André Rieu: 'Four people wanted to save my Stradivarius!'

 

World star has his back against the wall, but ...

André Rieu: 'Four people wanted to save my Stradivarius!'

Telegraaf, 21 August 2021. By Harrie Nijen Twilhaar: André Rieu has not had any sleepless nights yet, but even his beloved Vrijthof remained, again, dead quiet this summer. "I'm getting extremely nervous about how it will now proceed," he told Privé (part of "de Telegraaf") today. "This is unsustainable." But his great pride, his Stradivarius, which he considered selling, is safe...

World star André Rieu can't wait to go back on stage with his orchestra. 

"We want so badly to perform again, but the situation is very uncertain."

André Rieu (71) has never concealed his great concerns over the past year and a half. Together with a number of successful DJs, he is the only Dutch world star, where the entire machinery which has been built up around him in recent years has been at a standstill for a long time. And for him too, with various corona measures worldwide, the end is not yet in sight.

At home in his Maastricht castle on the Sint-Pietersberg, the king of the waltz tells us that as long as testing has to be done, he will not board a plane or enter a stage with his orchestra.

In place of performing on the Vrijthof, the maestro was 'forced' to stay in his studio to produce a new album and a special 'for cinemas only' program called "Together Again" – which will only be shown in numerous cinemas on 28 and 29 August only.

"In order to be able to do something for our fans, we have put together a compilation of the most beautiful performances – from Sydney to Mexico City and from Istanbul to New York," says André. "My orchestra and I want to perform so badly again, but the situation is very uncertain. Fortunately, vaccinations give more and more freedom, but as long as international lockdowns or other protective measures are in force, we cannot go in anywhere."

It's been over a year and a half since you last performed.

"Due to the advancing corona pandemic, we had to return home at the end of February last year. And that was it. Never imagined it would take so long! Hundreds of thousands of fans have bought tickets. Those dates have all been changed. I estimate that it entails as many as 140 concerts at home as well as abroad. In addition, we also have to make up for our concerts in Chile in 2019. In October of that year, all hell broke loose there because of political uprisings. Everyone feels like things are going in the right direction, but for us, as an orchestra, that uncertainty is murderous. Tomorrow may be different. That makes me extremely nervous.

Is that uncertainty debilitating?

"Absolutely. As long as there still is a hassle around testing and the requirements which are set abroad, and for the time being, I'm not going to travel with the orchestra That's just not possible. Then you create a lot of misery all about yourself. This means that we are reluctant to plan. We cannot, especially now, spend millions of Euros on airline tickets, hotel costs, insurance, while we do not know whether concerts will take place. With a lockdown, you know where you stand, while the circumstances are completely uncertain now. In the Netherlands, the policy almost changes weekly. You can't rely on that."

You are critical when it comes to testing.

"That has to stop sometime. We will always find a virus when you test. I can only continue when all the misery is behind us. That's why, for the time being, I will not get on a plane or stage. First, it has to be over and done with all the hassles around it. My fans are letting me know that they are patient, even if it takes another five years. They continue to stay loyal to me."

How long can you keep this up financially?

"The bank and I have been together to speak about this situation. They also know that I am dependent on whether or not concerts will take place, in the near future. They immediately expressed full confidence in me. The bank determined that I have a super healthy company and let me know that they are willing to help me. In addition, we still receive government assitance, but that is by far not enough. They only pay eighty percent of the salaries and a little for fixed costs. No matter how you turn it, it continues to cost a lot of money."

Did you ever think of throwing in the towel?

"No! Never! I once said that I would sell my Stradivarius. When I announced that, immediately there were four rich people in the Netherlands who, independently of each other, told me that that was not going to happen. Mentally together with my wife Marjorie and sons Pierre and Marc we can handle it. Together we have made this family business big and we are not going to let it be taken away by a pandemic."

Your fighting spirit is boundless.

"I have a huge fighting spirit to keep going and I will not let myself get defeated. Even if it takes another five years! We're going to continue. Despite the fact that the situation is still so uncertain. Then I think: "Come on guys, dear government, there finally must come a point where we can agree on and that we can move on. It will be of no use to us if Prime Minister Rutte or some foreign government tonight shouts: 'Tomorrow you can do everything again." We have to prepare our concerts months in advance.

Together with my wife Marjorie and sons Pierre (photo) and Marc I made this family business big. 

We will not let this be taken away from us by a pandemic."

Starting October you would want to start your World Tour.

"It depends on the situation. Concerts are planned in Tel Aviv, Santiago, Vienna, Bratislava and Lisbon."

And that's is all about hundreds of thousands of tickets?

