November 3, 2023 from Nederlands Dagblad, by Ilse Brandemann Translation: Diana D. Le. André Rieu about music, wealth and the love of his life. “I’m lucky to have my wife” With the violin in his arms, André Rieu is one of the best-known music exporters in the Netherlands. He became popular in his home city of Maastricht, but now tours the world. The reception is grand, held in an impressive castle on a small hill in Maastricht. The gate leading inside is well secured. This is where André Rieu lives and works. In the room adjacent to a small courtyard with a fountain, two large paintings hang on the wall. Rieu himself is depicted in them, but he didn’t want them to hang there without his wife. Wealth has not changed Rieu (74), he says. In his own words, this is because of his relativity. “That I’m famous is in people’s heads, not mine, I’m exactly the same as I used to be.” So, what’s he like? “Kind to others; I try to be wise.” Then he points to the interviewer’s notebook with the questions. “Yes, actually, just like all those virtues. I recognize myself in them. I’m not perfect, but I do try to be.” A conversation about love of half a century, climate change, and religion without freedom. Wisdom “I found that playing the violin is difficult. I started when I was five years old, and I chose the instrument because of its warm sound. As a violinist, you feel it vibrating on your shoulder; you’re completely at one with your body when you play. My first violin teacher was an eighteen-year-old blonde woman—that helped. I was in love with both her and the instrument. "You have to start young, work hard, and have talent, because if you don’t, it takes a long time before you can play the instrument. From the very first time, I’ve played the violin with feeling, from the heart. There are also violinists who play beautifully, but without feeling. That doesn’t move me at all. "My father was a conductor, so playing music was something I got into at an early age. I also gave my two sons violin lessons. But the oldest didn’t like it, and the youngest smashed the violin over his brother’s head. So much for my sons’ violin careers. "I come up with my concerts all by myself, from start to finish. They take shape in my head—I don’t know how. My orchestra is a motley crew of musicians, and it’s the boss’s job—the conductor’s—to turn them into a single, harmonious whole. I can do that. "I hear a piece of music, and then I think: No, you shouldn't play it that way. This needs to be added, that needs to be taken out. It's a gift, a talent. I never listen to music myself, except when I'm working. "What I like is the attention to detail. That’s so important. You can always get better, always delve deeper into the finer points. My musicians in the orchestra go crazy over it—I keep harping on the little things. But then, in the end, it turns out well, and I see people smiling. “I’m living my dream: traveling all over the world with my orchestra. To make your dreams come true, you have to work twice as hard as everyone else. That’s what I expect from the 120 people who work for me. If someone doesn’t do that, he or she isn’t a good fit for me. But most of the musicians have been with my orchestra for thirty or thirty-five years, so apparently that works just fine.” Moderation "For our concerts, we visit an average of twenty countries a year. Once a year, we take a long trip, during which we’re away for over two weeks. I don’t want us to become wandering gypsies. We all have people at home—families. That’s why I think it’s important to spend a lot of time at home. The rest of our concerts are usually in Europe. We fly out on Wednesday and give a concert every day from Thursday through Saturday. On Sunday, we fly back and are home again. "My favorite place to perform is Dublin, Ireland. The audience there is so great—they’re all musicians. "When my orchestra and I made our breakthrough in 1995, we went home every night to sleep. In Friesland [a province in the Northern Netherlands], at the Frieslandhallen, we stayed overnight for the first time. That’s how our touring began. "Do I feel “flight shame”? No. The Earth is warming up, that’s true. And all that plastic in the ocean—that’s terrible. But we shouldn’t spread panic. Climate change is real, but it’s not a crisis and it’s not as bad as the reports make it out to be. I just fly—to all kinds of countries. There, we bring joy and happiness with our music. I’ll keep doing that for a long time to come. "The world has changed. I don’t go to countries where dictators are in power. Saudi Arabia has asked me many times, but I’m not going to play there. First, they’ll have to change the law that allows gay people to be dismembered, just like those who criticize the regime. “I’m not putting any pressure on them because I don’t perform in those kinds of countries. They couldn’t care less whether I come or not. But I only want to perform where democracy is highly valued. I give concerts where there is harmony; everything has to be just right. So, no matter what they’d pay me in North Korea—and I’ve had offers—I won’t perform there.” Justice “When I’m on tour and I fly into Buenos Aires, I fly right over all these slums. The same goes for South Africa and Japan. It’s the same everywhere. We live