Happy New Year!!

"A GIFT FROM SONJA"

Pierre Rieu Knows What He Really Can Do!

Pierre Now Knows What He Really Can Do!
Moth of The Waltz

Telegraaf December 23rd 2007 (Dutch newspaper)

Translated by Ineke

Of course André Rieu is THE star of the Romantic Viennese Night. But behind the scenes his son Pierre is pulling the strings.
The young production manager has the leadership over hundreds of employees and they build up the biggest décor of the world. They work all day and night. (It takes five days and nights to build up and three to tear down.) This Schoenbrunn décor is a hell of a job.
The first performance of this immense show was on 14 December 2007 in Toronto, Canada. It is their intention to travel around the world, taking this décor with them now.

Fatherly feelings come over André. "Yes, my wife Marjorie and I are worry about Pierre. We wonder if he does not work too hard. Of course we are concerned for him. He works for me, but it is not a normal employer/employee relationship. He is first and always will be my son!

In a sky box in the Rogers Stadium, the most popular Maastricht inhabitant(the mayor of Maastricht Gerd Leers who says André is the best ambassador of his city), is looking at an immense scenery of pipes. Two Toronto shows came to an end. André has a strict planning. The next day he has to perform for a German TV program. He can control everything except the Toronto weather, which did not co-operate … The snow and the blizzard could destroy their plans to fly to Germany.

Pierre acknowledged there was a lot of stress and tension. For instance, no power, even ten minutes before the show had to start! Pierre usually works together with a team of 250 workers. In Canada he had to hire another amount of 250 Canadian people. It seems to be the law to hire local people. It wasn't successful. 10% did not show up, the others were not capable. Due to that, the show almost went wrong. Pierre is dressed in a yellow safety jacket and he wears a golden helmet. He likes to work with the workers. Working together stimulates a good atmosphere. We all love to do this job together.

After secondary school Pierre started to study law. At that time he already combined his study with the construction works of the concerts. Finally he chose fulltime for that job. Pierre was 19 years old and his father told the workers: he is your new boss from now on. We all had to get used to that! André had a practical and financial reason to contract his son. André had often been defrauded by companies to which he boarded out jobs. Especially in the USA and Canada. People who cost him a fortune but added nothing. I totally trust Pierre. One word is enough. He controls everything.
I knew he could do it, from the time he was 2 years old, he was moving a heavy piano stool.
Pierre controls the entire technical realization. Not only the building up of the décor, but also the fountains, light, balloons, snow, horses, almost 100 chandeliers, the ice rinks.

André is also controlling lots of details. "Yes, that is the way I am. I want to know everything about direction, video images, choreography, costumes, technical aspects, and of course the music".
I totally have confidence in Pierre, but it remains my show and my money.
Pierre: "The co-operation with my father (seven years ago) did not run smoothly at the start. My father interfered with everything when it was not yet finished. I clarified I did not like that. Fortunately now, we can talk about every problem and it is running perfectly".

Pierre is 26 years old now and he does not see his bed often, he is working too hard. How old do you think you'll become? "I hope 27", he answered. "But it is so nice to do! When everything turns out well, I get a kick out of that. At the end of the first show my father and I fell crying into each other's arms, with everybody around. So much tension fell off. Everything went well, that was a big relief. All working together, we made it!

Pierre admires the orchestra members. They are so capable! One day I got a responsible job after five weeks of studying law. Finally this week I woke up feeling for the first time, I too am capable. I can plan, construct, lead a team and maintain a nice atmosphere.

Christmas is coming. We celebrate these days with the entire family. I look forward to seeing my mother Marjorie and brother Marc again. My mother is afraid to fly, so she does not join us on tours. And… I can make time for my girlfriend Eefje. I met her during the recordings in the Efteling fairytale park. Yes, really, this is another fairy tale!

Toronto 2007

TORONTO December 2007
By Ineke Cornelissen

All of our fan friends knew……except me!! They kept the secret until November. Thank God, I still had some time to prepare! To my surprise Ruud had made arrangements for the Toronto trip half a year ago. So my Sinterklaas/Christmas present was that we took off for Toronto!!

