André Rieu's Son Speaks Out About His Exceptional Youth

Star Violinist’s Son Speaks Out About His Exceptional Youth

Marc Rieu is the oldest son of André, the son who does not work in the company. In Privé the artist speaks about his exceptional youth and the moment in which his father went from an unknown to world fame. He was amazed at the change in the way people interacted with him. First I was bullied, later everyone wanted to be my friend.

By Boris van Zonneveld: Although Pierre works as vice president for father André’s company, his oldest son Marc, chose a different path. He is an artist and exhibits his workings this summer during his father's concerts in the Theater on the Vrijthof in Maastricht. "I do not work in the company, which is my choice." says Marc. "But I do make good use of my last name." Six years ago his career took off. Back then I asked my father if he would like it if I could show my paintings during his concerts, basically just for the fun of it. At first I brought 36 paintings, and after the two weekend performances of my Dad, I was two-thirds sold out. So I thought: "We’ll do this again." Now there are real collectors who return every year. "Since that time I have slightly raised my prizes. They vary between two and three thousand Euros per canvas. 

Painting is my profession, and from that I have to support a wife and two children. The expositions during the concerts provide a nice income, but it is not all about that. "Two years ago I had sold everything in Maastricht and on the last day an Australian lady came up to me and said that I must be pretty rich by now. I replied: "Do you know why I am so rich now? It is because I have a beautiful wife and two healthy children. I only need those painting in order to feed them." Then it was quiet and she said: "If you maintain that thought for the rest of your life, you will go far."

Violin lessons

Marc Rieu, educated as an art historian, plays piano, but not the violin, although during his formative years he did receive lessons in the instrument that brought his father fame. André’s Dad, André Sr. was the Limburg Symphony Orchestra’s conductor. He had his son play the violin from the age of five. There was less pressure with Marc. "We did receive violin lessons, but not every day just before going to school. My father thinks it's important that we do what we enjoy and what interests us. Only then will you stick with it until you die. I also want to give my children that."

Pierre once said in an interview: "My three-years-older brother and I have been raised fairly free. Although certain expectations were placed upon us. For instance; every summer we went to a language camp for three weeks, a different country every year". Marc laughed when the language camp was brought up. "We actually did language courses. The reason; my father thought it was important that we always did something useful. Playing outside was alright as long as we were doing something. Like playing soccer. We were not allowed to just hang out. Once one of our mother’s old colleagues who had studied German came by and asked: "Marjorie, why not send your boys to a language camp." The rest is history. "Pierre and I spent the next three summers, three weeks each in Germany. There was only one language: German. But, I also took four more summer courses in French in France and Belgium and spent two summers in Paris. Those were a week and a half with a Flemish organization for Flemish children who had to learn French. We were the only Dutch children." During summer vacation there was also time for "the family." First we took a language course, and afterwards we went with our parents on a three weeks vacation. The summer was one of the few times that we were all free."

Bullied

School was not always easy for Marc. "My father did not have an every day job. For two years, when he was still unknown I was being bullied. Back then, a locally known father, the wrong schoolbag … they always found something. Halfway though I changed schools because it became unbearable. Marc’s world changed when André broke through nationally in 1994. "We moved to inside Maastricht. I went to a second secondary school. Everyone all of the sudden wanted to be my friend, classmates helped me with my homework, everyone was nice. The first few months I walked around with a sense of: "Where are the remarks about my father, my schoolbag?" - but that did not happen.

With the rising popularity of André the indecent proposals by women also came about. When he became famous, we began to recognize those women by their envelopes, which had been soaked with some sort of penetrating perfume. When you see those women after a concert revealing their cleavage to my father while sticking a pen in his hand and would he please place his signature on their chest ..." 

Now André is a world star and Marc did not see that coming. But now it is quite self-evident. It is still very nice and wonderful. I look at it with one percent disbelief and ninety-nine percent pride. That only one percent of disbelief consists of everything I have experienced from the beginning. The salon orchestra, with which he played in a retirement home in front of a hundred people. And where Pierre, a friend and I dressed up as "the Three Kings" were allowed to sing a song. And now I am on the Vrijthof in the middle of the other ten thousand fans and I think: "Isn’t it still a little weird that it is your dad who is providing all these people the evening of their lives." He has got it together. That is, saying it in Maastrichts, very posh.

Thanks to Ineke for the article and John for his ©Translation

Rieu To Be Namesake For Prize Offered by Amikejo

Rieu To Be Namesake For Prize Offered by Amikejo

André Rieu has attached his name to a new encouragement prize which will be offered by the youth symphony orchestra "Amikejo"

It is the first time that the conductor has attached his name to an award. Every year the André Rieu incentive award will be presented to Euro-regional musical talents in the categories of strings, wind instruments an percussion. The jury, which will determine the winners, consists of Mark Prills, conductor of Amikejo, Ruud Merx and Franks Steijn, musicians from the Johan Strauss orchestra and Tom Berghmans, member on the board of the LSJO.

The talents, between the ages of 10 and 23 will be assessed by the jury in three components: Passion and Enthusiasm, Talent and being an ambassador for out-of-the-box thinking. In addition to a certificate, the winners will also receive an amount of money which they can invest in their own musical career.

