High Carnival Award For Rieu

High Carnival Award For André Rieu

 The Limburger: André Rieu is to receive 'T JOONK LEECH (a New Light) award, which is the highest award of the Maastricht Carnival Organization, "De Tempeleers" . This will be the first time that "De Tempeleers" will award this jewel. "t Joonk Leech" dates back to the time of the Momus-society, the forerunner of the urban carnival club. The award, a golden crescent moon, originated in the jesters academy in the German city of Dülken, with which the Momus maintained close ties. 

Rieu will receive the award for his services to Maastricht, its culture and the Maastricht Carnival (Mestreechter Vastelaovond), and in the case of the conductor, particularly in he field of music.

Thanks to John for the Translation

André Rieu - Holocaust Memorial Day

Today on Holocaust Memorial Day I'd like to commemorate my wife's relatives who died in concentration camps and all the victims of Auschwitz. Let's all make sure this will never happen again ... André Rieu

►Click HERE For André Rieu - Holocaust Memorial Day

André Rieu: Love, Italy and a Holiday on Lake Garda

Interview With André Rieu

About Love, Italy and a Holiday on Lake Garda

Interview by Schlager, Germany: The great virtuoso André Rieu fills all the stages in the world and is currently on his great European tour in Germany until March and allowed us a brief interview in between concerts.

Dear Mr. Rieu, we are very pleased that you took the time out to speak with us and give us an insight into your relationship with Italy. Your new album is called "A Night in Venice". What would you do if you only had one night in Venice?
What would I do? ... I think everything that is romantic. Gondola ride, sitting on the Piazza San Marco - simply wandering along, strolling over the many bridges, admiring the buildings and just let me do my thing. And hope I would meet Commissario Brunetti somewhere and have a glass of wine with him! (laughs)

You are a Donna Leon fan? *** Oh yes, very much so. Marjorie and I never miss an episode.

You wrote the theme song for Donna Leon and there are also three original compositions by you on your new album, all of which are dedicated to Venice ...
Exactly. The Gondola waltz, a tarantella and really important song on the new album for me: Love in Venice.

The song "Love in Venice" you dedicated that on Face Book and YouTube to George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin ...
Yes! We had just finished that when the two got married. I wish them both all the best and hope it brings them happiness. My wife finds that the most romantic thing I've ever composed. We've been married 39 years, and I think we've done everything right together. Maybe they'll do that too, I hope so. (laughs)

What is so special in the composition "Love in Venice"?
I usually play my Stradivarius, but for "Love in Venice" I looked for a violin with a different sound. It should be softer, "more lovingly". I have tried many violins and found a really beautiful, very gentle one that fit perfectly for the piece.

What role does composing play in your life?
Mozart composed with his left hand and at the same time played billiards with his right, drank and made love. So that does not work for me. It is not easy to find time for that, because I often am on stage and we are constantly traveling. I compose together with my first violinist Frank Steijns, who is also an excellent pianist. The idea for "Bella Tarantella" came to me, for example, when I was with Frank in a taxi in Santiago, Chile. Suddenly there it was. That was a wonderful moment!

Could you have ever imagined not playing the violin, but another instrument?
My father was a conductor, and gave me my first violin at age five. I immediately felt that this instrument is like a voice. You can feel its vibration while you play. A piano is also a fantastic instrument, but there is no direct contact with the body. The violin, in this respect is unique in the world; it is very close to you. And that's what I like about it.

That sounds like a love relationship ...
Yes, that's right. When you spend hours each day with an instrument, you must love it. Otherwise it becomes anguish.

There can be no love without broken hearts. Could heartache also be found in your music?
I think that sadness and love belong together, like sadness and joy. I do not think that there can be love without heartache. They belong together. If I love a person, it is for 100 percent. But you can also find heartache in my music.

Azzurro, Volare, That's Amore, O sole mio ... many songs on the new album are about yearnings.
Precisely and about romance. The song, "La Gondola", for example is very melancholy. In every waltz by Johann Strauss you will find joy, love and grief, like in the "Lagoon Waltz." And you also find it in literature. Look at one of the most famous books by Thomas Mann "Death in Venice". Venice is actually an epitome of beauty and romance - but also of transiency - actually a little more opposed to the other cities of Italy.

Rome for instance?
Yes, Rome is quite different, but also fantastic. I could spend hours in the Coliseum – had I not become a musician, I would have been an architect.

Where does this love for Italy come from, so many Northern Europeans have it?
That is due to the sun and love. Marjorie and I both love the country very much; we are big fans of the Italian "way of life". Marjorie speaks perfect Italian, and we go there privately once a year for a week.

