San Marino in the Eurovision final with Gabry Ponte

The first ten finalists of Eurovision 2025 were chosen yesterday evening in Basel, at the end of a show with spectacular visual effects and a few surprises. San Marino also qualified, with Gabry Ponte. Albania, Estonia, Iceland, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Sweden and Ukraine then advance to Saturday's challenge. Azerbaijan, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus and Slovenia did not receive enough votes. Tomorrow the second semi-final. The 'Big Five' Italy, Spain, France, Germany and the United Kingdom already have a place in the final; in addition to Switzerland, the host country.

Yesterday:

The wait is over. The 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest begins, with 37 countries competing. We return to where it all began in 1956, in Switzerland. At the time, Lugano had hosted the event.

The competition gets into full swing with the first semi-final, broadcast live from Basel from 9pm on Rai 2 and preview from 8.15pm.

The conduction will be by Gabriele Corsi, now a Eurovision veteran, and BigMama, an artist very popular among young people and already president of the Italian jury at ESC 2024. There is great anticipation for the debut of the Italian flag bearer Lucio Corsi, runner-up at the Sanremo Festival 2025 and looking for the eighth consecutive top 10 placement for Italy.

The Tuscan singer-songwriter, who has qualified by right to the Grand Final on Saturday 17 May together with artists from the "Big Five" countries (Germany, France, Spain and the United Kingdom) and Switzerland, the host nation, will present his "Volevo essere un duro" to the European public. The song, winner of the Mia Martini Critics' Award at Sanremo, was certified gold and is part of the album of the same name which also won first place in the Fimi charts. 15 nations are competing to secure a place in the final for just 10 available spots. Each performance will be preceded by a presentation video clip in which each artist will find a postcard depicting a Swiss location in a locker. In the location represented, the singer will be welcomed by a local host, with whom he will carry out an activity.

In addition to Corsi, eyes are also on some artists who, despite competing for other countries, have ties to Italy. The Turin DJ and producer Gabry Ponte will compete for San Marino with "Tutta l'Italia", the official theme song of the Sanremo Festival 2025. The Estonian Tommy Cash will instead sing his "Espresso Macchiato", a satirical portrait of the culture and language of our country. The list of Italians continues with Kolë Laça - former keyboardist of the Teatro degli Orrori - and Beatriçe Gjergji', the Shkodra Elektronike, who have lived in Italy for years but, born in Scutari, will compete for their country of origin: Albania. Finally, the father of Mariana Conte, competing for Malta, is Neapolitan.

The first semi-final will also feature the representatives of Sweden KAJ, favourites on the eve with their "Bara Bada Bastu", a song dedicated to the sauna and already a streaming champion.

For the nations already qualified, in addition to Lucio Corsi for Italy, Melody for Spain and Zoë Më for Switzerland will also present their songs.

The Italian public will be able to televote for their favorite song, but not that of Corsi and, this time, not even those of Switzerland and Spain, already by right in the last act. Voting will also be open for the final, broadcast on Saturday 17 May from 9:00 p.m. on Rai 1, when a jury of five members for each country will also evaluate the performances.

The opening night will be dedicated to a tribute to the origins of the competition, with the story of the first Eurovision Song Contest, won by Switzerland with Lys Assia (the Nilla Pizzi of Eurovision) and her song "Refrain".

The first interval will be "Made in Switzerland", the stories of the event and other Swiss inventions. The two presenters, Hazel Brugger and Sandra Studer, will debunk the clichés about the country in a comic-musical number, claiming instead the Swiss inventiveness. And it doesn't end there. Because through an ironic historical reenactment set in the 13th century, the legendary hero William Tell (portrayed as a pacifist in tights) will propose to create a musical competition to unite people, creating the Eurovision. The sketch will then end with a choral anthem.

The second interval will celebrate Celine Dion's victory in 1988 as Switzerland's representative. On that occasion, the queen of power ballads, as she is nicknamed, triumphed with "Ne partez pas sans moi", beating the United Kingdom to first place by just one point. The tribute to the great singer and her song will be performed by "Neues Orchester Basel" and four artists who participated in the event last year: Iolanda (Portugal), Marina Satti (Greece), Jerry Heil (Ukraine, in a duo with rapper Al'ona Al'ona) and Silvester Belt (Lithuania). Closing the evening will be J›rgen Olsen of the Olsen Brothers, the duo who won Eurovision in 2000 in Stockholm with "Fly on the Wings of Love". It was Denmark's second victory in the competition. In 2005, the song was named among the 14 best ever at Eurovision. The artist will sing a new version, changing the words to remain faithful to the message of the event "United By Music". Rai Radio 2, the official Italian radio station of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, will follow the event in simulcast by broadcasting live radio and video on channel 202 of digital terrestrial and Tivùsat. At the microphones, Diletta Pietrangeli and Matteo Osso will give space to the stories and songs of the first 15 semifinalists with attention to curiosities and behind the scenes. Rai Pubblica Utilità will take care of the subtitling and audio description of the live broadcast, also available in streaming on RaiPlay and RaiPlay Sound.