Being Home Is a Vacation For André Rieu

Dutch Conductor Travels The World The Entire Year

Being home is a vacation for André Rieu  

Weekend article Sep 2012: André Rieu is still the only real world star the Netherlands has. The famous conductor, who earlier this year suffered with health issues, has been traveling around the world to give concerts. A holiday for him is therefore mainly staying at home. 

After a wonderful but tiring series of concerts in Brazil, André Rieu recently returned back to his hometown of Maastricht. The world famous conductor has there a normal routine. First to chat with his wife Marjorie and then simply to go shopping in the neighborhood supermarket. "If I would ever exhibit any form of a diva behavior, Marjorie would immediately straighten me out. But honestly that is not necessary. As soon as I return from a tour, within the hour I am standing in the supermarket just around the corner again just being the normal André Rieu in Maastricht." Than nothing matters anymore, he once said in an interview with "Weekend". That behavior ensures that André keeps both feet firmly planted on the ground. That last remark is also meant to be literal since there are not many people who spent as many hours in the air as the famous leader of the Johann Strauss Orchestra. 

In the recent months, he and his orchestra have performed in France, Germany, Austria, Brazil and South Africa. Every single one of them in sold out venues and to totally enthusiastic audiences. And so, the entire world also happens to know "our" André Rieu, although a lot of foreigners have difficulty pronouncing his name. "Which is being pronounced a million different ways, and no matter how often I pronounce it for them, they never manage to say it correctly" says André laughingly. Since he spends so much time in an airplane due to his work and is constantly in other countries and climates’, being home for Rieu is actually a form of vacation and when he and Marjorie want to get away for just a few days, he usually chooses to go to Italy or Austria.

Selling More CD’s 

In both countries, with their centuries-old musical culture, he immediately receives inspirations for new concerts. Recently he was even fitted for a typical Austrian wardrobe and in passing also bought traditional Austrian clothing for Marjorie and grandchildren. For the coming months the conductor has a very busy agenda. In October there are at least 17 concerts planned for France and Germany and in December he will be touring Great Britain and Ireland. The Netherlands and Belgium are obviously not forgotten. The end of November Rieu will perform three concerts in Belgium and on November 30th he will be performing in the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam. He will close this year with a concert in the Rotterdam Ahoy on December 22nd. 

The holidays are reserved for his family and grandchildren. But everyone who would really like to know how André Rieu spends his Holidays can in a short period of time watch that on his DVD "Home for Christmas."This DVD was primarily recorded at his romantic castle in the shadows of Maastricht where he and his wife Marjory reside. André bought this castle at the beginning of his success. He talked about that once when he said: "Do you know the comic strip of Ollie B. Bommel (Dutch cartoon character) where Ollie stands at the entrance way of the castle Molensloot? With huge eyes he looks at that castle. As a youngster I wanted that too. When this castle came up for sale, we were just looking for a home. As a joke I said to Marjorie, "We can go live there too." To which she replied: "Then you better sell some more CD’s." "So, that’s of course what I went and did." 

Thanks to Ineke for sending this and John Translating it