esctoday.com, Netherlands
May 11 2007

Some technical issues
First final rehearsal

The first dress rehearsal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 final
has just taken place, giving fans a first look at the shape of the
contest with the newly qualified semifinalists added.
Some of the finalists’ presentations have changed very slightly from
the last outing on stage; the most striking change is that Marija
Sestic now sings on a frozen river, with multicoloured lights filling
the stage as the song builds. Koldun is saving himself for tomorrow,
missing out his big last note, but turning in a good, strong
performance otherwise.

Glitches to be ironed out
The were a few technical glitches which need to be ironed out before
the live show, and the most serious of these was a delay in bringing
out Lithuania’s set while the postcard was running. As the video clip
ended and the hall came onto the screen, the stage hands were still
bringing out the props as 4Fun’s band members ran behind the screen
in silhouette. Similarly, the large white screen was a burden to be
carried off the stage afterwards, looking at one point as if it was
about to break as it wobbled and swayed.

The screens did not function perfectly in the first full rehearsal,
either. During the UK’s performance, a big white block was visible,
obscuring the actual graphics. Later on, the middle screen failed at
the start of Hayko’s performance for Armenia, flickering red lines,
then freezing, before it was turned off. It was soon fixed
afterwards, but the team need to safeguard against these kind of
mistake before the transmission tomorrow.

Some of the camera work needs to be tightened, with a cameraman in
shot at one point, and a couple of poor shots during Romania, for
example: Todomondo’s second vocalist had started singing but the
camera was trained on one of his silent bandmates.

Reactions in the hall
The final is now a very different shape to what we have become used
to over the last few months, with only fourteen songs before the
semifinal took place. As spectators get used to the new layout of
this year’s final, different songs start to stand out and receive
attention, set off by the songs around them. In the hall, the biggest
hands were for Slovenia, Serbia and Ukraine, but if last night’s show
was anything to go by, audience reaction means little in terms of
final result.

The finalists rehearse again at 20:00 CET – stay tuned to
esctoday.com for live coverage from the press hall!

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress