Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

After Pippo Baudo another Sanremo legend leaves us. Bebbe Vessicchio is dead. He has conducted maybe more Sanremo entries than anyone else (or so it seems as it was always a pleasure to see him appear!) and each time he appeared in front of the orchestra it was a good sign, his sole appearance made you in a good mood.  Giuseppe, or Bebbe as everyone knew him, was born in Naples in 1956. He started his musical career with singers like Nino Buonocore. Edoardo Bennato, Peppino di Capri, Peppino Gagliardi and Gino Paoli with him he wrote hits like Ti lascio una canzone . Soon he was working in television and most notably in festival of Sanremo since 1990 conducting dozens of entries, apparently over 120! His arrangement won the best arrangement award in 1994 , 1997 , 1998 and 2000 , and he conducted the winning entries in 2000 (Avion Travel - Sentimento ), 2003 (Alexia - Per dire di no ), 2010 (Valerio Scanu - Per tutte le volte che ) and 2011 (Roberto Vecchioni - Chiamami amcora amo...

Ossi Runne (86), the legendary Finnish Eurovision conductor (22 editions from 1966's self-penned Play-boy to 1989's La dolce vita . He also commented Eurovision for YLE in 1981 and 1990) is still following Eurovision, as he tells in Studio55's interview (in Finnish here ) but only the final these days. He thinks a good Eurovision song is a one that is liked all over Europe and the secret of Eurovision's sucess is the fact each and every TV-viewer is an expert. True.  In the old days the conductor besides conducting the orchestra obviously also arranged the song. He says he did so many Eurovision that he wasn't nervous anymore, it was routine and he felt no stress. "We had two 45 minute rehearsals with the orchestra those days.  They were always already well rehearsed beforehand, both orchetra and the artist. My main target was always make justice to the Finnish song, and take it and make others take it seriously. Some other conductors didn't take it s...