They were stunning!
One of my top 3 acts on Saturday!
Can't wait for more of them!

A total rip off of bond, and I thought their playing was all but drowned out by their backing tape, I think had they played without the backing tape they would have sounded very average.

from what i could hear "CD backing track only had the drum machine " but the sound mix wasnt brilliant

I thought they were ok - wasn't bowled over by them, but then I'm not male!!!
I thought actually that the men "drooling" over them, was more obligatory than anything, but what would I know

Ah, I think they are great. And if you are a fan of Scala, you might want to check out www.ScalaFanSite.com

They looked and sounded fantastic!! You coudl just read Simon's mind "recording contract.....recording contract" lol

They are my favourite at the mo with the 13 year old schoolboy coming a very close 2nd

Frankly, I'm astonished by people's reaction to this act.

What is everyone so impressed with?

I don't claim to know that much about string quartets, but I'm quite certain that there are dozens, if not hundreds, across the country who play just as well — if not far better. (Like… professional musicians for example?)

So… what do the Judges (and everyone here) find so "amazing" about them?

Their "larger than life" personalities?
No, they seemed quite shy.

Their "amazing" choreography?
No, it was extremely basic and easy. Something almost any string quartet would have no trouble arranging.

Their fancy costumes?
Well, Paul Potts famously walked on the stage in a "cheap suit". Isn't this supposed to be a search for talent not a nice costume?

Their composition?
Well, it's a nice tune, but they can't take credit for composing it!

Their expensive instruments?
Sure, wealth = talent.

Their original arrangement of the tune?
No, they just played the standard arrangement with percussion.

Their difficulty/complexity of the piece?
No, it wasn't a particularly complex or difficult piece to play. (It certainly didn't sound it, anyway.)

Their unusual playing style?
No, they just played their instruments as normal.

Honestly, the only "impressive" thing about this act, in my opinion, was the synching with the backing track which didn't kick in until half way through (presumably they were using ear monitors). So, from a production point of view, it was impressive. But that's not exactly the girls' talent, that's the production team doing their job.

And why are people calling them "sexy". They're hardly a bunch of lookers, are they? Or does wearing a short skirt and makeup make any girl "sexy"? (And even if they were good looking, is that what constitutes "talent"?)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not slagging the girls off. Playing violin, viola, or cello is not "simple" and does require talent, and they're obviously not "bad" players. But I just don't see how a highly unoriginal "run of the mill" act like this, that's been around for centuries, can be compared favourably with other acts on the show which are unique, original, or demonstrate a phenomenal skill.

I've never seen a quartet like them I must say. I took a look at Bond on Youtube as I hadn't seen them either and I must admit I preferred Scala.

They just had a great energy about them and the taller blonde girl had a real star quality about her that it's hard to define. The pece they picked to play was just right for the crossover market too.

I'm a straight female too, in case you were wondering.

I agree with much of Grand Dizzy's post, but don't want to appear "jealous", being female
But, like I said earlier, although well turned out I didn't think they looked stunning, and I really felt that there was a point, halfway through the act, when Ant and Dec realised they were supposed to be playing them up as sexy and started saying they wanted to see them again - they'd looked a bit bored up until then - just my opinion though.
As for Piers and Simon they seem to drool over any scantily clad female under 30, just to prove the testorone's still flowing!
Their music wasn't bad, but I've seen similar.

Can someone confirm that they were playing to a backing track?

Someone I was watching with was claiming that ALL the noises were being made from the girls themselves....but I'm far from convinced. I doubt you can get a sound like that from a stringed instrument, no matter how talented you are.

the drum machine was deffo off a cd

Absolutely! 100% definitely.

I'm amazed that anyone could not notice such a loud percussion track, especially as it only kicked in half way through. It would have sounded like a totally different piece of music without it. It was clearly a ready-made drum track — certainly not "performed" in real time.


You can't, trust me!


