News - First semi-final dress rehearsal | Eurovision Song Contest News - Azerbaijan 2012 

The first run-through of the complete first semi-final of the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest is underway at the Telenor Arena in Oslo. Members of the media can follow the show standing up in the hall or on press centre TV screens, like esctoday.com.

There are all in all three full dress rehearsals of each show. The juries in all the countries will vote after watching the second dress rehearsal tonight at 9pm CET.

The show has now started and the three hosts have been on stage for a very short time. They told that the voting lines are open from the beginning of the show and we are directly off with the first song! The postcards have been filmed in respective country in advance and we can see local people and fans cheer on their entry on a virtual postcard suspended and floating across the arena. A country map is also formed of the yellow bubbles in the theme art. We also get a glimpse of each artist backstage just before they go on.

Song one - Moldova

The first semi-final kicks off with an energetic performance of Run Away by Sunstroke Project & Olia Tira. The number opens with the violinist turning on a black and white spiral, a smaller version of the one The Ark used in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. Olia Tira joins him soon after dressed in bright with light blue elements. Her vocal performance wasn't perfect, but was definitely convincing enough. All in all it's a fun and powerful performance.

Song two - Russia

Peter Nalich is representing Russia this year with a melancholic ballad which he delivers with lots of emotion and good vocal performance. The stage is predominantly blue and adds a good atmosphere to the song. Considering there are o many ballads competing this year, will Peter Nalich's charm be enough for Russia to qualify?

Song three - Estonia

Malcolm Lincoln is next on stage. The Estonian song gets a bright stage atmosphere mixed with blue. Malcolm is joined by backing vocals and is performing confidently enough for the song to reach is full potential. The performance is quite static, not much movement on stage but it all adds up to a good general feel of the song.

Song four - Slovakia

The green stage lights arrangement announces Slovakia's song. Horehronie, a tribute to the nature of the region of Slovakia is an up-tempo song with enthnic elements. Kristina was holding back a bit but still managed to deliver the song well enough. She is joined by the dancers and backing vocals dressed in costumes that  are reminiscent to trees. There is also a lady dressed in white who sings the bridge. Many people consider Slovakia as a certain qualifier for the final.

Song four - Finland

Kuunkuiskaajat give a very strong and very entertaining performance of their songsTyölti ellää. As in the Finnish preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest the girls are dressed in long white dresses, one of them playing an accordion. The performance starts very gently and as it gets towards the end it builds up in stage movement and dance routine. Their vocals were good and the performance received a good reception in the press centre.

We get a short presentation and voting reminder from the hosts after the first five songs. Then it is straight on to the sixth song.

Song six – Latvia

Aisha from Latvia comes on with her gospel backing singers. She has managed to get some of the vocals right now, after being somewhat insecure in the low parts before. The song itself is very catchy and liked by many, and if the vocals will not distract the viewers and the juries too much, Latvia might well qualify.
 

Song seven – Serbia

Milan Stankovic does his ode to the Balkans in a confident manner, combining traditional and modern elements. The composer of this song, Goran Bregovic is one of the biggest names in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest and just his involvement should guarantee a good few votes from people familiar with his extensive work. The song  and the joyful performance itself will probably please viewers in the Balkans and further afield.

Song eight - Bosnia and Herzegovina

Vukašin Brajić gave a strong performance of Thunder and lightning. The stage was dark blue and received good comments in the press centre.  Vukašin is a confident singer and comes off as a very charismatic performer. The song has grown on many people since the first rehearsal but we will have to wait to see if it is enough to qualify for the final.

Song nine – Poland

The Polish singer Marcin Mrozinski sings his Legenda very confidently. This song as well combines traditional elements with modern influences and also alternates between the Polish and English languages. The team perform mostly in national costumes and very fluently, but whether the song is instant enough to qualify will be seen tomorrow.