The Program From The Kansas City Concert

From John and Bobbie

1.Entry March (Einzugmarsch)
2. Voices of Spring (Fruehlingsstimmenwaltzer)
3. Blaze away.
4. A Little Salon music(Eine kleine Salon musik)
5. Chianti song (With no antics of Ruud and Noel, totally serious)
6. Nessum Dorma.
7. Salomé
Saber dance (Sabeltanz)
8. Sportpalca waltz (Sportpalaswalzer)
9. Ave Maria.
10. The Gypsy Princess(Czardasfuerstin)
11. Gold and Silver Waltz
12. Don't let your head hang down(Lasst den Kopf Nich Haengen)
This Land is Mine
13. Roses from the South (Rosen aus dem Suden) Andre misspoke here and announced it
as "Tulips from the South", before he caught himself.
14. Komm Zigany.
15. Memory.
16. The Blue Danube (An Der Schoenen Blauen Donau)
17. Oh Fortuna.
18. Radetzkymarsch

And For The Encores
Strauß medley
Libiamo
Stars and Stripes forever
America the Beautiful
Amazing Grace
Brahms Lullaby

A Trip To Ottawa With Alice To See André

Alice’s Novel ~ My Trip to Ottawa

May 2008

Originally I called it Alice’s Ottawa Diary (to be in line with the Toronto diary), but it totally got out of hands and became ultra-long that Diary simply won’t fit. This trip is so fruitful that I wanted to share with you all the bits and pieces. It’s wayyyy longer than any papers I‘ve ever written in school days. Sonja, Sue and a whole gang of long-time fans would be packing for Atlantic City immediately after I get back to Vancouver, so I needed to start my story NOW (Toronto time, 12:20am, May 19). Many fans would be "mute" for a few days, so for those not going anywhere this week, this long report would keep you company for the time being.
Caution: I must warn you. This is reeaally lonng. If it starts to bother you….Adieu! Or, you can come back again when you run out of things to read.

May 15, Thu - Leaving for OttawaWearing my "Maggie’s André Rieu T-shirt", my parents and I were ready to leave Vancouver for the trip. Grabbed our suitcases, bags and most importantly, the 300 little flags we would be giving away at the Ottawa concert. During the flight, I played Gala Concert DVD. Since it’s a 4hr-20min flight, I even let Otto finished his whole Hungarian Dance No. 5 act. I like the part where André conducted the whole audience and had everyone stop clapping at the same time, guess he’s a good teacher too! 

Arrived Ottawa, checked in our hotel, had dinner…. We stayed at a hotel conveniently located in downtown at the Rideau Canal, just a few minutes walk to the Parliament Building, so we strolled along and took some "nightlife" pictures of the Fairmont Chateau Laurier and the Parliament Hill.
Weather forecast for Ottawa was not accurate. It’s supposed to be cloudy with showers but God! It was beautiful, in fact, too warm that I could smell my underarm. So, once we got back to hotel, I quickly washed my Maggie T-shirt.

May 16, Fri - Visiting Parliament Hill, Rideau Canal and violin maker
Sunny day again. Today, I put on my T-shirt which says "Canada". I think it’s the most suitable thing to wear today as we’re taking pictures in the capital city, right at Parliament Building. When I told my colleagues I’d be going to Ottawa, they said "Ottawa is a beautiful city", I thought "Oh yeah? Okay…nice…we’ll see". The last time I was in Ottawa was with a bus tour in 2001, we’re given only like 20 minutes for quick pictures, so I never realized how beautiful the scenery was from the back of the Parliament Building. To be honest with you, we never had a good reason to visit Ottawa again until now, i.e. to see André. It is indeed beautiful, the centuries-old buildings, statues, trees, Ottawa River….so relaxing. Then, we joined a Boat Cruise at the Canal, not a bad deal, $18/person for a 1hr-10min cruise. After the cruise, I walked by the Chateau Laurier, looked around its parking lot and wondered if there’s any sight of André Rieu buses, then, of course, I thought "Helloooo!!!". They’re performing in Montreal tonight, how could they possibly be in Ottawa now. I heard that they’re staying at a hotel in downtown near the Canal last year, but didn’t know which one, so I would look for any luck! 

We went back to our hotel to take a rest and get ready to visit Peter Mach, a violin maker whose workshop is not too far from Ottawa in Gatineau (Quebec). You could see him in one of André’s DVDs. Peter and I have been emailing each other a few times and finally we got to meet. I put on my black André Children’s T-shirt and headed for the French-speaking province across the River. And so we got there in just a 22-minute ride from the hotel. Peter showed us his workshop. Whow!! Violin, viola, cello, bass, tons of bows, all kinds of tools and accessories for these beautiful instruments. My parents and I were so excited that we bought a violin right at the spot, and Peter gave us a Mach One Shoulder Rest too. This was his invention which helps the violinist place the violin in a much relaxing position. He then showed us around his house while his wife prepared the afternoon tea, including bread and cheese served on a Mach One (violin-shaped) chopping board and the red wine he made himself from their own grapes. There’s even a nicely carved picture of Stradivarius which Peter’s friend made for him, so Medieval-look! We had a very pleasant time together. When we got back to the hotel at night, I started to play the violin with André’s music as background, but soon I realized it might be a little too loud to play since we didn’t own the hotel. André’s music is always welcome but guess not the "chicken-killing" noise (that’s how we called it in Chinese) I made when sliding the bow across those strings.

May 17, Sat - Tour of Ottawa River / The Concert (before and after)
Sunny still. THIS IS THE DAY (concert at 8pm)!! My Maggie T-shirt was completely dried, so I put it on again. In the morning, we joined an "Amphibious Tour" (It’s a boat and it’s a bus!). It took us around Ottawa downtown attractions, and the same bus took us to the Ottawa River. It’s the first and only bus of its kind which could go in water as well, not like submarine, but still, it’s fun. 

The tour guide said that they have 300,000 tulips at the Commissioner Park for the Tulips Festival (May 02-19), and they’re all from Holland. (Ahh! A nice piece of André-Holland related info). So, we finally had some drizzles, but that’s okay, I’ve finished with picture-taking, and we’re just about to go to the Shopping Centre which is just next to the hotel. Well, nothing to buy, we thought we might as well just take some rest in the hotel room before the concert. We didn’t have dinner before the concert so we needed some midnight snacks for afterwards and something for breakfast the next morning. I was about to go to Tim Hortons to get a 6-pk muffins. Just when I got down (to the hotel lobby), my heart popped out. There it was! Wholly Smoke! An André Rieu bus!! No signs of JSO members yet, but some "numbered-suitcases" being unloaded and brought into the lobby. Guess the JSO group had to do rehearsal and wouldn’t check into hotel until after the concert. My God! They’re really staying in the same hotel! How lucky! I quickly went back to the room to get my camera. I should at least take a picture of the bus while it’s still there. 

