The Queensland Pops Orchestra has been performing for 40 years and the anniversary concert was set for New Year Eve. We dressed up in our fancy clothes and headed out for the 5:00 concert. The program was wide ranging. There were songs where we were invited to sing along..."I could have danced all night." There were compositions by pop stars, Freddy Mercury's "Barcelona" and a song by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Uleavus (from ABBA), "Anthem." Several classical pieces by Strauss and Puccini were intermingled by show tunes from Jekyll and Hyde and My Fair Lady. It finished up with a Scottish song from 1605, one by Andrea Bocelli "Time To Say Goodbye" and "Auld Lang Syne" to wrap it all up. The concert let out just before the fireworks over the Brisbane River started. These fireworks started at 7:45 PM ostensibly for the kiddos to be able to watch. We left the concert and set up shop right on the steps of the performing arts building. It worked out for us, we could watch them before our bedtime and then head home for grilled cheese sandwiches.
Our chariot awaits
Folks are already headed into the riverside area to watch the fireworks
It is a packed house
Sparkly
At first I thought this was the living statue. He was absolutely still and off in a corner
The hall is quite elegant
Huge chandelier
A sea of gray hair
Except for us!
The pipes of the organ are ghostly
The players filter in
A round of applause and the show starts
A dozen vocalists start the show with the song We Are Australian with a digeridoo solo
When absorbing the enormity of this kind of production I always try to count up the number of performers
12 vocalists, 40 string instruments on the floor, 14 horns and 5 folks bouncing around an array of percussion instruments. In addition two soloists singing a half dozen different selections, one bagpiper accompanied by four highland dancers and a string quartet.
The conductor was a hoot. He told a few jokes, pantomimed getting a drink at the intermission and kept the show moving
The bagpiper and the highland dancers
A string quartet
More bagpipes
The vocal crew came back out to wrap it up. What a great show!
Two main areas of fireworks were synchronized
We were able to see the taller bursts
This tree blocked the lower altitude displays
But sometimes we could still see through the tree
Looking down river
Whooo hooo!
By the time the finale came the smoke was very thick
Happy New Year!
