Natalia Barbu became the ninth act to rehearse today, as she took to the stage together with her dancers and backing singers to present Moldova's Fight for the first time in Hartwall.

You can watch the Moldovan photo gallery here.

If the song itself suggests anger and conflict, then the stage reflects that perfectly, as Natalia sings in front of a stage lit with fiery, neon lines, which explode into burning sparks as the song builds. Three dancers surround her, performing an energetic routine complete with diablo red scarves, which fly around Natalia like red rags to a bull. The singer responds with some gutsy staccatto violin action, and a punchy vocal performance, note-perfect at the extremely high ad-lib before the key change. A large silver silken banner completes the dancers' array of props, being raised and twirled at various intervals during the performance.

The need to be noticed
Natalia and the three dancers are joined by two female backing vocalists who remain on mic behind the group. They, like Natalia, render a fairly static performance on stage, which contrasts nicely with the movement of the dancers. Following the extremely dynamic Swiss show, it seems clear that Moldova need to do as much as possible to be noticed, and without the additional show factor the song may have come across as little reserved save the initial visual hook of the violin solo. As it stands, the present arrangement and routine carry across the emotions of the music and lyrics nicely, and the strong vocal adds to the nice pop-rock package that Moldova represents.