Wikipedia

Intervision Song Contest

For other uses, see Intervision (disambiguation).

The Intervision Song Contest (ISC) was an international song contest for artists from Eastern Bloc countries. It was the communist equivalent to the Eurovision Song Contest. Its organiser was Intervision, the network of Eastern Bloc television stations. The contest would usually take place in the Forest Opera in Sopot, Poland.

Intervision Song Contest
One of several logos used by the Intervision Network between 1977–1980.
GenreSong contest
No. of episodes5 contests
Production
Production companyIntervision
Original release
Release1965 (1965) –
1968 (1968)[1]
Release24 August 1977 (1977-08-24) –
23 August 1980 (1980-08-23)
Release28 August (2008-08-28) –
31 August 2008 (2008-08-31)
Related

The ISC was organised from 1965 to 1968 and again from 1977 to 1980.[1][2] It replaced the Sopot International Song Festival (Sopot ISF) that had been held in Sopot since 1961. In 1981 the ISC/Sopot ISF was cancelled because of the rise of the independent trade union movement, Solidarity, which was judged by other Eastern bloc communist governments to be "counter-revolutionary". A revived contest took place in 2008, though subsequent editions planned to stage the contest again in both 2014 and 2015 did not materialise.[3][4] After Russia withdrew from the European Broadcasting Union upon being excluded from the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, another revival of the Intervision Song Contest was announced by the Russian Ministry of Culture in 2023.[5]

History edit

Further information: Sopot International Song Festival

Intervision began in 1965 and ran to 1968,[2] though a common myth states that it began in 1977.[6]

The first Sopot International Song Festival was initiated and organised in 1961 by Władysław Szpilman, assisted by Szymon Zakrzewski from Polish Artists Management (PAGART).[7] The first three editions were held in the Gdańsk Shipyard hall (1961–1963), after which the festival moved to the Forest Opera (Opera Lesna). The main prize has been Amber Nightingale for most of its history.

Between 1977 and 1980 Sopot was replaced by the Intervision Song Contest, which was still held in Sopot. Unlike the Eurovision Song Contest, the Sopot International Music Festival often changed its formulas to pick a winner and offered many different contests for its participants. For example, at the 4th Intervision Song Festival (held in Sopot 20–23 August 1980) two competitions were organised: one for artists representing television companies, the other for those representing record companies. In the first competition, the jury considered the artistic merits of the songs entered, while in the second, it judged the performers' interpretation.[8] The festival has always been open to non-European acts, and countries like Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mongolia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Peru, South Africa and many others have been represented in this event.

The contest lost popularity in Poland and abroad in the 1980s. TVP’s unconvincing attempts at organising several of the contests led to the authorities of Sopot giving the organisation of the 2005 Sopot International Song Festival to a private TV channel, TVN. Since 1999, there has been no contest. TVP chose to invite well-known artists instead, featuring the likes of Whitney Houston or The Corrs. In 2005, TVN was expected to bring the competition back. In 2006 TVN invited Elton John. The Sopot International Song Festival is usually considered[by whom?] bigger than the Benidorm International Song Festival because of its ability to attract star performers.[citation needed] In 2010 and 2011, the festival did not take place due to renovation of the Forest Opera. Since 2012, it has been called Sopot Top of the Top Festival and is broadcast annually by Polsat. The festival also provided opportunity to listen to international stars. It featured Charles Aznavour, Boney M, Johnny Cash, and more recently: Chuck Berry, Vanessa Mae, Annie Lennox, Vaya Con Dios, Chris Rea, Tanita Tikaram, La Toya Jackson, Whitney Houston, Kajagoogoo, as well as Goran Bregovic and Anastacia.

Revival edit

Eleven countries participated in the fifth edition in 2008, which was won by Tajikistan.[9] In 2009, the then prime minister Vladimir Putin of Russia proposed restarting the competition, this time between Russia, China and the Central Asian member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.[10][11] In May 2014, it was announced that the contest would return, featuring countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.[12] Russian singer and producer Igor Matvienko, announced that the revival of the Intervision Song Contest would take place in October 2014 in the coastal city of Sochi, which played host to the 2014 Winter Olympics.[13][14] Seven countries had declared their interest to compete prior to the event's cancellation: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, China and Uzbekistan.[15][16] Russia had also selected Alexander Ivanov as its representative.[17]

