An Interview With André Rieu on New CD and Upcoming Concerts

Excerpts From Interview With André Rieu on New CD, Australia Wold Tour Concerts and Maastricht Concerts

About 2008 Maastricht and World Tour Concerts

Keith McGowan: André, your next concert schedule, where do you, where do you go from, from the recording studio? André Rieu: So we go to Germany, it's next door for me and we will do a tour in February in a lot of German cities and then we will go, at the moment, in March and April and May, we go to America again. And in June we are back in Europe to give some big arena concerts, they are part of the world stadium tour, the tour we do in Australia. And then we play in Maastricht in my home town and we will, … and I have another news. I invited William Barton, one of your most famous didgeridoo players, and he was in my studio and we taped Tie Me Kangaroo with him and I'm going to perform that also in Maastricht on the, on the big day. So, and that will be taped for television for the world. It will be a very Australian concert. Keith McGowan: Isn't that wonderful? When you perform in Maastricht, your home town, is that just … I mean I know all your concerts are special, but to perform in your home town, is there just something a little bit more special about that? André Rieu: It is of course because you know, I speak a lot of languages and one of my languages, my dialect of Maastricht and I can speak dial … My, my home, my born dialect only in Maastricht and that is of course fantastic when I can speak my own language. And there's another extra thing in Maastricht that we play on the place and there are 10,000 people sitting there, and around the place there are 25 cafes and restaurants. And they all sit outside and listen to my music and drink their wine and drink their beer and that gets an atmosphere that is unique and that is only possible in Maastricht. That's fantastic. Keith McGowan: Isn't that wonderful? The local boy makes good. Ah, that's lovely, that's lovely. And when is that Maastricht concert? André Rieu: That is in July. We have three concerts in the whole weekend, so Friday, Saturday, Sunday, every night we wait until it's dark - and that is here at 9:30 - and then we can illuminate the whole place and our stage and, and at this time we will as I told you, we will do a very Australian program. So we will, we will put Australia on the map - that means in the … on the world map.

About The New CD With Mirusia and Surprises

Keith McGowan: I'm wondering what songs you would….what music you would play on an Australian CD. André Rieu: Shall I tell you the surprise? It is…we found an Australian girl Marusia who was born in Brisbane and who is touring now with me for a year. She is a soprano and she has one of the most beautiful voices I ever heard. And she is going to sing together with me and my orchestra, some Australian songs, like of course Waltzing Matilda, Botany Bay, Tie Me Kangaroo ... All Among The Gum Tees, Still Call Australia Home … but I will tell you, the first time I heard Botany Bay, and you know, it, it was song like that dah, dah, dah, dah and then I said "No please, make it another tempo". And now she sings "dah, dah, dah… (hums)". We are almost finished with the whole CD because it's going to be released in Australia in May, so for…that is what I'm informed, so we have to hurry to, to make everything okay. But you know, we are living in, in a sort of dream because everyday we hear from Australia all the good news - that the people love me and they even buy even more DVDs and CDs, so you know, it's all fantastic and, and we are looking forward to come to Australia and to give all these concerts in November. Keith McGowan: Now, this CD obviously is for worldwide release, isn't it? It's not just for an Australian. André Rieu: It's for worldwide release, so … I made a worldwide release that is Australia orientated because of course there will be some Viennese waltzes on it. .... I have another, I have another surprise. I made a composition together with my brother and on this music, I will show Australia their history. So you see the 200 years old history of Australia with Botany Bay and all the convicts coming and the discovering of Australia by a Dutchman, not by an Englishman … I tell you another secret. I will be in Australia in May to visit your country to make promotions for the new CD, together with Marusia, the Australian soprano and then in May … in June I will come back to Australia for a longer time to film around the country. So I will go to the Rock and I will go to her Elementary School where she will sing the Gum Trees together with the little children and we will all tape that and that you will all see in the Australian concert in Maastricht.


André also announces he will do a third concert in Melbourne in the interview.

Sonja is going to add the full article onto Translations soon, but this is the most important news that was in it for everyone to read now ...