André's Rieu Concert in Orlando, Florida
With Jennifer
The concert in Orlando last night was fantastic! The whole orchestra was there and they, André and the soloists performed with such verve and enthusiasm it was clear they were happy to be back on tour.
Kimmy, Carmen and the Platin tenors were outstanding and really sang their hearts out. Kimmy has gained a lot of confidence with "Casta Diva" and sang that very difficult aria very beautifully. Carmen in "Habanera" was a wonder- seductive, flirtatious and humorous. Beautiful and great.
Lots of jokes flying around about Orlando, and it was interesting that most of the audience was not from Orlando! Lots of people from Brazil, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Massachusetts etc. (haha). The elderly gentleman sitting next to me drove from Mississipi! I had a nice chat with Jorge and Marisol from Argentina.
Pieces I had not heard performed before included "Sports Palace Waltz" and "Stars and Stripes Forever".
The most inspiring part of a very inspiring evening was at the end when André announced from the stage that there was an American WWII vet in the audience who had helped liberate Maastricht in 1944. This gentleman was in his 90's, with his wife of 70+ years! André was clearly very appreciative, and the orchestra played "America the Beautiful" and "Stars and Stripes Forever." Very moving.
Thanks again to André Rieu and the JSO for coming back to the US! ... Best to all, Jennifer
Photos added from André Rieu's Website
3 comments:
Haha thanks Sue! :-) I have great photos too but can't download them until I get home on Sunday- believe it or not I'm on a business trip and don't have time for photos! :-) I'm a determined fan though, so I also made it to Tampa last night and it was great too. They played Zorba as an encore instead of America the Beautiful. The snowstorm blew over the stage and front of orchestra! :-) Have fun everyone- Jennifer D.
Thanks for that Jennifer, it was great to read that you all had a good night. Looking forward to seeing your photgraphs.
I am from Buffalo, NY and I went to Orlando to see Andre live for the second time. The show was fantastic as expected. I was also extremely lucky to have been staying at the same hotel as the orchestra and I got to meet many of my favorites including the love of my life, Carmen. There was only one small instance that disappointed me a little. Stephanie is one of my favorites and I noticed her coming out of the restaurant after breakfast. I said Hi Stephanie and she looked quickly and then headed for the elevator completely ignoring me. She probably had something important to do, but as I said, it was a little disappointing as I thought she was a little friendlier.
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