So we could find you during the summer at a campsite on Lake Garda?
Haha, no! We mostly travel to Rome and not during the main holiday season. Otherwise I could not move around undetected, that would not be a holiday for me.

In January and February 2015 you and your Johann Strauss Orchestra come to Germany, Austria and Switzerland for twenty concerts. What can the audience expect?
A completely new program with many Italian hits which will make our audience hopefully forget the winter, but also waltzes, operas, operettas and film music. Also the Berlin Comedian Harmonists are with us on the 2015 tour. And at the end we all have a big party. I'm really looking forward to all of it.

*** Donna Leon (aka Commissario Brunetti) is a German television series based on a series of crime novels set in Venice by Donna Leon. It has been produced since 2000 by the ARD in Germany. This TV series is also shown in Spain and in Finland by Yle. Music: André Rieu.

Thanks to Ineke for this German article and John for Translating it for us

André Rieu My family is The Center of My World

André Rieu

My family is the center of my world

He is the most famous Maastricht citizen on earth, sold forty million CDs worldwide, lives on top of the Sint-Petersberg in a castle, but André Rieu does not see himself as the Sun-King of Maastricht. "I want to make people happy especially with my music."

Nouveau Magazine - Interview by Marion Florusse: This coming summer, André Rieu will again change the Vrijthof into an open air concert hall in which thousands of people can enjoy his romantic concerts. The maestro, who since 2007 has been touring the world with an entourage of over one hundred personnel, still intensely rejoices himself about a new production. As a boy he fell in love with the waltz: light music for the experienced ears accustomed to the heavier works from the classical repertoire. But for him it was a revelation, which eventually would lead to world fame. Together with his wife, Marjorie, they live in "House the little Towers", a sixteenth century castle located on top of the Sint-Petersberg. Their sons Marc (1978) and Pierre (1981) live with their families on the estate and are employed with the Rieu firm. The Rieu firm is huge and for instance they bring their own catering business on tour with them, but also many decors to transform each location into a romantic place. To the public concerts of the passionate violinist and his Johann Strauss Orchestra are colorful musical tales.

As a child I already dreamed of making people happy with music

Soon you will be playing another home concert on the Vrijthof. How do you like being on that familiar place? "That is fantastic. We tour the entire year around the world and enjoy all the concerts, but on the Vrijthof in Maastricht we indeed play especially well. It is the most beautiful square I know. Really!! Where else can you find such a large square, surrounded by beautiful historical buildings, which does not have a public garden, statue or fountain in its center? Here thousands of people can enjoy my concert, and in turn my orchestra and I enjoy them of course".

How do you explain the enormous success of your musical formula, the Johann Strauss Orchestra, the music, the entourage? "I think that is because we ourselves have so much fun with the music and that radiates itself out. It seems to be contagious".

After his studies at the conservatory in Brussels, the violinist performed with the Limburg Salon Orchestra, but it was always a dream to make classical music attractive to the general public. Eventually he succeeded.

What was crucial for you to take that step? "At a certain point my wife told me: "Just leave that orchestra because you are very unhappy. You have a dream, make it a reality, so I will go and earn a living for a while." And that she did. By that time in my life I also realized that making choices was very important in order to be successful and happy. You can continue your entire live and complain that you are not happy. But you have to do something about that!"

In 1987 André Rieu founded the Johann Strauss orchestra. Initially it consisted of twelve members, but currently sometimes more than fifty members occupy the stage. In the birth year of the orchestra André and his wife started their own business: André Rieu Productions.

You live in a castle, are world renowned, wealthy and beloved. You feel that way too? Laughingly: "No, such aspirations I do not have. I am lucky if I can make the sun shine during the Vrijthof concerts. Ha, ha! Other than that, that equation is totally wrong!"

What were your dreams like when you were a little boy? "I always dreamed to make people happy with my music and I am very happy to have been able to make that dream a reality. When I see how the people enjoy our music evening after evening and how such joy and happiness exudes from the Vrijthof, then I am not only happy but also a little proud."

I enjoy my grandchildren tremendously, they are darlings, all four of them

What was your childhood like growing up in Limburg? "Everything at home revolved around music. My brothers, sisters and I all played several musical instruments, so it was somewhat of a mini-conservatory at home. When my mother was not playing the piano, my father was practicing scores. When we were dressing there was always a record being played. Classical of course, anything else did not exist in our home. We divided humanity into two categories: musicians and the rest. My father was the conductor of the Limburg Symphony Orchestra and every week all of us, my mother with six children, would go to his concerts. In addition, I along with my brother Robert spend our entire childhood in the St. Servaas choir."

