Teleradio Moldova has announced that the first stage of the 2013 national selection has ended.
The jury, which consists of several composers and singers (including Geta Burlacu and Nelly Ciobanu, who represented the country at Eurovision in 2008 and 2009, respectively), selected 24 out of the 49 artists who applied, and 60 out of the 126 songs that the singers now have to choose from for the next round. The final is scheduled for March 2.
As you may remember, Moldova has introduced a controversial regulation this year that stipulates the chosen songs may be performed by artists other than the ones who submitted them. That prompted Natalia Barbu to withdraw from the selection process and promise to apply for Romania’s Eurovision selection instead. (And, yes, Romania is allowing foreign artists to compete in their Selectia Nationala and, anyway, Natalia Barbu has acquired Romanian citizenship by marriage). Olia Tira, who represented Moldova at the Eurovision in 2010 with the band SunStroke Project, has also been vocal against the new regulation and decided not to participate.
As for the ones who are participating in the selection, Pasha Parfeny, Moldova’s representative who placed 11th in the Eurovision final in Baku, is perhaps the biggest name who made it on the list, although not as a performer, but as a composer. He wrote the ballad “A Million”, performed here by Aliona Moon (stage name of Aliona Munteanu).
It’s early, but the Moldovan selection is already plagued by accusations of plagiarism. Boris Covali’s song “Runaways” is said to have sampled the 2000 hit “Shape of My Heart” by the Backstreet Boys. Someone put the two songs together in the same video and uploaded it on YouTube for our convenience:
Here is Boris Covali’s song, in all its entirety:
Covali denied the allegations of plagiarism. He said they saddened him and that he trusts his British and Swedish composers. He even showed the musical sheets of the two songs to reporters to demonstrate how different they are. On a side note, the singer is currently recovering in the hospital after breaking his leg this week, and he is going to wear a cast for two months, which should make for an interesting performance on the 2nd of March. That is, if he is makes it to the final, after all.
What do you think? Should “Runaways” be disqualified for plagiarism? And what about Pasha Parfeny’s “A Million”, do you see his ballad advance to the final selection in Moldova?
Bogdan Honciuc is a Transylvania-based correspondent for wiwibloggs
First 10 songs released here:
http://www.trm.md/ro/eurovision-2013/lista-interpretii-si-pieselor-care-vor-concura-in-etapele-finale/
A Million is a very powerful and charging ballad! I hope that Aliona Moon will sing it cause her voice sounds great and she looks gorgeous, but this strange new regulation may prove that to be impossible. I do find it odd that Moldova would make such a rule, and it seems to be hurting them in the long run by driving away good talent to Romania. As for Runaways, yes the songs are similar, but there are only so many note progressions that exist, and we’ve all heard the joke of the same four chord being used in all… Read more »
I didn’t mean to seem quite so serious about it, Bogdan.
We all realise that WiwiBloggs has a more playful attitude to news and opinion and shouldn’t be held to the fire on every detail.
Actually, the error was mine. You already clarified the point on whether it was being taken seriously in the article, but I had somehow forgotten by the end of my comment. So, my apologies for the needless aggravation.
Don’t let my comments take all the fun out it 🙂
Dear Zolan, my deliberate intention was to report the controversy at this stage; I do not wish to involve WiwiBloggs in it. It’s a delicate issue. Plagiarism is a serious accusation and I would rather let the readers draw their conclusions, rather than point a finger when I am not a musical expert myself. At least, until an official decision is made in this matter.
“A Million” is a solid composition with good lyrics. However, it comes across as too repetitive, and doesn’t deliver a satisfying transition or climax as is. It’s a contender for qualification to the final, but it may need considerable refinement to win it. I would like to know what Teleradio Moldova are thinking with the new regulation. If there’s one thing that characterises Moldovan entries in my memory, it’s that they are a bit quirky and uniquely tailored to the performer’s own style. Are they against that now, and trying to be more generic? What they are saying is don’t… Read more »