Took a shower, put on another André T-shirt of mine. It’s got a picture I took of the whole Schonbrunn stage in Toronto. It’s Tulips Festival, we put on the tulips corsage Lyndall sent us from Australia. Arrived Scotiabank Place (taxi driver didn’t know where?what?, glad I knew it’s previously called the Corel Centre). The doors wouldn’t open until 7pm, but a lot of people arrived already, many of them on wheelchairs. As in many other André concerts, these elderly people made an effort to go see HIM. (I thought about Pat again, who unfortunately had to give up her tickets for the sake of her health). Soon I saw Dan the Bannerman and his wife Alice in the crowd outside the main gate. I was happy that this No.1 fan remembered the "Alice from Vancouver". Dan was the first fan I met in Toronto last Dec as well. Then, I saw 2 of André’s security guards, one of them being Johann, the other shorter Mr. Security Guard I didn’t have his name but I saw him in Vancouver before and he took a picture of my A RIEU license plate with his cell-phone last Oct. I slightly waved and nodded at Johann when he saw me (remember I was teasing him in Toronto??), and he nodded back. Some of you might have only seen the tough guy image of Johann but he’s not that "cold-blooded" at all. 

Bought the "program book" (André in Wonderland" with a program sheet inside), we didn’t get to our seats until about 7:30pm. We had Section C, Row 9, seats 1,2,3. I knew pretty well where my seats would be (the aisle André would use in entry) but the staff who’s supposed to direct people to their seats told me to go around the control thing at the back and go to the far end. I panicked for a while until I saw the back of those chairs says "A", not "C". Whew!!! The guy gave me wrong directions that could have got me heart attack. 

My father and I started to give out our home-made flags to those in front rows and the first 2 side sections. One woman obviously thought we’re some staff and asked if I could tell the "venue people" to turn up the air-conditioning. Ha! It was true that I found it too warm myself but of course I had no intention to relate her request to anyone. That moment I thought "Hmmmm…it’d be nice if we had Jeanine Ann’s André fans. Well, the flags helped make a little "manual air-ventilation", maybe that’s why they’re popular??? So popular that some came to me to ask for more, some asked for 2, some 4, one even 8. I told her I could only give her 4 as I had the very last ones that I wanted to give to those nice sweet old ladies watching me. That woman said how about I give her 4, and she’ll ask the other guy (my father) for 4 more (hmmm…she’s gooood, very creative). 

My mom must be jealous as so many women chasing after my father. My father, on the other hand, had the time of his life because people seemed to love the flags so much. Occasionally he did have to say "Sorry! My English is limit, ask my daughter". For the flags this time, I only printed them, it was my 80-yr-old father who helped tape them to chopsticks and grouped them nicely in ten’s. He enjoyed everything about André. I’ve also printed 2 little banners to play with. Some nice looking lady came over to me and asked "Are you Alice?" I knew it must be Karen. Boy! With her green coordinates that evening, she’s so pretty (Hey, Claude, you lucky man!!). She had an aisle seat in the very first row of Section B. Okay, let’s be fair, Claude (Karen’s husband) is a good-looking gentleman too!
Soon after we got back to our seats, the Seventy Six Trombones started. I just LOVE this piece so much for the entry. Flags were being waved as André and JSO came down the aisle. To my BIG BIG surprise, André grabbed a flag from one woman and waved it himself. He literally "robbed" that flag from the woman but that was so cute. Although I didn’t get a high five from him (he had his eyes on Dan who’s sitting in Row 8 just across the aisle), seeing him waving our flag was the most interesting thing I’ve never thought would happen. Frank walked by me with 2 violins, last one to enter was Franco. (Sorry Lyndall, your Italian favourite was once again within a metre span from me!) 

The concert itself…..guess I won’t go into details as there was great info from previous concerts but I can say the Platin Tenors were there, Mirusia, Carmen and Kalki were there (Kalki also sang as soprano in Vancouver, 2006). There were some AR in Wonderland songs, and some rearranged pieces (as mentioned by others). The concert was beautiful as always and I think we’re quite responsive. Dan had his famous banners lined up including "André for Prime Minister", we had 2 little ones "Waltzing Matilda #1… Yeaaah!!" and "Come back to Canada soon…Please!" I hope André and JSO were quite happy with the turn-out and would come back to Canada more often. 

On our way back to the hotel, I met someone from Rhode Island who collects AR balloons and she had two in her hands. She said with the ticket price for Boston concert, it’s a better deal for her to go see one in Ottawa instead. 

Sorry! I’m not done for the day yet…. 

Back to the hotel, knowing that JSO would be staying here, I quickly took a shower and went down to check out the lounge. (We’ve already wasted much time waiting for the taxi at Scotiabank Place). The AR buses just got back and the JSO members came in and lined up for the elevators. I could see from one level up that a charming wavy-hair guy was in the line. Our dearest André!! If I went down the escalator, I would have landed 2 metres behind him on the main floor. But I thought "Nahhhh! They had a long day, I rather not disturb them, besides, Mr. Don’t-Know-What-Name Security Guard was standing there to monitor the lobby area as if there’s a big DO NOT DISTURB sign everywhere. And yet, I thought I might be blamed for months if I didn’t have any André/JSO related stuff to report for the Parlour, so I decided to stick around, maybe I’ll see Bela, maybe I’ll see Mirusia, and Laura….they would probably recognize me. 

I quietly stood a few metres away from them. I saw Bela and then he saw me too. He then stopped chatting with the crew member and reached out his hands, so I quickly walked over to him. He’s such a friendly guy that I got to hug him like friends. Boy! What a nice guy! I was prepared that I wouldn’t be so lucky to see him again the next day, so I wished him a nice trip and hopefully we’ll meet again! Ruud and Roland were at the Concierge and I had a little question for the Concierge too so I waited patiently behind the 2 of them…that is until Ruud turned around to me so I smiled at him and told him I had a great time at the concert. He said "You’re there?" "Oh, yes! I came from Vancouver to see the concert…because you don’t come to Vancouver anymore!!". Ruud said he likes going to Vancouver too. I asked where’s Lin (she’s not in the concert), Ruud said Lin’s taking a week vacation. Ruud is very nice to talk to. I then asked him something that I’ve always wondered. "Did Lin do her own hair? She always has very gorgeous hairdo" "Well, sometimes she does her own sometimes…..!"
So much for the day…I went back to our room, had a muffin and a banana.
Lullaby….Zzzzz 

May 18, Sun – Adieu / Ottawa to Toronto
I’ve brought along a little gift for André in case I have a slim chance to pass it to him. I didn’t expect to give it to him myself. I went down to the lobby around 8:10am and saw the most perfect person…Kerstin was there with Karin. I asked Kerstin if she could help me deliver the gift, it was so nice of her to do me a favour. She also said that they’ll be in Vancouver again next year. (Yeah!! Good news!!) Okay, mission accomplished. 

Wait a minute….maybe I’ll still be able to meet Mirusia or Laura. I saw Ruud again finishing breakfast in the restaurant. He has such good manners and asked if I had a good sleep. I said I don’t understand how they could have so much energy even they’re on the road so often for the tight schedule. He joked that he’s more tired when at home looking after the kids. I’m afraid he’s quite right in this case. Then, Laura came out from the restaurant with 2 suitcases (Yeahh!). "Hi Laura, remember me?" "Of course, we’re in Toronto." Sooo nice of her… Laura worried a bit about handling 2 suitcases at one time when stepping onto the escalator, so I offered to carry one for her. She said "You don’t mind?" (Well, helloooo!! Why would anyone mind doing a little something for the JSO, of course I don’t mind, it’s a pleasure!!) 

Okay, guess that was it! I was waiting for the elevator to go back to our room but so happened I turned around for a peek. Some girl with goldie-locks and fixing her suitcase waved at me. My God! Mirusia’s still here!! I ran over to her…"Miruusiaa", "Hello Alice"…Oh God! "How can you remember my name?" "Of course I remember, we did the Charlie’s Angels!" Boy oh Boy! This girl is not only sweet and talented but has very good memory…I mean..after the trip to Australia, signing thousands of autographs, and she still remember my name?? You can imagine how honoured I felt. I was holding her warm little hands with soft little fingers for a minute and that felt gooood! Oh wait! I have my Charlie’s Angels picture with me, maybe I should get an autograph. I had 2 pictures with me. My "A RIEU" picture and the Charlie’s Angels one. First I dug out the A RIEU, then Mirusia signed on the Angels picture. Bela popped up too!! Lucky me I got to hug him again. Those of you who’ve met them several times already might not remember how happy one could be. Then, Johann came in to remind them they had to go. "Hi Johann", I said. "How do you know my name?" "Of course I know your name." (you might have noticed this conversation sounded very similar to that with Laura and Mirusia). "We met in Toronto too…" Johann saw me holding a picture and asked "Do you need an autograph? Is this your car?" I started to lose focus and mumbled like "Yeah! Sure! I’d love to but didn’t see André, and even if I did, I’d probably couldn’t get near him….." Before I could finish my sentence, Johann said "Can I try (for you)?" Heavens!! My Good Lord! He then took my picture and came back later with an autograph. "He(André) likes the car. Let it dry…." and off he left with a gentle smile on his face! Well, what can I say, Johann is my new best friend, or better yet, my new love (hahahaha!!...is he single??) Am I in Cloud Nine or what! I went back to my room and told my parents, I’d be smiling even when I’m sleeping tonight.
Checked out hotel, took the VIA Rail from Ottawa to Toronto. With some countryside view along the route, I played Dreaming DVD. Though the ride was a bit bumpy, with André’s music with me, it’s so relaxing!
Checked in hotel (Toronto)..finally had free internet access…checked my emails…got Sue’s email about any possible Ottawa story….Whoa! I’d be busy, I’d better start writing before I get back to Vancouver. 

May 19, Mon – In Toronto with relatives
My uncle, aunt and cousin had a wonderful time at the Dec 15 Toronto concert. We talked much about André’s concerts, had dim sum, shopping, dinner… More relatives came to our hotel room and chat until midnight. Boy! I needed to start my "diary". Fine! I should be okay if I had 4 or 5 hours of sleep. Almost 4am, couldn’t open my eyes anymore…okay, bedtime! Ha! Hotel room key didn’t work, couldn’t knock on the door, had to ask Front Desk to fix it.
Finally….. Lullaby…Zzzzz.

May 20, Tue – Back to Vancouver…almost
Nope! I slept for about 3 hours and my mom got up already…I had the sofa bed in the living room and couldn’t get asleep then. Checked out hotel, dim sum again. My cousin played André’s Masterpiece in her car. It’s Skaters Waltz when we’re getting close to the airport. I thought "What a nice final touch for this trip!" 

Oops! Said it too soon…At check-in counter.. "Sorry, your flight is cancelled and has been rescheduled to leave at 7am tomorrow morning. What?? You’ve gotta be kidding! I have to work the next morning, but most of all, I thought…how on earth am I gonna type up the Ottawa report and send pictures to Sue tonight?? "Okay, we’ve found you a flight leaving at 5:45pm, connecting flight in Calgary, arriving Vancouver at 10pm. Well, better than nothing!! Seats were pretty messed up. I didn’t get to sit with my parents, I exchanged my seat with a girl who could then sit with her mom. But then I was sitting in the middle. These 2 guys sitting beside me, one at aisle, the other at window, were probably wondering what the heck I was writing…my draft looked like worms too. 

Okay, guess I’d stop and start playing The Homecoming…
Finally got home, unpacked my stuff and started typing this novel.
Lullaby…Zzzzz! 

Sweet dreams!! Back to the cruel world tomorrow!!

Tampa, Florida April 26, 2008 ~ Andre’ Rieu Concert
"Andre Rieu In Wonderland"
By NAN from Tampa!

This would be my first Andre’ Rieu concert to attend to see this wonderful performer as well as the Johann Strauss Orchestra and soloists.

We have seen Andre’ on PBS, but never experienced seeing him in person. It was a beautiful evening in Tampa to attend a concert, especially an Andre’ Rieu concert. We had VIP seating so we were able to get in through these "special magical doors" to find our seats on the floor level. We were in row 20 and we were lucky to have isle seating. To the rear of us were two cameras and some sound equipment in a bull pin area. This rose my curiousity because I thought they were going to be doing some filming for PBS and I would be on television. Yes, we would be a star on television along with Andre’! Well after asking the usher, he said "yes, they were filming the production this evening" but he didn’t know if it was for PBS. I then went to the front stage, because I was curious to see if the flowers along the stage front were real. Upon checking this out, I heard these fans (ages 7 to 65 years old) in the background "screaming" are they real? Are they real? I turned around and looked at around 40 fans or so asking this question, and announced "No, but they sure feel like it" to me! They were satisfied with my answer and I guess they wanted me to look to see if the flowers were real instead of them. After I left the stage area, there were other fans attempting to see if the flowers were real too! One fan, around the age of 5 years old, attempted to put a real red rose in with the other flowers. His mom helped him accomplish this task. He was so cute.