What affected you in the music? "The atmosphere which made the biggest impression on me and which definitely was the basis for my musical career, were the Midnight Masses on Christmas in the St. Servaas, which I found colossal as a choirboy. The church was then beautifully decorated with flowers, there were lots of candles, incense, a large nativity scene and the people sang Christmas carols with the choir .... Almost as beautiful as the Vrijthof concerts, ha, ha ... !!

Which music do you like to play in your spare time? "When I am not rehearsing, studying or recording a CD, I do not play music. I much rather play then with my grand-children."

What does Limburg, and in principle Maastricht mean to you? "I was born here and with the exception of my studies in Brussels, have lived here my entire life. Maastricht is a wonderful city, it has everything you need, but it is small enough that I can go by car from my house to my studio on the other side of town in five minutes—but don’t let the police know! Maastricht is also a beautiful city with beautiful historic buildings that define the appearance and atmosphere. I love old towns. Moreover, there is coziness, especially in the summer with all the cafe terraces on the Vrijthof."

What do you miss most of Maastricht when you are on tour? "My family first and foremost and everything else that I just mentioned."

The castle where you now live, was previously not a favorite place for you, what changed your feelings about "House the little Towers"? Since we have lived here, we have done many changes and restorations. It has become much lighter. Earlier it was dark and gloomy."

How is it to live in such a place? "Truly magnificent. It lies on the outskirts of the city, with the front facing the river Maas (Meuse). In the rear, our garden starts at the St.Petersberg. As far as I am concerned, no human being can live nicer than that. Is there a Hollywood boulevard that can top that?"

What does it mean for you that so many people have an uplifting experience when they attend a concert by you and your orchestra so that they speak of another life through this experience?  
"Is that a fact? I have actually never heard that before. But if they are happy with my music, I'm very happy of course."

What is the main driving force in your life? "The pleasures I and my orchestra have in the music."

Is the man André Rieu a different person than the celebrated musician? "No, not at all, I am the same person on stage, only in rock costume. At home I prefer to wear jeans."

How would you like people to remember you later on? "Oh, I would rather not think about that. I still enjoy life to the fullest and the music."

What is the most important lesson you have wanted to give your two sons? "I do not think that I consciously have wanted to give them lessons. They are both great boys and have a huge heart. They care for other people, and that makes me proud, just like my grandchildren. Very proud. I enjoy all four immensely, they are darlings."

Did your family have to make sacrifices for your career? "I do not think that Marjorie and the boys look at it that way. When the boys were still small I played with the Limburg Symphony Orchestra and was often home, maybe more frequent than most fathers, since my afternoons were free.

What does family mean to you? "Very much. My family is the center point of my world. That is where I get all my energy."

You have known your wife Marjorie since you were eleven….What is the secret of your marriage? "Secret??? I would not know why! We love each other and together we have a lot of fun in music and our work."

Your wife is your toughest critic, what does her judgment mean to you? "Her opinions weigh heavily on me and I always listen very seriously to her critique."

Is Marjorie the secret force behind your success, the wings on which you fly? "Marjorie and I fly together, I believe, that is nicer than alone. We both gain strength from that."

What makes your really happy, besides music? "Since I have become a grandfather, I believe I enjoy that aspect of my life the most. But when I am standing on the Vrijthof, and see all those people in front of me enjoying our music so much, then I am also very happy,"

You are now 65, but still not nearly ready for your pension. How do you experience getting older? "I am not too involved in that. Of course you notice that you are getting older, since for instance, you cannot run as fast as you used to and you have more ailments than when you were younger. But actually I am not really bothered that much by that. And I do everything I can to stay fit and healthy."

What does all that entail? "I have a personal trainer under whose supervision I do weightlifting three times a week. He also accompanies us on tour so I do not have to interrupt my training schedule. He also advises me on foods. I do not smoke, have an occasional glass of red wine, eat healthy and varied and above all, not too much. And fortunately an occasional little piece of Limburg vlaai (pastry)."

What, when you look back on your career, has been the most remarkable change in your life? "I was brought up with classical music. I really never heard about the "Beatles" nor the "Rolling Stones". Yes, their names maybe, but the sort of music they played, I really never knew. Something like that was not allowed in our house. And I was not allowed to go out, so where would I have heard that. Only though Marjory I learned to know lighter music. Not so much pop-music, but operettas, waltzes and dance music. I immediately found that to be beautiful and that has caused a major change in my career."

