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Oct 26, 2013

WISH IN MOTION - André Rieu Ambassador


WISH IN MOTION - André Rieu Ambassador
by Serge Sekhuis
MAASTRICHT The Limburger Oct. 25, 2013: The organization "Wish in Motion" was christened today on the Vrijthof in Maastricht. Volunteers from the organization accompany seriously or terminally ill people in their greatest last wish. André Rieu is the Ambassador of this organization.

The foundation wants to be an extension of organizations such as 'Make a Wish' and 'Dreams 4 You'. They organize many events, but often have big problems with means of transportation. "We would like to fill those wishes now", said Huub Gubbels and Leon Triepeis, the two promoters. "It could be all kinds of wishes ranging from a visit to a distant family, to a day trip to the Dolphinarium (Dolphin Shows).

The main criterion is that people are so ill that they can only be transported by ambulance. The foundation runs entirely on volunteers and donations. The ambulance is donated by the Ambulance Zorg Limburg-Noord. 

Gubbels and Triepels count on an annual basis of two hundred rides. Tomorrow in this paper an extensive interview with promoters of Wish in Motion.

Thank you to Ineke for Translating this and sending it

Oct 24, 2013

The World Looks Forward To The Vrijthof Concerts


Pierre Rieu - The World Looks Forward To The Vrijthof Concerts
October 24, 2013 by Maarten van Laarhoven

MAASTRICHT - About 45 percent of the 90,000 people who visited the Hometown concerts of André Rieu on the Vrijthof in the past year, come from outside the Benelux.

Also the visitors of the Rieu concerts abroad (there are about 700,000 yearly) are fond of the Vrijthof concerts. After the concerts they may watch a film about the beauty of "the most beautiful square in the world".

The square is also seen annually by more than 80 million people who watch a DVD of the concert." André wants all his fans to know that they must have been there at least once in their life", said Andre's son Pierre this morning during a meeting in the old council chamber of the City Hall on the Market Square.

There was an agreement signed between André Rieu Productions, the municipality of Maastricht represented by Mayor Onno Hoes and 22 catering business entrepreneurs of the Vrijthof.

Rieu notes a growing interest in the Hometown concerts, which are visited by people who not only come for the music, but also want to know where the phenomenon Rieu grew up. With a smile: "I understand that the municipality for the Vrijthof a 60-day standard applies. Well, 60 days on the Vrijthof seems a nice goal for the future."

The so called Covenant Vrijthof concerts, signed by each entrepreneur, is a sequel to the Code of Conduct that was signed in 2006. They are among others, regarding the tackling nuisance behavior, ticket sale, the exclusion of large groups, the establishment of terraces and patio roofs.

The agreements are necessary because the Vrijthof is public land and the square actually should not be closed. The terrace arrangements that the entrepreneurs of the Vrijthof may offer their guests, using the name and logo, is a compensation for the losses they suffer because the gates will be closed for a few hours.

On the other hand, the entrepreneurs also see that Rieu is a giant advertising machine that constantly advertises the Vrijthof and implicitly also for their business and other businesses in the center.

According to Pierre Rieu, André Rieu Productions keeps accurate track on where visitors come from. Increasingly, they are people from Australia, Canada, Brazil or South Africa, says Rieu. And they are not coming only for the concert on Saturday to go home again on the following Sunday, but they make it a holiday."

Pierre Rieu told something else that was nice: 30 percent of the tickets are bought as a present.

Ticket sales for the Vrijthof concerts in 2014 start next week. As a starting point: Friday July 11th and Saturday July 12th. If these evenings get fully booked. More concerts will be scheduled for the weekend before. July 13th is not yet 'scheduled', because on that day the final of the World Cup takes place in Brazil.

Thanks to Ineke for this and the Translation

POP STAR LIFE OF A MAESTRO



POP STAR LIFE OF A MAESTRO
James Rampton is welcomed to the new TV series "World of André Rieu" who outsells teenybop legends and lives in a fairytale castle.

