Norway: MGP review

It seems hard to believe that Oslo’s Spektrum arena was once the venue for the Eurovision Song Contest. Although it seats some 9,700 spectators, the Telenor Arena, which will play host to this year’s contest, has a capacity of up to 23,000; proof enough – if any was needed! – of the increase in popularity of Eurovision. While the Eurovision Song Contest final might well have outgrown the Spektrum, it is the perfect venue for the final of Melodi Grand Prix, the Norwegian search for a performer to represent the country on home territory in May.

Saturday’s final was the culmination of four weeks of semi-final and ‘second chance’ shows, during which 21 songs were whittled down to just eight. Watching web-stream shows and listening to mp3s over and over again is great, but as anyone who has ever attended any of the Eurovision shows will agree, nothing beats being there live – which is why last weekend I made my way over to snowy Oslo to attend the final in person!

.

It’s a good few years since my last visit to the city, and while much has changed, there are still one or two things which certainly have not – such as the high prices and chilly weather! The snow and ice didn’t seem to deter the hardy MGP fans and journalists who turned up for the Saturday afternoon dress rehearsal and made good use of the kind hospitality provided by the national Norwegian broadcaster, NRK. I am sure the local press find it hard to understand just why non-Norwegians like myself would make the effort to travel all that way, and it took a bit of effort to explain myself to the photographer sat beside me! He seemed very keen on Maria Haukaas-Storeng – but then again, since her top 5 placing in Belgrade in 2008, she does seem to have become something of a national ‘favourite’! Talking of which, it was somewhat inevitable that MGP 2010 would be opened by a reprise of the song which won not only this festival, but the entire contest, last year. Though the arena wasn’t anywhere near full, Alexander Rybak received a very enthusiastic welcome on-stage, and after performing ‘Fairytale’ retreated to the seating beside the ‘green room’ to watch the participants in this year’s show.

.

Though each performer’s position was literally decided by the luck of the draw, A1 opening the show got things off to an upbeat start. This song has been popular since it was first presented in Skien, where it qualified directly for the final, and its popularity didn’t seem to have waned. Many had it tipped as the winner, believing that the group had all the elements necessary for victory – a catchy tune, attractive performers with some pedigree, and an international flavour about it. The song wasn’t as strong as I had expected, but as is often the case, it could just have been that the singers were holding back a little, saving themselves for the performance that mattered that evening.

.

Maria Haukaas-Storeng took to the stage next, having changed her outfit from the one she wore all those weeks ago in Orland. There was a kind of effortlessness about her performance which was impressive; everything came easily and fluently, and was of course met by generous applause. Although many agreed that ‘You Make My Day’ wasn’t as good a song as ‘Hold On Be Strong’, it was still a very popular entry.

.
.
.

The first of the survivors from the second chance rounds to perform was Venke Knutson, with her song ‘Jealous ‘Cause I Love You’. Venke seemed to really enjoy herself on-stage and if she was at all nervous, this didn’t show. I got the impression that she was there to have a good time whatever the outcome might be, which probably helped her relax. This song was a ‘grower’ which had gained a lot of popularity but which didn’t seem to have had much exposure in the local media, unlike many of the other performances.

.

Nobody could deny that Bjorn Johan Muri had certainly fought hard for his place in the Spektrum, coming from the first semi-final through to the second chance rounds and eventually securing one of the coveted spots. His song grew in popularity and had regularly featured at the top of the Norwegian itunes download chart since its first airing.

Things seemed to have been toned down a little for this performance, with less ‘gyrating’ in general and a greater focus on vocals, which allowed the cameras to feature Bjorn more than the dancers.

.

Even before Maria Arredondo’s performance of ‘The Touch’ had been heard, it was being touted as a winner, mainly because its’ writer, Rolf Lovland, has a definite pedigree of success in Eurovision for Norway. Maria seemed quite fragile on-stage but performed with confidence and stronger vocals than I had been expecting. Reaction from the crowd wasn’t as enthusiastic as I thought it might be; I got the feeling that the song had somehow got ‘lost’ somewhere, with its initial popularity fading once other entries had been heard.

.

Alexander Stenerud was back doing what he does best; singing a catchy, a-ha sounding song and moving about the stage without ever actually dancing! The glittery red tie was popular and Alexander was more than happy to chat to the gathered fans and journalists, who appreciated his friendly, amiable manner. An MGP final was nothing new for him and he didn’t seem particularly fazed by any of it.

.

Starting you song ‘acapella’ isn’t easy for any performer, but Didrik Solli-Tangen coped admirably, settling in to the rest of ‘My Heart is Yours’ comfortably and confidently. There certainly is something almost spellbinding about this number, probably because – except for the pyrotechnic ‘curtain’ towards the end – the focus is primarily on the song; there are no dancers or visual distractions to distract from Didrik, who garnered a lot of support from the audience.

.

Keep of Kalessin had secured what is arguably the favourite spot of the evening, by closing the contest. Love it or hate it, it was good to have something completely different which ended everything on a high. A lot of the journalists around me found it all rather amusing, but I was impressed by the live show, which had a lot of energy about it.

.
.
.
.
.

Didrik Solli-Tangen’s eventual victory that evening was very well-received, by the huge crowd in the Spektrum and the local media, who were immediately tipping it for another Norwegian win in May. Photos of Didrik – variously posing with his backing musicians, victorious songwriter Fridrik Kempe, and Elisabeth Andreassen and Hanne Krohe from Bobbysocks – appeared on the front pages of Norway’s popular tabloid newspapers the following day. I’m looking forward to seeing how well the performance transfers to the stage at the Telenor Arena, and if Didrik can maintain his popularity across Europe…!

-Alec