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Exclusive review of Big 5 and Israel's first Eurovision 2019 rehearsals

10 May 2019 at 20:14 CEST
United Kingdom 2019 first rehearsal Andres Putting
With just 8 days to go until the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final in Tel Aviv, the 6 pre-qualified nations took to the stage at Expo Tel Aviv to rehearse for the first time. As the host nation, Israel is guaranteed a place in the final this year along with France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, who automatically qualify. This means that all 41 countries competing at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest have now rehearsed on stage.

With much anticipation, the last 6 countries to rehearse for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest have completed their first rehearsals and now we have seen how all 41 entries will look on stage for the three live shows taking place on Tuesday 14 May, Thursday 16 May and Saturday 18 May.

1. Israel - Kobi Marimi with Home.

Kobi Marimi was the first of the pre-qualified finalists to rehearse on the Expo Tel Aviv stage as he brought Israel Home. In a clearly emotional rehearsal, he cried tears of pride at the end of his first run-through. He performed twice more, getting vocally stronger as he acclimated to the hallowed Eurovision stage.

READ MORE: Check out the full review of Israel's first rehearsal here.

2. France - Bilal Hassani with Roi.

France delivered a mix of classic and technological staging for Bilal Hassani as he performed Roi in his first rehearsal. Performing with two extraordinary ballerinas on stage, the performance features faces superimposed over his own before digitized images flicker through.

READ MORE: Check out the full review of France's first rehearsal here.

3. Spain - Miki with La Venda.

Spain delivered a technocolour rehearsal as Miki brought La Venda to life on the Tel Aviv stage. The performance centres around a house made of six large blocks that create rooms for him and his backing dancers. There's plenty of choreography and a dance onto the catwalk as Miki and his troop finish the song right in front of the audience.

READ MORE: Check out the full review of Spain's first rehearsal here.

4. Italy - Mahmood with Soldi.

Mahmood took to the stage and gave a strong performance despite recovering from an illness. Soldi is performed with three backing singers and interaction with the giant video screen behind the stage which illustrates the message of the song. Lyrics flash up in English although the song is performed in Italian and Arabic.

READ MORE: Check out the full review of Italy's first rehearsal here.

5. United Kingdom - Michael Rice with Bigger Than Us.

Michael Rice completed his rehearsals of the United Kingdom's entry Bigger Than Us with just a microphone stand as his on-stage prop. The emphasis of the song is on his powerful vocals and harmonies with his 5 backing singers, one of which is Sweden's Anna Sahlene who took 3rd place at the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest for Estonia.

READ MORE: Check out the full review of the United Kingdom's first rehearsal here.

6. Germany - S!sters with Sister

German duo S!sters rounded off a busy day at Expo Tel Aviv as the last of 17 delegates to rehearse. They performed their entry Sister starting from opposite sides of the stage before meeting in the middle of the cat walk in front of the stage to finish their sisterhood anthem.

READ MORE: Check out the full review of Germany's first rehearsal here.

When do the pre-qualified finalists rehearse again?

The 6 countries that are pre-qualified for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final will return to the stage on the morning of Sunday 12 May for their second rehearsals. After that, they will each have a press conference in which they will draw a starting position in the first or second half of the show.