for 2023 and 2024, saying she was not strong enough to she gave a surprise, show-stopping performance from the Eiffel Tower at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony. "I'd love nothing more than to be with you in Basel right now," Dion said in her video clip. "Winning the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland in 1988 was a life-changing moment for me. "Music unites us -- not only tonight, not only in this wonderful moment. It is our strength, our support, and our accompaniment in times of need."
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Eurovision says 'wait and see' on Celine Dion
Just hours before Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest grand final, organisers were tight-lipped about whether ailing superstar Celine Dion might make an emotional appearance, 37 years after winning the competition. "Father Christmas exists, and you'll have to wait and see," Eurovision director Martin Green told a press conference, when asked directly if Dion might show up. At both of Friday's dress rehearsals for the final, as at Tuesday's semi-final, a video message from Dion was played, with the presenters announcing that she could not be with them in Basel, Switzerland for the world's biggest televised live music event. But Eurovision 2025 co-executive producer Moritz Stadler said on Saturday that the show was still being adapted. "There are constant changes. Our team has been working overnight until very late," he said. "We continue changing it for the grand final." BBC television reported that Dion's private plane was in Basel, but did not know if she was on it. And Swiss newspaper Blick said that selected staff with printed schedules for the final "can see that the recorded greeting from the rehearsals and the first Eurovision semi-final is no longer included". "This indicates that the clip played during rehearsals has been replaced," the tabloid added. - Dion's health 'top priority' - Dion, 57, is now a global music icon. But she has never forgotten the role the song contest played in launching her on the international stage. Dion was 20 and little-known outside her native French-speaking Quebec province in Canada when she won Eurovision in 1988, representing Switzerland with the song "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi". Switzerland duly hosted Eurovision 1989, where Dion opened the TV extravaganza with her winning French-language song. She then premiered the single "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" -- heralding her career switch into English, which set her on the path to global chart domination. With Eurovision 2025 returning to Switzerland, organisers reached out to Dion. However, the singer is now battling a debilitating health condition and rarely appears in public. "We are still in contact with Celine Dion. As always, her health remains our top priority," a Eurovision 2025 spokeswoman told AFP on Friday. - 'Music unites us' - Dion first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, a painful autoimmune disorder which is progressive and for which there is no cure. She was forced to cancel a string of shows scheduled for 2023 and 2024, saying she was not strong enough to tour. But she gave a surprise, show-stopping performance from the Eiffel Tower at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony. "I'd love nothing more than to be with you in Basel right now," Dion said in her video clip. "Winning the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland in 1988 was a life-changing moment for me. "Music unites us -- not only tonight, not only in this wonderful moment. It is our strength, our support, and our accompaniment in times of need." rjm/nl/rmb
Free Malaysia Today
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
Eurovision stage a dynamic 3D ‘playground'
Singer Melody representing Spain with the song 'Esa diva' performs during the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel. (AFP pic) BASEL : The Eurovision Song Contest's groundbreaking stage, built in a race against time, is a hi-tech playground for artistes performing at the world's biggest live music TV event, its producer told AFP. The stage is a behemoth that works like a Swiss army knife, with multiple possibilities to bring 37 very different three-minute performances to life, said Eurovision co-executive producer Moritz Stadler. The annual television extravaganza's grand final on Saturday, and the semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday, take place at the St Jakobshalle arena in the Swiss city of Basel. The stage juts out into the arena, with the 6,500 audience on three sides, close up to the dazzling show of lasers, lights and state-of-the-art backdrops. 'It's an atypical stage because it's quite iconic: it has never existed in this format,' Stadler said as the 69th Eurovision got under way. 'It's a stage that's in the whole arena, in both directions: there's no front, no back on this stage. There's an iconic frame in the middle of the arena. 'We've noticed above all that countries are using the entire stage, and all the features. It means they've really found a playground that suits them.' Stadler said the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, the host broadcaster, had put together a stage set 'like a Swiss army knife'. 'There are countless combinations and possibilities on this stage,' and competitors 'have to get to grips with this'. Like Swiss clockwork Stadler said the staging had pushed the performers to stretch their imaginations. To win, 'everyone has to surpass themselves and make the most of all these possibilities', he said. The competing countries 'have increased their creativity and ideas tenfold, and have even pushed the possibilities of this stage further than our teams had imagined', elevating their performances to 'simply astounding' levels. Some 500 people worked day and night over two and a half weeks to build the stage on time. 'The biggest challenge is time. That is to say, it is a behemoth of Eurovision production. It's incredibly complex,' said Stadler. 