Christmas With André Rieu

Christmas With André Rieu

Exclusive interview

"Now I am primarily in the kitchen"  

Weekend Magazine, Dec 2020, by Emelie van Kaam

Photos by Marcel van Hoorn and Instagram

André Rieu's castle is completely in the Christmas atmosphere. The violinist likes to be in the kitchen,  some place where he spends a lot of time. He speaks to "Weekend" how he deals with temptations, that he does not speak with all his brothers and sisters and how he dealt with the passing of his mother. "I did not have a relationship with. I did not attend her funeral either."

How are you doing?

André Rieu: We are healthy, and that says it all. The rest is horrible. I should be performing for full venues. I see it on my calendar all the time. Last week we would have been in Belgrade and this week in Lisbon. I would much rather be doing that. We are now very busy to again reschedule all performances.

From 19 December until 3 January people will be able to watch you via a virtual concert, named "Magical Maastricht." Together with your wife Marjorie you have selected your favorite performances from the last fifteen years. Which one touched you the most?

When you see the crowd of 12,000 people on that square being carried away by us and the happy music and now you think that's no longer possible, than that's really horrible and painful to see. It better not be lasting too much longer and we should return very quickly to normalcy. Every morning Marjorie and I ask at breakfast: "How long can we sustain this?" Then we start counting and doing some math.

I am a crier with Christmas movies

Around this period 46 years ago, you entered into a relationship with Marjorie. Because of that do the Christmas days have a romantic touch for you?

"Every year we talk about that. The very first Christmas we were both very much in love, lying underneath a Christmas tree. Back then I had to play during the Mid-night Mass, to which I really had to force myself and tear away from her, ha, ha. I did that nicely, but afterwards said: I'll never do that again. So now with Christmas I am always home. They can offer me as much as they want, but I will not do it."

Do you both watch romantic Christmas movies at Christmas?

"Yes, of course, all those crying films surface again. I have so many favorites, such as "Miracle on 34th Street."  I can definitely shed a tear, but  then I'm such a cry baby, ha, ha."

What does the Christmas menu show this year?

"What am I going to cook? I don't know yet. I decide that day by day. What is my specialty? Just tell me what to fix, Indonesian, Italian, stew, and I can do it all. For a few years now we have a new kitchen and I always cook. Marjorie did not want such a large kitchen, but I really wanted one. So I promised then I would cook, and I have kept that promise."

You hail from a family with six children. You are very close with your brother Robert, who lives in Marseille. Will you see him with Christmas?

"No, I don't think so. They are very strict in France, there are many corona infections there. But we do have contact by phone."

Do you have a lot of contact with your three sisters?

"Not much. My oldest sister has been ill since she was eighteen.  It is very difficult to stay in contact with her, but I know she likes my music. I always send her the newest pieces. Through my youngest sister, who does have a lot of contact with her, I hear that she enjoys those. My second sister passed away a couple of years ago at the age of 69, she was two years older than I. No, I did not have a real bond with her. My youngest sister has five children and is extremely busy, so we don't see each other that often. But  they do come each year to a Vrijthof concert and then we always have a great time afterwards together in the catering."

You also have a brother named Jean-Phillipe

"I do not have contact with him either. We worked together for some time, but at a certain point it just did not click anymore. Let's just leave it at that."

For that same reason weren't you afraid to work together with your son Pierre?

"No, that's going perfect. But we speak very openly about everything, that's very important.  Moreover it  grew very slowly that way. He started at the tailgate of a truck when he was ten and worked very hard. He is now on the board and is our right-hand man. My entire life I felt that my son was doing great, but not my brother."

Jean-Philippe might be jealous?

"You would have to ask him that. Robert is not jealous at all."

A number of years ago you suffered a burn-out and an infection on your equilibrium, caused by stress. How do you watch your health now?

