After a long day of rehearsals in the Hartwall Arena, Latvia were the last up to perform the song Questa notte on stage.

The performance has changed little from the Latvian national selection, and the lads appear in top hats, one by one on the stage as the song builds. They are all in fine voice, particularly when they sing together and create a rich wall of sound in the hall. They sing against a simple set of golden rings with hints of red in the stage lighting.

The overall effect is cheesy, and perhaps that is the idea; the performance remains tongue-in-cheek, but the group is still a likeable bunch who can pull off a nice tune. The big finish, too, rounds off the whole semifinal nicely; it is almost as if the song was written to end the contest with.

Fight for votes?
This song is one of two in the last few entries which will appeal to classical lovers for votes; both Slovenia and Latvia feature honest, straightforward performances with strong vocals and a good melody, and it is easy to draw the comparison between the entries, being so closely placed together in the running order. Could there be a straight fight for votes between the two? If Slovenia is opera-dance, then Latvia is opera-light, and it could go either way – or both ways.

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