[Andre Rieu] was our mischievous host, cracking jokes and entertaining a very receptive audience with corny comments about Winnipeg: "This was the one city in the world we could not pass without giving a concert."

A highlight of the evening came when violinist "Frank" stepped forward to play a large and impressive set of church bells wheeled onto the stage. Seated behind a console, he played Rodrigo's popular Concierto de Aranjuez by pushing pegs down with the sides of his hands. The screen depicted a hazy-skied sunset over the steeples of Maastricht, Holland, Rieu's hometown. This was something special.

The second hit was the Ode to Joy from Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. The orchestra and two trios of singers, the Platinum Tenors and the Golden Sopranos, performed this stirringly, eliciting goosebumps. It was too bad that "Carla" felt it necessary to shriek her high notes above it all. A bit more breath support and a little less volume would have made a world of difference.