What an experience. A seven hours flight, half an hour taxi and we checked in at the Renaissance Hotel and met our friends! The hotel is next to the Rogers Centre (former Skydome) and next to the famous CN-tower. We had a warm welcome in Toronto. Some parts of the USA were snowed under and some fans could not reach Toronto for flights were cancelled. We were very sad for them.

Later on we heard the André crew had so much misfortune in building up the décor, that the first concert almost had to be cancelled due to lack of power!! Three big generators went on fire. Ten minutes before the start of the show there was no light yet. At the very last moment it turned out well, what a relief! We did not attend the first concert on Friday, but we heard the stories. The décor was impressive, the show breathtaking. Some little mistakes were solved at Saturday.

On Saturday we had the fan dinner, attended by about sixty persons. It was great to meet new friends. Ruth and Jeanine Ann did a great job to organize the dinner. There were name tags, posters and fan stuff, made by different fans. Center pieces on every table, with violins. We had an introduction round and we laughed a lot! Annette said she once accompanied her friend Cathy to an André concert (long time ago) and got hooked. Cathy gave the hilarious answer: so, I am the hooker! People came from Canada, the USA, the Netherlands, Germany and Australia.

After the dinner, we went to the concert in the Rogers Center. Wow, how beautiful!! We have been in Vienna, we have seen the real palace of Schönbrunn. Pierre and 250 crew members worked on it. It looked great! What a hell of a job! The palace, a ballroom, two ice rinks, two fountains with dancing waters. Hundreds of golden chandeliers, balloons and "snow". André and the orchestra entered in horse drawn carriages. We saw Mirusia fly like an angel, Sisi and Franz Josef were there, the golden carriage with six white Lippizaner horses (from the Spanish riding school in Vienna), the three tenors gave a tribute to Luciano Pavarotti. The surprise at the encores were hundreds of bagpipers, from the army, police, and fire departments of Ontario. 35.000 people in the audience. We also spotted the mayor of Maastricht, Mr. Gerd Leers. The décor is so big, that even the cheaper seats in the rear will be perfect! There are eight big screens to look at, so you don't miss anything.

After the concert we had a few drinks in the hotel bar. The orchestra, the soloïsts, the Elmayer debutants and the Viennese ballet dancers, were in our hotel. They were willing to pose for pictures and having talks.

The only chance André showed up to give signatures, we were somewhere else! What a pity, it seems to be my fate never to meet André in person. Well, maybe it is better for my heart failure. We had a lot of fun with that, for André let lots of people hearts beat faster and thank God we had a cardiologist (Dimitri) among the fans to save us in an emergency case….

We talked to Béla, Mirusia, Carmen, Suzan, and Marcel Falize. His wife Nicole was with him and his second son Dean. They were part of the drummer team who accompanied him in the Bolero. (His wife is a drummer too!). Glenn (Marcel and Nicole's oldest son) had to finish his school, he was not in Toronto. I wondered what Marcel's neighbors thought about five drumming persons in his house!! He said he had made good arrangements with them, so they would not become crazy. We talked to Dean who appeared to be a very nice and polite 14 year old boy (he shook hands with us saying goodbye when he left home at Monday. Wow, did he leave behind a good impression!).

Sunday there was a blizzard. Even thunder and lightning every now and then. Most of the flights were cancelled, fans had to stay another day in the hotel (which they did not regret at all!!). André and the orchestra departed Sunday afternoon for a flight to Frankfurt in Germany. They had to do another recording for German Television. After that they could have their seasons holiday.

Our flight went Monday, we had thought about doing an excursion to the Niagara Falls, but everything was cancelled. We intended to have dinner in the CN-tower, but ….no sight at all!! In Holland we did not have had cold winters with frost and snow for about ten years, so I wanted to go out. Wonderful!! We made a few great pictures which can be used for our next year's Christmas cards!

