King of schmaltz plays the waltz

HE performs in sold-out stadiums across the globe, has dozens of CDs, DVDs and TV specials to his name and over a million followers on Facebook. With his shoulder-length curls and rock-star demeanour, 64-year-old Andre Rieu looks every inch the music celebrity - except he wears designer tuxedos on stage, his instrument of choice is an 18th-century stradivarius and his signature tune is the Blue Danube Waltz, composed in 1866.

Chances are you may not have heard of Rieu's band but the 60-strong Johann Strauss Orchestra is an essential part of every large-scale performance, together with dozens of singers and dancers in period costume - and oh yes, the horse-drawn carriages that make for an entrance to remember.

It's unclear if the horses will be in Singapore when he performs here for the first time next week, but the audience can expect Rieu to put on a show of epic proportions all the same.