De Limburger, by Ivar Hoekstra December 7, 2025 Photos: Marcel van Hoorn, ARP Translation by Diana D. Le Reindeer dancing the "Macarena", but also a quiet Polish Christmas song: it's all possible in André Rieu's Christmas palace Between Sinterklaas (Dec. 5th) and December 24th, it's the usual Christmas appetizer: André Rieu's concerts at the MECC. And the dishes vary just like a student Christmas dinner: from haute cuisine to greasy snacks. Because where else can you hear the "Macarena" at a Christmas concert, but also a lesser-known but beautiful Polish Christmas carol? Free tip for those planning to take the train from Utrecht to Maastricht the morning after December 5th: make sure you're on the platform early, because the train will be packed with people attending André Rieu's first afternoon Christmas concert. From Groningen to Friesland, everyone wants to enjoy the Christmas appetizer served by Rieu now that Sinterklaas has left. Striking: from the conversations in the crowded compartment, it's clear that this is the first time for many. "We've been to his Vrijthof concerts a few times, but now we're also going to see his Christmas show," says a woman with a distinct Twente accent. This will reinforce Rieu's belief that his MECC concerts have room for growth and that the ambition to expand from six to eight, and possibly even ten, Christmas concerts isn't so surprising. Regional plague For those who've been before, the ingredients are familiar. The Platin Tenors are there, of course, there's waltzing to the sounds of "An der schönen blauen Donau", dancing ice-skating couples fill the rink, and when "Let It Snow" plays, much fake snow flutters from the ceiling onto your shoulders. Of course, Rieu also delivers a regional jab: "Imagine you're at a Christmas market in a village, Sittard or Heerlen or something, and suddenly you see the entire Johann Strauss Orchestra and the Mastreechter Staar arrive and start playing Christmas carols!" Naturally, this causes cheers among the Maastricht visitors and cheers from everyone who comes from outside the region. So, a lot of familiar fare, but every year it's still a little different, because Rieu also understands that you can't just serve the same delicacy every year. So, for the first time, the men of the Mastreechter Staar will be present at a Rieu Christmas concert. When those 120 men, all in white suits and torches in hand, enter the hall, it's just as impressive as the national team presentations at the Olympic Games. And it's always wonderful to hear these men sing a Christmas classic like Tochter Zion. But the biggest surprise before the intermission is the "guardian angels" from Bavaria, announced by Rieu: the Perlseer Dirndl. Three blonde sopranos bring the MECC to a complete standstill with a Polish Christmas song titled "Lulaize Jezuniu." It's delivered so quietly and sung so beautifully that you could hear a pin drop. The three switch from Polish to Dutch as easily as they sing "Sleep Now My Jesus". Two moving Christmas songs that counterbalance the somewhat carnivalesque quality of the show, especially in the last half hour. After all, a summer hit like Los del Rio's "Macarena" at a Christmas concert is like swapping the mulled wine on the table for bottles of Corona beer. Hilarious But strangely enough, it works, because ten thousand people go absolutely wild when the now quite elderly Spanish singers get the crowd going with that funny dance everyone mastered in the summer of 1993. It gets absolutely hilarious when reindeer in Christmas sweaters, who also know how to dance the "Macarena", appear on the large LED screen behind the stage. From a Polish Christmas song to reindeer dancing the "Macarena", Rieu can do it all. The final chord, just like the past two years, is Emma Kok singing the Christmas hit " All I Want for Christmas." The two moments Emma Kok appears, before the intermission she sings "Let It Snow", most of the cell phones ring out, because Emma Kok is beloved and it will be a bitter pill to swallow if she's no longer with us next Christmas. But if Rieu can replace her with a soprano or sopranos who sing such beautiful Polish Christmas songs, Kok's departure will be bearable. Little André: Rieu presents first children's book He'd been working on it for a while, and on Saturday evening at the MECC, after the first of six Christmas concerts, the first copy of André Rieu's children's book, "Little André and the Secret of the Shadow," was presented. It was a long-cherished dream of the violinist, says his son Pierre. "My father and his orchestra treat the world to music and a fairytale atmosphere, so everyone can enjoy it. But the concerts almost always take place in the evening – and by then most children are already in bed. We received more and more messages from parents and grandparents: how their children and grandchildren were watching the images with wide eyes, moved or touched by the music and the atmosphere. That's how the idea for a children's book was born." André Rieu also wants to encourage reading among children with this book. "Marjorie and I loved reading to our sons in the evenings. With this children's book, Pierre, Marjorie, and I want to inspire you all to read together again, because those moments last a lifetime!" The hardcover book contains approximately 144 pages with 75 colorful illustrations and is available in six languages from the moment of publication: Dutch, English, German, Spanish, French, and Polish. In addition to the book, fourteen Little André PlayAlong Books will also be published for instruments such as violin, flute, trumpet, or piano, allowing you to make virtual music with the Johann Strauss Orchestra and André Rieu. The first edition includes sheet music for well-known Christmas carols. To read more about the Little André book, click HERE. To read more about the preparations for the Christmas concerts (which started in May 2025!!) click HERE

André Rieu already announced the start of his Christmas concert series at the MECC that he will be performing again in 2026. "The Christmas tradition continues in 2026!" the Maastricht native announced. The first concerts are scheduled for December 12 and 13, 2026, and tickets for these concerts can be purchased starting December 10 of this year. If there is sufficient interest, more concerts will be added in December 2026. The 2025 concert series will also mark Emma Kok's farewell to the Rieu Orchestra. Kok traveled with Rieu for almost two years after her successful performance at the Vrijthof.

December 6, 2025 article from L1 Nieuws by Jo Cortenraedt André Rieu waves goodbye to Emma Kok at Christmas concert in Maastricht Without saying it in so many words, André Rieu said goodbye to Kerkrade singer Emma Kok at the first Christmas concert in MECC Maastricht. While they will perform together during the five remaining Christmas concerts, their two-and-a-half-year collaboration will then come to an end. Emma Kok will pursue her solo career, and André Rieu will resume his Johann Strauss Orchestra. No "Voilà" Naturally, familiar Christmas carols dominated the MECC, mixed with repertoire we've long known from Rieu. The Mestreechter Staar played a prominent role on stage in the first part. Before the intermission, Emma Kok also had her turn, and this time she limited herself to Christmas carols, skipping the well-known "Voilà". 12,000 visitors After the intermission, Christmas melodies once again took center stage, featuring the regular singers. In the encores, André Rieu and Emma Kok were able to shine once again with " All I Want for Christmas is You." There are still five Christmas concerts left, each with an audience of 12,000. Comic book Immediately after the concert, a new Rieu family project was presented in the adjacent Christmas village: the comic book "Little André." This comic book, which will be released internationally, includes not only a children's book chronicling the adventures of little André in Maastricht, but also an accompanying music book, allowing aspiring musicians to perform to the music of the Johann Strauss Orchestra. The project is an initiative of his son, Pierre Rieu, who took the first steps in this direction ten years ago. "I'm incredibly proud of what Pierre has accomplished with this," said André Rieu. "And the great thing is that we're especially helping young musicians make music with this."