8 minute read
The maestro of the masses
maestroThe of the masses
Thomas Myler traces the life and extraordinary success of Andre Rieu
He’s been called ‘The maestro of the masses’, ‘A weapon of mass happiness’ by the Spectator and simply ‘The Waltz King’ by most other sources but Andre Rieu waves his hands dismissively. ‘All I do is play good music which the fans seem to like and that brings joy to us on stage too,’ he says with a smile. ‘My orchestra is a happy orchestra.’
The Dutchman has already been named bv the influential US music magazine Billboard as the most successful touring artiste in the world, outselling the likes of global rock and pop artistes such as U2, Bruce Springsteen and Michael Buble. In May 2022, after several postponements due to the Covid epidemic, Andre brings his 60-piece Johann Strauss orchestra to Ireland for four concerts – three at the 3 Arena, Dublin and one at the SSE Arena, Belfast.
With an eclectic mix of waltz, classical arias, operatic pieces, popular tunes, evergreen melodies and songs from the shows, he has been bringing his blend of music to the masses for over 50 years now so he reckons he must be doing something right. He has given classical music a whole new lease of life Andre claims that music has magical and healing powers. He sees it all the time at his concerts – laughter, kissing, joyful weeping. He even sees miracles.
‘You know I’m so proud when I’m on stage and I see all these happy faces,’ he says. ‘That’s what makes me happy. We come
Wedding day in 1975 with wife Marjorie
The main part of the castle in Maastricht, where André and wife Marjorie live
Magnificent Maastricht Andre’s home city where he lives in castle with his wife Marjorie
on stage at 8pm and let’s say at 10.30pm the encore starts. And by then the audience are in the mood and they don’t want to stop. They don’t want to go home, so we do a 45-minute encore. And that’s when people get up from their wheelchairs and throw away their sticks or crutches and say, “Come on, let’s dance.” It gives them so much energy to be happy.
‘People propose to each other all the time at our concerts. I see romantic couples down there when I walk on stage with my violin and start up the music. In the beginning they just sit nicely to each other. Then, after the break, the man will put his arm around the woman, and during the encore there’s nothing but kissing.
Andre Rieu was born in Maastricht in the Netherlands where he lives with his family in a 15th century castle once owned by a French musketeer.
In his younger days he was a great fan of Tintin, the cartoon character created by the Belgian artist Georges Remi. Working under the penname of Herge, Remi wrote a series of 24 comic books called The Adventures of Tintin which were among the most popular of the 20th century. myself, “That’s what I want, my own castle, and someday I’m going to own one, a real one I can call my own.
‘I used to take piano lessons in an old castle along the riverbank in Maastricht. It’s still the only castle in town and it was old and dark and gloomy, as I remember it. Years later, at the end of the 1990s, my wife Marjorie were strolling along that same riverbank and had another look at that castle. ‘I said to her, “You know, Marjorie, wouldn’t it be so nice to live in that castle, a real castle, and make our real home there. What do you think?” She said, “Fine” but you had better sell a lot more records then.” I did that and eventually we bought it and it’s been our home ever since.
‘I always believed it would happen and it did. I believe everything you want to happen will happen if you put your mind down to it. I really think that success is down to both ambition and optimism. Of course, the real secret is talent but you must never give up. Giving up is the worst thing you can do.’ Rieu’s fascination with music comes from his father, who was conductor of the local symphony orchestra. Showing early promise, Andre began studying violin at the age of five and developed a love and fascination with classical music.
‘I went to all my father’s concerts up until I was about 16 or 17 so I think I heard all the classical music there is,’ he says. ‘But I only play the music that touches my heart. Perhaps you don’t believe me, or you think it’s a cliché but it’s really true. The music I play, I play it because I like it. That’s the only reason. And I know that if I like it, it’s most likely that the whole audience will like it too.’
Celebrating his 70th birthday Andre Rieu with Gay Byrne on the RTE TV programme The Meaning of Life
the masses. Others say his concerts are more showbusiness rather than anything else with lots of razmatazz, with balloons cascading from the roof and the lady members of the audience dressed in puffy gowns as he performs such pieces like the Blue Danube or the theme from Titanic.
But he will point out it’s a very successful formula. He plays an average of 90 to 100 sold-out concerts a year, has sold over 40 million albums and won more than 500 platinum awards.
A hard worker, Andre always remembers to take a nap before a concert. With several hundred people on his payroll, he is extremely diligent about making sure that his travelling crew is as comfortable as possible. ‘We make sure that everything is right,’ he says. ‘We have three cooks who provide a wide choice of dishes. We also have our own doctor, a personal trainer and a large technical crew who look after all the logistics involved. Members of my family travel with me. They all have their jobs.’
What sort of childhood had he? ‘Very simple, really. Growing up in Maastricht, my father never really had any money, and he had six children to feed. My grandmother lived with us in the same little house so we weren’t rich, anything but. Yet nobody ever said, “Oh my God, I’m jealous because he or she has more money.” Never.
‘My wife Marjorie is a very wise woman. We say to each other regularly, “We don’t to this for the money. We do it for enjoyment, and the happiness it brings people.” Yes, naturally we’re happy that the money is fine but money isn’t everything. You can be poor and be happy. We don’t live a lavish lifestyle. For me, money represents freedom. Yes, good money comes in but it also goes out. No, money isn’t about fancy cars and luxuries. It’s about contentment and you have to remember that.’
Andre married Marjorie Kochmann in 1975. She has been a language teacher and has written compositions. She rarely appears with Andrein public and once said in an interview that she did not want to be defined by her husband. They have two sons Marc and Pierre. The family do all the organisational work. ‘I would be completely lost without them,’ he says. ‘They are my rock and I leave everything down to them.
‘They never miss a thing, not a thing. Tours, concerts at home and abroad, travel arrangements, hotel bookings, television and radio engagements – I could go on.’ Shrugging his shoulders, he explains, ‘All I have to do is to walk on stage and start off.’ How does Andre, who speaks five different languages, French, German, Italian, Dutch and English, fully relax when he is at home? ‘When you are touring constantly, there’s nothing I like better than just kicking off my shoes and taking things easy,’ he explains. ‘I listen to music, watch television, chat to family and friends and maybe pick up all the gossip. It’s great to be touring, of course, but there’s still no place like home.’
What was Andre’s first job? ‘I remember that day very well. I was a musical student in Maastricht when a local antique dealer who specialised in little antique organs asked me “Can you tune this for me?” I’d never done anything like that before but I managed it and he gave me 25 guilders, which is around €12 or €13. I was so glad as I was saving up for a microscope and suddenly now had enough to buy it. You can imagine how delighted I was.”
Has Andre any plans for retirement? ‘Nothing planned. I love making music so my ambition to go on making people happy through music. I plan to go on performing until I’m 120, and that’s a promise. In any event, Richard Branson has booked me to take my orchestra and play on the moon when he gets his spacecraft up and running. Now that would be something, wouldn’t it? The first orchestra in history to play in outer space.’
