After dinner, we join the crowds walking to the venue. Once the tickets are checked and we are let in, we take our seats. Andre Rieu is a bit of a perfectionist. Not only are the rehearsals repeated meticulously till he gets it right, but he also likes to check everything including the sound systems. The seats we are allocated are not as bad as I thought it would be.
The show starts at 9. I don’t know most of the music. He introduces tenors, sopranos, soloists, a Scottish bagpipe band and musicians who all perform individually and in groups. There are two Chinese sopranos who sing beautifully and they also sing a Chinese song. As Andre Rieu says, you don’t need to understand the words to enjoy music. Another soprano sings an aria from Verdi’s La Traviata which is pretty amazing. Of the playlist I only know the Blue Danube.
The weirdest part of the show is when David Hasselhoff rides on to the stage in his car (nothing like his Knight rider) and then starts singing. The orchestra performs a number of lively numbers as the show comes to a close around midnight with a fire and fireworks display.
One our Lithuanian trainee’s sister used to play in his orchestra. The show is being telecast live to Odeon Cinemas in the U.K. The rain stayed away, but the evening was cold. I am glad I had come prepared for the cold, otherwise I would have been sitting there shivering instead of enjoying the show. There were people in the audience from all over the world. It’s been a memorable day. Now we have a long drive back to the hotel.
