Andre Rieu
Andre Rieu
André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieuis a Dutch violinist and conductor best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra. Together they have turned classical and waltz music into a worldwide concert touring act, as successful as some of the biggest global pop and rock music acts. For his work, Rieu has been awarded such honours as the Order of the Netherlands Lion by the Netherlands, the Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France, and the Honorary...
NationalityDutch
ProfessionComposer
Date of Birth1 October 1949
CityMaastricht, Netherlands
I am a showman in the traditional sense, but modern, too. I like to use sets and lighting to create magic.
Critics or musicians who attack me are jealous of my success and the fact that I make people feel so happy.
Contrary to popular opinion, classical music does not have to be enjoyed amid exclusive circles, there need not be any snobbishness attached to it. It's there for everyone. I play for the people.
I make music to touch the souls of people as it's a language we all can speak.
I was a fat child and loved cake, perhaps because it was the only sweet thing in my life.
It is a real piece of art if you can make a waltz sound like it is the easiest piece of music to play, because it's really not.
Where would I be without Johann Strauss's beautiful 'Blue Danube?' Without this piece of music I wouldn't be the man I am today. It's a tune that brings out the emotion in everyone and makes them want to waltz.
When my twin grandchildren, Linda and Lyeke, were born two years ago, it changed me. I felt it was the essence of what life is about, and I cried all day. When my son Pierre, their father, was born I didn't cry like that.
It doesn't matter as long as there's interaction between me and the audience. That's why they come.
I have 120 people in my payroll without any government giving me any money. We live off the tickets and the records I sell. That is very unusual.
When I was 4 or 5, I attended my father's concerts. He very often played Strauss waltzes as encores and I saw something happening with the audience.
Other people might want a Ferrari, but I wanted a butterfly house. I built it together with a blacksmith. We designed it together.
People don't come to my concerts because they know the program. They come because they love the atmosphere and because they know that when I offer them a program it will be a night they never forget.
I think there are people who use classical music to say, 'I am better than you, because I know all the rules and you don't.' You're not allowed to have fun or entertain.