What is your best memory? "I have many beautiful memories in my career as well as in my private life. The first concert on the Vrijthof ten years ago was very special. To be allowed to perform there, in my own city, in front of thousands of –especially then—Maastricht citizens: an experience never to be forgotten. But still now too, again every year, when people now come to the Vrijthof from all over the world, my orchestra and I immensely enjoy playing there. It has a unique atmosphere, which we will never forget."

How do you look to the future?

"Mostly, and although the politics do not always indicate a positive - optimistically I hope to be able to continue in doing what I love to do for a long time to come, namely making music and having people join in the fun.

André Rieu was born in 1949 in Maastricht in a musical family where father André Senior was a conductor, with two older sister, two brothers and a younger sister. He was given the names of André Léon Nicolas Marie, and studied violin at the conservatory in Brussels and where he received lessons from amongst others from Herman Krebbers. In 1994 he scored a world hit with "The Second Waltz" by Dmitri Sjostakovitsj. With his wife Marjorie, whom he married in 1975, they have two sons, Marc (1978) and Pierre (1981). He has one grandson and three granddaughters of which two are twins. Since 2002 the violinist has been a "Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion." With his Johann Strauss orchestra he performs mega concerts all over the world.

Thanks to Ineke for the article and ©Translation by John 

There are not enough words to thank John for all the hours he puts into The Harmony Parlor to bring all of us the News of André in English with his German and Dutch Translations! We hope all your wishes come true and the coming year is filled with Health and Happiness John!

André Rieu very rarely listens to music in private

André Rieu very rarely listens to music in private

André Rieu, the most successful violinist in the world begins his German tour in January with the program "A Night in Venice" and will also be on stage in Berlin. After his world tour this year, the Dutch Waltz King will again set off on a journey through German arenas and concert halls and presents his new program. On February 5, he and his Johann Strauss Orchestra will play in Berlin's O2 World. The musician André Rieu knows no boundaries. And does not make music just for the fun of it.
Berliner Morgenpost: 

Which audiences or whichever city in particular are you looking forward to in 2015?
That is very hard to say. Every city has its own peculiarities. The German audience knows the music we play very well and they have been coming to us for years. That’s wonderful. In June we will also be in Romania for the first time and conduct open air concerts there. To go to a new country for the first time is always something very special. I believe it is the mix of tradition like we have in Germany and in new countries such as China, Taipei and Singapore in 2014, which makes my job just like always fulfilling and exciting.

Which personality in the music industry in 2015 are we still going to see and hear?
I hope many talented young violinists.

Do you listen to a lot of music at home?
Not really. I rarely listen to music in private, and never in the car. I relax a lot better by cooking, reading, or playing with my grandchildren.

With which music did you grow up?
Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Wagner. My father was a conductor. The Beatles totally passed me by. No sex, drugs or rock 'n' roll. At home, only classical music was played. My siblings and I all learned one or more instruments. Music was work then, and not fun.

Is there a style of music which you cannot get along with? And if so, why?
Yes, there is. For me, music has to have a tune and harmony. With contemporary classical music, I can do very little, others should do that. It also does not interest me, since it just is not mine. And rap or heavy metal I would definitely not play, it just does not fit. But good pop and rock music, why not?!

What is the status in principle to the classics, what does the future hold with respect to classical music?
I hope a lot of new, young audiences. The classical music world needs time to descend from its high pedestal. Why not speak with the audience during concerts? Bernstein did that, he had the audience and many young people involved. Why does everyone have to look so serious, as if someone had just died, no matter what kind of music they play? I have 120 permanent employees, and my orchestra is the largest private orchestra in the world. No one is crazy enough to afford his own orchestra. I do not receive subsidies - I have to sell tickets and CD's to keep the business running. And I do that, amongst other things, by playing classical music. And it works. You just have to try to make the people go home happy.

Do you have something like a ritual before your performances?
Not necessarily a ritual, but a steady routine. Before each concert I take a nap, we eat together with the orchestra, and I tune the instruments with everyone individually.

What do you associate with Berlin?
Lots. My father-in-law lived in Berlin before the war up until he fled; my wife's family is Jewish. He was a very great Charleston dancer and at that time could only take his record collection with him. Marjorie and I both love the city very much, we "still have a suitcase in Berlin", in the truest sense of the word. Always longing to return. In 2015 the Berlin Comedian Harmonists will be going on tour with us. A tribute to the years of the 20s and 30s of this city.

Is there anything with which you cannot go without on trips? 
Apart from my Stradivarius I would say that I cannot travel without my phone, without photos of my family or without my red sofa.

What would you like to read about yourself in 2015 in the newspaper? 
I have no idea ... anyway I never read any article about me.

Thanks to John for the Translation