"I put things more into perspective and I exercise. Because of that, it will not re-appear again.  Since I was 62 I have been doing strength training three times a week with my trainer.  I think I had muscle cramps for three weeks after the first time I worked out.  I do it now to stay in shape, and that does me good."

Do you watch your figure?

"Yes, that is part of it. I eat very healthy, and for a few years now do not consume any alcohol. No, I find that not at all difficult. Half way through a glass I stopped. Suddenly I realized that I drank wine every day. Not much at all, but still every day. So I thought: this I don't think is good, and I stopped immediately. We just then had that new kitchen, with six wine cabinets totally filled with nice wines. Now our friends consume those, ha, ha!  My wife does not join in that either, she only drank half a glass once a year."

For the time being there are 20 concerts scheduled on the Vrijthof this coming summer.

"I hope they will take place, they are outside and still six months away. Science has worked very hard to develop a vaccine, so something does need to happen. I am going let myself be vaccinated, for sure. Right away as one of the first. I have never had a flu vaccination, but in this case I am definitely going to do it. Corona does not seems to be a pleasant illness. Yes, of cousre am I afraid of becoming infected with it, and I am doing everything to prevent that. I am not afraid to die, no, I just hope not to be in pain. I hope it will be a long time before that happens, because it is cozy here."

Violinist speaks about temptations and Jealousy

Do you sometimes worry that something might happen to Marjorie?

"Of course. And that is mutual. That would be a disaster. You are together for so long. If she happens to pass, I would not know how to go on. I don't know what would be left of André Rieu, because I ask her everything. We do everything together."

If corona rears its ugly head again this summer, won't you fear that that will be the end of the story for your company, as you said previously?

"It is all very exciting, but that is also relative.  We are healthy and live well. And if it all falls apart, we'll start all over afterwards. Did you think I was going to stop? We have had a few good years and fortunately I am have out of debt with the bank, which is to my advantage. So it just depends on how long I can survive this. The moment I nothing left, I'll need to let everyone go. But as soon as it is all possible again, I will call them all and we will all start again. It's just that simple.

Can you continue to live in your beautiful castle?

"I hope so. If I keep paying my staff, at a certain point I'll have to sell the house. Somewhere it has to stop, then there is no more money to buy bread. That would be the moment when I decide to close things up. At least I would be able to live for a few more years. Of course I receive support from the government, just like everyone else, but that is becoming less and less."

 If I want to continue paying everyone, I'll have to sell my house

Your last album "Jolly Holiday" is fortunately again very successful.

"We worked very hard and long on it. When it is finished, Marjorie and I invariably listen to it during breakfast. I listen to what she thinks, because she listens with different ears. My father was a conductor and he didn't care about anyone else's opinion. He didn't think you knew anything about it. While I feel: The audience is the one who listens. And my wife is my sounding board."

Do you ever dance with your wife to your music?

"No, we had a fight just once and that was when we were at dance class. I said I could dance well, but she thought she could dance better, ha, ha! That was the only fight ever. And that was when we first were together, during the first year. Furthermore, we always agree."

Marjorie has always been deeply involved in your career, did she also have to make sacrifices?

"No, I don't believe so. Marjorie just doesn't want to be in the public eye. She dislikes traveling, flying, attention and luxury. I'm on stage, all photos are taken of me, that's just part of the operation. It is not that she is second place. She's fine with that. I think that's why we are still so happy with each other, otherwise it would be such a competitive battle. You often see that with famous actor couples, it almost never goes well. It's not possible, because then you become involved in a kind of a competition fight, something that is absolutely not the case with us."

In what else are you opposites?

“She always wants to watch different TV programs than I do, but we have more rooms with TVs, ha ha. In the great things of life, we always agree. We also think exactly the alike, which is almost frightening .”

Are you a womanizer?

“I am a man, enough said. I am a man through and through and I like that there are beautiful women. Isn't that healthy?"

Nevertheless, you only have one great love in your life.

“Yes, but that has nothing to do with it. You can also see good food and become hungry by that”.