"Roughly about 700,000 tickets, to be exact. We did receive that money, but we cannot give a concert in return. Everyone has to be patient until we can perform again. I still need to play for those financial reserves! In addition, a large part of the receipts (the entrance fees received, ed.) is tied up in local banks abroad."

Do your musicians still have faith in the future?

"They have one hundred percent confidence in me that everything will turn out to be okay. Most of them have been with me for over thirty years. They are top musicians and they really don't – should I go bankrupt – run out of funds. But I have already placed that doomsday scenario aside, because I am certain that the situation will one day return to normal."

You look for alternatives, with those cinema concerts.

"In July we primarily filmed on the Sint-Pietersberg, to show that we are getting back together again as a Johann Strauss Orchestra for the first time. Before the film, a compilation of performances, is shown in cinemas, the viewers are presented an interview with my son Pierre. Incidentally, those cinema concerts do, of course, yield something, but it is a pittance if you compare that with the actual merits if there had not been a pandemic. Still, we want to do something for our loyal fans, which I miss terribly."

Are the summer concerts on the Vrijthof in 2022 feasible?

"Of course I hope to be playing there again. But we can't plan anything right now. Around January, we should know if 2022 is feasible. Hopefully we can also give Christmas concerts in the renewed MECC in Maastricht in December, just like two years ago. But for that too, time is running out for that too!"

 

Thanks to Ineke for this article and John's translation.

André Rieu Continues To Count On Support Packages

André Rieu Continues To Count On Support Packages

de Limburger, Editorial Staff: André Rieu hopes that the government will not suddenly stop with the corona support packages. If the financial support happens to disappear, the curtain will definitely fall on his orchestra, the world-famous violinist fears.

The 71-year-old Rieu is receiving support because there has not been any turnover since March last year. With that, he pays the salaries of his orchestra members and "some fixed costs", Rieu told the RTL 4 talk show Humberto on Tuesday. Whether he will make it is still the question. "It's going to be difficult, too. I believe that in October the aid officially ends. If they still say: "You still can't perform"... yes, that would be a bit unfair. Plus, then all that money is thrown away."

Rieu tries to keep up the courage. "One day it's all going to be fine again," he says. "How do I keep my good mood? Because of the music and my attitude. I don't play a role on stage. I'm really like that. That helps."

Thanks to John for this article and his translation.

The Story Behind The Hit: "The Second Waltz"

 The Story Behind The Hit: 

"The Second Waltz"

illustration Katinka Hanselman, photo Mitchel Giebels 

Golden grip: performance during Champions League match

The Limburger by Rob Cobben: They achieved high ratings in the charts, are a fixed value in the Top 2000 or Limbo Top 100, or are etched in the collective memory. In this section we tell the story behind the success numbers of Limburg soil. Today: "The Second Waltz" by André Rieu.

Sometimes one song can change your whole life. Take The Second Waltz, composed by the Russian Dmitri Shostakovitch (1906-1975). André Rieu adapts it in 1994 with his Johann Strauss Orchestra and scores a world hit with it. Suddenly everyone knows who the violinist and orchestra leader from Maastricht is. The album Strauss & Co, on which The Second Waltz gets a place, has sold almost a million copies in a year." Just as much as Michael Jackson's Thriller", says Rieu not without pride in the guest room of his castle in the Maastricht district of Sint Pieter. "But it took him two years to do that..." Rieu already knew in the nineties that he has gold in his hands with his popular renditions of classical music, he says. But he initially fails to enthuse record companies. "Very frustrating. We went door to door in Hilversum. But they wouldn't put a label on us. We were not producing pop and we were not making classical music either. They just didn't know what to do with us."

Marjorie and I went every day to V&D (Huge department store chain) to see if there were still CDs left on the shelves. That was usually not the case: all sold out.

In 1994 he manages to convince the gentlemen of Decca (part of the record group Universal) and  was allowed to record the album Strauss & Co with his orchestra. The CD is almost finished when the Maastricht native walks through the corridors of the studio complex in Hilversum and catches fragments of a song from a room that immediately appeals to him. It turns out to be Waltz No. 2 of the Suite for Variety Orchestra, written by Shostakovitch. The composition is a modest hit in France, because there it has been used in an advertisement for an insurance company. Universal is trying to roll out that success in other countries as well.

Champions League

Rieu immediately adds: "I could use one more song for the CD," he explains. His wife Marjorie didn't like it at first, says Rieu, but he immediately saw the potential of the song: "It was nice to the ear, had a beautiful melody line with that accordion."

