Austria’s self-imposed exile from Eurovision came to an end this morning, as Austrian starlet Nadine Beiler took to the stage for her first rehearsal. Many styles would be in evidence today, but Austria has opted for ballad. And this was one of the best performances we’ve seen in the rehersals so far.
Nadine, like all the other acts, had been at the arena for over two hours before she actually got to the stage. Understandably, Eurovision involves a lot of waiting around. Despite this, Nadine put in a good performance, and there were no nerves.
Nadine is dressed in a short black dress, stood on a raised area on the stage. She has five backing singers, all dressed in black, which join her on stage mid way through. The a capella start reminds you of Cyprus’s Lisa Andreas. The staging is very simple. It’s very dark, with small blue lights moving around behind her. At various points she’s also under a simple white spotlight.
Nadine ran through her song several times, and each one was faultless. She nailed every performance, and got very loud applause from the assembled press.
Austria next rehearses on Friday, so it will be interesting to see if Nadine can maintain this high standard she’s set herself.
