Kessler Sisters – Quando, Quando (Scopitone de 1963)

When Two Sisters Brought Italian Style—and a Smash Pop Song—to the World

If you’ve ever seen the Kessler Sisters perform “Quando Quando Quando”, you know it’s pure sixties glam. The German twins, Alice and Ellen, sashayed into Italian pop history with this bossa nova classic in the early 1960s, dazzling TV audiences across Europe and beyond. Their iconic version—often performed in dazzling costumes for Cinebox and Scopitone video jukeboxes—helped launch “Quando Quando Quando” as a global hit long before music videos were a thing.

The Kessler Sisters’ rendition rode a wave of European pop hits at a time when variety shows ruled television and “Quando Quando Quando” was competing for attention against the likes of Mina and Rita Pavone. Originally written by Tony Renis and Alberto Testa, the song first shone at the 1962 Sanremo Music Festival, where it landed fourth place but soared on the charts soon after. With infectious energy, the twins’ performances turned every stage into a party, helping the song climb to the top in Italy and spreading across the continent—making them TV mainstays and international stars.

What most fans don’t know: The twins first made their mark in ballet before escaping East Germany as teens, building a career that crossed borders and genres. Their adaptation of “Quando Quando Quando” was more than just a cover—in live shows and scopitones, they mixed their signature choreography, playful harmonies, and sparkling personalities, embodying the spirit of a swinging Europe on the cusp of the modern pop era. In interviews, they called it a “passport tune”—the kind that could connect with anyone, in any language.

Recordings—usually staged for the camera—featured tight, stylish arrangements that blended easy-listening, bossa, and Euro-pop. The Kesslers’ visually captivating performances on Cinebox and Scopitone made “Quando Quando Quando” an early prototype of the music video era, years before MTV. Directors leaned into the twins’ visual mirroring, using split-screen and color washes, and encouraged the Kesslers to interact playfully with each other and the band—a signature stylistic move.

“Quando Quando Quando” lived beyond this single appearance, but for the Kessler Sisters, it just fit: they wore everything Italian on their sleeves at the time, riding the wave of their success as TV hosts and variety show stars across Germany and Italy. The song slotted right into their larger-than-life personas—twins who danced, sang, and joked in flawless unison, icons of glamour on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

As one of the most covered Italian pop songs in history, “Quando Quando Quando” has seen renditions by everyone from Engelbert Humperdinck to Michael Bublé and Pat Boone. But the Kessler Sisters’ version—full of swing, smiles, and stagecraft—remains a snapshot of early sixties optimism. Their lively performance proved that pop, when done with flair, never really goes out of style.

Even today, their version of “Quando Quando Quando” is a joyful reminder of a time when pop music was an escape and a celebration. The Kessler Sisters didn’t just sing the song, they brought it to life with style and charisma that left an impression across generations. Every time that lively melody plays, you can still hear the echo of their laughter and the energy they brought to every performance—making the ordinary feel extraordinary, one chorus at a time.