Andre Rieu
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Andre Rieu
Andre Rieu
Known as the Waltz King, Andre Rieu was born in Maastricht, Holland in October 1949. He was born into a musical family as his father was the conductor of the Limburg Symphony Orchestra and a conductor at the Leipzig Opera and most of his siblings were professional musicians. Rieu began studying violin at the age of five and from 1968 to 1973 he attended the Conservatoire Royal in Liège and the Conservatorium Maastricht later studying at the Music Academy in Brussels (1974 to 1977) where he won the Premier Prix. He then spent ten years playing with the Limburg Symphony Orchestra whilst at the same time he formed the Maastricht Salon Orchestra to explore his interest in dance and light classical music.
The Maastricht Salon Orchestra played together for about five years. The group recorded several albums and usually comprised solo violin with violin, cello, double bass, and piano, occasionally with members of the group doubling on trumpet and glockenspiel. Their mix of light classics, waltz and dance music proved to be very popular as it evoked a gentler, more glamorous age. In 1987, after five years with the Maastricht Salon Orchestra, Rieu, encouraged by the popularity of his interpretation of his music, formed The Strauss Orchestra. That same year he founded "Andre Rieu Productions."
Originally the orchestra had twelve members but grew to roughly fifty strong as the popularity of their live shows grew and grew. At the time the Orchestra first toured Europe, there emerged a renewed interest in waltz music. Andre Rieu's performances and recordings proved to be a catalyst in driving this renewed interest in the waltz and in light classics and operetta in general. In their shows the orchestra seeks to recreate the atmosphere and look of a 19th century Strauss concert: Rieu conducting with his bow whist playing his 1667 Stradivarius violin. Their concerts consist of the music of the Strauss family and other light music composers and, on stage, Rieu is now famous for his flambouyant, almost rock music type, performances. His love of waltz and dedication to the genre has led him to be known as the "Waltz King."
Andre Rieu passionately believes that his music is to be enjoyed to the fullest. He hates the idea of the audience being seperated from the performance. His concerts are famously informal and he actively encourages audience participation. He is happy for the audience to sing along and the atmosphere is reminiscent of the last night of the Proms.
He now has legions of fans worldwide and his performances have become major events in the calender and are always guaranteed to sell out. He tours Europe and the USA constantly and has also toured Australia and the Far East regularly. He produces his CDs and concert DVDs at his own studios in Maastricht and his wife, Marjorie, works there as a production manager. some of andre's most recent albums include "the magic of andre rieu" and "Moonlight Serenade".
Although often critisised by purists there is no doubting his popular appeal or the fact that he has introduced light classical music to millions worldwide. This has been indicated not only by the number of platinum selling albums he has sold but also by the honours that have been bestowed upon him. These include Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Netherlands, 2002), Honorary Medal of the Province of Limburg (Netherlands, 2009) and Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France, 2009).
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André Rieu - Romantic Paradise (Live in Italy)