Rehearsals Day 1 – Rona Hits A Home Run

May 13, 2012 by Rob

It is never a good idea to go jumping to too many conclusions following first rehearsals as staging and performance can improve markedly and it is worth remembering when semi-final nations perform in front of the juries this is effectively their fourth run through, and the live tv semi-final performance their sixth. That said, you can get a sense of where things look like heading.
In the delayed morning session, only one song looked the part and that was Iceland. One of the reasons for this was as much about the backdrop as the vocal. One big lesson hammered home last year is the importance of staging and in this vital aspect Iceland looks to be on to a winner. We sweep past majestic glacial scenery. It’s cold, dark and magical and the visuals fit the drama of the song perfectly. It has real impact, Greta and Jonsi harmonise well enough and there is good interplay between them. This looks extremely polished already and good to go for the semi-final.
The most eagerly awaited song among the first 4 nations to rehearse was Greece given the limited, backing track-assisted performances we had to go on up until this point. When Eleftheria’s ropey vocal started wafting across the press centre, a dash was required to Crystal Hall to take in her performance up close. On second run through she sounded a little better. On third, again an improvement. Performers are actually given 4 goes to perform their songs in these first rehearsals. She doesn’t have the strongest voice and the energetic nature of the routine makes her a little breathy in places and struggling to carry some notes. A kaleidoscope backdrop of dizzying colours left a little to be desired too after the ingenious staging Greece pulled out of the bag last year.
On the plus side Eleftheria certainly has it in her to sell this song well performance-wise. She has a telegenic smile, confidence in abundance and owns the stage. The choreographed dance moves with her ensemble while somewhat cheesy probably play well to Greece’s audience and will only get better. On the back of today’s effort though the market is likely to begin to question Greece’s qualification prospects. Greece is aided by having Latvia follow it. Anmary may possess a superior vocal but the staging is very, very static with her female-only troupe, and the backdrop of mostly yellow is horrible, pretty much in keeping with the song. The whole package looks pedestrian and amateur.
Bottom of the pile though comes Montenegro, first to perform in semi 1 and likely to turn viewers off in droves. Rambo Amadeus has brought the donkey from his preview video to the stage, in wooden form, and it is one of the more captivating elements of this musical holocaust. He mumbled his way through ‘Euro neuro… monetary gravy’ and it’s hard to see Montenegro improving enough to get anywhere near qualification. Rambo has apparently placed a bet on himself finishing last… a wise wager if he procured odds on finishing last in semi 1 but a hugely optimistic punt if placed on the final as it assumes Montenegro qualifying.
The first live performance of ESC 2012 to leave goosebumps on this spectator was Rona Nishliu who gave the acoustics in Crystal Hall a proper work-out during ‘Suus’. She doesn’t do anything by halves this lady and gave as much on the second flawless run-through as the first. The backdrop is simple and the single spotlight that drills down on Rona as she powers out the notes is effective enough. A possible negative is the grimace she gives it while delivering some of those exceptional notes, but juries won’t be holding that against her.

Mandinga have their routine off pat and it already looks the business including a moon-walking bagpiper at the start. A little overkill, perhaps, but there is very little else not to like about this fun tune or the colourful staging. Romania supporters will be pleased to learn Elena, the lead vocalist, has a very good voice indeed. Like Iceland, this looks close to the finished product already. This performance has only confirmed the opinion Romania will be pushing hard for top 3 in semi 1.
Switzerland worked the stage well during ‘Unbreakable’ and again the lead singer’s vocal was decent. Sinplus appear to have added a foxy female guitarist to the group, or maybe she has been hiding her light under a bushel previously, but she adds to the group’s visual appeal. The two brothers Broggini are telegenic enough and collectively Sinplus look pretty cool, and modern but you get the impression this rock-light tune will never be more than a borderline qualifier.
The last 2 songs to perform on day 1 are Belgium and Finland, two solo females. Iris and Pernilla. You already sense Finland will steal Belgium’s thunder. One issue for Iris is her song is so, so plain, and her vocal, while by no means weak, is not especially memorable. Nor is the staging. This song lacks traction, it just meanders along rather aimlessly. Like Albania’s Rona, Iris also has an issue with her grimace. She has an unflattering jawline at full delivery reminiscent of the predators in the sci-fi series ‘V’.
The Finnish song on the other hand has an under-stated beauty about it. The presentation is minimalist but this works in its favour. It is charming. And has a nice backdrop of dreamy blue with white lights that works rather well, with Pernilla joined only by a cellist. This might well end up a fruitful qualifying punt.
Today’s biggest winners: Albania, Iceland and Romania. The biggest losers: Montenegro, Latvia and Greece. But don’t go writing off Greece. It still has more than enough going for it to get through. In fact, a big drift in its qualification odds could make it look something of a steal on Betfair‘s semi 1 ‘to qualify’ market.
Rob Furber