HOW apt that The Alban Arena should have chosen Valentine's Day to feature an evening of Viennese music. Undoubtedly the most romantic and sumptuous of musical genres, with a bill boasting, somewhat ambiguously, soloists from "major opera companies" and a programme packed with the very best tunes from Messers Strauss and Lehar, the publicity promised much.

In the main, it did not disappoint. A semi-staged affair, the set was distinctly spartan leaving the four singers looking lost at times upon the seemingly vast yet sparsely dressed stage. For a gala evening it lacked the necessary finishing touches; Viennese music epitomised the frothy extravagance of its day, yet the ladies looked nothing short of dowdy. Note to wardrobe - fans, satin gloves and big hair next time; thrift has no place here. If the sartorial side of things failed to please, the music made up for it. The perky orchestra was excellent. As well as their exemplary musicianship, they caused endless tittering with their exuberance and well-timed gags. As for the singing, it was something of a mixed bag. Francis Church and Anthea Kempston were vocally replete. Clearly both seasoned performers, Church oozed charm while Kempston thrilled with her coquettish Laughing Song. Clearly less experienced, Ilyan Nedev worked hard at his tenor repertoire. He put his solos over tenderly but they suffered as a result of his suspect diction, though not to the extent that Lyuba Trayanova did. She has a dizzyingly stratospheric soprano voice yet her rendition of Lehar's well loved, Vilia was obliterated by incoherent diction and a distinctly uneasy delivery. Not quite as enchanting as it ought to have been, but it was appealing enough to capture even the least romantic of Valentine hearts.