ANDRÉ RIEU Chapeau Magazine Column July

REFUELING IN THE SUMMER

André Rieu Column - July 2013 Chapeau Magazine: It was good last year to have a few weeks’ leave in the summer. Holidays – which are the most normal thing in the world for other people – mean a lot to us because we are always busy. We are still not the type of people who lie in a hammock or on a beach towel the whole day, but we will relax our hold on the reins and spend time on recreational matters such as other interests and close friends, which is necessary after such a hectic season. You can even refer to it as refueling.

With the Vrijthof concerts in early July – eight in total – we conclude a ‘solid’ period, in which we have amassed a lot of air miles; most recently with trips to Chile and Argentina, where we performed very enjoyable concerts in sold-out venues to extremely enthusiastic audiences. And the changing programs in Maastricht will also be anything but a routine job; we will have to go all-out every time.

However, during the summer we will have time for everything else, such as a few days away, but mostly to enjoy our own surroundings, for example, the garden, plain, wholesome food, a nice glass of wine, and, of course, to brainstorm new ideas with Marjorie – for we can’t neglect that. There is a lot on the program. If all goes well, we will visit Istanbul for the first time this coming season. That will be a completely different audience, where the success of our music is not so predictable – the challenge is to bridge that gap.

For the first time we will also be going to the Far East, namely Singapore and Shanghai. We could have gone to China much earlier, but, from a business perspective, the situation has to be viable for both parties. We want to get it right from the start. We look forward to a successful foray which will open a big country to us.

Concerts have also been scheduled for Australia and New Zealand. We have now been there a couple of times and interest remains high – to such an extent that we are regularly invited back. Although situated on the other side of the world, it is a pleasure to perform once we’re there.

Mexico also features on the program again. It has been clear since our first concert there that we have a consistent market. Of course, we won’t neglect European countries such as Germany, France and Belgium. England has now become a fixture in our schedule; there is great interest, even amongst the television networks.

New destinations are also in the pipeline for us: Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Poland and Romania. It is always very interesting to explore new cultures and to see our music winning people’s hearts over there. The English television channel, Sky TV, will also feature us, but more along the lines of a story about me and the orchestra. It will include regular performances by guest artists.

In addition, we are still working on an animated series in order to reach out to even small children. And our record company also asked us to produce an album dedicated to the anniversary of ABBA, 40 Years Waterloo, which will include all their famous songs for worldwide release – another ‘klein projectie’ (small project).

I can hear you ask: "How does he keep it all up?" Well, I’ve already revealed that secret: By living as healthily as possible, eating well and practicing sport – under supervision – on a daily basis. Only then is it possible to maintain such a punishing annual agenda.

André Rieu

Thank You to Ineke for sending this and Entia Translating it