Monday 16 January 2012

Johann Strauss Gala - 15/01/2012 - Review

In a word, WONDERFUL.

The music, the dresses, the dancers, the rapport between the Conductor & audience. Everything was just wonderful.

The show started with By The Beautiful, Blue Danube Waltz. This is what I am enjoying the most, this is a piece of music I have heard all my life but have never known the title or composer, I do now. A great start to the show.

The ladies were all vying for an invite to the ball next. One poor dancer was almost left out, until the Conductor came to the rescue and found her invite.

The Soprano for today was Amy Freston and her voice was rather stunning. I enjoyed the Cachucha-Galopp and the Bitte Schon Polka francaise was hilarious with the dancers getting themselves tangled up and falling over each other.

Audience involvement helped bring the first half to an end when the Radetzky March was played and we clapped along in time to the marching dancers.

The second half was equally as good with more Polka's that had my foot tapping and this time the audience participation was for us to sing. We managed to churn out a reasonable decent tune in keeping with the setting :-)

The final two pieces were, as with the first, a fitting way to end the show. The Fruhlingsstimmen Waltz was lovely with lots of twirling and the Thunder and Lightening Polka brought the house down.

My ticket for the show was £19 and my seat was A 69 in the Side Circle. My only complaint is that the rail guard blocked the view of the whole stage so a lot of "head bobbing" was called for. I know for next time to pay a little extra for the Circle or a little less for a Gallery seat. At The Bridgewater Hall I don not think there is a bad seat in the house.

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