Sunday Express: It is official: André Rieu is bigger than Bieber. The popular Dutch violinist and conductor outsells every other male recording artist on the planet. Performing on his priceless 1667 Stradivarius, the "King of the Waltz" has shifted more than 35 million albums worldwide. Last year he and his Johann Strauss Orchestra played to more than 700.000 people. Look out Sir Elton. André is equally beloved on TV. Whwen SkyArts2 changed its name to SkyArtsRieu for two weeks in March and April, the viewing figures went through the roof.  He was catapulted to fame playing Shostakowich's Second Waltz at half time in the 1995 European Champions League Final in Amsterdam, and his combination of catchy tunes (Ravel's Bolero, Strauss' beautiful Blue Danube) and brilliant showmanship is irresistible to millions of fans. The sheer joy of his playing is captured in a new 10-part series: André Rieu: Welcome to my world on SkyArts2 HD from Saturday 26th of October. It tracks André from Maastricht to Mexico and zooms in on such guests as Jermaine Jackson, who sings a moving tribute to his brother Michael The series also included a poignant episode dedicated to war veterans.

Heartthrob André has more underwear thrown at him on stage than Tom Jones and his most ardent aficionados daub messages of love on the wall outside his home in his native Maastricht. He laughs it off, saying: "I can't complain. I hear stories that other artists have stalkers". André is devoted to his childhood sweetheart Marjorie. They met when he was 11 and she was 13 and they married in 1975. Their son Marc is an acclaimed artist and son Pierre helps to run his father's company.

To underline his superstar status, the family live in a 15th century "De Torentjes" Castle in the heart of Maastricht. A beautiful Orangery houses rare birds, butterflies and exotic plants and an ornate drawing room adorned with grandiose chandeliers and elegant antique furniture. A couple of Marc's impressive oil paintings hang on the gilded walls. The Musketeer d'Artagnan is said to have eaten his last breakfast in the castle kitchen before perishing, scaling the Maastricht city walls. "Isn't that incredible?" he says, and I eat here every day". André had piano lessons in the castle  as a child and the 64 year old Maestro recalls: "I am a fan of Tintin and there is one page where the professor buys a castle. As a little boy I thought: That's what I want. It is a little bit smaller than the one in Tintin, but it's still a castle".

De Torentjes refelects André's success, but what makes his music so popular? "I deliberately build the program each night so that it starts very slowly and tenderly. Then it gradually builds to a climax. It's like sex", he reveals. "After my concert fans tell me that they need two weeks to come down and be able to say: "I am normal again". I want my concerts to give people emotions and joy. That's what music is for. I want to make the audience cry, laugh, dance and not want to go home. That's why I do this. It gives me a great feeling".

ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS IS WHEN VETERANS MARCH IN TO IT'S A LONG WAY TO TIPPERARY

He hopes that "Andre Rieu, welcome to my world" will have a similar effect. "I only have one goal with this: to touch viewer's hearts. Wherever they live. I want them to look at the screen and think: "Oh my God, I want to be at that concert". Viewers may be particularly affected by the veterans' episode. To be broadcast on Remembrance Sunday . André flies over the White Cliffs of Dover to meet Dame Vera Lynn. He says: "It was such a privilege. She is 96 and her voice is still amazing. She's the boss". It also features the memorable day when André invited more than 3000 war veterans to a concert on the main square in Maastricht, to thank them for their war service. André recollects: "One of the highlights for me was the very beginning of the concert: 1000 veterans marched into the Vrijthof to the music played by my orchestra, including: It's a Long Way to Tipperary, and Johnny comes Marching Home. To see all these brave service men and women in full uniform march in to the square gave me goose bumps and made me feel so proud.

It was very special for me because one of the veterans that night actually liberated Maastricht. My life would not be the same without them. I will never forget what they did for my family".

André's populist approach to classical music has attracted some criticism from snootier reviewers, but he loathes snobbery adding: "Most of those critics have never been to one of my concerts". He has already scheduled 150 concerts for next year and does not envisage retiring. "I want to live to 120 and still be performing". To millions of fans, no doubt.