The contest was scheduled to take place in October 2014 ostensibly due to "Russian anger at the moral decay of the West", particularly in response to the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 winner Conchita Wurst. Moreover, the revival was seen as part of "Putin's broader cultural diplomacy agenda".[18] Despite plans to stage the contest in both 2014 and 2015, the revival of the contest has not taken place.[19][20] Ivanov later represented Belarus in Eurovision 2016 with the song Help You Fly, but failed to qualify.[21]

In November 2023, Russian Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova and Channel One Russia Director General Konstantin Ernst revealed at St. Petersburg's International Cultural Forum that the broadcaster planned to produce a revival of the Intervision Song Contest featuring the member countries of BRICS.[5] This occurred after the broadcaster had withdrawn from the European Broadcasting Union upon the exclusion of Russia from the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 due to its invasion of Ukraine.

Participation edit

The contest was formally open to members of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation and any countries of the former Soviet Union.[15][22][23]

Table key
  Former – Former countries that have been dissolved.
Country Debuting year Withdrawing year Returning year Number of entries Wins Broadcaster(s)
  Armenia 2008 Inactive[note 1] 1 0 AMPTV
  Azerbaijan 2008 Inactive[note 1] 1 0 İTV
  Belarus 2008 Inactive[note 1] 1 0 BTRC
  Belgium 1979 1980 1 0 VRT (Dutch)
RTBF (French)[a]
  Bulgaria 1977 2008 4 0 BNT
  Canada 1978 1979 1 0 CBC
  Cuba 1977 1978, 2008 1979 3 0 ICRT
  Czechoslovakia 1977 2008 4 3 CST
  East Germany 1977 2008 4 0 DFF
  Finland 1977 2008 4 1 YLE (Finnish)
  Hungary 1977 2008 4 0 MTV
  Kazakhstan 2008[note 1] Inactive[note 1] 1 0 ATV
  Kyrgyzstan 2008[note 1] Inactive[note 1] 1 0 KTR
  Latvia 2008 Inactive[note 1] 1 0 LTV
  Moldova 2008 Inactive[note 1] 1 0 TRM
  Morocco 1979 1980 1 0 SNRT
  Netherlands 1980 2008 1 0 NOS (1956–2009)
  Poland 1977 2008 4 1 TVP
  Portugal 1979 1980 1 0 RTP
  Romania 1977 2008 4 0 TVR
  Russia 2008[note 1] Inactive[note 1] 1 0 C1R
  Soviet Union 1977 1980 4 2 CT USSR
  Spain 1977 2008 4 0 TVE
   Switzerland 1980 2008 1 0 SRG SSR
  Tajikistan 2008[note 1] Inactive[note 1] 1 1
  Turkmenistan 2008 Inactive[note 1] 1 0 TTV
  Ukraine 2008 Inactive[note 1] 1 0 NTU
  Yugoslavia 1977 1978, 2008 1980 2 0 JRT
 
Participation since 1977:
  Entered at least once
  Never entered, although eligible to do so
  Entry intended but contest later cancelled

Winners edit

Year Date Host City Winner[24] Artist(s)[24] Song[24] Language
1977 24–27 August   Sopot   Czechoslovakia Helena Vondráčková "Malovaný džbánku" Czech
1978 23–26 August   Sopot   Czechoslovakia Václav Neckář "Patrik" Czech
  Soviet Union Alla Pugacheva "Vsyo mogut koroli" (Всё могут короли) Russian
1979 22–25 August   Sopot   Poland Czesław Niemen "Nim przyjdzie wiosna" Polish
1980 20–23 August   Sopot   Czechoslovakia Marika Gombitová "Chcem sa s tebou deliť" Slovak
  Finland Marion Rung "Hyvästi yö" Finnish
  Soviet Union Mykola Hnatyuk "Na vstrechu oseni" (На встречу осени) Russian
No contests held from 1981 to 2007
2008 28–31 August   Sochi   Tajikistan Tahmina Niyazova "Zangi Telefon" (Занги телефон) Tajik
No contests held from 2009 to present

Winners by country edit

Wins Country Years
3   Czechoslovakia 1977, 1978, 1980
2   Soviet Union 1978, 1980
1   Tajikistan 2008
  Finland 1980
  Poland 1979