The André Rieu incentive award will be presented for the first time on Sunday, April 26

Thanks to John for the Translation

Additional Vrijthof Concert

André has just added another day to his Vrijthof concert series. Additional concert will take place on Thursday July 9, 2015 ... Concert starts at 21:00 hours. (9:ooPM) Official tickets on sale now. For those who are interested in purchasing tickets, we wish you the best of luck.
  

Ruud Merx - Searching For Roots in Limburg

Searching For Roots in Limburg

Ruud Merx noticed that after years of travelling with André Rieu and his orchestra that he started losing contact with his Limburg birthplace. He wants to restore that contact by implementing music projects in this province.

April 4, 2015 - by Jan Cuijpers: As a teenager, trombone player Ruud Merx (45) could often be found on the farm in Bocholtz, comfortably riding the tractor. More than once he saw a procession of cars passing by with all kinds of men in costumes. "Suddenly one of the cars stopped and out came Wil Huppertz Sr. who had already retrieved his instrument and costume from my parents. I had once again forgotten that we had a concert" said Ruud Merx, successful musician in André Rieu’s Johan Strauss Orchestra, and also to indicate that as a youngster he was not such a fanatical wind instrument musician. It is purely through the guidance of teacher Wil Huppertz Sr. that Merx finally ended up at the conservatory in Maastricht.

Although his maternal grandfather was chairman of the philharmonic Bocholtz, the family Merx was not a horn playing family. My father was a horseman. My brother and sister both competed at a high level; me, not at all" Merx said. "Dad rarely if ever had time for a concert visit. He was more remotely present. That changed in later life. For the recording of the winter special with Rieu’s orchestra, he sat for example in the audience. He thought that was neat."

The family Merx escapes the hectic life of a travelling musician - wife Alina-Lin Jong is a violinist with Rieu - in rural Eys. The two spouses are standing next to each other in a photo taken during introduction week of the Conservatory. "Wind instrument players and strings players are not compatible" Merx quips now. "She can still remember that I always said "Good Day" to her. Later in the arranging class which we both were taking at the same time, there was an inkling of attraction. The spark really hit when I was already more than a year with the Strauss orchestra - during a long bus trip, we talked intensively for four hours. Both of the relationships we then had, died within a month.

How Merx ended up in Rieu’s orchestra is a story all its own. Already at the conservatory he was real good friends with trumpet player René Henket. When it became a hit, a trombone player was needed for "the Second Waltz" during the TV performances, someone who could mime that piece. "René knew of someone who fit that perfectly. At first I could not go because of another commitment. A week later André called again. After those TV appearances, Rieu asked if I could play live. Had to audition for him in his house: low, high, loud and soft. And in passing the trombone player reveals how the typical Rieu-sound occurs. When we are recording, we always play from an extensive piano score, written by Frank Steijns. The orchestra is so well trained that they can take from the score whatever works. For André this is a kind of sweets factory. He can add to it anything he wants."

His two children, the surroundings near Eys, the rolling hills, the Löss, the clay and the social contacts, are what the trombone player calls his base. "In short, the country where you come from. I noticed at one point that I was losing my contact with that base. Since 1994 I am slowly being absorbed by Rieu. When you are on the road as much as we are, a very cohesive bond forms, especially when almost no one has children. At some point you become so busy that you no longer have normal social contacts. And when people call you three times in vain, they are not going to call you a fourth time. "Call me when you get here" they then say." When Merx notices that he has neglected his base, he decides to restore that actively. First on the list, he and his wife will work part-time, they alternate every week. "We find it very important that one of us is with the children. Rieu understands that: he too has children."

In addition Merx is involved with many projects with Limburg (amateur) musicians. He arranges the Roermond musical "Limburg Geis" which is being put on CD at this time. He also arranges a number of chansons by Jacques Brel for the Limburg brass band, "Little gems that fall in your lap." And for the brass band of Landhorst (St. Anthony’s) from division five, he writes the music for a stage play named "Geluiden uit de Peel" {(Sounds from the Peel) An area in the Netherlands rich in pied}. "Quite difficult because you have to consider many things, such as the different levels. If all goes as planned, and after this project, the musicians will then play a class better then now. That’s a nice bonus. In addition he puts time into the brass band "Blech Mich?" and together with his wife they are on the board membership foundation "Op Herme" where they organize a house concert three times a year for all the donors. Not surprising because Lin is the daughter of Veronika Jong, the driving force behind the nursing home for ponies. But with most enthusiasm the 45-year-old trombone player speaks about the project "Music makes Smart."

And also out of personal interest. I have always wondered why music touches me so. How does that work?" Research has shown that the brain halves in music playing, children are more interconnected. It also has something to do with physics. Looking at the micro level, people consist of so-called quarks, energy. And energy is what you feel when you transfer music to the intention and emotion. Therefore, music is a universal language. I like to bring that over on to others." He still wonders daily about things, Merx confesses." Looking at things in a childlike and unbiased way. No matter how often you play the "Blue Danube", you should always play it as if it is for the first time. That attitude you should incorporate in your daily life ... and that is difficult. "

Thanks to John for the English Translation