André Rieu LIVE In Melbourne on Foxtel!

STEVE LIEBMANN, LEO SCHOFIELD AND MAGGIE TABBERER
TO HOST LIVE PRE-SHOW SPECIAL FOR
FOXTEL’S ANDRE RIEU PAY-PER-VIEW SPECTACULAR
ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 15
6.30pm AEDT - LIVE pre-show starts on Bio., Ovation and MAIN EVENT
8.00pm AEDT - LIVE pay-per-view starts, exclusive to MAIN EVENT

November 7, 2008
Steve Liebmann, Leo Schofield and Maggie Tabberer will host a special LIVE pre-show program as the excitement builds in the lead up to FOXTEL’s exclusive pay-per-view of André Rieu’s ‘World Stadium Tour – A Romantic Vienna Night’ on Saturday, November 15 on MAIN EVENT.
Starting at 6.30pm AEDT, the 90-minute curtain raiser, called André Rieu – The Event, will air simultaneously across the Bio., Ovation and MAIN EVENT channels.
The program will be immediately followed by MAIN EVENT’s exclusive LIVE pay-per-view telecast of the great Dutch violinist and conductor’s Melbourne performance which commences at 8.00pm AEDT. The pay-per-view concert is available to all FOXTEL, AUSTAR and Optus residential subscribers for just $24.95 (inc GST).
André Rieu – The Event will see Liebmann, Schofield and Tabberer telecasting LIVE from Melbourne’s Telstra Dome, the venue for the opening leg of Rieu’s Australian tour. The illustrious hosts will give viewers an insight into what goes on behind-the-scenes of the world’s biggest transportable stage show and special reporters Charlotte Dawson and Sophie Falkiner will provide further insights into what to expect from the performance.
The program will feature an interview with Rieu himself, as well as his production manager son Pierre Rieu and two of the featured Australian performers, soprano Mirusia Louwerse and Gary Bennett (one of the Platin Tenors).
Leo Schofield said: "Every now and then an artist comes on the scene and immediately captures the public imagination. André Rieu is just such an artist. The combination of musical talent – let’s not forget he’s a classical violinist and a very good one at that – astute choice of repertoire and a fresh way of presenting orchestral music to the broadest possible audience has proved irresistible.
"Instead of a conductor with his back to the audience and a band of musicians in funereal black, we have André beaming at his audience, the ladies of the orchestra colourfully dressed and a great sense of communicated pleasure. "

The Ovation Channel presenter continued: "He is a musician but he’s also a showman. And he understands that audiences are thrilled by the sheer scale of his presentations.
"He thinks big which is why he has attracted such enormous audiences worldwide and why this Australian tour is so eagerly anticipated by his thousands of fans."
The André Rieu – The Event pre-show special will put viewers LIVE on the scene at the Telstra Dome as the crowd arrives for the much anticipated concert, which FOXTEL, AUSTAR and Optus subscribers can then watch on the exclusive MAIN EVENT pay-per view telecast from 8.00pm AEDT.
The staging for ‘A Romantic Vienna Night’ includes:
a full size reproduction of Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace a 600m² ice rink
a horse-drawn golden carriage.
The touring party includes 250 performers
The Johann Strauss Orchestra and Choir
The Platin Tenors
The Vienna State Opera Ballet
The Australian Federal Police Pipes and Drums
60 Australian ice skaters
And, of course, Rieu and his 1667 Stradivarius violin.

Thanks to Jann for sending this one to us!