Festivali i Kenges 51, rehearsals kicked off today

by Gafurr Sahiti 498 views

The rehearsals have officially today started for the 51st edition of  Albanian national music festival, Festivali i Këngës 2012, the show that will select the Albanian representative at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. Also more information about the organization of Festivali i Këngës 51 have been revealed.

The five backing vocals and the music band of RTSH have already started last week with the rehearsals, but today the RTSH Symphony Orchestra, consisting of 60 professional musicians, have started rehearsals of  the 26 competing songs. The first rehearsals will take place at the broadcaster’s studios until 11 December today. From 13 December 2012 the orchestra will rehearse in the Pallati i Kongreseve, where the show will take place.

Festivali i Këngës will be spread over three nights in December 2012 and will take place at Pallati i Kongreseve in Tirana. The two semi-finals will be held on 20 and 21 December and the grand final will take place on 22  December 2012.  From each semi-final, only 8 entries will make it to the big final, where the Albanian Eurovision representative will be decided.

First semi-final (20 December 2012)

  • Selami Kolonja – Ku je?
  • Rosela Gjylbegu – (tba)
  • Kejsi Tola – S’jemi më atje
  • Vesa Luma – S’jam perfekt
  • Elis Nova – Ajo
  • Kozma Dushi – Ëndërr mbete ti
  • Bon bon Band – Humbur
  • Dr.Flori & Fabi – Jam ti
  • Merland Kademi – Këtu fillon parajsa
  • Rezarta Smaja – Ti
  • Ardian Bujupi – I çmendur për ty
  • Xheni & Enxhi Kumrija – Arti i një fundi
  • Arjela Krasniqi – Më thuaj pse?

 

Second semi-final (21  December 2012)

  • Arjan Dredhasi – Fluturim i lirë
  • Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko – Identitet
  • Hersi Matmuja – Kush ta dha këtë emër
  • LNYX – Si ty askush
  • Entela Zhula – Dyert e parajsës
  • Anjeza Shahini – Love
  • Kelly – Ylli im polar
  • Bojken Lako – Lot. Jetë.  Dashuri.
  • Marsela Çibukaj – Mijëra netë
  • Valon Shehu – Nuk do të ndal
  • Ani Çuedari – Më ler një ëndërr
  • Grupi Na – Sa larg
  • Flaka Krelani – Tek ti në shpirt

 

Backing vocals: Rudina Delia, Bled Polena, Megi Laska, Eltina Minarolli and Armando Likaj

The Festivali i Këngës 51 team:

Director of FiK 51: Petrit Beci
Artistic director: Shpëtim Saraçi
Producer: Agron Vula, Astrit Idrizi
Screenwriter: Ëngjël Ndocaj
Stage designer: Adnan Kastrati
Image director: Franco Ferrara
Stylist: Joni Peçi

Hosts:

Floriana Garo
Enkel Demi
Edi Goga

The theme of Festivali i Këngës 51

This year’s Festivali i Këngës edition will be a reminder of the most beautiful songs of the 11th edition of  Festival i Këngës. This retrospective is  due of the 40th anniversary of the Festivali i Këngës 11. The 11th edition of Festivali i Këngës  is the most ‘known’ edition of the history. This edition was held on 22 and 25 December 1972 in Tirana. The festival was sentenced at that time as a festival that spreads Western bourgeois culture and many of the organizers and the participants were sentenced to long prison terms. The organizers of Festivali i Kënges 51 have decided to ‘restore’  somehow that atmosphere. Not through punishment and the dramatic stories of the organizers and the artists, but musical values of that year.
Besides that, this year’s edition coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Independence of the country, which means that the festival will have a very festive atmosphere.

The competing songs at Festivali i Këngës 51, a modern era?

82 songs were submitted at broadcaster’s studio, but only 26 have been selected for the show.
‘We are happy with this year’s entries. We have various songs in this edition, ballads, alternative rock, pop, R & B, etc. This years edition consists many modern songs and we are very pleased with that’, stated the artistic director of Festivali i Këngës in a recent interview on RTSH.

The participants, new generation.

From the 26 Festivali i Kënges 51 participants, 12 singers are that will make their debut at Festivali i Këngës 51, but as usually there are also the ‘active’ singers and some veteran singers. A big group of the newcomers are singers from several Albanian ‘Talent shows’.
The first Albanian representative at Eurovision Song Contest, Anjeza Shahini and Kejsi Tola who represented Albania at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest are again part of Festivali i Këngës.

 The jury

Just like in the previous editions there will be a professional jury to determine the winner of the festival, that will also get the ticket to Malmö. The jury contains 7 members, 4 members from the Albanian music industry and 3 from international music scene.

New in this edition

To make it understandable for the international jury members, the singers are asked this year to translate their lyrics in English.
Another newness this year is on the third night of the Festival. There will be a drawing of lots, not for the songs or singers, but this time for the public in the arena.  Two people, respectively  from the first and the second night will win a ticket to Malmö and a ticket for the semi-final which Albania will compete at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden.  RTSH will pay the travel cost and accommodation.

Source: Esctoday.com, RTSH