The rest of the day we stayed in the hotel, looking at the dismantling of the enormous décor and scaffolding. We spoke to some Limburg workers and to Mr. Gilissen, chairman of a Maastricht dramatic club. He told us he helped sticking (for € 10.000) leaf gold on the chandeliers. Of course: André did not paint them yellow, it had to be real gold!! Wow! That explains why we saw Pierre in the construction works with a golden helmet on!! Guess his mates decorated his helmet with the leaf gold for a joke??

When Pierre showed up in the bar (without helmet) a spontaneous applause came up. Roos (stage manager) also got a warm and respectful applause. Well deserved, what a stress they must have had!!

André knows, women do like to gossip. You want to know the last rumors?? Pierre and Suzan split up. Suzan moved to a village outside Maastricht. Pierre seems to have a new girl friend, named Eefje.

Monday we went to visit the CN tower. It is one of the seven wonders of modern technique. Another one is the Dutch Storm surge barrier in the province of Zeeland. We had a wonderful view on snowy Toronto. Monday afternoon the bus with Viennese dancers and the Dutch drummers left. We had to go as well. The construction workers were still tearing down the décor. They will leave Wednesday.

Bye bye Toronto!! We had an unforgettable long weekend!
In the plane we told about our André Rieu concert and the cabin crew said there were seven of the Viennese horses in our plane, on their way back home!

Andre's Angels?

Andre's Angels in Toronto With Our Own Alice!

Alice sent me this picture with a note and I just had to get it on

here, it's so cute! Here's her note that came with the picture.

My first pic with any JSO member was that with Mirusia and Laura.
As I called Mirusia an Angel, she suggested we do a

Charlie's Angels pose for another pic. Whow! So much fun with them ...
Little did she know Charlie was exactly my father's name,
and we used to have a fashion shop in Hong Kong named Charlie's Angels. ^=^

Andre Rieu Fan Dinner ~ Toronto

Andre Rieu Fans From Around The World

This is the picture that was taken after the dinner.

Two are missing here ~ Doug and John as they were taking pictures.

I look at this and think how wonderful that through Andre's music so many

fans have become such good friends ...

I'm working on the rest of the pictures and will hopefully have them on tonite.

Thank you for sending this John!

I was just looking at this and there seems to be three missing.

I don't see Siggy! He must have been taking a picture too?

ANDRE RIEU IN TORONTO A GREAT SUCCESS!

Historic Appearance of André Rieu in Toronto a Great Success

TORONTO December 15 /PRNewswire

The world première of the new World Stadium Tour with André Rieu and his orchestra was a great success yesterday night at Toronto's Rogers Centre. An audience of over 25,000 experienced a show never seen before, on the biggest stage ever used by any artist in the world.

The full-size copy of the world-famous Schönbrunn Palace, familiar from the film Sissi, after the eponymous Viennese Empress, made a huge impact on the audience. The stage took 100 sea containers to transport and is 125 metres wide and 35 metres high, encompassing two ice rinks, fountains and on a separate second level, an original Viennese ballroom. Horses and carriages, a Viennese dance school and figure skaters made the performances by André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra extra spectacular.

It took over a week for 200 people to build this enormous stage under the direction of Pierre Rieu, son of the famous Dutch violinist. For André Rieu it was an exciting time. 'At first many people around me did not believe it was possible to build such a huge stage and put on a show like this. And of course during the rehearsals all sorts of things went wrong. Like it took longer than we thought it would for the water to freeze on the ice rinks. But finally everything came together. This has been a real dream come true for me. In years to come we will be taking the romance of Vienna to people all over the world. We are already looking forward to it!'

The achievement was also a great relief for Pierre Rieu. 'We always believed in it, but there were many months where it was just a plan on the drawing board. And it's only here and now in Toronto that it has become a reality. When you hear the first notes sound from the orchestra, it gives you goose pimples.'Tonight the second concert takes place in Toronto. In 2008 Rieu will be taking this mega-stage to countries including Australia and America, France, Belgium and Germany.