Winners by language edit

Wins Language Years
2 Czech 1977, 1978
2 Russian 1978, 1980
1 Tajik 2008
Finnish 1980
Slovak 1980
Polish 1979

References edit

Notes
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Five Stars Intervision to open in Sochi". UzReport. 20 August 2008. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  1. ^ VRT and RTBF alternate responsibilities for the contest.
References
  1. ^ a b Vuletic, Dean. "Dr. Dean Vuletic: Intervision: Popular Music and Politics in Eastern Europe". Universitat Wien. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b Vuletic, Dean (25 July 2019). Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781350107397.
  3. ^ Granger, Anthony (1 September 2014). "Intervision: 2014 Contest Is Cancelled". Eurovoix. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  4. ^ Granger, Anthony (14 March 2015). "Intervision: Contest Moved To Autumn 2015". Eurovoix.com. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  5. ^ a b "В России возродят советский фестиваль песен вместо "Евровидения"" (in Russian). The Moscow Times. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  6. ^ Vuletic, Dean. "The many myths of the Intervision Song Contest — the first attempt to produce a regional version of Eurovision". wiwibloggs. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  7. ^ Szpilman, Wladyslaw (1 December 2005). "Songs composed by Wladyslaw Szpilman". szpilman.net. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  8. ^ Waschko, Roman (6 September 1980). "Finn Singer Triumphant At Sopot Contest". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. p. 65. Retrieved 5 April 2011. Two competitions were held at the 4th Intervision Song Festival in Sopot August 20–23, 1980: one for artists representing television companies, the other for those representing record companies. In the first the jury considered the artistic merits of the songs entered; while the performers' interpretation was judged in the second. The outcome was a victory for Finnish singer Marion in the first contest, "Where Is the Love?" taking the Grand Prix. Six year ago, the same artist won Grand Prix at the Sopot International Song Festival. First prize was shared by Czech performer, Marika Gombitová with "Declaration", and Russian Nikolai Gnatiuk for the song "Dance on a Drum".
  9. ^ "Five Stars Intervision to open in Sochi". uzreport.uz. UzReport. 20 August 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  10. ^ Intervision: The Russian proposed song contest with China, Central Asia (Shanghaiist: Shanghai News, Food, Arts & Events)
  11. ^ Putin mulls Intervision Song Contest (BBC World Service)
  12. ^ Bartlett, Paul (23 May 2014). "Bearded Lady Spurs Russia to Revive Soviet-Era Song Contest". eurasianet.org. eurasianet. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  13. ^ Bartlett, Paul (23 May 2014). "Bearded Lady Spurs Russia to Revive Soviet-Era Song Contest". eurasianet.org. eurasianet. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  14. ^ Kozlov, Vladimir (26 May 2014). "Russia launches Song Contest as Eurovision alternatives". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  15. ^ a b Granger, Anthony (23 May 2014). "Russia: Intervision To Return This October". Eurovoix. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  16. ^ Ko, Anthony (23 May 2014). "Russia: Intervision Song Contest to return this October". Wiwibloggs.com. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  17. ^ Granger, Anthony (15 June 2014). "Russia: Alexander Ivanov Wins "Five Stars"". Eurovoix.com. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  18. ^ Lee-Adams, William (25 July 2014). "Following Outrage Over Conchita, Russia Is Reviving Its Own Straight Eurovision". newsweek.com. Newsweek. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  19. ^ Granger, Anthony (1 September 2014). "Intervision: 2014 Contest Is Cancelled". Eurovoix. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  20. ^ Granger, Anthony (14 March 2015). "Intervision: Contest Moved To Autumn 2015". Eurovoix.com. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  21. ^ Vasilyev, Mikhail (22 January 2016). "Belarus: IVAN will sing "Help You Fly" at Eurovision 2016". Wiwibloggs.com.
  22. ^ Bartlett, Paul (23 May 2014). "Bearded Lady Spurs Russia to Revive Soviet-Era Song Contest". eurasianet.org. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  23. ^ Olga, Elenskiy. Rossiя našla zamenu "Evrovideniю" (in Russian). dni.ru. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  24. ^ a b c Rosenberg, Steve (14 May 2012). "The Cold War rival to Eurovision". BBC News. Retrieved 31 May 2014. Intervision winners

External links edit

  Media related to Intervision Song Contest at Wikimedia Commons

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