Now, to find out about those video cameras, I went back to the bull pin area. By this time, I talked to a really nice Frenchman who was at camera number one. I slowly asked my question. He could not understand English fluently so he asked that I speak slowly. I asked if they were filming this for PBS. He said very nicely, "madam, the answer is no". He went on to explain that the cameras were used to show the stage performers on the television screens on each side of the stage. "Merci’, I said". After talking with him a while, he further announced that he had been doing the video for Andre’ since the Chicago concert. The Miami concert would be his last until he does it in May. He works out of Montreal, Canada. I found all of this very interesting and informative. I thought, finally, I got to say some words in French. (You probably have guessed it by now, I am very curious)

Now, it was getting close to 8:00 P.M….and I was getting excited as well as my guest. I had my digital camera ready. I knew I would not get any good photos from row 20, but I thought why not. Upon turning around, I saw at the right tunnel, (at the back of the floor seating) no other than the real "Andre" standing with quite a few of the Johann Strauss Orchestra musicians getting ready to march down the isle. I wanted to get Andre’s photo. So I went as close as I could, and a body guard said "You cannot be back here young lady". Well, I heard Andre’ say, "Let her take a photo"! So, I did. Now, I would not tell everyone to do this. The body guard did not look too happy, but it was fun and a great experience. The music began, and since I was on an isle seat, I was able to see a lot of the Johann Strauss orchestra musicians come marching down the isle along with Andre’ in the lead. They all said "hi to me" as I caught eye contact with each as they proceeded down the isle. This was a thrill. I was just so excited to see him and the musicians looking at me while marching down the isle. It was like they did in New York City….marching down the isles.

The evening was beautiful listening to all the great songs from Strauss to Broadway to John Phillip Sousa to Calypso. Andre’ was in great spirits, telling his lovely stories, along with one that was the "winking Beethoven" and the banner reading "If it ain’t Dutch, it ain’t much" written by a fan. The Scherezade 7 Veils piece was very beautifully done. You may have to correct me about this piece as I don’t know the title. Well, the "Platinum Tenors" were on the stage about three times during the performance. Of which, they did a tribute to Luciano Pavarotti which was very moving. Mirusia sang "Alva Maria" and brought down the house with this first solo performance. Her second song was "Memories" again was just beautiful. The new soloist, is "Donij" who did "Song of Vilja". She is from Maastricht and was recognized at the top of her class at a singing academy in Maastricht. Andre found this new talent. She has a beautiful voice just like Carmen. They both have two different styles of singing. You will appreciate each soloist for each of their talents. Andre’ kept enunciating our city’s name: "’TAM’ PA "and made some comical jokes. He does keep his humor alive and well. When Andre’ did his first concert in the United States, it was here in ‘TAM’ PA". I believe that was in 1988.

The show must go on. ….He did have some new songs and played some old numbers. Of course the "Blue Danube" was done! The Platin Tenors brought the house down with "This Land is Mine"! Andre did mention about "PEACE" around the world and that our children are the future. This was done beautifully and elegantly. It made you think what America was all about today. Besides all the beautiful music, you did get to see the audience just enjoying themselves whether they were as young as 5 years old or a mom and dad to teenagers to grandmothers and grandfathers. It truly was an experience to see how many people love his music and drove over 150 miles to see him.

In closing, of course, an Andre’ concert is not complete without all the balloons coming down from above! You heard a lot of popping from the audience. You do get to participate in Andre’s concerts. He had an audience participation in the middle part of his concert too. We had to "whistle" and "clap our hand" to the beat of the music! See if you can do that at the same time! We enjoyed the many encores, especially the patriotic ones. It brought tears of joy, melancholy, pride and sentiment to everyone.

Even though you did not have the skits like in the DVD of "Andre’ Rieu in Wonderland or hear Suzan Erens, Carmen and Carla perform, you will not miss a fantastic evening filled with wonderful musical performances by Andre’ and the Johann Strauss Orchestra and hear Mirusia and Donji sing along with the other talents in the concert. The Platin Tenors were there to captivate you with their memorable songs. Since the stage dimensions prevented more lavish productions like in the DVD, there were still beautiful backgrounds on the stage throughout the concert.

Since this was my first Andre’ concert, I will not forget this one! You will not be disappointed! On a last note, we met fans from all over central and east coast/west coast Florida that attended this concert, from Sarasota, Winter Haven, Orlando, Coco Beach and Fort Myers, Florida who all joined in and had a special night listening to the music we love. The audience was not disappointed in what they experienced this exceptional night.

After Andre’ left the stage along with the performers, we knew the concert was over and we headed for the "special magical doors"! Now we know why they called them magical because it was a "magical performance" of "Andre’ Rieu in Wonderland"! By the way, one of the ushers waved his "wand" and their appeared an elf who gave us a ride in a golf cart to our car after the concert was over. The elf told us that there were 8,000 people attending this magical performance in Tampa. It was more than an enriching performance with a perfect ending to a perfect day. Please don’t miss this concert if Andre’ is coming to your city in the future.

Interview With André Rieu on Belgium RADIO

Interview With André Rieu on Belgium RADIO2

(Program Funiculi Funicula)to promote the Brussels Concert "Romantic Viennese Night" on September 13th 2008, and the Christmas Concert in Hasselt on December 23rd 2008

Interview by Marc Brillouet in Flemmish/Dutch.
Translation by Ineke and John

André Rieu is not giving interviews quite often, but tonight he is here for an exclusive interview. You'll hear André in a different way. We'll talk about his expensive hobby, religion, family, why Marjorie was not immediately welcome in the Rieu family, his plans to conquer South America, etc.
AR: We've known each other for a very long time. You work here for a long time. You are faithful to me, so I am faithful to you. I think being faithful is important.

Expensive hobbies How do you spend your money?
AR: Well, I love beautiful cars, I own an expensive Mercedes AMG, which can go very fast. The majority of the money goes back into the business. What do you think a Schönbrunn show cost? Way too much! A crew of 250, the castles, making them suitable for travelling. You can see a brand new version in Brussels. The banks are helping me. For a long time they did not get a cent out of me, now they receive a lot!
MB: What about your castle, your "orangerie" (greenhouse)?
AR: Oh, well, that is home. I love the exotic plants, the butterflies, the birds. I love to be there.
MB: Can you still go out in public?
AR: Oh yes, I don't mind being recognized. Marjorie still does not like that.
But sometimes people go too far. They act like they own me. It is okay to be recognized. Sometimes that can be an advantage, for instance in the airport, I can go through faster.
MB: Can you go to the bakery?
AR: Yes, I can. I like that. When I return home from New York or Toronto, I kiss Marjorie first and then next we go shopping together in the supermarket.
MB: Do you have "pain in the ass" fans?
AR: I have about 40-50 hardcore fans who follow me everywhere. Some manage to stay with campers near my front door. I don't like that. I give 100% to create beautiful concerts. After the concert I give autographs. That should be enough. I don't like for them to follow me into my hotel.

