Eurovision 2004 - Number 34 - Rožmarinke - "Kliše"
Back (again) to EMA and something radical. Radically wordless. Rožmarinke (Rosemary in Slovenian) are a string trio of violin, viola and cello. Shortly after this performance they became a full string quartet. They specialise in pop-classical pieces outside the normal repertoire for a string quartet. What they don't do is sing. Kliše (Cliché) is purely instrumental and the EBU rules for Eurovision state that it is a song contest. Entries must have lyrics and be sung. If Kliše had won EMA this year, it would have been a Norway 1995 situation. Words would be needed at short notice.
Using the sound of a lighter being flipped and lit as a rhythmic sample, Kliše is a moody piece. It brings to mind film noir, trilby hats and overcoats, shadows and clandestine meetings. There's drama and tension throughout as Tina Mozetič, Katja Krajnik and Petra Gačnik Greblo demonstrate a variety of string-playing techniques. They saw, swoop and pluck their way down alleyways conjured into existence solely by bows and catgut.
The song is written by Boris Benko. He is someone from a musical sphere a distance away from classical music, but much closer to the mood of this song. His main band is Silence. They produce dark and moody landscapes from synths, pianos, and yes, strings. On their 2003 album Maison des Rendez-vous, Katja Krajnik contributed her viola playing which is presumably where the link was made.
After leading Silence (and this performance), Boris Benko became a part-time member of the band that is perhaps Slovenia's most notorious (and influential) musical export - Laibach. One of the influences on Rammstein and with an aesthetic that played with ideas of totalitarianism and nationalism without ever stating their position on those ideas - much to the consternation of both the government of former Yugoslavia and their own fans.
At EMA 2004, Rožmarinke scraped through their heat in third place, snatching the last televoting qualification spot by less than 1000 votes. The final was a different story. Here there was a jury as well as a televote and the EMA jury placed them in first position. That easily got them through to the superfinal. The Slovenian delegation might have been panicking a little with this non-rule compliant instrumental piece potentially going to Eurovision. Luckily for them Rožmarinke weren't quite as popular with the voting public. They finished second to a clear winner.
The quartet stuck together for another couple of year's after this and recorded similar pieces as well as performing at other Slovenia music festivals. Thereafter they went back to their careers as sting players, orchestral work and other musical ensembles.
