André Rieu: 'Four people wanted to save my Stradivarius!'

 

World star has his back against the wall, but ...

André Rieu: 'Four people wanted to save my Stradivarius!'

Telegraaf, 21 August 2021. By Harrie Nijen Twilhaar: André Rieu has not had any sleepless nights yet, but even his beloved Vrijthof remained, again, dead quiet this summer. "I'm getting extremely nervous about how it will now proceed," he told Privé (part of "de Telegraaf") today. "This is unsustainable." But his great pride, his Stradivarius, which he considered selling, is safe...

World star André Rieu can't wait to go back on stage with his orchestra. 

"We want so badly to perform again, but the situation is very uncertain."

André Rieu (71) has never concealed his great concerns over the past year and a half. Together with a number of successful DJs, he is the only Dutch world star, where the entire machinery which has been built up around him in recent years has been at a standstill for a long time. And for him too, with various corona measures worldwide, the end is not yet in sight.

At home in his Maastricht castle on the Sint-Pietersberg, the king of the waltz tells us that as long as testing has to be done, he will not board a plane or enter a stage with his orchestra.

In place of performing on the Vrijthof, the maestro was 'forced' to stay in his studio to produce a new album and a special 'for cinemas only' program called "Together Again" – which will only be shown in numerous cinemas on 28 and 29 August only.

"In order to be able to do something for our fans, we have put together a compilation of the most beautiful performances – from Sydney to Mexico City and from Istanbul to New York," says André. "My orchestra and I want to perform so badly again, but the situation is very uncertain. Fortunately, vaccinations give more and more freedom, but as long as international lockdowns or other protective measures are in force, we cannot go in anywhere."

It's been over a year and a half since you last performed.

"Due to the advancing corona pandemic, we had to return home at the end of February last year. And that was it. Never imagined it would take so long! Hundreds of thousands of fans have bought tickets. Those dates have all been changed. I estimate that it entails as many as 140 concerts at home as well as abroad. In addition, we also have to make up for our concerts in Chile in 2019. In October of that year, all hell broke loose there because of political uprisings. Everyone feels like things are going in the right direction, but for us, as an orchestra, that uncertainty is murderous. Tomorrow may be different. That makes me extremely nervous.

Is that uncertainty debilitating?

"Absolutely. As long as there still is a hassle around testing and the requirements which are set abroad, and for the time being, I'm not going to travel with the orchestra That's just not possible. Then you create a lot of misery all about yourself. This means that we are reluctant to plan. We cannot, especially now, spend millions of Euros on airline tickets, hotel costs, insurance, while we do not know whether concerts will take place. With a lockdown, you know where you stand, while the circumstances are completely uncertain now. In the Netherlands, the policy almost changes weekly. You can't rely on that."

You are critical when it comes to testing.

"That has to stop sometime. We will always find a virus when you test. I can only continue when all the misery is behind us. That's why, for the time being, I will not get on a plane or stage. First, it has to be over and done with all the hassles around it. My fans are letting me know that they are patient, even if it takes another five years. They continue to stay loyal to me."

How long can you keep this up financially?

"The bank and I have been together to speak about this situation. They also know that I am dependent on whether or not concerts will take place, in the near future. They immediately expressed full confidence in me. The bank determined that I have a super healthy company and let me know that they are willing to help me. In addition, we still receive government assitance, but that is by far not enough. They only pay eighty percent of the salaries and a little for fixed costs. No matter how you turn it, it continues to cost a lot of money."

Did you ever think of throwing in the towel?

"No! Never! I once said that I would sell my Stradivarius. When I announced that, immediately there were four rich people in the Netherlands who, independently of each other, told me that that was not going to happen. Mentally together with my wife Marjorie and sons Pierre and Marc we can handle it. Together we have made this family business big and we are not going to let it be taken away by a pandemic."

Your fighting spirit is boundless.

"I have a huge fighting spirit to keep going and I will not let myself get defeated. Even if it takes another five years! We're going to continue. Despite the fact that the situation is still so uncertain. Then I think: "Come on guys, dear government, there finally must come a point where we can agree on and that we can move on. It will be of no use to us if Prime Minister Rutte or some foreign government tonight shouts: 'Tomorrow you can do everything again." We have to prepare our concerts months in advance.

Together with my wife Marjorie and sons Pierre (photo) and Marc I made this family business big. 

We will not let this be taken away from us by a pandemic."

Starting October you would want to start your World Tour.

"It depends on the situation. Concerts are planned in Tel Aviv, Santiago, Vienna, Bratislava and Lisbon."

And that's is all about hundreds of thousands of tickets?

"Roughly about 700,000 tickets, to be exact. We did receive that money, but we cannot give a concert in return. Everyone has to be patient until we can perform again. I still need to play for those financial reserves! In addition, a large part of the receipts (the entrance fees received, ed.) is tied up in local banks abroad."

Do your musicians still have faith in the future?

"They have one hundred percent confidence in me that everything will turn out to be okay. Most of them have been with me for over thirty years. They are top musicians and they really don't – should I go bankrupt – run out of funds. But I have already placed that doomsday scenario aside, because I am certain that the situation will one day return to normal."

You look for alternatives, with those cinema concerts.

"In July we primarily filmed on the Sint-Pietersberg, to show that we are getting back together again as a Johann Strauss Orchestra for the first time. Before the film, a compilation of performances, is shown in cinemas, the viewers are presented an interview with my son Pierre. Incidentally, those cinema concerts do, of course, yield something, but it is a pittance if you compare that with the actual merits if there had not been a pandemic. Still, we want to do something for our loyal fans, which I miss terribly."

Are the summer concerts on the Vrijthof in 2022 feasible?

"Of course I hope to be playing there again. But we can't plan anything right now. Around January, we should know if 2022 is feasible. Hopefully we can also give Christmas concerts in the renewed MECC in Maastricht in December, just like two years ago. But for that too, time is running out for that too!"

 

Thanks to Ineke for this article and John's translation.