Review: André Rieu at UK Metro Radio Arena

Review: André Rieu at the Metro Radio Arena

Evening Chronicle April 20, 2011

Renowned musician Andre Rieu started his debut UK Arena tour in Newcastle last night. Tracy Jefferies was there and found the concert to be a night to remember.

WHILE the UK waits for the impending wedding of the year, royalty was in residence in the North East last night – musical royalty that is.

André Rieu arrived at the Metro Radio Arena amidst all the pomp and circumstance of a regal procession, walking through the audience to meet and greet his adoring public.

There's no doubt that this is a man with impeccable musical credentials who not only is a maestro in his own right, but also has the knack of discovering and bringing together talent from across the globe.

There are not many artistes who can pull together an evening's entertainment from so many diverse areas of music and yet turn them all into an absolute spectacle.

From the opening bars of Strauss's Voices of Spring through to his tribute to Michael Jackson with an utterly haunting version of Ben, this was a spellbinding evening which few of us attending are ever likely to forget.

It was something like a trip through musical styles; one minute this amazing orchestra playing a tango, the next the Viennese waltzes with the female musicians dressed in stunning crinolines.

Rieu has brought together performers from around the world, with musicians and singers from Hungary, Australia and South Africa and all points in between, sharing his love and his passion.

We were transported to a Rio carnival – complete with balloons falling from the roof – to the Skater's Waltz where so much artificial snow fell that the front rows of the audience were covered.

We were enchanted by the cellist's rendition of The Swan and felt both patriotic and emotional as the sound of We'll Meet Again rang out across the auditorium.

This was a night when those present shared this musical genius's wit and wisdom, laughing as he told us that Newcastle was his favourite place in the world. At the same time you could see many people wiping away tears as the sheer perfection of the music sometimes became too overwhelming to bear.

Rieu declared that music was his life, a comment that might have sounded trite coming from anyone else but in this setting, with this performance, you knew it was true and it really did feel a privilege to feel part of it.

There was encore after encore as the audience really did refuse to let him go – and no wonder. As Rieu himself says: “My main goal, every concert, is for people to have an unforgettable night! “I always tell my audience, if they bring their heart and open up to the music, they will enjoy every minute of it. “I like to talk to my audience, interact with them and look them in the eyes. “People don’t need to be afraid that they need to know everything about classical music, to attend a concert of mine. “In Mozart’s time, people would whistle his tunes on the street and that’s what it’s all about. “Classical music belongs to everybody; young and old, educated or not. “I believe that people are hungry for beautiful music. “Beautiful music is timeless and our concerts are a place where audiences are allowed to feel and show their emotions – something you don’t often get to do any more in modern life!”

His tongue-in-cheek comments about Newcastle were even funnier, after he had told the Chronicle: “Unfortunately we don’t have that much time to visit the cities but then again, I’ll do that when I’m old, together with my wife. “Now, while travelling, I just look forward to performing in front of a new audience every night. “I’m very excited to see how the UK public will react!

“I’m 61. My dream is to continue playing beautiful music, together with my wonderful orchestra, for as long as I feel fit!