Eurovision Song Contest, with Sal Da Vinci officiating weddings and unfurling Italian flags on stage, the first semifinal starts with a bang.

Hosting the Austrian show at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna are Victoria Swarovski, singer and host as well as heir to the famous glass and crystal family, and actor Michael Ostrowski. Their performance is neither infamous nor praiseworthy, while returning for the Italian broadcast are veteran Gabriele Corsi and newcomer Elettra Lamborghini, who, with a certain Emilian frankness, manages to hold her own.

In the fast-paced Eurovision schedule, after a brief introduction by Vicky Leandros, who participated in the event in 1967 at the age of 15, and a strange musical interlude on the differences between Austria and Australia, Moldova begins with Satoshi and the patriotic "Viva, Moldova!". Then comes Sweden : Felicia, wearing a mask due to social anxiety she's suffered from since childhood, performs "My System."

And here's Croatia , represented by the all-female group Lelek with the cosmic "Andromeda," a song that's not easily radio-friendly and tells the story of a people scarred by war. Meanwhile, Greece relies on Akylas, one of the favorites, and the magnetic "Ferto," which translates to "bring it to me." Dressed as a Pokémon, he rides across the stage on a scooter, past video games, Greek statues, and women in traditional dress.

Portugal celebrates Lusitanian tradition with Bandidos do Cante and "Rosa": their (not entirely successful) goal is to blend the Alejandro Choral tradition, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with contemporary sounds. They at least have the merit of making us hear the first thing different. From Georgia , Bzikebi come with "On Replay": winners of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2008 in Cyprus with the song "Bzz.." Dressed in yellow and black like wasps, they fly away without leaving a mark.

And finally, seventh on the bill, Sal Da Vinci: out of the running due to a direct right to the final, with "Per sempre sì" he stages an Italian wedding with chandeliers, fireworks, lemon trees, and golden lights. It begins with the groom— Marcello Sacchetta, a guest of Amici and X Factor, who choreographed the song —getting dressed alongside the groomsmen, jumping and somersaulting while Sal sings in a white suit designed by a Neapolitan designer. And then the bride, Francesca Tocca, also an Amici alum, slowly walks down the catwalk while the Sanremo winner symbolically becomes the celebrant, unfurling her dress, which transforms into the Italian flag.

The second half of the semifinal heats up with the second favorites, the eccentric Finns Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen , who combine rock and virtuosity in "Liekinheitin." Montenegro instead chooses the elegance of Tamara Živković with "Nova Zora," while Estonia focuses on nostalgia with Vanilla Ninja with "Too Epic to Be True."

And here comes the controversial Israel , with Noam Bettan attempting to sing the romantic "Michelle" (co-written with Yuval Raphael, who came in second last year) while someone in the audience shouts at the top of their lungs, "Stop, stop genocide." They still advance to the final despite protests over their participation following the crimes and violence in Gaza, and the boycotts by Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Iceland. Germany also made the finals, with a record number of participants (69 out of 70) thanks to Sarah Engels and the incendiary "Fire."

In the final, space for Belgium with Essyla and “Dancing on the Ice”. Lithuania responds with Lion Ceccah and the Latin rhythm of “Sólo Quiero Más”, while Senhit , born in Bologna to Eritrean parents, returns to represent S an Marino with “Superstar” featuring Boy George. The closing track is Alicja’s powerful “Pray” for Poland , and “Kraj Mene” by gothic rockers Lavina for Serbia .

San Marino has no luck, it's not in the top ten: Greece, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Moldova, Israel, Serbia, Croatia, Lithuania, and Poland are among them . And for Italy, the journey to the Eurovision final has officially begun.

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