He has been dubbed “the Taylor Swift of classical music”, but Andre Rieu sees himself more as the antidote to it. Stuffiness and snobbery go out the window when the Dutch violin virtuoso and conductor hits town. Rieu’s ebullient blend of waltzes, popular songs and playful humour sees his sixty-strong Johann Strauss Orchestra play three-hour concerts to 700,000 delighted people every year.

“Everybody who comes knows they will go home with a smile on their face,” Holland’s amiable…