I don't really think there's anything to be envious of. And I can't see why some people are calling them "sexy". They were just four girls who aren't ugly. One of them was moderately good looking, and the other three of them were very plain. Their looks aren't exactly what sets them apart (like Paul Potts wasn't chosen for his looks).

Similarly, I don't think Girls Aloud, Take That, etc. are particularly good looking. They're just a bunch of people who have a talent, and aren't too ugly. People only swoon over these people because of their fame and personas, but not because they're the four best looking people in the UK. You can see much better people walking down any high street, and that's true of any boy/girl band.

So you can compare it, here's the same tune (Palladio) played live in the street by the Bella Donna String Quartet:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5_tnhND9EQ

This is how Scala would sound playing "live". It doesn't have the percussion track, or any of the fancy reverb effects. It's also not the "allegro" version of the tune.

In my opinion, these girls are "sexier" — they look more natural, more professional, and way more respectable. They don't appear to be plastered in makeup, and they don't all have the same haircut! I think I might actually vote for someone like Bella Donna because they seem more genuine. (Like Paul Potts was genuine and humble.)

I thought they were great but are of course professional musicians - but were they playing live, I always thought electrical instruments needed cables.

Not only that, this is acoustic compared to the Electric version which can be changed through certain processors i.e Zoom Roland etc

nope they are battery operated wireless units whih are on the bridge (I should know coz I worked with a electric violinist)

Thanks for the information - I thought it must be something like that as no-one else had mentioned it. You learn something new every day!!!

Well I do try

Scala were decent and good looking, but I'm not sure they should win.

They definitely have the ability, but they're too similar to Bond and a band called Wild half of Scala were in. Their sound is nothing any other trained violinist couldn't duplicate with electric violins, and Bond and Vanessa Mae have already recorded tons of classics in a similar style.

Bond are still together, and will release a new album this year. Wild released their album a few years ago and went unnoticed. If Scala had been on a TV advert as opposed to Britain's Got Talent, would you be excited about them? They probably already have a record deal lined up, and Britain's Got Talent is superb coverage.

So what would you rather, Britain's Got Talent be a vehicle for a professional band's promotion, or be a show that gives an amatuer/semi pro their big shot?

I had heard that Scala were already put through before the audience had even seen them, in agreement with their manager. All seems a bit shady, but if the public love them then I guess that's what counts.

There may favourite act so far, I thought they were incredible.

Scala's version was more exciting probably because of the electric instruments. But why compare them with people who were not in the competition? Nobody is stopping those girls from entering. As it is, I really loved Scala's performance. I also don't see why they shouldn't do well just because there are other talented string quartets. Should nobody else play solo violin just because Vanessa May's coined the market?

Scala aren't the first attractive female group to play electric violins - step forward Vanessa Mae - but that doesnt mean they can't enter! I thought they were very good and played their instruments well
That's like saying Paul Potts couldn't enter as Pavarotti and Jose Carerras have already sung opera

I have nothing against Scala, or any classical performer, entering the competition. I just don't see why everyone is so excited about them, or what makes them particularly special. The tune they played didn't seem particularly difficult, so why should they win Britain's Got Talent when they're not all that talented?

I didn't think Paul Potts was a particularly great opera singer, but he certainly did the job, and singing Italian is an unusual skill. Similarly, those great dancers and acrobats had a real talent, skills people have spent their lives perfecting. Now maybe Scala really are great string players, but I didn't see any greatness from them on the show. (I don't remember hearing them play anything faster than quavers, at around 180bpm.)

If someone is going to come on the show with an act that people are doing all around the country, and have been doing for centuries, then I think they need to either do something different, or have a phenomenal talent. I just didn't see that from them. Hopefully they can prove me wrong in the next round.

What I didn't understand was why the group yesterday, playing harps etc, didn't get the same reception?
From what little we saw of them, they seemed just as good, but Simon didn't seem keen and they were bunched in as one of the "clips" - I can't even remember if they got through or not.
Am I just showing my ignorance at classical talent, here?