For the most recent and updated news, tour dates and pictures, please visit: http://press.andrerieu.com/ André Rieu Productions

A Little Visit From Andre

Andre Popped in the Bar for a few minutes after the

Saturday concert where he was greeted with an

Enthusiastic Applause from all!

A Few Pictures of Toronto With André!!

If it wasn't for this Snowstorm in Toronto

We would never have seen André in the Hotel Lobby when he was

leaving and signed autographs on his New York Memories picture

for EVERYONE there in the lobby!

The first picture is the morning of the storm with John and Al Girard

A few pictures of André when he was in the Lobby of the hotel.

The first picture is when he started signing autographs.

The sweetest words we could all hear about a half hour after he came down,

"So, who would like an Autograph!"

He was so gracious and signed a picture for everyone.

What a perfect ending to a perfect weekend!!

These are all some of the pictures that I took, but I am getting pictures

in email now from fans who were there and am working

on putting them together to get on here.

To those fans who were there, please send some of your pictures and

I will post them here ... Email me: luvberry@charter.net

Santa Comes To Toronto To See André Rieu!!

Santa and Carmen

Have you ever seen Santa looking happier??? ;-)

This was taken at the hotel after the concert.

There are so many Stories and Great Photos!

We are working on getting them on here Very SOON!

Demand Hits Record High for André Rieu Show as More Tickets Added!

Only North American Full Stadium Show Will Set

New World Records

TORONTO, Dec. 12 /CNW/ - ANDRE RIEU will unveil his first full-stadiumshow, "A Romantic Vienna Night," in Toronto on Friday, December 14 and Saturday, December 15, 2007.

This is the only North American stop on the tour and to keep up with ticket demand additional tickets have been added to Friday's show. Saturday's finale has already sold out.

Become a part of history by joining the largest crowd to ever watch an indoor concert that is both a celebration of classical music and the arts. You will be swept away to Europe in all its grandeur and opulence without leavingthe city!

Concert goers will experience the romance of Vienna as RIEU transforms ROGERS CENTRE into the beautiful IMPERIAL SCHONBRUNN PALACE complete with full orchestra, two skating rinks, a grand ballroom, dancers, horses and carriages and much more. RIEU, along with his 50 member Johann Strauss Orchestra, bring it all to life under one roof. His unique and exuberant style makes his shows some of the most talked about in the classical music industry. Fans spend more time dancing in theaisle than sitting in their seats. His music is uplifting, inspirational, andtimeless and enjoyed by everyone.

"Toronto fans have always received us warmly," commented Rieu. "I am extremely happy to be bringing Vienna to them first with our uniquefull-stadium show."

RIEU will be joined by over 400 performers including Canadian JuniorPairs Skaters Rachel Kirckland and Eric Radford along with Monica Pisotta and Michael Stewart. In addition, dancers from the National Ballet of Vienna, classically trained soloists and 200 Canadian Pipers will be part of the extravaganza.

Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, including RogersCentre - Gate 7, charge by phone at 416-872-1111 or online atwww.ticketmaster.ca. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and guests are encouraged toarrive early as the show will start promptly at 8:00 p.m.

ANDRE RIEU SPECTACULAR SETS UP AT ROGERS CENTRE

André Rieu Puts On Biggest Show on Earth

Dec 12, 2007 04:30 AM
Raj Mudar
Entertainment Reporter

Move over Rolling Stones, you ain't got nothing on André Rieu.

While the rock band's Steel Wheels tour is considered one of the biggest concerts to hit a stage, Rieu – the Dutch violinist and conductor who has spent the last two decades performing with the Johann Strauss Orchestra around the world – is eclipsing it by mounting what is considered the largest touring stage show ever.

The "A Romantic Vienna Night" world tour kicks off Friday and Saturday at the Rogers Centre. The giant set is a close-to-full-size reproduction of the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna and takes up most of the Blue Jays' outfield.

