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 was so busy with my studies that I didn't have a musical idol as a teenager. Later, around my 20s, I suddenly discovered the Beatles and the Rolling Stones but I guess my musical idol has always been Strauss.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I make music to touch the souls of people as it's a language we all can speak.
I am a showman in the traditional sense, but modern, too. I like to use sets and lighting to create magic.
The waltz can be sad and at the same time uplifting. You have to see life from both sides, and the waltz encapsulates that. If you're in my audience you give yourself to me and the waltz will grab you.
Critics or musicians who attack me are jealous of my success and the fact that I make people feel so happy.
I have two speeds, nothing and full pelt.
Now, I've changed my life to make sure I work only on what I love.
I first picked up a violin aged five - I just assumed everyone played.
We should make decisions in life with our hearts, not our brains, not only in music but in daily life.