By Monique Butterworth
Pictures: Marc Stimson
The Dutch maestro has Australia under his spell.
André Rieu, the 58-year-old Dutch violinist and conductor dubbed “The Modern King of Waltz”, sold more DVDs and CDs than any other musician in Australia in 2007. His CD, Waltzing Matilda, a tribute to Australia, went platinum and recently reached number one on the ARIA charts — knocking Madonna off the top spot!
In Australia to promote his A Romantic Vienna Night tour, André talks exclusively to Woman’s Day about his incredible popularity, why he enjoys bringing a sense of humour to the classics, and his upcoming musical extravaganza.
You play a 200-year-old Stradivarius violin. Who else has it belonged to? How long have you owned it?
I don’t know exactly. You have Stradivarius that have a long history and you can tell everything about it. This one was a very long time in South America and nobody knew what it was. You know there are still a lot of Stradivarius out there that nobody knows about, so it is very exciting. People write me letters telling me they have a Stradivarius, and I am always interested, but I ask them to send me photos and a certificate of authenticity. Then, if they do, I will take the time to look at it. I’ve had this one now for three years.
Is there always a bodyguard with it?
Yes, there is always somebody with it. I do not want to forget it in a cab!
Do you have a back-up violin?
Of course. In my case I have two violins.
You have been playing the violin since you were five. Can you explain what you love most about it?
The violin is the instrument that for me is the most near to my body. When I have it here, it really vibrates when I play and it looks like a lady.
You and your wife planned to open a pizzeria — how different would your life have been if you’d done that?
I had been playing violin since I was five years old and my wife was studying. We both had rather severe educations. My father was a conductor and he was also a conductor at home. There was a time that we thought we didn’t want to do that any more and we wanted to open a pizzeria. We organised everything. We had the building. We made the menu. And we decided the most expensive pizza would be Pizza Paganini (Niccolo Paganini, an Italian violinist and composer born in Genoa in 1782, is considered by many the greatest violinist of all time), because I would play something. And then I thought, “If I have to play Paganini, I would have to practise!” So I grabbed my violin and started to study again.
Would your conductor father be proud of your career?
Now? I hope so. It was rather difficult. He was an opera fan, so he was always in the pit conducting operas. I don’t want to be in the pit, I want to be on stage.
What’s next for you?
After Melbourne we fly to Canada and start in Montreal, and then we have a two-week tour in America. We then go to Holland to tape some specials for television, one of the concerts will be in my home town, and then we’re ready to come back to Australia.
For more of this interview, see this week’s Woman’s Day (on sale May 19).
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