Best known for having brought together the Johann Strauss Orchestra, a musical movement dedicated the waltz style, Rieu is now widely considered one of the world’s most successful classical acts still working; that’s certainly something that’s true in terms of his live shows, which generally see him play to packed out arenas around the world - the kinds of venues usually reserved for pop and rock acts. since 1987, he’s been flanked by his Johann Strauss Orchestra, which now can boast anywhere between eighty and 150 musicians, depending on the performance. Their mastery of the waltz has led to Rieu being dubbed the ‘waltz king’.
Having performed across the globe, including lengthy tours of Europe, the Americas and Japan, the Orchestra have also enjoyed a great deal of recorded success, with a slew of gold and platinum certifications to their name; some of their records have gone up to eight-times platinum in Rieu’s native Netherlands. In recent years, Rieu’s performances with the Johann Strauss Orchestra have become increasingly lavish and extravagant, including a 2008 tour that saw him perform in front of a full-scale reproduction of Empress Sisi’s Castle. He was the world’s most popular male solo touring artist in early 2009.
Violin is an incredibly complex instrument to completely master, and Andre Rieu is one of the few performers that I have seen live who has truly mastered the instrument. The venue was an open air courtyard with fantastic vocals, and watching Rieu play first violin for a conductor-less strings orchestra was remarkable. The touring show features the Johann Strauss Orchestra, and the classical waltz music has a touring audience as large as some of the biggest pop and rock artists.
The orchestra has around 100 musicians performing, and watching Rieu lead such a large number of instrumentalists whilst playing incredibly complex melodies on his own instrument is simply remarkable. He took several solos throughout the show, showcasing his perfected talent at his instrument. He received mush applause from his solos plucking away at his violin as well as bowing.
Although of course he was unable to talk to the audience extensively throughout the show, Rieu interacted wonderfully, turning round occasionally to play to the audience rather than the orchestra. When he did get the change between the long recitals, he thanked the audience for being there and making his tour such a success. The performance was incredible, and hopefully the rumours for the next tour are not without foundation!
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