Because the original name of the song was not comfortable to the ear, Rieu's wife comes up with the title of The Second Waltz. A few months later – on April 19, 1995 – the semi-finals of the Champions League is being played in the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. Ajax (soccer team)will host Bayern Munich. Universal buys airtime to promote the CD of the Maastricht stand-alone violinist during intermission of the match. There are two scenarios: if Ajax is trailing after the first half, a commercial is shown over the CD. But if the Sons of the Gods are in front and the ambiance is good, the violinist will play The Second Waltz live. The latter happens. Ajax goes into the dressing rooms with a comfortable 3-1 lead and Rieu and his violin can take a spot in the middle of the arena. "I had never been to a soccer stadium before," he recalls. "When I was playing in the subterranean passageways, Ajax scored a goal. It was as if the whole tent collapsed. Creepy though..."

Rocket

Millions of Dutch and Germans, who are glued to the tube, see a little later how the violinist performs The Second Waltz in the sold-out soccer stadium. In the days following the TV appearances, sales of the album Strauss & Co and the single explode. "Marjorie and I went to the V&D every day to see if there were any CDs left on the shelves. That was usually not the case: all sold out. At Universal, they didn't know what was happening. They had anticipated that we would sell about five thousand CDs, but by Christmas it was already a quarter of a million..." Rieu's career skyrockets like a rocket and he's in demand for TV shows. For example, he is allowed to perform during a benefit show one evening for the victims of the floods of the Meuse and other rivers. The top brass of the Dutch showbiz participates in the by Joop van den Ende organized TV happening. "When we came in, we were ignored by all those colleagues. But you should have seen those looks when Van den Ende asked us to play The Second Waltz not once, but twice...." Rieu has now been running a large company with 120 people for a quarter of a century and has sold more than 42 million CDs and DVDs. The Second Waltz is no longer a regular part of his shows, because "you can't play the same songs every time." But on special occasions he still plays it. Like in 2019, during the one hundredth concert on the Vrijthof. The magic is far from finished, as it turns out to be on that night. There is swaying  and humming along. There is no end to the applause afterwards...

FACTS

'Waltz No. 2' is part of the so-called 'Suite for Variety Orchestra', a collection of short works which Shostakovich wrote before 1956.

On December 1, 1988, the play was performed in London. That was the first time it could be heard in a Western country.

'The Second Waltz' by André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra was in the Mega Top 50 for thirty consecutive weeks. No one had achieved that feat until 1994.

But still, that didn't become a record. Marco Borsato made it to 34 weeks with his hit 'Dreams are cheats'.

The album 'Strauss & Co' was on the Album's Top 100 for a year, of which 19 weeks in first place. It became the best-selling CD of 1995.

'The Second Waltz' was in the Top 2000 from 2001 to 2014. The song reached the highest spot in 2007: 615.

André Rieu plays a Stradivarius dated from 1732.

He won the Export Prize of Conamus/Buma seven times.

Thanks John for the translation of this article.

André Rieu Sells His Golden Carriage

 

Ride for 100-year-old Marie in golden carriage which her famous son bought from André Rieu

Top entrepreneur and multimillionaire Hennie van der Most bought the sets with which violinist André Rieu with the Johann Strauss Orchestra traveled the world for years for his concerts. The set pieces depict the famous Viennese Schönbrunn Castle.

By Benny Koerhuis, de Stentor

André Rieu was able to build two identical castles, but possession of those was a huge financial drain. Van der Most relieved him of that heavy burden and wants to embellish Wunderland Kalkar with both sets. This afternoon he had Rieu's golden carriage already unpacked for his 100-year-old mother. 

"You can use them to build two castles of 40 meters high and 135 meters wide," says Van der Most, who was born in Slagharen. "It's about two complete sets. For example, when André is performing on one set in Australia, the other was being built up in another metropolis at the same time. Together, those two sets fill up about a hundred containers. Which includes complete lighting installations, a kitchen and fitness room. I can very well use that stuff in my companies.''

Like an anchor

André Rieu - like so many artists - has a hard time keeping his head above water financially, now that performing as a result of the corona pandemic is not or hardly possible. About ten years ago, the Maastricht violinist and orchestra leader was already in trouble by reconstructing Schönbrunn Castle full size as a travelling backdrop. "We had 250 people on the podium, but also 250 to build up that castle every time. There was no money being gained from that. I ended up with a debt of 30 million Euros''' Rieu said in an interview with this newspaper in August last year. Next autumn he hopes to start on a new world tour.

To build near a nuclear power plant

"André is willing to lease his sets, light installation and similar items in the future," van der Most knows to say. "No, not for me." Because the 71-year-old entrepreneur already has a beautiful destination for the imposing-looking but 'flat' castles. "I want to use both sets for Wunderland Kalkar, so that a few ugly facades of that former nuclear power plant are hidden from view. We have already applied for a permit from the municipality.''

