- Title: VARIOUS: ANDRE RIEU DUTCH VIOLINIST
- Date: 14th April 1999
- Summary: REUTERS TV DELLA PENNA SOUNDBITE CONTINUING
- Embargoed: 29th April 1999 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: VARIOUS
- Country: Netherlands
- Reuters ID: LVA5WP5NMNNSZCK4S0Y7QK6SQKSI
- Story Text: Andre Rieu has been called the "waltz king", "Andre the Giant", and "the Pied Piper", even drawing comparison to actor Mel Gibson in countenance and to conductor Lawrence Welk in concert demeanor.The hugely popular Dutch violinist is quick to shed the extraneous monikers, preferring to be recognized for bringing life into one of the most rigid forms of classical music, the waltz.
Famed Dutch violinist/conductor Andre Rieu has a "jones"
for classical music that he wants to share.
During his training at the Brussels Conservatory he played a waltz for the first time and a whole new world opened up to him, as the three-four time rhythm got into his heart and made him want to play more of this kind of music.
After studying the biographies of such composers as Johann Strauss and Lehar he found that some one hundred years ago this music wasn't being played in concert halls but rather in public gardens and in elegant events such as balls parties.
The audiences and partygoers would sing, dance, and clap along, very much in contrast to the usual staid demeanor found at such high society events.
Rieu had a dream to form his own orchestra, which he named after one of his favorite composers, Johann Strauss.
Rieu andthe 30-member Johann Strauss Orchestra have since broken all sorts of records, even managing at one period to stay ahead of pop superstar Michael Jackson on the European music charts for over twelve weeks.
Rieu's run has not stopped, as his last three albums have made him the top-seling artist in the Benelux.He won the World Music Award in 1996 with sales of over 5 million cds.
"It started in Holland where I live, and there was this story go home and okay then the record company came to my concert and said okay, now I understatnd what you mean; we'll make a record and we'll put you on television.And that year it exploded.I was 12 weeks at number one and Michael Jackson was number two, so I was very proud of that I can tell you.
Rieu, 49, was mostly a European phenomenon until his 1997 North American tour when he proceeded to wow audiences with his fun, uptempo versions of revered classical compositions.
His staggering success with the PBS specials on public television in America has led to more exposure and touring opportunities for Rieu and his orchestra; second and third airings of his concerts have not only brought him increased record sales, they have made him a superstar in the classical crossover genre.A fact not lost on the powers that be at Universal Record Group.
"Hopefully you get lucky and you get PBS to jump on board and help deliver the message and that's certainly been the case for Andre Rieu and Bocelli," explains Carol Della Penna, head of the Classics, Jazz, and Crossover divisions at UMG.
"I think you're going to see a lot these kinds of things start to fly, but at the end of the day the musicians have to really connect with the public and they have to carry the message.We're only as good as the music that is brought to us."
"The Waltz King" has more than the waltz to win audiences over to his easy-flowing interpretations of classical music.His latest cd "Romantic Moments" finds Rieu poised to move beyond this title and bring the music of great masters such as Mozart, Chopin, Puccini, and Schubert to the mainstream.
"There is a lot of public for this," says the ruggedly handsome Rieu."I felt a lot of things in the classical music that touches my heart and this part of the classical music I would like to bring to the public.So its a little bit of a dream of mine that I would like to take the public by the hand and show them the classical music in my way.And it works. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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