Singers from 23 countries, glitter and worldwide coverage: Russia revives Intervision on Saturday, a music competition created in the Soviet era and presented from Moscow to Eurovision's awe, accusing it of promoting "corrupt" western values.
At the Live Arena scene, near Moscow, they will appear on Saturday by 20:30 artists from former Soviet Union countries (Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan), BrICS member states (Brazil, India, South Africa, Egypt, Egypt, Egypt, Songer who will represent the US.
To promote the night, Russian public television even broadcast videos on a giant screen on Times Square, in the heart of New York.
The first intervision, a song contest involving allied countries of the Soviet Union, was organized in 1965 in Czechoslovakia. Following the suppression of Prague spring by the Soviet tanks in 1968, the competition was suspended before reviving Poland in 1977. After the collapse of the USSR the competition was interrupted.
Russia was eliminated from the Eurovision competition because of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine and is now promoting Intervision as a tool of cultural "mild power".
The organizers promise a "true celebration of music" but also "national identity", echoing the official Russian reason that criticizes the "corrupt" West.
No EU country is involved in Intervision.
This week, presenting Intervision to reporters, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov commented ironically in 2014 at Eurovision at the Austrian Austrian Drag-Quin Koncita Vurst, saying that he does not dispute "the right of the viewers of the Eurovision".
"And if Eurovision likes someone, we do not forbid anyone to watch it in our country," he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin presents Russia as a "traditional values" advocate against the moral "decline" of the West because of its tolerance to LGBTKI+ community.
On Saturday night in Moscow, artists will sing in their native language "unlike Eurovision where most songs are interpreted in English," the organizers underlined.
Russian Shaman, an emblematic personality of the patriotic concerts organized by the Russian government, will present a lyric song entitled "Direct to the Heart".
Intervision will be broadcast in all countries participating in the competition, Konstantin Ernst's General Manager of the Russian state television network Pervy Kanal explained.
Countries participating in the competition are counting on a total of "4,334 billion inhabitants, that is, more than half the population of the planet," commented during a press conference by Sergei Kirienko official of the Russian Presidency, who is chairman of the Council of Supervisor.
The winner of the Intervision will be highlighted by an international panel of judges, unlike Eurovision in which the judges' votes are added to those of viewers.
