Musique
The Route to Musical Harmony
D
uring the late-1980s Switzerland experienced something of a phenomenon on
the European music scene as the Eurovision Song Contest was metaphorically taken by
storm when this small country placed second in
1986 and then won first place in 1988.
Many recall the chronicle of the unknown
Canadian singer who was pushed into the limelight with her Eurovision win, and has since
become an international star. But few people
remember Daniela Simmons’ stunning secondplace achievement, or know the history of the
composer who was responsible for the success of
both singers.
Daniela Borruso (stage name: Simmons) and
Atilla Sereftug have been married since 2008,
and together they have been responsible for a veritable pot-pourri of musical projects, recordings
and events throughout the years. Their dazzling
CVs are testament to the passion for music that
has driven them both since they were young.
Both artists were born to musical families,
Daniela in Perugia, Italy and Atilla in Istan-
62
Antione de Marteau
bul, Turkey, and yet, except for their time spent
at their respective musical conservatories, their
paths couldn’t have been more contrasting. . .
. . .that is, until both orbits converged on one
defining event: the 1986 Eurovision contest.
Art en Suisse was curious about the similarities and differences between the origins of the
two artists, and what had been the forces driving them to take to the stage. So I sat with the
couple in their Swiss home and began our conversation by asking Daniela if she would share
some of the history which shaped her career.
“I was first placed onto the stage at eight
years old and was told that I was supposed to
sing French songs for an hour,” she began. “My
father was a musician and our family followed
him like a circus family, traveling around the
Swiss Romand. Because of this influence I began
composing music for the piano when I was ten
years old. We had a grand piano at home and I
had more interest in music than going outside to
play with the other children. This was because I
felt the need to create at a very early age.”
ArtSuisse
en
Itinéraire d’une harmonie musicale
A
la fin des années 80, la Suisse vécut
une sorte d’expérience phénoménale
sur la scène musicale européenne
lorsque le Concours de l’Eurovision fut
métaphoriquement renversé quand ce petit
pays se plaça en second en 1986 puis gagna la
première place en 1988.
Beaucoup se souviennent de la chanteuse Canadienne alors inconnue qui fut poussée sous les
projecteurs grâce à sa victoire de l’Eurovision et
est depuis devenue une star internationale. Mais
peu retiennent la spectaculaire performance qui
remit la seconde place à Daniela Simmons, ou
connaissent l’histoire du compositeur qui fut responsable du succès de ces deux chanteuses.
Daniela Borruso (nom de scène : Simmons)
et Atilla Sereftug se sont mariés en 2008 et ensemble ils ont été les responsables d’un véritable pot-pourri de projets musicaux, d’enregistrements et d’événements pendant toutes ces
années. Leur CVs éblouissants sont la preuve de
leur passion pour la musique qui les a tous deux
portés depuis leur plus tendre enfance.
ArtSuisse
en
Traduction – Julie Sirbu
Ces artistes sont tous deux nés dans des
familles mélomanes, Daniela à Pérouse en Italie
et Atilla à Istanbul en Turquie, et pourtant, si ce
n’est pour le temps passé dans leurs conservatoires
de musique respectifs, leurs chemins n’auraient
pas pu contraster d’avantage…
... c’est-à-dire, jusqu’à ce que leurs deux orbites convergent en un instant déterminant: le
Concours de l’Eurovision de 1986.
Art en Suisse s’est piqué de curiosité à propos
des similarités et des différences entre les origines
de ces deux artistes, et au sujet des forces qui les
ont poussés à monter sur scè