Rieu, dubbed the Modern King of Waltz, has sold 23 million CDs and DVDs and currently holds the No. 2 spot on Billboard's top classical album chart (Radio City Music Hall: Live in New York).

Rieu's son and production manager, Pierre, in Toronto in advance of his father, says the planning and logistics for this latest tour have taken more than a year.

"Every company that I meet and talk to: lights, sound, rigging, balloons, pyrotechnicians, whatever, they all say, `What kind of show is this? Give me the plans ...' (so I) send them the plans and then five minutes later, the phone is ringing with them saying `What the hell is this? This is bigger than the Stones!' And I say, `Well, it's a classical show and it's just big.'"

Hey, let's put on a show !

Over 80 Cargo containers to ship the stage in pieces
7 days to build it (3 to take it down)
250 crew members, working 24 hours a day in two 12-hour shifts
Over 700 tonnes of steel
Over 1,000 moving lights
115 feet high
400 feet wide (the dimensions of the castle)
Over 400 aluminium panels for the castle’s facade.
450 performers, including 200 local pipers
96 chandeliers
800 light bulbs
Over 20,000 balloons
2 fountains
2 ice rinks (each approximately 70 feet long and 35 feet deep)
6 giant projection screens
6 Lipizzaner stallions pulling one golden carriage
30 local horses pulling another 14 carriages
12 tonnes of sound equipment
31,000 spectators

The Guinness World Record the show is expected to achieve, including biggest stage show, biggest logistical operation for a tour and biggest number of performers for one show.

Link to Andre's new "World Stadium Press Center Website"

http://press.andrerieu.com/index.php?id=world-stadium-tour

The NEW "André Rieu Press Center!"

This is Andre's NEW World Tour Press Center
For His World Stadium Tours

You can go on it, sign up and then it's got everything you

could want to know about his World Stadium Tours.

Not just Toronto, ALL The World Stadium Tours.

It even has video of where they are at today with the setup of Toronto.

For those going to Toronto, if you aren't all excited yet ~

You will be when you look at this new site!

It has photos, stories ~ everything you could want to know with

articles from and about André ~ Have fun! :)

Thank you Bobbie for finding and sending this!

http://press.andrerieu.com/index.php?id=world-stadium-tour

Rogers Centre ~ Toronto

André Rieu Brings Vienna To Toronto!

Rieu Brings Vienna to Toronto In a Musical Masterpiece

December 14/15, 2007

Vienna comes to Rogers Centre as André Rieu performs his first indoor full-stadium show.
The curtain rises on this magical extravaganza on Friday, December 14 and Saturday, December 15, 2007. Be part of history and join the largest crowd to ever watch an indoor classical music concert!

Adding a distinctly Canadian flair to his concert spectacular, Rieu has tabbed two up and coming Canadian Pairs figure skating teams to participate along side him in his full-stadium show at Rogers Centre. This latest announcement comes on the heels of interest from The Guinness Book of World Records as they have their eye on a number of records he could set in Toronto with the unveiling of his World Stadium Tour: A Romantic Viennese Night.

The Guinness Book of World Records has their eyes on André Rieu’s full-stadium show as the extravaganza may set three new world records. This show, with the full opulence of a romantic Viennese night, could potentially set new records for the biggest set ever built; the largest logistical operation ever undertaken; and the largest number of performers for one show.

Vienna comes to the fans of North America as Dutch violinist and conductor André Rieu performs his first ever indoor full-stadium show at Rogers Centre. Complete with the Castle of Schönbrunn, two ice rinks, two fountains, his 50 member Johann Strauss Orchestra, Viennese ballet dancers and ice skaters, this show will be a celebration of classical music and the arts all under one roof. Feel as though you have traveled to Europe without leaving the city! Be dazzled by the mastery of the orchestra, Rieu's own violin playing, as well as musical melodies from the accompanying choir.