Religion
MB: Do you have a spiritual side? I mean: are you interested in life, why we are here, etc?
AR: Yes, I have my own ideas about that. They are based on the theory of relativity. I think life is a voyage of discovery. I think there are more universes. I am convinced that science is on the verge of discovering that soon. That is my spiritual side. I do not believe in the great beyond, voodoo or God. I believe in the human being. I am sure that humans have to take responsibility for their deeds here on earth. It is not good to say: "Later on, in Heaven, it is going to be better". That is like a permit to mess around here now. You go to church to confess, all is forgiven, and you can start all over again messing around the next day. That is not good. I believe in the here and now and in the people. If you do good things you can say: "I did that". If you do bad things, you have to take responsibility for that, also.

Family
MB: One year ago you told me that you would slow down if grandchildren would appear. But instead you accelerated. I suspect you are hinting to your children. Are there any indications?
AR: No, but Pierre is going to marry a very sweet girl. Marjorie and I are very happy with his decision. They are building a house. Who knows, it might happen in the future. That would be wonderful.
MB: Talking about Pierre, he worked very hard on the Schönbrunn project. It took 80 sea containers on a big ship to cross the ocean.
AR: Yes, there goes my castle, bobbing across the ocean. Marjorie asked me: Why so big? The bigger, the more that can go wrong. I think she is right. It got out of hand. It became bigger than we thought. But it is very beautiful. People say: "I have never seen anything like that before…"
MB: If I would tell Marjorie: "Your husband is suffering from delusions of grandeur. How would she answer?"
AR: She would deny it. We have known each other for a long time. We have been married for 33 years. She knows me. She would answer: "No, he is just chasing his dreams".
Maybe in the future we are going to perform in smaller venues again. Pierre fulfilled my dream. Without him, there could never have been a Schönbrunn concert.

Was he allowed to marry his true love?
MB: To my surprise I heard you in the IVO NIEHE interview (see on Ineke's website), telling about the fact that Marjorie was not immediately accepted by the Rieu family. You just talked about that openly and honestly.
AR: Oh yes, why not? I was the first child in the family who entered a relationship. My family was devout Catholic and that happened about 35 years ago, so that was a different time. At a certain moment I said: "Tonight I'll stay with Marjorie". The result was like a bomb explosion. I felt disappointed. I was a grown man, she was my choice, I would like to make my own decisions. I felt rejected by my parents. It is not nice if they do not support you. Years later, they came to our wedding, okay, but the environment at home never was the same. It does not matter. I just continued on with everything I wanted to do and I did not turn out to be an unhappy person….
MB: Did you learn anything from that in your relationship with your children?
AR: Yes, Marjorie and I raised our children in a more flexible way. I remember one day, Pierre was 15, he came down with his hair dyed white. At first we were shocked, but we did not object to it. We said we liked it. After two years he was done with it, changed it back to its normal color again. I think children must have the opportunity to be themselves. I had an aunt who said: "Children, you have them for a certain time to care for. Since the day they are born, they slowly grow away from you". MB: You are a glamour boy and Marjorie is very modest in comparison. Opposites attract each other? Can you imagine a lady next to you with lots of makeup and jewelry?
AR: No, that does not suit me. Of course I like to look at beautiful women, I am just a man! But for a relationship I chose someone with more depth. I think the face is the most beautiful part of a woman. Marjorie's face is the most beautiful face I know. In her eyes I see everything she is. Honesty, faith, love, intelligence, everything she is able to do, and in everything I receive her support.
I fear that I cannot see that in a superficial beautiful glamour girl, although her measurements might be ideal.
MB: But there are a lot of temptations in your profession.
AR: Oh yes, but I am looking for the profundity. I think that can be heard in my music too. I put feelings and emotions into the music, I am not just playing notes.

How does he kick the habit?

MB: 18 years ago André's success started and is still continuing.
When are you going to kick the habit?
AR: I don't know what you mean. To kick a habit is a necessity to stop some bad habits you don't like, for instance drugs.
MB: Aren't you a workaholic? That is also an addiction.
AR: Oh, yes I think I am. If you mean it that way, yes I am an addict. But I love my addiction. Music is my life. So I do not kick the habit. I keep it!
MB: Do you ever read?
AR: I very seldom read, I do not have much time to sit and read… then I fall asleep. But right now I am studying Spanish, so I read Spanish books.
MB: What is your next dream: Mexico or Argentina?
AR: Entire South America. I spent six months in Brazil, so I can speak a little bit of Portuguese/ Brazilian, but I have to study Spanish now. I speak French and at school I studied Latin, so that helps.
MB: Don't you think the Latino's prefer their own music: Tangos and Zarzuelas?
AR: Well, In Brazil my DVDs are broadcast on Television and the people like them. Waltzes have a certain International charm. There is no difference between Hasselt or Rio de Janeiro.
MB: Once you said you wanted to buy the church behind your house. Is that a religious reason or a business reason?
AR: None of them. It is a historic reason. The church council told me they had to close the church. I said, "If that moment arrives, let me know first, because I want to buy the church and keep it the way it is". The reason is that I love that place. It is a romantic place, lots of couples were married there, took beautiful pictures…. I want to keep that.
MB: Playing in the Semperoper in Dresden, did that give you melancholic feelings of the time you played with the smaller Salon Orchestra in smaller venues? AR: Oh yes, I had that "back to the roots" feeling, it was great. The Semperoper has wonderful acoustics. No necessary sound check. Everything sounded okay immediately. The building is built for music.
You never know what will happen in the future … André Rieu

Here's Your Chance To Pick The Songs on Andre's New DVD!!

Here's Your Chance To Speak Up!!

Hi to all Andre's Fans,

I have recieved a letter from a gentleman at Denon Records that I have been writing with and he has some very exciting news.
Here is what he wrote me ...

"We are planning to release an André Rieu Greatest Hits DVD!!! We just received Andre's blessing. I was wondering if you would like to have some fun with this and offer readers of your site a chance to choose their favorite André DVD moments. Just have your fans email their favorite DVD moments from any André DVD – then we will calculate the top 15 or so, and make a Greatest Hits to release in 2009! This could be fun."

I have made this page for all of you to write here what yours would be ~ YOU will be a part of deciding what DVD moments will be on his Greatist Hits DVD!! Just write your favorite in comments and I will cut and past them and send them on to the man at Denon Records!! I have already put mine in there. This is the first chance we've had, so lets show Denon that we are Enthusiastic in Promoting and Helping André!!! They are also taking votes on the Denon Site, let's show them we can get more votes from our fans! This is for ALL fans, not just American Fans! 

