No Rieu Concerts On The Vrijthof: "This is Crap"

No Rieu Concerts On The Vrijthof:

"This is Crap"

André Rieu on an almost empty Vrijthof. "Next year more concerts." 
Photo Lorain Bodewes

Maastricht, de Limburger by Rob Cobben 

Yesterday evening the sixteenth series of concerts by André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra should have started at the Vrijthof in Maastricht. But the corona crisis put an end to the twelve sold-out shows for almost 100,000 fans. "It is terrible, but there is nothing we can do about it," says the world-renowned orchestra leader.

The Vrijthof looks empty on this Thursday. Under normal circumstances there would now have been a large stage; plus eight thousand folding chairs; and it would be swarming with Rieu fans in the connecting streets. But in 2020, because of the corona pandemic, nothing is normal. This summer, there will be no "Second Waltz," "Radetzky March" or "Ode to Joy" on the famous square of the Limburg capital. And there are no cheerful people who dance exuberantly and clap their hands until they are blue. "It's terrible. You can safely say: "Crappy, ” André Rieu tells us while he eats a piece of cherry pie with whipped cream on the terrace of In Den Ouden Vogelstruys. "Making people happy with beautiful music is our mission. That this is not possible now - precisely at a time when there is a need for it more now than ever - it hurts. A lot of pain!"

Rieu is optimistic in nature, he says, but there are times when he can be gloomy. Especially in the last few days, just before the start of the canceled Vrijthof concerts - “Always an explosion of joy” - but now he is having a hard time. "And the uncertainty doesn't make it any easier. How long will this situation last? When can we finally perform again? And will the people still dare to come to our concerts, I worry about that. ”

On the other hand: what is a year in a human life? "Nothing! I can normally put things into perspective, though. And we have a very loyal audience. Of all those hundreds of thousands of people who - worldwide - had bought tickets for our concerts, only a handful asked for the money back. The rest will come next year, if the shows are allowed to continue. ”

Making people happy with beautiful music is our mission. That this is now not possible - especially at a time when there is a need for it more than ever - is very painful. Andre Rieu

Payroll

These are difficult times for the 70-year-old musician and conductor, who has 136 people on the payroll. But his company will not go down as a result of the pandemic, he says. "Fortunately we have some reserves, we can take the blows. How long? I do not dare to say that. It depends on how long this situation continues and also on the support measures from the government. I myself think that everything will be down for at least a year. The Christmas concerts in the MECC? I'm afraid they won't go through. The one and a half meter requirement is simply not workable for us. ”

Rieu was on tour in the United States with his orchestra when the world largely locked up in mid-March. Some forty concerts had to be canceled and a similar number is planned for the second half of this year.

Health

"We don't earn anything at all. We have to reserve the revenues from this year's ticket sales for 2021. But I'm not going to complain. We can't help it. And health is paramount! ”

The rehearsals of his orchestra have also been stopped for months. He has little contact with the musicians. However, he has not been idle. “All those concerts had to be rebooked. That's a lot of work. Moreover, at the request of TV stations in various countries, we have edited and shortened concert registrations. And besides that I am still baking cakes. Those nice scents make me happy. ”

Has he considered recording video clips at home? "No. We need to interact with the fans. It is not for nothing that I am the only conductor who faces the audience. It's all about the atmosphere and you can't approach it with such an internet movie. ”Next year, if the municipality agrees, Rieu wants to give twenty concerts in place of the twelve Vrijthof concerts. "And now just thumbs up that there will be a vaccine soon, or the virus will be removed from the world."

Thanks to John for this article and his translation