Andre Rieu - Now It's Strictly Come Waltzing
By Adrian Thrills
Last updated at 12:39 AM on 05th March 2010
Andre Rieu doesn't have the air of a man on a mission. Relaxing over lunch in his Zurich hotel, the violinist and conductor is engaging company.
And, while his wavy, shoulder-length hair would suggest the talented Dutchman might be a bit of a showman on the sly, he blends in unobtrusively with his surroundings.
It is only later, when he plays a Swiss ice-hockey arena with his Johann Strauss Orchestra, laughing and joking through a two-hour show, that it becomes apparent that Rieu, 60, is a classical musician with a difference.
Pulling strings: Violinist Andre Rieu brings a spectacle - he has sold 30 million albums worldwide.
In injecting wit, irreverence and spontaneity into a genre often associated with stuffiness, he has become an international phenomenon, singlehandedly spearheading a revival of 19th-century waltz music.
'The waltz encapsulates all emotions in life, and that's why people love it,' he tells me. 'I was attracted by the sheer joy in the music of Johann Strauss. It is very uplifting, and that's what I try to capture on stage.
'I don't think you can conduct a Strauss waltz with a baton. You should just play it and try to get people on their feet. It's so dull when you go to a classical concert and everyone just sits there. That wasn't how Strauss wanted his music to be heard.'
Rieu is doing something right. He has sold 30 million albums and is one of the world's most successful touring acts, playing to packed houses.
In the past six weeks, he has also secured the British breakthrough that had previously eluded him: his current release, Forever Vienna, last month leapt to No 2 in the charts and is still selling strongly.
It became the UK's highest-charting orchestral album ever, its impact likened to that made two decades ago by Nigel Kennedy with Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.
Chart topper: Rieu's Forever Vienna, last month leapt to No 2 in the charts and became the UK's highest-charting orchestral album ever
Rieu believes there are a number of reasons for his success: the popularity of shows such as Strictly Come Dancing has helped, while his rousing tunes are seen as an antidote to the worst recession since the Thirties and the bleakest winter in 30 years.
'My record label, Decca, didn't think I'd ever be a hit in the UK,' he says. 'They thought I'd only make it in Europe. But then Forever Vienna became a hit in Australia, and that made them reconsider.'
In December, Rieu also attracted the admiration of the Queen, who complimented him on his 'beautiful melodies' when he stole the show from Lady Gaga and Mika at the Royal Variety Performance.
In front of an audience, Andre and his 50-piece orchestra truly bring the music to life.
The live shows are not only witty - he puts his musicians through their paces with demonic grins and archly-raised eyebrows - they are also audiovisual extravaganzas, with a brilliant light show, floral displays, lavishly decorated stage sets and slapstick comedy routines.
His open air events take things even further, and have featured horses, ice rinks and a fairytale castle. It is an approach to classical music that makes even The Last Night Of The Proms seem staid.
Rieu explains: 'In classical music, humour is usually frowned upon. I don't know why. I couldn't live without humour. I'm the leader of 50 idiots who travel around the world playing waltzes, and we solve all our problems with humour.'
'If somebody drives 100 miles to see a concert, you can at least dress up and decorate the stage with a few flowers.'
He denies charges that he is dumbing down classical music or trivialising the work of greats. 'I take the music very seriously - but I add a touch of lightness,' he says.
'The critics and purists kill me, but I play music that touches my heart. Some people use classical music to appear superior; I don't have time for snobbery.'
Rieu began playing the violin at five in his hometown of Maastricht, where his father led the local symphony orchestra.
After studying at an academy in Brussels, he formed the Maastricht Salon Orchestra, which became the Johann Strauss Orchestra in the Eighties.
'My father used to play waltzes as an encore,' he says. 'I noticed that people suddenly got up and started moving and humming along. That taught me you could make music a different way.'
With the help of his wife Marjorie (they have been married for 35 years and have two grown-up sons, plus three grandchildren), Rieu turned his live show into a spectacular.
He is now looking to consolidate his success in the UK. A major arena tour is being put together. He is also playing the Classical Brit Awards at the Royal Albert Hall on May 13. More audacious plans are in the pipeline. 'I'd love to do something with Bruce Springsteen,' he says. 'We could create something that nobody would expect.
'And, one day, I'd like to play on the moon.' When I laugh, he says: 'I mean it! I've never met Richard Branson, but if he could build a hall up there, I'd get people waltzing on the moon.'
• Forever Vienna is out now on Decca. A DVD, Live In Vienna, is out on Monday.
Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1255589/Now-strictly-come-waltzing-Meet-man-whos-thrown-pop-charts-Viennese-whirl.html#ixzz0hGXdQNop
If anyone could get people dancing on the moon, it would be Andre. He never lets anything stop him from achieving his dreams. Go Andre!
Morning Andre & JSO. What wonderfyul news of your great sucess in UK and of course in South Africa. So pleased that all has turned out well for you now. You deserve to enjoy a good life, you are always thinking of others and bring great joy to this world. I am looking forward to seeing you in Cape Town on 2nd & 3rd May. However,I did notice i one of the blogs that they mentioned that your tour endedn on 2nd May, I hope not as I have tickets for 3rd. Have a safe trip to South Africa, and God bless you all. Best regards, Julia Cape Town.
I like Andre's classical music philosophy. My music tastes evolved from
Beatles/Roy Orbison/Shelley Fabares to country to easy listening to Andre's fun
classical. Andre has it just right and I
will keep coming back for more. Encore
maestro!!