Thank You to Edna Welton and Ineke

Oct 17, 2013

André Rieu Interview With Frank Evenblij


In the new program "Evenblij with … ", Frank Evenblij speaks to orchestra leader and the Netherland's best export artist: André  Rieu. Despite his successes many people still don’t take him seriously. André Rieu: “I play my music for ordinary people. I do not regard myself as art with a capital A” ..........Frank Evenblij follows Rieu during a concert series in Rio de Janeiro.

Oct 15, 2013


Brisbane Australia Concert October 12, 2013
Photos Taken by Jaya

Oct 13, 2013

André Rieu Brisbane Concert Photos ...


Three Photos From Three Fans in Brisbane Last Night
(Click on Photos to see Full Size)


Interview on SBS Dutch Radio in Australia now with ENGLISH subtitles.

Oct 12, 2013

A Command Performance From Maestro André Rieu

A fairy-tale castle, a balmy evening, a superstar violinist playing to a captivated audience … Liz Jones Receives a command performance from maestro André Rieu at his Dutch home.

October 12, 2013 By Liz Jones: It’s embarrassing, being serenaded. Especially when it’s on the steps of a fairy-tale castle, by a man who has just told you that when he performs a piece of music it reverberates through his body like a caress, or a shudder, and that playing and conducting is ‘better than sex’. And where to look, while he is playing ‘La Vie en Rose’ to me on his nearly 300-year-old (and reputed to be worth millions) Stradivarius violin? Into his blue eyes, perhaps? André Rieu is the Patrick Swayze of classical music (it’s the hair, I think, that reminds me of the Dirty Dancing star; the macho cheesiness, the stupendous schmaltziness of his repertoire of ‘We’ll Meet Again’ and ‘The Blue Danube’).

I can only hold his gaze for seconds before giggling and looking at the ground, or staring at the mane of unruly, slightly mulleted curls that snakes over his blue velvet smoking jacket, above a pair of quite tight, inky jeans.

I know that millions of women – middle-aged and older – would kill to be in my shoes, given the 64-year-old Dutch violinist and conductor’s sellout world tours and 35 million-plus album sales. I know because I met some of  his fans at the O2 arena in London last December, and they are a formidable bunch.

One of them, Mary, 65, told me, while sitting right next to her husband in the front row, why André Rieu is so very special. ‘André makes me have so many lovely feelings. He should run the government, you know. I’m so fed up with all the violence.’ That’s the key, you see: André’s world on-stage is so other; so safe and warm and lovely and effortless. But is his real life, off-stage, the same as this? Well, almost – and absolutely not.

The 15th-century castle we are in is, of course, André’s real-life home, slap bang in the middle of Maastricht in Holland. It has cone-shaped turrets,  chequered stone floors and fountains. It’s surrounded by high walls and iron gates, but his fans, who carve their names, usually encased in a heart, on his wall, can glimpse the castle from the river in the valley below: they float by on pleasure cruisers, a tour guide with a megaphone bellowing out André’s vital statistics.

I ask him, as we sit on the cobbled terrace, surrounded by giant pots of bougainvillea, whether it all gets a bit wearing? After all, it’s one thing to have knickers thrown on-stage (‘They are rather large, like a flag!’ he told me last December), quite another to have women turning up at his home. ‘As long as they respect me and my privacy, then it’s OK, but when they stand in front of my door, waiting for me to come out, then it’s not nice any more.’

The castle looms large, not just on the horizon, but in André’s life – he was born and raised near this spot. His father was a conductor and instilled in André his love of music. As a child, having briefly wanted to be a priest, he started having piano lessons in this very building, which, legend has it, was where the real D’Artagnan ate his last breakfast. André disliked his piano teacher, who lived here, and soon gave up the piano for the violin. Did he fall in love with the castle as a child? ‘No, not at all. The castle was gloomy and dark and moist and I hated the piano. I was afraid of this place.’


André studied music, played in orchestras, then, in 1987, decided to strike out on his own with 12 musicians. Eventually, the castle came up for sale. ‘The people living here could not afford to maintain it, so it was in a terrible state. I’m glad I can try to rebuild it for the next generation, as somewhere my grandson might want to live. We have been here 15 years now.’

