André Rieu Took South America by Storm

Even the Samba fans are lying at his feet

André Rieu Took South America by Storm

The few months when he was out of circulation due to his vestibular problem, were by no means influential in the enormous popularity of André Rieu. After Europe, North America and Australia, the violinist and orchestra leader has now definitely conquered South America.

At the beginning of this month, André Rieu, together with Anthony Hopkins, were standing on stage in the Royal Albert Hall in order to receive the Classic Brit Award for the album "And the Waltz Goes on" for which the British Actor wrote a piece. Hopkins used that occasion to show his admiration for the violinist and orchestra leader by stating, "André is a great musician, a fantastic showman and a wonderful violinist." And people in South America agree with that. Rieu, together with his renowned Johann Strauss Orchestra were able to totally conquer the lovers of the samba and mariachi music. I have always said, "If and when we go to Brazil, it will explode there." And this "explosion" aided Rieu immensely with his incredible success. This "explosion" encompassed as many as thirty sold out concerts in a row in Sao Paulo. No single artist has been able to achieve that. Approximately 200.000 tickets were sold, while within a single year twice as many CD’s have been sold. "A show with hallucinating moments" headlined a huge Brazilian newspaper. One fan after the show was shouting, "This show is a gift from God! Outrageously beautiful." The audience was entranced by the beautifully dressed musicians. Reviewers spoke of "the Disney like" pink, light blue and salmon colored dresses. But Rieu did not really touch the Brazilian emotions until he performed his classic version of the pop song "Ai Se eu Te Pego", a world hit by Brazilian Michael Telo.

Illegal: "The Brazilian public was fantastic" said Rieu reflecting back. "They had to wait a long time before we finally arrived to do a live performance. That it would turn out to be thirty concerts, no one would have dared to dream that." This Brazilian fairy tale is not yet finished. In April the Johann Strauss Orchestra will fly to Rio de Janeiro. And for the end of 2013 there are apparently a series of Christmas shows in the planning for Sao Paulo. The success in Latin America did not just come falling out of the sky. DVD’s and CD's have of course found their way to fans in Columbia, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil. But to organize a series of concerts, with approximately one hundred musicians and technicians, and then fly half way around the world, is a bit more complicated. That is why Rieu first and very carefully tested the waters in Mexico, where the 62 year old musician and his Johann Strauss Orchestra now feel at home. But Mexico had a surprise in store for him. "I was dumb founded" said André after one of his concerts in Mexico City. "When we thought, "Let’s try Mexico first", I seemed to be already famous there on the streets!" Pirate versions of his DVD’s and CD’s being offered everywhere in stands, seemed to have boosted his concert ticket sales enormously. Outside the concert halls, son Pierre filmed the shameless vendors selling their illegally begotten wares to the public. "They even wanted me to autograph them" he said laughing. 

Music Prize: The illegal sales did simply not keep Rieu from implementing his official sales in Mexico towards the end of 2011. In total he performed eight concerts in Guadalajara, Monterey and Mexico City. Approximately 70,000 spectators came to watch the violin virtuoso, including famous musicians like Armando Manzanero. This series of concerts yielded him a nomination for the Lunas Award, the prestigious music award for the best live performance in Mexico. Previously Elton John and Paul McCartney won this prize. On October 31, only Placido Domingo seems to be a serious contender for this trophy. The Limburg citizen is not surprised at all with his success in South America. "The kind of music I play is accepted all over the world. From the Eskimo’s to the Aborigines. As long as you open yourself up to the music. We play with all our heart and that the people in the hall notice that. My orchestra members and I are there because we enjoy it. Our happy faces are not put on, that is why there is a good interaction with the audience. And that works everywhere.

Thank you to John for Translating this and Ineke for sending it.