Be sure you name not just your favorite piece, but from what DVD it is on! Again ~ Let's ALL of us show how enthusiastic we are about this so André will see. :) 

You can pick ONE and only ONE DVD Selection and it must be from a Denon DVD! When you choose your selection, and what DVD it is on, check and make sure that DVD is made by Denon. You can either look on your DVD, or here's the link to the full Denon Catalog:
►http://www.denonclassics.com/sites/denon/dcDetails/Andre_Catalog.pdf 

If you have a problem writing it in the comment section here, you can email it to me at: luvberry@charter.net and I will forward it to Denon with all the others. START VOTING!!! :)
For those of you wondering, Meditation does NOT qualify, it must be a Denon DVD.

North American 2009 Tour Updates!

2009 North American Tour has come to an end.

We look forward to see Andre and the JSO in 2010.

Thanks To John and Laurie, for all their Work on This!

(Remember the only OFFICIAL information is on André's Website)

A WEEKEND IN MAASTRICHT WITH MAGGIE

A Fantastic Week End in Maastricht

I LOVE HOLLAND!

Every time I go to Holland, I don’t want to come home. That was even more true this year. I had a marvelous time. A great big thank you to Janny and Aadrian for their hospitality when I arrived. And to Laurie and Sonja for sharing their room at the Ducasque. Janny and Thea met me at Schiphol airport. It was so good to see them again. We drove to Thea’s house in Rozenburg, picked up Janny‘s car and went on to Terheijden. (Ter-hay-den) It’s a beautiful town, and I really enjoyed meeting Aadrian, and his daughter, Bianca. She is so much like my daughter, Robin, it’s uncanny. On Thursday, Janny and I drove over to Ambacht, where she and Wim had lived. It brought back wonderful memories of my visit there in 2005. She also took me to see a replica of St. Peter’s Cathedral, in a town near her, but I’ve forgotten the name of the town. Stepping inside the cathedral was almost like being in Rome, itself. Only it didn’t have Michaelangelo’s frescos.

Friday, we drove to Maastricht, and headed for the Vrithof. And it was party time from then on. A weekend in Maastricht is like getting on a wonderful merry-go-round, and there is never has enough time to get off and do all the things you want to do. There was the fan dinner at Charlemagne Restaurant. Ineke and Ruud did a fabulous job putting the dinner together. If it’s get any bigger and better, we might have to tell Andre to move over and share the square with us. It was great seeing so many old friends again. Especially those from Holland and other countries who I get see so rarely. I met many new friends, too. So many that the names are blur, but I’ll never forget the faces and look forward to seeing them again next year. After meeting by email ten years ago, I finally got to meet Ann Buch, from Denmark, in person. Hers was one of the first 10 pictures to go on my Andre Friends Wall. Now there are more than a hundred.

The picnic in the park on Saturday was great. Being a history buff, the lake and the fountain, accented by ancient walls and towers still standing from Roman times is like stepping back in time for me. Enjoying this beautiful setting, with fans from all over the world was truly an unforgettable experience

I went to Saturday and Sunday’s concerts, and could have gone a hundred times and never tired of it.I enjoyed Saturday’s concert, although I had a lot of heads in front of me that partially blocked my view of both the stage and screens. I sat next to a lady and her husband who were from Indonesia. She spoke fluent English, and we got acquainted during intermission. They had lived in New York for a while, where her husband had a job, but now live in Amsterdam. I have her email address and hope we can correspond. I also have her picture for my wall.

Sunday’s concert was fantastic with front row center seats. I’d saved my camera battery for that night, and that’s when the camera decided to stop taking color pictures. I was not happy, but did get a few good black and whites. Still, Andre, the orchestra, and special guest performers were thrilling to see and hear. Andre was in his element and superb. And, as always, the music was beautiful. But this year I was absolutely blown away by the Maastrichter Star and Melissa Venema. The choir is magnificent, but Melissa is nothing short of astounding. To get the mellowness and tone she does at only 13, with few years of study is incredible. You could see by the expression on her face she loves music as Andre loves it. And what stage presence she has! Not me – piano recitals terrified me and I only had to play before parents of students. Melissa played for an audience of ten thousand, and never batted an eye. She was born to do this. The piece was beautiful and played to perfection. The piece she played with Rene and Roger was incredible. The last time I heard it was years ago when Doc Sevrensin did it on Johnny Carson’s show. I can’t remember it’s name, and it wasn’t listed in the program, but I played it in band when I was a kid. NOT like that, and I played clarinet, not trumpet. But I know how difficult it is for trumpeters to play. Rene and Roger are professionals with years of experience, I expect them to be good. But she’s 13 years old and made it look like a piece of cake. I hope Andre will be able to bring her to America next year. However, I’m sure that will depend greatly on if she is able to travel during school time. I hated to see it all end, and say good bye, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the DVD, so I can relive that wonderful week end again and again.

The train ride to Schiphol was a different experience. Haven’t ridden a train since I was a girl. Anybody remember steam locomotives? Or streamliners? The difference is, they gave you plenty of time to get off. When we changed trains in Utrecht it was almost a disaster. Betty Stevens got off with her one little suitcase and was waiting on the platform. Sue had one big case off, when the door started to close. She grabbed it. I grabbed my two bags, strapped together, and started to step down, but her other two bags were in front of me. Sue let go of the door to get it, and it started closing again. So there I was, one foot on either side of her luggage, my arm stretched out to hold it open for her, and losing the fight. I didn’t think we weren’t going to make it, but a nice man from Germany came to the rescue. Sue got her bags and got off, then I did, and the man put my luggage out. We were made it after all. But thorough it all I had visions of Sue and me, headed for lord knows where, and poor Betty standing all alone on the platform waving good bye to us. At the airport, they had to go to their boarding gate as soon as they got through security, so they were gone by the time I made it, and we didn’t get to say good bye. My flight left a couple of hours later, so did a little shopping, got on my plane, and had a nice smooth flight home. Then there was Houston. Customs cleared and bags rechecked to Tulsa, I waited for my 7:20 flight. It was never called and I went to the desk to check on it. “Oh, that was changed to another gate,” they told me. It’s already left. The next flight wasn’t until 11:00 p.m. That put me in Tulsa around 1:00. By the time I retrieved my luggage, and drove home, it was 3:00. That’s 10:00 a.m. Holland time. I’d been up 30 hours. Needless to say, I didn’t unpack. I turned on Muziek Zum Traumen, and went to bed. I didn‘t hear any of it. I was asleep when my head hit the pillow. Was it worth it? You bet. I’d do it again in a heartbeat, only next time, I‘m packing a lot lighter.

