André Rieu ~ A Dutch Treat in Adelaide

A Romantic Night In Vienna AAMI Stadium

November 19, 2008 Adelaide The players: Andrew Rieu, Thomas Greuel, Bela Mavrak, Gary Bennett, Mirusia, Carmen Monarcha, Vienna State Opera Ballet, Vienna Debutantes & many more. Standout:Carmen Monarcha. In Short: Dutch Treat *****Five Stars

ANDRE Rieu is the P.T. Barnum of classical music. This fabulous Flying Dutchman has managed to bring the classic composers to the masses by offering them tantalising treats no symphony orchestra can match. Rieu delivers a portable castle, world-class lighting and sound, an orchestra in opulent evening dress, sophisticated skaters, debonair ballet dancers, airborne singing angels, golden carriages and a 200-strong pipe band for a finale - wow!

Sumptuous costumes, self-deprecating humour, entertainment unlimited, he teases and tantalises, pushing the crowds emotional buttons with impeccable timing. Rieu is selling music, he's selling spectacle, he's selling surprises and he's very cleverly and classily selling romance. This is a musical chocolate box where every delicacy is wrapped in gold.

From the stirring 76 Trombone entrance, to Blue Danube, which had the crowd waltzing in the aisles, and the infectious revelry of Ravel's Bolero, Rieu's music spans the classical spectrum. He is no violin virtuoso, even with a Stradivarius, but he's an orchestra leader of major skill. Rieu plays beautifully when we actually hear his solo efforts, but he leads a world-class orchestra in a stunning array of music from Strauss to Mozart, Lehar to Lloyd Webber. And he manages his singers as well as he handles his musicians.

The humour, the vocals and the audience hang on his every cue, but make no mistake, this man's genius is making dreams comes true. The singers are exceptional. His three tenors, German Thomas Greuel, Hungary's Bela Mavrak and Australian Gary Bennett are the vocal back bone of the show. They sing everything from Granada to Nessun dorma, blending superbly and playing up where necessary. The female soloists are wondrous talent, with Australia's Mirusia shining in a touching version of Botany Bay and Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again from Phantom of the Opera. But the show was stolen by the Brazilian charms and soaring soprano of Carmen Monarcha who really stole the crowds heart in several delicious numbers.

Rieu presides over the pomp and pageantry, the tongue-in-cheek humour, pulling every heart string with a love of music and knowledge of showbusiness. He doesn't dumb down classical music, he smartens it up and packages it with romance, and that's what the general public want. ~ Photos by Al Girard