'But in Switzerland, we know watchmaking and it worked very well.' He said Eurovision had developed into a giant production, with today's over-the-top TV feast a world away from the first radio-focused Eurovision in a Swiss theatre in Lugano in 1956. There were seven competing singers and an orchestra. Europe's public service broadcasters 'co-produce the biggest musical event in the world. If you had this idea today, you wouldn't be able to start it,' said Stadler. An expected 160 million to 200 million viewers will watch the final, while around 1.2 billion interactions on social networks are anticipated. 3D frame of light Set designer Florian Wieder said the relatively small size of the arena – in Eurovision terms – meant the set could not be hung from the ceiling. Instead, everything is ground-supported by four disguised towers: two behind the video wall and two forming the front-of-stage frame. 'We have a box of technical toys… we always try not to use all the toys at the same time, because that would be a total overload,' he told a press conference. Wieder said everything which works live in the arena will also come across on television: particularly the energy and the audience connection. Lighting designer Tim Routledge said the set meant he could create a 'three-dimensional frame of light using real clever, punchy equipment. So therefore, we can make a scene disappear… in a heartbeat,' he said. 'We have these really cool… huge epic waves of light, which makes it look like we're bending light – which is technically impossible.' The set features 22 broadcast cameras, 4,500 lighting fixtures, 100 pyrotechnic positions, and eight kilometres of fibre optic cable. Stage prop changes, performed by a crew of 30 people, take 42 seconds. The set contains 750 square metres of LED video wall, and 200 square metres of LED floor.
Observer
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Observer
Eurovision stage a dynamic 3D 'playground': producer
The Eurovision Song Contest's groundbreaking stage, built in a race against time, is a hi-tech playground for artists performing at the world's biggest live music TV event, its producer told AFP. The stage is a behemoth that works like a Swiss army knife, with multiple possibilities to bring 37 very different three minute performances to life, said Eurovision co-executive producer Moritz Stadler. The annual television extravaganza's grand final on Saturday, and the semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday, take place at the St. Jakobshalle arena in the Swiss city of Basel. The stage juts out into the arena, with the 6,500 audience on three sides, close up to the dazzling show of lasers, lights and state-of-the-art backdrops. "It's an atypical stage because it's quite iconic: it has never existed in this format," Stadler said as the 69th Eurovision got under way. "It's a stage that's in the whole arena, in both directions: there's no front, no back on this stage. There's an iconic frame in the middle of the arena. "We've noticed above all that countries are using the entire stage, and all the features. It means they've really found a playground that suits them." Stadler said the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, the host broadcaster, had put together a stage set "like a Swiss army knife". "There are countless combinations and possibilities on this stage," and competitors "have to get to grips with this". - Like Swiss clockwork - Stadler said the staging had pushed the performers to stretch their imaginations. To win, "everyone has to surpass themselves and make the most of all these possibilities", he said. The competing countries "have increased their creativity and ideas tenfold, and have even pushed the possibilities of this stage further than our teams had imagined", elevating their performances to "simply astounding" levels. Some 500 people worked day and night over two and a half weeks to build the stage on time. "The biggest challenge is time. That is to say, it is a behemoth of Eurovision production. It's incredibly complex," said Stadler. "But in Switzerland, we know watchmaking and it worked very well." He said Eurovision had developed into a giant production, with today's over-the-top TV feast a world away from the first radio-focused Eurovision in a Swiss theatre in Lugano in 1956. There were seven competing singers and an orchestra. Europe's public service broadcasters "co-produce the biggest musical event in the world. If you had this idea today, you wouldn't be able to start it," said Stadler. An expected 160 million to 200 million viewers will watch the final, while around 1.2 billion interactions on social networks are anticipated. - 3D frame of light - Set designer Florian Wieder said the relatively small size of the arena -- in Eurovision terms -- meant the set could not be hung from the ceiling. Instead, everything is ground-supported by four disguised towers: two behind the video wall and two forming the front-of-stage frame. "We have a box of technical toys... we always try not to use all the toys at the same time, because that would be a total overload," he told a press conference. Wieder said everything which works live in the arena will also come across on television: particularly the energy and the audience connection. Lighting designer Tim Routledge said the set meant he could create a "three-dimensional frame of light using real clever, punchy equipment. So therefore we can make a scene disappear... in a heartbeat," he said. "We have these really cool... huge epic waves of light, which makes it look like we're bending light -- which is technically impossible." The set features 22 broadcast cameras, 4,500 lighting fixtures, 100 pyrotechnic positions, and eight kilometres (4.5 miles) of fibre optic cable. Stage prop changes, performed by a crew of 30 people, take 42 seconds. The set contains 750 square metres (8,000 square feet) of LED video wall, and 200 square metres of LED floor. —AFP