André Waltzes On Into The Record Books

The Australian Financial Review

The Red Rose Café June 27, 2008 Lyrics

The Mirusian Dream

Memories of Maastricht 2008 and Touring Holland With Ineke

Personal Memories About Touring in Holland With Fan Friends.
From June 26th ~ July 7th 2008, Including André Concerts in Amsterdam and Maastricht ~ by Ineke

Thursday June 26th: Our American friends arrived at Amsterdam Airport. Ruud and I went to Schiphol Airport to welcome them to Holland. It was a surprise, we did not tell them. Doug and JoAnn arrived first that day and we found them. Ruth and Jim Morgan and Sue Berry and Betty Bixby arrived a little bit later with the same plane, but unfortunately we missed them! We called them by cell phone and they were already in the train on their way to Amsterdam. A few hours later John and Bobbie landed and we caught them. Doug had been very ill in the past few months. He brought a scooter with him, to help him with the walking distances. After we helped them into the bus and train, they continued their trip to the hotel in Amsterdam. We drove back to The Hague (that is about an hour's drive from the airport). Our schedule for the next day was: the town of Hoorn with the original Red Rose Café.

Friday June 27th: Sonja (who stayed with her mother in The Hague) travelled with us today by train from The Hague to Amsterdam. We picked up our friends from the hotel breakfast table and together we travelled from Amsterdam to Hoorn, which is a 45 minutes ride by train, through real Dutch landscape: flat low grass fields and cows. We were a group of 12 persons. Beate Gündler (Germany) joined us for the trip. Doug drove his scooter. From the train station in Hoorn to the Red Rose Café (near the harbor) is a half hour walk, through a very nice historic town. The owners of the café knew we were coming; they had reserved our seats for lunch. Real Dutch café food: "broodje bal", "broodje kroket", "sateh". (roll meatball, roll croquette, kebab). Of course the André version of the world famous song was played and we sang along. Worldwide there are more than 200 versions of the song and the café had about 120. Some years ago André and the JSO had visited the café to meet the composer Pierre Kartner (artist name: Father Abraham) and the photo collage is hanging on the wall. Afterwards we went back to Amsterdam again. For dinner we had the typical Dutch (Indonesian) "rijsttafel" (rice table) with lots of small dishes. This was also a new experience for the Americans. Sonja with Ruud and I travelled back to The Hague that night.

Saturday June 28th: The day of our concert tickets for the "Romantic Viennese Night" in the Amsterdam ArenA (soccer stadium). While our friends were roaming around in Amsterdam, (amazed about passing a sex museum, a condom shop (as far as I know it is the only one in entire Holland!), an enormous mass of construction works (a metro/ underground was to be built) and eating "patat met mayonaise" (big French fries with mayonaise)), Sonja with Ruud and I picked up Anne Buch (Denmark) from the airport on our way to Amsterdam. All together we took the train again, to the Amsterdam ArenA, which is located in the suburbs of Amsterdam. In the meantime Al Girard (Canada), who also stayed in a hotel in Amsterdam, had found us and travelled with us. In the soccer stadium we also met Arie Bussemaker and Elke Bliefering (from the German fan website). The ArenA is world famous for its bad acoustics but of course….. André solved that problem. His crew put draperies against the skylights and except for the echo when he was speaking, the music sounded all right. The show was spectacular as usual. They had to shrink the palace a bit, for Schönbrunn in full glory did not fit in the length of the ArenA! André told us that he requested the management to enlarge the stadium for his concert, but they replied to him him to make the castle smaller! André joked: Dutch tightwads! The European and world champions' figure skating team: Aljona and Robin, skated to the Titanic song in Amsterdam. André performed two nights in the Arena for 25.000 people each night. We already had experienced the concert/show in Vienna in 2006 and in Toronto in 2007. But every time it is marvelous! I waved the Amsterdam flag, for I was born in Amsterdam! That night we stayed at the hotel in Amsterdam.

Sunday, June 29: After breakfast everybody departed to follow their personal itinerary. John and Bobbie went to friends and family in Holland. Sue and Betty travelled straight to Maastricht. Doug and JoAnn went sightseeing in Cologne, Germany. Sonja, Anne, Ruth and Jim travelled with us to our hometown The Hague. As we live in small houses in Holland (compared to the Americans houses) and we only have one guest bed, Anne stayed in our house, while Ruth and Jim stayed in a hotel in the center of The Hague, near the government buildings of the "Binnenhof (Inner Court) and Knight's Hall". Sonja stays with her mother.

Monday, June 30: I created a few trips in the area around The Hague. Today on the program: The 19 historic windmills in the village of Kinderdijk. The sun was shining; we took a boat trip along the mills and visited one mill. In the 18th century these windmills drained the low lands. Nowadays big engines have taken over the job. Kinderdijk is a wonderful place to see how Holland was about 300 years ago. There are still several families living in the mills, or in the houses next to the mills.
On the way back home, we visited one of the storm surge barriers, the "Maeslantkering". After the big flood disaster in 1953, a few storm surge barriers were built. They are wonders of technique. Big arms can close off the waterways, to protect the country against flooding. Holland seems to have a national alarm clock. When the water level rises three meters, the alarm goes off and the engineers close the storm surge barriers, to keep the wild sea out. Recently they had to do that in November 2007!! I can assure you: that is exciting!!
Entering the city The Hague, we made a short visit to my daughter’s riding school and stables on the outskirts of the city. Irene and her partner run a big riding school. Irene has her own private horse, and in May a new foal was born. André fans are animal lovers, so we felt so happy to see the foal merrily running in the green pasture, next to her mother. Wonderful!
Dinner at Scheveningen: the beach resort of The Hague. We walked up and down the Pier, saw the bungee jumping and the kite surfing on the North Sea and we had dinner on the outside terrace of a beach pavilion. Still sunny weather in Holland! How lucky we can be!

Tuesday, July 1st: Today the town of Delft is on the program. But first we had to visit Museum the "Mauritshuis", to see the original famous painting of the "girl with the pearl earring", painted by Johannes Vermeer. This painting was elected by the Dutch people as best painting by a Dutch painter, ever. Johannes Vermeer was born in Delft. After the Museum, we visited the government buildings (house of parliament) and the Knight’s Hall, in The Hague. The oldest part was built in the 13th century as a hunting lodge for the noblemen. Delft is another nice historic Dutch town, with canals and bridges. We had lunch on a boat terrace on a canal. No, not sailing, the boat is just part of a restaurant, in use as an outdoor café. Back in The Hague, Ruud prepared dinner in our home. He even served the courses with a Ratatouille cook’s hat from the Disney movie!

