THE Orchestra of Opera North's annual New Year concert has become as indispensable a tradition as the New Year's Eve midnight snack of Viennese goulash soup - if you are lucky enough to be celebrating in the Austrian capital. The choice of maestro this year alighted on British conductor Justin Brown. His 'daytime job' as General Music Director of the Badisches Staatstheater in the German city of Karlsruhe may have contributed to the gaiety of the occasion. It certainly wasn't all down to the free glasses of bubbly consumed by the capacity audience beforehand.

A generous helping of up-tempo numbers - fast polkas and galops - mixed in with the nostalgic bittersweet waltzes undoubtedly created a crackling atmophere. The Furioso Galopp by Johann Strauss senior, Johann Strauss son's quick polka Eljen a Magyar (Long Live the Magyar) and the Czardas from Ritter Pazman were all given characterful performances. Clearly, the Opera North Orchestra has these infectious rhythms and rich harmonies in its DNA.

The percussion department needed absolutely no encouragement to let their hair down, wear funny hats and fire confetti guns in the boisterous Banditen Galop. Johann's younger brother Josef was represented by his sumptuous other-worldly waltz, Spharenklange (Music of the Spheres). The two brothers collaborated for the playful Neue Pizzicato Polka played with needle point precision and palpable enjoyment by the string section.

Excerpts from Viennese operetta are always eagerly awaited highlights of these New Year concerts. Soprano Jeni Bern was dressed in shimmering cream and gold before the interval, glittering silver and black afterwards. Gruss dich Gott (The Entrance of the Countess) from Wiener Blut, and Rosalinda's famous Czardas from Die Fledermaus were both suffused with mystery and glamour. The charm and simplicity of Als Gebluht der Kirschenbaum (When the cherry tree was in blossom) and O Wie Schon (Oh how wonderful) from Carl Zeller's operetta Der Vogelhandler (The bird seller) completed a sparkling vocal selection.

A lively and hugely enjoyable concert ended, as indeed it must, with The Blue Danube and the Radetzky March.

by Geoffrey Mogridge