The controversial nuclear power plant, which never went into operation, was bought in 1995 for 2.5 million Euros by Van der Most who started the amusement park "Kernwasser Wunderland" with it, which since 2005 is now known as Wunderland Kalkar.

Golden carriage

Before everything is built at the German amusement park, Van der Most brought out the large 'golden carriage' belonging to the décor for his mother's 100th birthday. She took a trip through Slagharen and Schuinesloot, waved to many acquaintances and tourists, and enjoyed the royal ride.

Manager Pierre Rieu, son of the orchestra leader, confirms that Van der Most has bought the colossal sets. "Two months ago, the sale was concluded. For how much I'm not going to say. But how nice that Hennie's mother has driven around in the carriage. During a concert years ago at the Vrijthof, Jan Smit(Dutch entertainer) rode in that carriage between the audience to the stage."

Thanks to Ineke for this article and John's translation

 

André Rieu and Rowwen Hèze Together At Fundraiser

 André Rieu and Rowwen Hèze together at fundraiser Omroep MAX for Limburg

De Limburger and ANP

André Rieu was recently in Valkenburg to support the affected residents. Photo: Hollandse Hoogte / ANP

André Rieu and Rowwen Hèze are participating in the fundraiser which Omroep MAX will presents on Wednesday 18 August for the victims of the flooding in Limburg.

On 18 August, moneys will be raised during three special live broadcasts, presented by Dionne Stax and Jan Slagter. In the evening, Op1 will also bring attention to the action.

According to Slagter, many Limburgers are still "pulling their hair out" and in urgent need of help. "MAX is happy to do its part, in the form of this national fundraiser. I call on everyone, including businesses, to donate on Wednesday, August 18th. If possible, of course. It can be a large or small amount. Does not matter. After all, every little bit helps," he says.

Huub Stapel

The broadcasts will be aired from the Theodoor Dorrenplein in Valkenburg, which was badly affected by the floods. Besides local residents, well-known Limburgers such as André Rieu and Rowwen Hèze will also be present. There will also be appearances by Huub Stapel, Lilianne Ploumen and André van Duin.

At the end of last month, the amount for the Giro 777 fundraiser for Limburg stood at 10 million euros. In total 190,000 contributers transferred money. The National Disaster Fund started the action on 16 July after heavy rains and high tides caused major problems in Limburg.

Thanks John and Ineke for the article and John's Translation

City Carillonneur Viral After Metal Band Shares Video:

 City Carillonneur Viral After

 Metal Band Shares Video:

 'Outside My Comfort Zone'

August 7, 2021 - It's not really the kind of music you expect to hear coming from a church. Yet, recently there was  real heavy metal music coming from the church tower in the city of Weert. City carillonneur Frank Steijns and guitarist Jitse Zonneveld showed off a fine piece of metal with the song 'Ace of Spades' by Motörhead. The performance was picked up by the British band themselves, who shared it on YouTube yesterday.

During the Torenfestival (Tower Festival) Weert, people could enjoy live music at a distance of 70 meters, where Steijns played all kinds of music together with guest musicians for a month long all this summer. "This was the first and only music festival which could take place corona-proof. The city was our concert hall and we were tens of meters up high," he tells EditieNL. (TV program).

Hardly any preparation.

Guitarist Zonneveld is a big fan of Motörhead and had submitted this request to Steijns.

"I didn't know it at all. But if you wake Jitse at three in the morning, he can play it for you right away." One thing led to another and in no time he received the notes in his mailbox. The carillonneur had hardly any time to prepare. "We couldn't really rehearse, because then the whole city would hear it already," he explains. The two went upstairs about an hour in advance and briefly practiced on a fake carillon. "The first performance had to be flawless right away.

Comments.

Then the supreme moment finally there: "I was afraid I was going to be arrested, it sounded so loud all over the city. But everyone looked up with mouths open. That was really cool." After the performance, they shared a video on Face book. Soon a hundred thousand people had watched it.

" Jitse called me right away. He went completely crazy, because the band had shared our video on YouTube and other social media channels." Motörhead wrote: 'We really like this.'

Soon reactions came in from all over the world.

The Village People - known for the song YMCA - also shared the video.

Next edition?

The city carillonneur has been playing the carillon for 25 years and is also part of the André Rieu orchestra. He is trying to bring the music and the instrument closer to the people. Steijns has already performed with Blof and covered many songs. "But I've never gone this far outside my comfort zone."

Will there be a new edition? Probably. "There is a huge demand for it."

Thanks Ineke for the article and her and John's combined translation