Pierre Rieu: "The most frequently asked question during guided tours?

 Pierre Rieu: "The most frequently asked question during guided tours? How to proceed when André is no longer there"

Pierre Rieu — photo Marcel van Hoorn 

Maastricht - We cannot call him the big man behind the scenes, although he is ultimately responsible for everything that happens around the Vrijthof concerts - the last ones are this weekend - of André Rieu. He works with a team of no less than 650 people, emphasizes son Pierre. "This is really a group performance. And every day of the concert we are amazed at what we all experience."

From "De Limburger" by Rob Cobben -These are the busiest weeks of the year for Pierre Rieu. But the 41-year-old son of the world-famous violinist and orchestra leader from Maastricht is particularly relaxed on the terrace of "Huis de Torentjes," the beautiful castle from the fifteenth century in the Sint Pieter's district where his parents live.

We meet on a day when there are no performances and no guided tours for concertgoers who have booked a VIP package, to which Pierre always is the host and guide. Those tours are only there on the days when there is also a concert, he explains. And invariably, they are always  full with 120 participants at a time.

Rieu fans can choose from three packages: an excursion in the studio and rehearsal rooms in Amby, backstage at the Vrijthof or one through the castle where also costumes from the orchestra members and even the maestro's can be viewed. Of course the latter option is the most popular.

Breath

So there is some time to catch your breath, although the fans of his father and his Johann Strauss Orchestra are never far away. "Look," says Pierre while pointing to the Lage Kanaaldijk at the foot of the monumental building on the eastern flank of Sint Pietersberg. Although the municipality has placed prohibition signs there a few weeks ago, a coach still stops there.

Dozens of people, who have cameras around their necks or a Smartphone in their hands, get out. And immediately begin to take pictures of the domain of their great idol. Pierre Rieu laughs. "I think this is very nice to see. How special it is that people from all over the world travel to Maastricht to come and see your father. They can spend their money on other things just a well, couldn't they?"

Valuable

He describes the contact with the fans as "very special and valuable."  "During these tours, they explain why they travelled to Maastricht. There are people who celebrate an anniversary, have been married for forty or fifty years, are retiring or have overcome an illness. Some stories make you really quiet. Everyone has a different reason for coming here."

They bombard him with questions, says Pierre Rieu. One that most often comes along is: "What about the Johann Strauss Orchestra when André is no longer here?" Then I always answer that with: "We are not working on that yet. That we live from day to day and enjoy all those beautiful moments. And I mean that sincerely. We are amazed every day by the concert and what we all experience."

     Photo by Marcel van Hoorn

His father still feels fine and is in an excellent condition, says Pierre Rieu. He lives a healthy life, has a personal coach and ensures in sufficient moments of rest. "But he will indeed turn 73 in October. That's a quite an age. That is why we are slowly reducing the number of concerts. A few years ago we were still at one hundred and forty gigs a year, now we are just over a hundred. And we want to end up somewhere around eighty."

Finals

On Sunday, the series of fifteen concerts at the Vrijthof in Maastricht will come to an end, good for a total of 180,000 visitors. Every concert evening there are 8800 people in front of the stage and another 3500 others who have bought a terrace arrangement at the catering establishments around the square. Never before has Rieu and his orchestra given so many concerts in a row in his hometown. He was allowed by the municipality to use the Vrijthof a few extra evenings, since the performances in 2020 and 2021 had to be cancelled due to Covid-19. Next year there will again be twelve concerts, just like before the corona pandemic.

Rieu and his orchestra travel all over the world, but the Vrijthof series are still the highlights of the year for orchestra and employees, says the son and production manager. "And that's certainly not just because we can come to work by bike. When we perform in Lisbon, there are only Portuguese in the room. And in Montevideo, the audience consists mainly of Uruguayans. But in Maastricht, almost the entire world comes together. This year we have guests from almost a hundred different countries. And that is very special. You also see friendships develop between fans of different origins."

Grander

Why all these people make the sometimes long and expensive trip to Maastricht, when they might also be able to see Rieu perform closer to home? "Because they find it special to see André in his own city. And because they know that the show here is bigger than anywhere else. During the concerts at the Vrijthof this time there are a total of 250 artists on stage. You can't experience that anywhere else."

Tickets for the fifteen concerts this summer had already gone on sale in September 2019. And no one returned their tickets after the forced cancellations in 2020 and 2021, says Pierre Rieu. And that also applies to all the other concerts which were planned in the rest of the world, for which a total of half a million tickets were sold. "The fans have stayed loyal to us. That has been a huge support to all of us. It has given us strength during those difficult pandemic years."

Photo Marcel van Hoorn

 Christmas concerts

There were exactly 1081 days between the last Vrijthof show in 2019 and the first of 2022. Sunday evening around midnight, the sixteenth concert series comes to an end on the most beautiful square in the world, as the orchestra leader himself calls it. In total, the counter stands at 115 open-air performances at that location. And after that? "Tear everything down and make the square beautiful. That's how it happens, because we work with a team that is a well-oiled machine. With all these employees, I could dare to organize any event anywhere in the world."

Then there will be a short holiday for the musicians and other staff - in total about 120 people - of André Rieu Productions. Starting at the end of September, another busy program awaits. With concerts in Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Israel, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.

And then in December will come the dessert again in Maastricht, with at least four Christmas concerts in the MECC, which will turn the venue into a fairytale décor. Pierre Rieu: "Because that's what we're good at: giving people the feeling that they've ended up in a fairy tale. And let them have a wonderful evening, so that they go home with a smile on their face."

Pierre Rieu with his father at the beginning of the Vrijthof concerts.

Photo Marcel Van Hoorn

 Thanks to John for this article and his translation