Andre Rieu in concert | 4.5/5

SINGAPORE — Imagine beautiful women clad in elaborate pretty dresses swaying and singing, opera singers belting notes out of this world. A backdrop filled with majestic chandeliers and melodious sounds flowing from violins and flutes. And as if that was not enough, hundreds of colourful balloons falling from the sky.

That was how it was at the concert by violinist/conductor Andre Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra. Held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Wednesday, the concert was attended by people from different walks of life, all anticipating a memorable night. Honestly, I was dreading a long night. The show was two hours and 45 minutes long, but it turned out to be the exact opposite — I didn’t want it to end.

Rieu’s tour last year made it into Billboard’s Top 25 highest-earning tours list (beating out the likes of Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, by the way) and no wonder. He charmed the crowd with his charismatic and mischievous personality. When the crowd demanded an encore, Rieu quipped: “You are tired, you need to sleep!”

Accompanied by his orchestra, Rieu played classic songs like The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss II and Memory from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats on his Stradivarius violin, exuding passion and fervour.

“Apparently, there is a healing power in music; nothing goes as deep into your souls as music. I hope that I can go on making music together with my orchestra the rest of my life,” said Rieu. Too true.

I was thoroughly engaged throughout the performance. My personal favourite was the act by Brazilian soloist Carla Maffioletti, who gave an impressive and hilarious performance, while dressed as a doll. Other opera singers included Mirusia Lowerse and The Platin Tenors. Their voices were all marvellous and gave me goosebumps.

It was no surprise that the performance received a standing ovation. The only problem I had with the concert was the location. The Singapore Indoor Stadium doesn’t quite offer the right ambience — it could have been a lot better if it was held at a different theatre perhaps — and the acoustics and sound quality could have been more solid.

Apart from that, Andre Rieu and his orchestra were a brilliant sight to behold.