Vienna came to Bath in spectacular fashion with the London Gala Orchestra presenting its 20th season of New Year concerts to a packed house at the Forum.
There was bubbling Champagne – as a polka and the real thing as prizes – and a feast of lilting waltzes, marches and polkas by the great composers, the Strausses, Lehar, Lumbye, Offenbach, from an era that is still much loved.
Keeping the fizz on the boil was compere and tenor, Andrew Mackenzie who duetted with soprano Helen Massey in favourites such as Wiener Blut, One Day When We Were Young and Love Unspoken.
Just as a little modern in-fill, conductor Stephen Ellery swapped his baton for his guitar and accompanied them in Edelweiss.
The inevitable Radetsky March brought enthusiastic audience participation until the Blue Danube Waltz sent everyone home with a lilting step, despite the rain.
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