Acclaimed violinist, André Rieu is the consumate entertainer and last night he put on an amazing show at the Melbourne Telstra Dome in the Docklands. We were in Melbourne visiting friends, so we last night we saw Rieu’s World Stadium Tour: A Romantic Vienna Night. It was an extravaganza costing about $5.6 million to stage. The three-hour concert began with the violinist and his orchestra walking through the audience to a rousing rendition of 76 Trombones. And a hard tugging finale of the Australian song “Waltzing Matilda” and our National anthem “Advanced Australia Fair” .

The stage was an amazing, an elaborate set including the reproduction of a Viennese palace a 600m ice rink, giant candelabras over the orchestra and chorus. Meanwhile fountains cascaded and splashed around classical sculptures at either end of the huge stage.

André Rieu kept the audience entertained with his Johann Strauss orchestra, tenors, Scottish Bagpipes, Ice Skaters, the Vienna State Opera Ballet, dancers twirled on two 600m ice rinks and from palace balconies and in a ballroom scene and not to forget the golden coach drawn by white horses.

The atmosphere at this concert was complete with giant flickering candelabras and lavish costumes. It really is impossible to deny André Rieu his worldwide acclaim. The Dutch violinist and orchestra conductor has become not only an ambassador of light classical music, but an internationally renowned star. Today he is known as the “Modern King of Waltz”. One might equally dub him the “King of Romance”.

We enjoyed popular classics by Mozart and Puccini and Strauss – but you could not go past a Rolf Harris rendition of “Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport“. We had a very enjoyable evening with an ever-smiling Rieu, dressed in tails, playing his Stradivarius and conducting his orchestra with his bow. Apart from Andre Rieu, his Stadivarius violin was the star. It was handcrafted in 1667 by the Italian master, the Stradivarius sang across the centuries, bringing romance and love to Docklands.

Enjoy LXS Jeremiah.

Andre Rieu Concert was held at the Telstra Dome in the Docklands Melbourne, Victoria.

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