‘We’ is André, his wife Marjorie and several hundred Costa Rican butterflies in an orangery across the courtyard that are all, disappointingly, still cocooned. André and Marjorie’s 32-year-old son Pierre lives next door with his wife and their twin daughters, who are nearly four (André has his blonde granddaughters as his phone screensaver, and is proud that they have already started to play mini violins). Pierre, endlessly amiable and polite, helps to manage the 110-strong Johann Strauss Orchestra – formed 26 years ago and one of the few private orchestras of its kind – and accompanies his father on tour.

The repertoire is stupendously populist – ‘Amazing Grace’, ‘We’ll Meet Again’ and ‘Bolero’ – which means classical purists, and critics, love to dismiss him. ‘I don’t care about the critics,’ he says. ‘People shush you if you cough, or clap in the wrong place [at classical concerts]. That is not the case when I play. They say, “You are making it lower-level,” but that’s not true; I think I open it up for the audience, for everybody.’

Is it hard to adjust, I ask, to return home after being away performing?

‘I had the first mobile phone, and nowadays you can Skype and everything is possible. I also try to only be away for two weeks at a time.’

André met Marjorie when he was 11 and she was 13. ‘She was in a class with my sister, and that was it. I noticed this mass of curls,’ he says now. ‘Every now and then, I saw her, and then at the age of 20 it started again and we were married within nine months.’

Before I boarded my plane to see the real-life fairy-tale existence of a man whose stage show – what with the elaborate taffeta ballgowns, Christmas trees, fake snow, and the almost pantomime camaraderie between the orchestra members and the man himself – creates a fantasy that we are in the 18th century, I had been told in no uncertain terms I would not be allowed access to one of the world’s most envied and elusive women: Mrs. André Rieu.

But of course, now that I’m here, Marjorie is omnipresent, and it turns out she is the driving force behind the André Rieu machine that churns out albums and DVDs of concerts performed everywhere from South America to Australia.

I first meet Marjorie – she still has that head of red curls – earlier in the day at André’s recording studio: a low white building a few minutes’ drive from the house. In the canteen, where the orchestra members, whose ages range from 25 to 73, are lining up for breakfast (the musicians seem to eat constantly; they are nothing if not well looked after, with a crèche opposite the studio), we sit down to chat.

Small and neat, in a yellow vest top and blue summer trousers, she doesn’t want to be photographed, but is happy to talk. Would she not like to go on tour with him? ‘There is too much to do here,’ she says – she is instrumental in selecting the repertoire, among her many responsibilities. ‘But if the concert is not too far away, in Germany, say, or Vienna, I will sit in the audience, so that I can feed back to André what they are thinking, what works and what works less well.’ (André adds later: ‘Oh yes, she’s writing, she’s sitting there with a book, with all my mistakes.’)

André joins us before going into the studio to rehearse an album of Abba cover tracks. There is talk of this being released in the UK at some point; the more traditionally ‘Rieu’ Music of the Night album will be released next month. Marjorie shows me the sleeve for the all-Abba album; there are four Andrés, each in a different shirt, but wearing very 70's white jeans. A shame they are not tighter, I tell her, and she laughs, used as she is to her husband’s sex-symbol status. ‘My wife is my harshest critic,’ says André. ‘She will tell me, because she is not a musician, if a piece sounds like it is trying too hard. It should sound effortless.’ Marjorie adds, with a wry smile, ‘There are men, there are women – and there are musicians.’

At lunchtime, they give me a lift in their Mercedes to the castle for the grand tour. It is lovely, huge, and full of light and life: as in most famous people’s houses, there are silent, nameless assistants floating around, fixing things or preparing food. The kitchen is huge, with a solid Carrara marble table, huge steel fridge and bowls of fruit and flowers everywhere. The violin, too, is ubiquitous: not just the violin, which on tour has its own bodyguard, but violins carved into lampstands and walls. A glass cabinet holds numerous awards, including two Classic Brits, while in the formal sitting room two big oil paintings, of André and of Marjorie, hang on one wall. There are also works by André’s other son, Marc, a talented artist.

