Today, 3rd of May, was the first day of the rehearsals in Moscow. The first 9 countries and acts performed their songs, and below I have given my views and verdicts based on the performances alone (as I have already given my full reviews of the songs).
MONTENEGRO
Performing in the same order as they will appear in the semi finals, Montenegro had the job of opening Eurovision once again this year. The performance was not bad, neither disappointing or impressing me. From the video clip available on youtube we could only see one male dancer and the singer on stage. First impression is that this was a bit tame, I think the song would benefit from a more lively presentation, but this could change. The vocals were ok. (6 out of 10)
CZECH REPUBLIC
This song has everything that the first song lacked in originality and uniqueness. Despite my feelings for this song I must admit they put on a very good performance, bizarre as it is. Vocals were good, and there didn't seem to be any major technical issues, the group also appeared very relaxed on stage. (8 out of 10)
BELGIUM
The presentation was very similar (if not nearly identical) to the one seen in the music video. Even the costumes looked the same. Fairly good vocals again, neither disappointing or impressing me. Unlike Montenegro, we can actually see all 6 people on stage for this song. Decent effort. (7 out of 10)
BELARUS
One of the best rehearsals of the day in my opinion. The singer is very strong vocally even if he lacks that little extra in stage presence. The only weakness was the woman covered in a veil dancing by his side. I feel it distracts some attention away from the artist and the song. (9 out of 10)
SWEDEN
Visually this was near perfect, beautiful costumes and stunning contrasts in colour. However I felt Malena was not quite on shape, possibly she was holding back a little. Unfortunately she seems to struggle a bit in the low parts of the song, and the choir seemed a bit too loud in the mix in the refrain. I am expecting that this will be much improved on the night. (6 out of 10)
ARMENIA
Another highlight of today's rehearsals. Vocally this was almost faultless except for one note that was sung lower than in the studio recording. Nice choreography for the dancers on stage but I was very puzzled to why the famous/infamous dance that goes with it was omitted from the presentation. Seems like a strange decision taking into account that it is one of the things people remember the most from their video. Still a strong performance. (9 out of 10)
ANDORRA
This was a lot better than I had imagined it would be. The vocals were a tiny bit shaky from time to time but she managed to carry off the song well without any major problems and looked like she was enjoying herself on stage. The guitar she is playing in the first half of the song also had the number 07 imprinted on it, so let's hope the viewers remember to vote. (7 out of 10)
SWITZERLAND
Gorgeous background pictures were used for this song ranging from skyscrapers to snowy mountains. Vocals were fairly good, although with room for improvement. The image however could be a factor though as the group seems very anti-gimmicky, which in Eurovision can be dangerous, and may even come across as a bit dull to the viewers. Still a very decent first effort. (7 out of 10)
TURKEY
One of the favourites this year. Unfortunately this performance was very disappointing for me. I think the background colours was way too intense (bright red), in addition to that the fireworks used seemed a bit over the top and unnecessary. Hadise did also sound off key several places in the song, and was drowned out by the choir in the refrain - especially towards the end where it was impossible to separate Hadise's vocals from the choir. This needs a lot of improvement. (4 out of 10)
Video clips for most of these performances can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/user/AKOE09
More thorough reviews of the performances are also available in the blog of the fabulous Irish website All Kinds Of Everything: http://akoe07.livejournal.com/
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