The Dutchman André Rieu has been traveling the world for over 40 years and delighting millions with his violin. Preferably with the waltz. He doesn’t want to think about the last concert for a long time.
When André Rieu lifts his bow and gently strokes the strings of his Stradivarius, there is a hint of longing in the air. Everything swings, the music puts a dreamy smile on most people’s faces, and a tear rolls down some people’s cheeks.
The maestro turns 75 this October 1st. He has been delighting audiences worldwide for almost 40 years. André Rieu is the undisputed waltz king. He’s certainly not thinking about abdicating: “I’ll be 140 years old, so I’m only about halfway there,” he told the German Press Agency.
The Dutchman has just finished a tour in South America. A new CD is coming out, and next year the big birthday tour to Germany is coming up – ten concerts from Hamburg to Munich. This has little to do with a place “behind the geraniums”, as the Dutch literally call retirement.
Champagne mood
And why should he? “I think it’s wonderful,” he says. And that’s what he radiates. The summer open-air concerts at the Vrijthof, the historic square in his hometown of Maastricht, are legendary. A thousand lights shine, elegant couples float across the stage, and the maestro, with his still full head of hair in a crisp white shirt and dark tailcoat, shines and sets the beat: three-four time. Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra put tens of thousands of people in a champagne mood.
And again and again it’s the waltz. What’s wrong with three-quarter time?
“The waltz is not highly valued in classical music,” he says. “He’s too light, has too much humor.” But easy doesn’t mean simple, says the musician. “You have to play the waltz beautifully, and it’s not that easy to make it sound effortless and easy.” Apparently he succeeds. Because often the audience can’t stay on their feet and dares to dance between the chairs.
The musician remembers that his love for the waltz began as a child. His father was a conductor, and when he played the Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss (son) as an encore, the serious mood relaxed, Rieu remembers. “People smiled.”
Not an easy childhood
André Rieu did not have an easy childhood and youth. The father was strict and had high demands. But that couldn’t drive away his son’s love of music. On the contrary. He also made it his profession, but in a completely different way. “My parents never liked the way I played music,” he says. He wants to engage his audience. “I don’t want to conduct from above, on the podium, with my back to the audience.”
It took a long time to process the wounds of the past. “Cleaning up mess,” he calls it. He did this together with his wife Marjorie, daughter of a Jewish refugee from Berlin and a Dutch woman who made sure that he was able to go into hiding during the war. They have been a couple for 50 years and have two sons who are now grown up. “My family is the foundation for everything,” he says. “We just have a great time together.”
And in style too: near Maastricht in your own castle from the 15th century. D’Artagnan, one of the Three Musketeers, is said to have once lived there.
The love for music and the violin remained. Music is a matter of the heart for him. “I can’t make music without feeling,” he says, and that speaks to many people.
Not just waltzes
His repertoire is now much larger than waltzes: opera, musicals, films, pop. He himself is a big fan of pop music. When you ask him about his favorites, he spontaneously says: “Queen and Bruce Springsteen.”
The musician has long been almost as much of a superstar as the “Boss”. He gave well over 3,000 concerts in 45 countries, has millions of fans on social networks, fills football stadiums and sold over 40 million albums. André Rieu – this is also a family-owned company worth millions.
Special relationship with Germany
Rieu has a very special relationship with Germany – also through his wife Marjorie, who used to be a German teacher. “She’s still improving my German.” But that is hardly imaginable. After all, after so many years, Germany is almost a second home for him. And on stage the maestro chats in several languages with a charming accent. He combines Mozart and musicals, Abba and Johann Strauss just as effortlessly. Relaxed, light and always with a fine sense of humor.
And the maestro is always good for a surprise: in 2023 he brought 15-year-old Emma Kok onto the stage with him. The talented Dutchwoman won the hearts of the audience with the song “Voilà”. It was the vertical start of her career.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