But it’s not a museum; it feels lived in. I sit with André in the garden, and he tells me he never stops working. ‘In the evening, yes, I might cook, but it is quick, quick, quick – I’m like Jamie Oliver! When we walk the dogs, Marjorie and me, we work, we speak about concert programmes, about the company. There is nothing else. We will discuss the new DVD [the André Rieu Studios record, film, edit and mix all the output: there are no third-party companies involved], the next tour, we will choose a new track to record.’ Do they go on holiday? ‘We might go to Rome. There is something about it I love; it’s very humbling.’ How have they kept their relationship so strong? ‘It’s still as it was on the day we came together. From the beginning, it clicked; her opinion is very important to me. I say, “When I’m arrogant, come and grab me.” She is anything but arrogant, and I want to be like that, too.’

And while the castle seems so opulent, all is not quite as it seems. ‘There was a time, a few years ago, when I re-created the façade of the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna on-stage, and took it on tour, which was a catastrophe financially, and I was bankrupt,’ he says. ‘Remember, I have all these people’s wages to pay. It is a struggle.’ What, even now? ‘Yes, it’s one big struggle, constantly. We might do a weekend concert, then the promoter fails to pay up. These things happen the whole time.’ Two years ago, André almost had a complete breakdown due to a viral infection. ‘I had to cancel a tour, there was just too much work. I used to play sport, but for five years I stopped, and I gained weight. So now I eat properly and I exercise: for three days I lift weights and on the other days I do cardio, such as running.’

And so, at the end of our talk, it’s the moment André decides to serenade me. The violin is moving in a way the piano is not, he explains: ‘The piano, you just bang, bang, bang on the keys, like this!’ By contrast, the violin is an extension of his body; it has a womanly, curvy shape, too, which makes me blush as I watch him stroke it gently with his bow: ‘I love it, it’s under your skin and you really feel it.’ At the O2, I was amazed that so many couples in the audience got up to waltz. I’m surprised, now, at how moving music can be, even the schmaltzy tunes he loves so much.

In the studio earlier, the musicians were chatting and joking, but when he picked up his baton, all eyes were on him, transfixed. ‘I can conduct just by raising an eyebrow,’ he says. Are they scared of him? ‘No, no, no. Did you see any fear this morning? No, I’m a human being and I make mistakes; everyone makes mistakes. We try to have fun. I am severe, I am difficult to the level of demanding, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a nice person.’

Blimey. I start imagining a dungeon in this fairy-tale castle, and handcuffs, but come to my senses when André says he must leave to record a female guitar soloist for Abba’s ‘Fernando’. I wonder whether the castle is his prison as well as his refuge, given the punishing workload. Why not retire? ‘No, I would die immediately. I hope to be doing this in my 80s. My grandmother lived to 102. My mother is 93, and last week she travelled from the South of France in a car, on her own, to the North; it was 1,200km in one day. So it must be in the genes,’ he says – and with a twinkle, he is gone. As Hazel, a 77-year-old fan from Portsmouth, told me at that concert last year, ‘I love him because he’s charming and fascinating, but I bet he’s a bit naughty underneath!’



Two quotes from André on the side of the article"
'I am difficult and demanding, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a nice person'
'I don’t care about the critics. I open music up for everybody


André Rieu’s Music of the Night will be released on 4 November by Decca. André and his Johann Strauss Orchestra will tour the UK and Ireland from 6 to 23 December; visit andrerieu.com for details.