Date and TimeFriday, December 14, 2007 @ 8:00 p.m.Saturday, December 15, 2007 @ 8:00
Gates OpenGates open at 6:00 p.m. for each showGuests are encouraged to arrive early as the shows will commence promptly at 8:00 p.m.
Ticket Prices and Information$84.50, $99.50, $124.50*prices do not include applicable facility fees and convenience charges.
Tickets for the event are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, including Rogers Centre - Gate 7, charge by phone at 416-872-1111, or online at Ticketmaster.ca to purchase tickets.

Thank you John and Suzie :)

A Review of Andre's Christmas Tour

André Rieu Fans Revel on Night of Waltzes

December 11, 2007

Arizona Daily Star

André Rieu marched the members of his Johann Strauss Orchestra down the center aisle of the Tucson Arena Sunday night, leading them through a throng of audience members who had sprung to their feet at the first notes of a prerecorded waltz.

Up the center stage stairs they marched, their instruments in hand — even the tuba player. The men wore tuxedos, the women brilliantly colored flowing gowns, with long-sleeve white fur waistcoats.

This was not your ordinary classical music concert, to be sure.Sure it had all the kitsch you would expect from an ensemble whose calling card was waltzes and ages-old German folk songs about drinking and love.But here's the thing: At least 4,000 people — young, old, ethnically diverse — turned out on a chilly Sunday evening in December to hear classical music.

Just ask the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, which plays the 2,289-seat Music Hall next door, if they would like to see that many people show up. They would be lying if they said no.

The attraction? Rieu (Ree-You), a dynamic, entertaining music-maker who has knocked classical-music convention on its hind end so that folks like the dozens of young kids attending Sunday night can feel comfortable listening to hundreds-year-old music.

"What would the world be without music? Music is the most beautiful thing in life," Rieu told the audience, then set out for the next 2 1/2 hours to prove the point with a rock-show worthy cast that included five female backup singers, a trio of superb sopranos and the breathtaking Platinum Tenors.

On a stage decorated with a half-dozen towering Christmas trees, the orchestra performed primarily Strauss waltzes, including the romantic "Roses from the South" and the playful "Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka."
Rieu accompanied on violin and conducted the players from center stage with quick nods. His smile grew bigger every time the players, most of them likely in their 20s, made the music of Rieu's hero sing with warmth and sincerity. He smiled a lot.

And if you were paying attention to the players — hard not to since the concert was broadcast on two large screens framing the stage — you saw how much fun they were having. Throughout the concert, whether playing an uptempo, playful waltz or a somber love song, the players smiled. The cellist closest to the audience bobbed her head to the tune; two violinists, a man and a woman sitting next to each other, nodded at one another in time to the music. Sometimes, one would rock forward, the other backward, never missing a note as they played.

The show combined amazing vocal turns with sterling musical moments, including a breath-stealing performance of Ravel's "Boléro." The piece started with the rat-tat-tat of the snare drum setting the theme and the melody introduced by the piccolo then carried through by the flutes while the string section played pizzicato to create a resonating thump.

The Platinum Tenors paid tribute to the late great tenor Luciano Pavarotti by singing "Nessun Dorma," one of Pavarotti's signature arias from Puccini's opera "Turandot." And each of the three sopranos sang solos, including Australian Mirusia Louwerse's dreamy version of "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" from "Phantom of the Opera."

But the thing that really sets André Rieu apart from his classical-music peers is the way he invites — almost insists — that the audience be as much a part of the evening as he and his musicians.When the ensemble launched into Christmas carols, he instructed the audience to sing along. But . . ."We're going to play this song three times. The first time we play it, you shut your mouth," he explained, and the audience laughed. "The second time you hum the melody. The third time, you sing along."Then the orchestra played a very melancholic "Silent Night" and the audience was quiet as mice. Lights twinkled against a darkened screen running the length of the stage back as the orchestra played it a second time and the audience hummed the melody, creating a surreal "Miracle on 42nd Street" moment. On the third time, they sang along, quietly, almost as if they were all holding candles and caroling door-to-door.

