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
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.
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.
Critics or musicians who attack me are jealous of my success and the fact that I make people feel so happy.
Contrary to popular opinion, classical music does not have to be enjoyed amid exclusive circles, there need not be any snobbishness attached to it. It's there for everyone. I play for the people.
I make music to touch the souls of people as it's a language we all can speak.
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.
Other people might want a Ferrari, but I wanted a butterfly house. I built it together with a blacksmith. We designed it together.
You go to a pop concert or a classical concert but there's nothing in between.
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.
Mozart composed his music not for the elite, but for everybody.
I am travelling half the year around the world, every year, so coming home is one of the most beautiful things.
When I'm not on tour, I love to have a long breakfast at home in my garden.
It is my personality alone that has brought back the waltz and made it a global craze.
I'm an un-healable positive optimist.