Viennese Christmas Spectacular - London Concertante

London Concertante bring their Viennese Christmas Spectacular to Birmingham Cathedral on Saturday 19 December, a candlelight concert that puts Johann Strauss II and the Viennese waltz at its centre. The programme is built around the 'Waltz King', with the overture to Die Fledermaus, the Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka and The Blue Danube — one of the most famous waltzes ever written and an unofficial anthem of Vienna — anchoring the evening.

From there, the set looks at the waltz in a few different lights. There's Shostakovich's jazz-infused Waltz No. 2 and Sibelius's Valse triste, and Tchaikovsky's waltz from The Sleeping Beauty alongside selections from The Nutcracker. The night also brings in soprano favourites from the golden age of operetta by Lehár, Suppé and Korngold.

The setting is as much a part of it as the music. Birmingham Cathedral, also known as St Philip's, was consecrated in 1715 and is a rare example of English Baroque architecture by Thomas Archer, known for its Edward Burne-Jones stained-glass windows. The room holds 400 people, and the whole thing is played by candlelight.

Tickets start from £25, and the concert begins at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:45 p.m. That's Birmingham Cathedral, Cathedral Square, Colmore Row, B3 2QB.