an incredibly luxurious life in a rich country. The inequality is ridiculous. Even as a little boy, I used to run to the grocery store to empty my piggy bank for charity, and I’m still giving today.” "To me, money is a means to make my dreams come true. I want to make people all over the world happy, and that’s an expensive hobby. I think money is important, because without it, you can’t do anything. That’s just the system we live in. But saving? That’s no use to me. I also don’t want to leave a lot of money to my children and grandchildren. They need to build their own wealth. “I find it more appealing to use my money to do good. I’m already doing that, by the way—through my foundation, we’re planting trees in Burkina Faso to help stop the encroaching Sahara. And right now, we’re building an agricultural school so that young people can learn to be farmers.” Love Rieu’s expression changes; he begins to beam. “I can recommend being married for 49 years to everyone. A marriage that long isn’t old-fashioned—it’s the greatest one can achieve. It’s wonderful to have someone to rely on. I’m lucky with my wife because we think alike—except when it comes to watching TV. I love action movies; she loves romantic ones. "Marjorie and I have known each other for a very long time. She was in the same class as my older sister. I saw her for the first time at the Sinterklaas party we had at our house. She was fifteen, and I was thirteen. I was 24 when we started dating, and we got married within a year. I’ve never regretted it. "What does it say about me that I’ve been married for almost fifty years? I know what I want, and once I have it, I give it my all. That goes for the music I make, too. When you’re standing in front of an orchestra, you have to know what you’re capable of. You’re ultimately responsible—I feel that way, too. I hear everything: if the third double bassist makes a mistake, I know it. Then I just look at him or her and signal: watch out. I’m very strict, but not angry. I have to be—we have to stay on track. Far too many people these days are not strict enough. “My father was a conductor, and he played that role at home, too. He was unloving, but I can’t imitate that, because that’s not who I am. I didn’t want to be like that, and I didn’t act that way either. My father really wasn’t kind, and that caused me a lot of pain. Marjorie and I went to therapy together for four years.” Faith “I was raised Catholic. My father’s lack of love may be linked to religious strictness. Freedom is wonderful; I can’t think of a harsher punishment than being imprisoned. And freedom is incompatible with religion.” “There was a picture of the all-seeing eye of God hanging in our Catholic preschool. But I wasn’t afraid of it—I thought it was a beautiful drawing. That Catholic influence is still in my blood, especially the music, of course. And the incense. I believe in optimism, in solutions. And I try to prevent problems with humor.” Bravery “I’m not afraid of anything. I’m a nervous wreck, though—before every concert I give. But I take the plunge, and I do it. And the audience can feel that, too. I don’t just come out there to put on a little show for the sake of it; what I do is real. I just got back from shows in Malta, where there were two crowds of 12,000 people each. They paid a lot of money and have high expectations. I feel that weight on my shoulders. “I do everything I can to stay healthy. I don't try to stay fit—I am fit. Life isn't something we can control, but we can organize it. We can make sure things get better. “What worries me is conspiracy thinking. It’s much more prevalent than it used to be.” Rieu points to his phone, which has a pink protective case and is lying on the table in front of him. “It’s all because of that thing—the one where everyone can post anything. Politically speaking, you’re seeing more and more right- wing politicians. Democracy is wonderful, but difficult. Because you have to talk all day long to work things out and reach a compromise.” Hope “I’m not afraid that my career will end, that making music will come to an end someday. I hope my life will go on for a long time, because it’s so much fun here. I do what I love, and I want to keep doing it for as long as possible. “Dying doesn't sound like much fun to me, but I'm not afraid of it either. After this life, there's nothing. There's a scientist who says there are already people walking around who will live to be a thousand years old. I find that an exciting thought. I'm already too old to live to be a thousand, but I think I'll live to be 140. That means I'm just past the halfway point of my life.” Courage André Rieu - "Do you know what André means? Courage." – is one of the best-known violinists in the Netherlands and also successful abroad. In 2023, he performed 81 concerts in 18 countries. With his Johann Strauß Orchestra, of about sixty musicians, he travels all over the world. Rieu (1949) mainly plays classical music. The native of Maastricht studied at the conservatory in Maastricht, Liège, and Brussels. He then became a second violinist in the Limburg Symphony Orchestra. He now has his own company [since 1987]: André Rieu Productions. In July 2023, Rieu scored a hit. Emma Kok sang "Voilà" at his concerts and the song went viral.