Wednesday, July 2nd: Exploring The Hague today. During our city walk we happened to see the new ambassador of Columbia, visiting Queen Beatrix in her palace office (Noordeinde), to give her his credentials. I heard about it, but I had never seen it myself and I live in The Hague for over 40 years!! It happens on Wednesday mornings, when a new ambassador starts his job. We were so lucky to see this ceremony with music, horses, carriages and colorful historic costumes. Yes, this is the royal city of The Hague!! Our American friends said that The Hague was a more relaxed city than the hectic city of Amsterdam.
Next we climbed 321 steps to the carillon in the tower of the St. Jacobs Church. Our female city carillonneur played American folksongs like Yankee Doodle and Oh Suzanna, in honor of our American guests. We were even allowed to go through the hatch to the bells, so we were almost with our heads into the bells. What a sound!! After the carillon we visited historic almshouses from the 17th century and we ended up in the liquor museum, tasting all kinds of liquor and Italian snacks. You know what I tasted? Bridal tears! That is white liquor with pieces of gold in it! We asked what happens, swallowing gold, but the lady said: "Well, it comes out on the normal way again…." So the next day we could start gold digging!
That night we packed our stuff, went to bed early, for tomorrow we take off to Maastricht!!

Thursday, July 3rd: In three hours, Ruud, Sonja, Anne and I, drove by car to Maastricht. Maastricht was an adventure from beginning to end. In consulting with the hotel manager of Hotel DuCasque and the foundation "Make a wish", Gemma and Nand (Belgium) gave up their balcony room on the Vrijthof site, for a seriously ill man, who hadn’t been out in nine years. It was his wish to attend an André concert, but it was impossible for him to be among the audience. So we were happy to co-operate and Gemma and Nand put the room and the balcony at their disposal for the Saturday night.
We bought a few boxes of Maastricht Riesling wine at the Nekum Hoeve and Sue put her first steps on Belgium ground. She could say she had been in Belgium now! She loved the Limburg countryside. Ruud and Jim fixed the orange banners on the façade of the hotel and we had dinner at Gauchos, downstairs. To our surprise we heard about the dress rehearsal that night. The gates were opened and the audience was allowed in for free. André did not play the entire program and often he stopped after the start of a piece of music. He said that was reasonable, since we had not paid! He spoke in German language, because the concert will be broadcast in Germany on TV first and André wanted to speak in his own Maastricht dialect during the normal concerts. It was funny to see him at work, talking to Pit Weyrich (the German director) and to the sound crew. I bet Marjorie was in the rear with pen and paper, writing down all the details…. We were enchanted by the variety of the music pieces.

Friday, July 4th: American Independence Day. The Americans wore clothes in the colors of their flag. At 5 PM we had to be in Café Charlemagne for the fan dinner. For 2008 we rented the entire first floor and the cook made a hot and cold buffet for 64 persons, the utmost maximum for that room. We had eight different nationalities: 21 USA, 17 Dutch, 6 Australians, 6 Danes, 4 Canadians, 4 Germans, 4 Belgians, and 2 English. Three persons did not show up. You should have heard the sound over there! Like a full henhouse. It was our third time in Charlemagne and we are still very welcome as a group. But we fear we have outgrown our space there! Last year we had 44 fans, this year 64, and how many more fans next year?? We left the restaurant at 8 PM, in time for the first concert, for those with concert tickets. Ruud and I invited guests to our hotel room and we watched the concert from our roof apartment. What a view! The best view for the light show, the special effects and the fireworks. The room costs us a fortune per night, but we think it is worth every penny. After Maastricht we are broke, but very happy! What can I say about the concert? I cannot find enough words in English. Awesome, breathtaking, impressive, goose bumps, shivers. WOW, what a concert! Every concert we think André has reached the top of the mountain and he cannot do any better….. But he does! It is unbelievable. What a man, what an orchestra, what music. End of the concert: 00.30 AM. In bed: never before 2 AM, to let the adrenaline subside!

Saturday, July 5: Fan Picnic in the City Park at noon. Same spot every year, opposite the ancient bastion "Vijf Koppen" and the big fountain. About 70 fans met each other. Also from Japan! They had printed out our Maastricht walks to discover the town!! The Japanese lady (Mihoko) was at the concert that evening, wearing her traditional Japanese Kimono, having a fan in her hand and an André-scarf around her neck. Every new fan gets a warm welcome. We feel like a big happy family. Thousands of pictures were taken. Again a sunny day and the fans stayed at the park from 12 till about 3 PM. In Maastricht we met Vilma and Tony Smith, from Sydney, for the first time. Half a year ago Vilma invited us to stay at her house and attend the Sydney concerts in November 2008 together. She did not even know us at that time! We accepted and booked the flights to Sydney. We have never before been to Australia. In Maastricht we met and felt like soul mates, so we very much look forward to that trip. André, how is it possible, we go to Australia!!!
In the late afternoon rain started to pour and we feared the worse for the concert. André's crew laid emergency ponchos on every seat. What a pity for the fans, for the recording, for the DVD! But…… a miracle happened! At 8.15 PM the rain stopped and it stayed dry all night. Thank you Clara, you are the greatest of all saints!! The highlights of the concert are: Conquest of Paradise (composed by Vangelis for the movie 1492 (Columbus discovered America)). The 150+ men from the Maastrichter Staar with their torches, oh my goodness, I cannot find the right words….. Also very impressive is the Russian song about the Twelve Robbers, sung by Bär Schellings, the soloist of the choir. Hilarious was Mirusia with the kangaroo song and the men's choir hopping behind her! Mirusia sang the refrain of the song in Dutch. That was a surprise! It is about a kangaroo mother, who is looking for her kangaroo child! Some Australians told me they hate that song, but….. as soon as they have seen this version, they will love it!! The guests that were in our room (while we were on the square) loved the concert too.

Sunday, July 6: Just a simple stroll through the town, listening to Frank’s carillon concert on the Market Place (bric and brac, antiques and flea market), having a beer on a terrace. We found the shop window with the violin amidst the ladies lingerie; we saw the seats on the Saint Amors square and the big screen. Maastricht was crowded but still relaxed. The daily sound checks at 5 PM are also very interesting. That night during the concert, we looked down from our room window. We saw the Gauchos crew beneath, doing the hopping kangaroo conga line. Vilma hopped in between them with her Australian flag! She had the time of her life! What a party!

Monday, July 7:
Tearing down the banners and a three hours drive back
home. What a party that was! We are exhausted and we need at least a week to recuperate. Who cares? The memories stay forever. The hotel manager told us he liked our banners very much and I already have his permission to place banners on the hotel the next year!

Photos From Hanne in Maastricht July 2008

Photos Hanne took in Maastricht ~ July 2008

André in Maastricht Driving His Mercedes

André on The Vrijthof

André on The Theater Steps in Maastricht


Three Amazing Concerts!