The serious moment was short-lived when the orchestra lit into "White Christmas." High above the center of the arena, big clumps of finely shredded paper "snow" floated down, gently at first then thick, like a Buffalo, N.Y., blizzard."You asked to sit there," Rieu said afterward, as audience members got up to shake off.

Of course no self-respecting Johann Strauss ensemble could call it a night without performing "The Blue Danube Waltz." And no self-respecting fan of the waltz can sit still for that.Dozens of couples abandoned their seats and took to the aisles to dance. Some, like the finely dressed gray-haired couple waltzing in front of the stage, were graceful and refined. A few looked a little clumsy.But it didn't matter. The music moved them. And that was Rieu's point.

Thank you to John, Bobbie and Suzie for sending this. :)

André Rieu To Launch His World Stadium Tour

André Rieu to Launch his World Tour in Toronto With the Largest Set Ever

TORONTO, December 11, 2007

On December 14 and 15, André Rieu will launch his World Stadium Concert Tour, "A Romantic Vienna Night", in Toronto. For this tour, André Rieu has had a full-scale copy of Schönbrunn - the Viennese castle - built. The set will be the largest one ever built for a tour show: 125 meters wide, 30 meters deep and 35 meters high.

For André Rieu, this is his dream come true. "In 2006, we played at the actual Schönbrunn in Vienna, the castle of Empress Sissi and Emperor Franz Joseph. The concert was a huge success, and the castle was the perfect background for the music we brought. However, not everyone had the opportunity to come to Vienna to see us play. For this reason, we developed the idea to bring Vienna to the rest of the world," says André Rieu.

Rieu is presenting "his" Schönbrunn castle complete with two ice rinks and a ballroom of over 300 m2. Neither effort nor expense have been spared: a ballroom with real golden chandeliers; a hand-painted ceiling; the original fountains rebuilt at full scale; 14 carriages with 36 horses from Vienna. It will take six days for the 100 stage designers to build the set.

And a set of such a scale evidently demands a host of artists. 250 artists are accompanying Rieu on his world tour, all dressed in lush romantic costumes, including The Platin Tenors, Carmen Monarcha, Carla Mafioletti, Mirusia Louwerse and Suzan Erens, among others. The maestro is especially proud that he will be accompanied by real Viennese artists. "I am very honored to be able to count on the world-famous ballet group of the Wiener Staatsopera. I couldn't ask for a more suitable ballet company," says Rieu, who has also hired eighty debutants of the famous Viennese ballet school Elmayer.

"However, no matter how great and important the set may be, everything is there mainly to support the most important thing of all - the music. The stage must support the music, not the other way around." As always, the program consists of many waltzes, by Strauss, Lehàr, and others, as well as romantic melodies taken from operas and musicals.

Concerts of the World Stadium Tour are already scheduled in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Australia.

Happy Birthday Sue!!!

A Few Photos From Andre's December 4th Anaheim Concert

Some Photos of The Anaheim Concert December 4th

I don't have time to write about the two concerts I went to in Anaheim and

San Diego for a few days as I have company. I thought you'd rather see pictures anyway! :)

Here's a few that my daughter Heather took at the Anaheim Concert on the 4th of December .... André as always was amazing and I am still on that cloud we all get on after our concerts ... he never disappoints us!! So many fun things happened and will write about them soon!

I can say, Betty and I both got a High Five from André!!

And we got DUMPED on with the Snow!!!! ~ Sue :)

AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE!!

André looking right into Heather's camera POSING for his picture!

Try looking through your lens and seeing THIS looking back at you! :)

Anaheim Concert Tonight

André Fell Asleep!

The concert tonight as always was just amazing!

Heather took 277 pictures and there's some great ones.

It's late now though and I have to get up and head for San Diego

in the morning for tomorrow nights concert.

I wanted to put this picture on though, just thought it was so cute

at the end when André played the "Lullaby" he fell asleep on his Violin. :)

The Tribute to Pavarotti by the Three Tenor's was beyond words!

Will write about both concerts and put pictures on when we get back from San Diego ...