Oct 11, 2013



Forget Strauss, Violinist André Rieu has ABBA Classics Covered
CONDUCTOR and violin superstar André Rieu rates The Blue Danube as his favorite piece of music, but Johann Strauss isn't his only inspiration. 
October 12, 2013: The 64-year-old Dutchman has turned his back on classical music for his latest venture, paying tribute instead to the classic songs of 1970's pop phenomenon ABBA. 
"Who is not an ABBA fan?" Rieu asked in Sydney on the eve of his And the Waltz Goes On Australian tour, which begins in Brisbane today. 
The prolific musician is releasing two albums next month, one of which, Andre Rieu Celebrates ABBA, features his orchestral interpretations of ABBA hits including Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia and Thank You for the Music. 
"It's such fantastic music," he said. "It's so unique. You cannot copy ABBA. All I could do was make my version  of it. I can say I'm satisfied with the result." 
Rieu is celebrating 25 years with his Johann Strauss Orchestra, which has helped popularise the work of Strauss and other classical composers all across the world. He also has turned himself into a global industry, releasing several DVDs and albums each year. 
He admits to being a workaholic and says he has no plans to stop recording and performing. He'd like to be on stage when he's 120. "Being busy is not bad," he said. "I like being busy. I like to be in control of everything and for that you have to work hard. That's my life." 
Rieu has a huge following, not least in Australia, but he divides opinion over his treatment of the classics. His response to that is to paraphrase Finnish composer Jean Sibelius's put-down of detractors: "When did you ever see a statue of a critic?" 
Rieu says he does his job "with honesty, with education and everything that I am. I know that I'm not lying. I try to have fun on stage and involve the audience. I like to play for the audience, to be with them. That's what I do. What's bad about that?  
The conductor's compulsive work rate has a downside. Twice in the past few years he has had to cancel performances because of illness. Last year, he took on a personal trainer and now works out on a regular basis to keep fit. 
After his Brisbane performance tonight, the And the Waltz Goes On tour travels to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

André Rieu Cooking on Today Show



Click HERE To Watch André Cooking on The Today Show Yesterday
(When the page comes up, you will see videos to the right. Click on André's.)
Click HERE For The Interview on The Today Show

Oct 9, 2013


André was at Eastland Mall in Melbourne Today ... Thank You to Bee for the Photos!
(Click on photos to see full size)



Oct 8, 2013

Oct 6, 2013


Just a Few Sleeps Left Now!! :)


Taxi !! Taxi !! (Sydney Australia)
(Thanks to Jennifer Dawson for this)

Oct 2, 2013

Rieu Wins Classic Brit Awards Album of The Year Third Time in a Row!


King of the Waltz André Rieu has won the Classic FM Album of the Year award at this year's Classic BRITs - for the THIRD YEAR IN A ROW.

October 2, 2013: His album Magic of the Movies beat competition from other nominees including Andrea Bocelli, Friar Alessandro, Lang Lang and Nicola Benedetti among others.


Dutch violin superstar André Rieu becomes first artist to win the same award three years in a row.

The award was announced tonight at the Classic BRIT Award ceremony in London's Royal Albert Hall by Classic FM presenter, Aled Jones. ~ "With so many incredible albums released over the past 12 months I can honestly say that whoever wins this prestigious award tonight must have created something truly phenomenal to triumph against this competition," Aled said as he introduced the category.

(André) "I'm so sorry I could not come to collect this fantastic prize you gave me again, for the third time," he said, in a video acceptance speech. "I had a lot of fun making this record, and I heard you had a lot of fun listening to it!"
And Second Article:

Katherine Jenkins/Catrin Finch miss out on top award at Classic Brits 2 

The award for Classic FM Album Of The Year has tonight gone to Dutch violinist André Rieu & his Johann Strauss Orchestra.

Welsh classical stars Katherine Jenkins and Catrin Finch have lost out on one of the top prizes at the Classic Brits. Dutch violinist André Rieu & his Johann Strauss Orchestra beat them and seven others, including tenor Andrea Bocelli and pianist Richard Clayderman, to win the only category voted for by the public – Classic FM Album Of The Year.

Rieu broke Classic Brit records by becoming the first act to win the same category three years running with Magic Of The Movies. He was presented with his award by Welsh TV and radio presenter Aled Jones.

CLICK ON LINK BELOW TO CONTINUE READING ALL ARTICLES ON THE HARMONY PARLOR!!

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Pierre and André September 30, 2016 Maastricht

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Photo Taken at Mexico City Concert ~ September 2013

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"Hello to all my fans on The Harmony Parlor!"


Soundcheck in Maastricht 2013 (RTL Photo)



Maastricht 2012 ~ "André on The Theater Steps" by Bee

Maastricht 2012 ~ "André and Pierre on The Theater Steps" by Bee

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