You are adored by many women. How do you deal with temptation?

"That's right, but I can't sleep with all those women anyway, that would be a bit difficult, ha, ha. Apart from the fact if I would like to, of course. It's just wonderful that I'm a man. When the girls in my orchestra get to wear a nice dress, then I think the neckline should be a little lower. And they think so too. It's difficult making a nice dress with a beautiful neck line. I definitely get involved with that, yes, because I know how."

Is your wife ever jealous?

"No definitely not. She is also present during the fittings. A jealous woman seems horrible to me. Can you imagine. So I just look at another woman and then when I get home I receive a thrashing for that every time…No thanks... I'm not the jealous type myself either. Marjorie has many male friends. I think that that is also the secret: when you hold on to each other too tight and never let go, then you'll want to leave.”

You have 5 grandchildren, what kind of grandfather are you?

“I am a sweet grandfather, but I try not to spoil them too much. You notice they are getting older. Grandchildren start to disengage at a certain point. You can feel that. Now they think: “Here comes that old grandfather again, we are going to do other things”. They will be on their iPads. It seems difficult for parents nowadays having to deal with that. And what they are allowed to look or not to look at? I always used to go play outside with Robèrt, with the cart. No, I am not going to further get involved. Raising them is for the parents to do."

Did your grandchildren inherit your musical genes?

“Yes, but whether they will continue is unclear. Both my sons play an instrument. Pierre trumpet and piano, Marc piano. No, no one plays the violin, only me.”

Who will one day then follow in your footsteps?

 "I would not know that. But I don't mind, they have to want that for themselves. My father was a conductor, so we all had an instrument at home. I received a violin and had the talent, that went smoothly. I became a violinist. But did I really want all that that time, you never know afterwards. I am very happy that my children and grandchildren like my music. .

You just spoke about the iPad. What do you think of Social Media?

“On the one hand, I find that very annoying. It changes all of life. People start to think that everything they read and see there is true, that it is real life, but that is nonsense. The youth now says: “I have so many friends”… Social media friends are not friends at all, it's all fake. But social media is also a wonderful  way for me to stay in touch with my fans from all over the world. They write to me from Egypt, USA, Australia, Mongolia, South Africa. That is amazing!"

 Do you have many friends?

“Yes, especially from the past and they are not jealous at all. When they come by, we have a nice chat and have some cake which I baked. I have few well- known friends, and André van Duin is one of them. We don't see each other very often, but when we're together it always feels good. There is a click, and that's nice.”

He has had a tough year with the death of his husband Martin and best friend Corry van Gorp.

"Definitely! If he wants me to be there for him, then I'll be there. I recently saw him and then it's always fun."

Your parents never believed in your ability. You claim to have had a loveless and unhappy childhood. Where were you last year when you learned that your 98-year-old mother had passed away?

“I heard about it in the evening, after a concert. I did not have a relationship with her, so I wasn't too sad. I've hardly ever seen her in my life. No, I didn't say goodbye to her. I was in Vienna ”.

So her death didn't affect you, did it?

"No, not at all. I have processed that nasty childhood too! It does no longer bother me all day long. Again, it helps to put things into perspective. There are people who have had a worse childhood, I then think. Children are being born on scrap heaps. That's really bad! My childhood hurt me of course, but that is the way it is. I also made choices, for example by leaving the parental home more than 40 years ago. I didn't discuss it, I said: “Do your thing. It's such a madhouse here, I'm gone ” In retrospect, I think that was my best decision."

Finally: Have you ever been bothered by being a world star?

“I think it has more pros than cons. In Maastricht I can just take to the streets and they just say hello to me. In Amsterdam, Vienna or Paris is that totally different, there my name is immediately called out. That makes sense, because I don't belong there. Here they know: Oh well, he's home again. Just leave him alone .”

Thanks to Ineke for this article and her combined effort with John for the Translation