Rieu and his orchestra have turned classical and waltz music into a worldwide concert touring act.[1] He resides in his native Maastricht.[2]
Early life and family
The name Rieu is of French Huguenot origin, though both of Rieu's parents were Roman Catholic.[3] André was born to Andries Antonie Rieu and is the third of six children.[2][4]
Vrijthof square during Rieu's annual concert series in his home town Maastricht (2018)André Rieu and Carmen Monarcha (Düsseldorf, 2009)
Rieu created the Johann Strauss Orchestra in 1987 and began with 12 members, giving its first concert on 1 January 1988.[7] As of 2020, he performs with between 50 and 60 musicians. Rieu plays a 1667 Stradivarius violin.[3]
Rieu and his orchestra have appeared throughout Europe, North and South America, Japan, and Australia, and New Zealand. In 2008, Rieu's tour featured a full-size reproduction of Empress Sisi's Castle, the biggest stage to have gone on tour at that time.[8]
Recent world tour results in Billboard / Pollstar annual worldwide top tours lists
For two weeks in 2013, one of the channels of the BSkyB group, Sky Arts 2 in the UK, was renamed as Sky Arts Rieu. Between 30 March and 14 April 2013 Sky Arts Rieu broadcast Rieu concerts and documentaries 24 hours per day.[18]
Chris Boyd, a critic writing for Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper, did not criticize his playing, but described Rieu's main stage function as "blarney and delegation".[21][self-published source]
Eamon Kelly wrote in The Australian newspaper: "It is disappointing to see professional journalists indulging in cheap, inaccurate stereotypes to dismiss criticism of Rieu."[22] He also wrote: "Equally misguided are those who cursorily dismiss Rieu. Rieu's live and recorded performances have brought joy to millions of people. Few in his audiences are regular classical music attendees and it could be seen as promising that, via Rieu, they are listening to standards of the classical canon. The fact that Rieu's focus is on highly accessible, enjoyable repertoire is not an argument against his musical credentials."[22]
By December 2008, Rieu had achieved his 100th platinum accreditation in Australia[23] and by May 2011, Rieu had sold over $50 million worth of wholesale shipments of his CDs and DVDs in Australia and was the highest-selling music artist in the Australian market between 2006 and 2011.[24]
^"Andre's $50M". auspOp. May 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
^ abcCooper, Kevin (14 November 2015). "Interview:Andre Rieu". UK Music Review. Retrieved 1 March 2021. 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 Medal by his native Province of Limburg.
^ ab"Awards". Andrerieu.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
Top 100 (ARIA) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 234–235.
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