Article from Telegraph.uk December 18, 2024, by Angela Wintle Photos by Marcel van Hoorn Article found and shared with André Rieu fans, by Diana D Le Superstar Violinist André Rieu Interview The Dutch musician and conductor on family trauma, on-stage panics, and the practicalities of buying a castle Dutch violinist and conductor Andre Rieu (75) stages the world’s most elaborate waltz extravaganzas with his Johann Strauss Orchestra and is credited with heralding a global revival of the waltz. Today, he is one of the world’s biggest solo male touring artists, whose concerts outsell Bruce Springsteen and even Coldplay. He lives with his wife Marjorie, with whom he has two sons, in Maastricht in the Netherlands. Best memory from school? "Meeting my wife, Marjorie. I was 13, she was 15, and she was in a class with my older sister. We had a Santa Claus party at our home and there were many girls there, but I remember only one, with all these curls – and that was Marjorie. She was honest, genuine, vulnerable and very lovely. We married in 1975. "My parents didn’t believe in me, but when Marjorie came into my life everything changed. She was the first person to tell me I played the violin beautifully. She saw my possibilities and helped me to develop them. She used to be a language teacher but now writes my concert scripts. Whenever I read them for the first time, I cry. Always. She knows exactly how to touch me." Best childhood decision? "Picking up the violin. Initially, I was introduced to the piano which I disliked. But when I was five, my mother noticed I had hands that might be better suited to the violin. The violin spoke to me immediately. When I heard my violin teacher’s vibrato, I was flabbergasted and longed to replicate it. Within three weeks, I had produced a loose and luscious vibrato of my own." Best thing you’ve ever bought? "Buying the Castle de Torentjes in Maastricht when I was 45. As a child, I used to visit the castle for piano lessons. I hated the teacher and the castle was damp and depressing, but years later, as Marjorie and I were walking along the river, I looked up at it and said I wanted to own it. 'In that case, you had better sell some records,' she said. I had to take out a substantial bank loan, but it has certainly paid off. I use the castle to promote my concerts. The Americans love it – they come over to interview the ‘King of the Waltz’ living in his very own castle." Best musical moment? "Forming the Johann Strauss Orchestra in 1987. I started out in my father’s orchestra – he was conductor of the Limburg Symphony Orchestra. I was the principal second violin for 11 miserable years. My father was a good conductor but he picked on the weakest musicians. I also hated the fact that none of my fellow musicians talked about the music. They just grumbled about the union and the fact they weren’t paid enough. "It was a huge gamble starting my own orchestra because I had no money. There were just 14 of us at the beginning. Now, there are 75, including the choir, and we’re the biggest private orchestra in the world." Best celebrity encounter? In 2011, Sir Anthony Hopkins rang me out of the blue and said he had composed a waltz that he wanted me to hear. He said he’d seen me on TV in America and his wife had said, 'That’s the man who’s going to play your waltz.' He explained that he had written it when he was 25, living in Wales, but Welsh actor Richard Burton had told him, 'You’ll never earn money as a musician – switch to acting.' "I got to work on the piece and recorded it with my orchestra. When I played it back to him he started to cry, even though he claims he never gets emotional. He’s a fantastic guy. I ring him on his birthday, although we’re not in regular contact. For one thing, it’s well documented that he frequently changes his number." Best Christmas tradition? "Every Christmas, I host a concert at the Maastricht Exhibition and Conference Centre (MECC). In fact, it’s not a concert – it’s an event. Around 75,000 spectators travel from all over the world. We have international soloists, ice skaters, 300 dancers, and 400 brass players. I transform the hall into a golden palace." Worst childhood memory? "There are so many. My parents were devout Catholics and told me off for being cheerful. They were afraid of my happiness. My father never said, 'I love you', 'I’m proud of you', or 'you play beautifully'. Never. He complimented many of my other siblings, who also played instruments, but they ended up not so well. "Similarly, my mother said she got a hernia carrying me and I would never amount to anything. Things got worse when I reached puberty. Girlfriends were discouraged. Even friends were forbidden from visiting our house. It was a strange family and I’m estranged from all of my siblings except my younger brother Robert. He had it even worse than me. Whenever I ring him, he mentions our parents within 10 seconds. For me, that has gone because I had therapy in the end." Worst rumour you’ve dealt with? "The press likes to insinuate that I have had affairs. The worst was when a German magazine published a cover picture of me arm in arm with Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, hinting that we were in a relationship. The picture was Photoshopped because I had never met her. I said to Marjorie, 'As long as they don’t accuse me of murder, I will not react. We know better.' Marjorie trusts me completely. She knows that when women send me fan mail telling me they love me, it’s just part of the job." Worst financial decision? "When I played at the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, I was so impressed that I commissioned a full-scale replica with fountains, an ice rink, a ballroom, and a state carriage coated in real gold. We needed 25 containers to ship it and 500 people to build it. But we didn’t sell enough tickets to recoup my costs and I was saddled with enormous debts. I faced bankruptcy. Eight bank executives came to see me. Seven wanted to cut their losses and pull the plug on the tour. But the boss said, 'Let him play. That’s the only way we will get our money back.' The following year, my concerts sold out. Only Madonna and Beyoncé sold more tickets." Worst thing that ever happened to you on stage? "I was playing a solo with my orchestra at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam when I suddenly realized I couldn’t play in tune. I started to panic. Then I realized that one of my violin strings had snapped. Instinctively, I grabbed the violin of my first violinist and carried on, but my heart was pounding." Worst review you’ve ever had? "I never read them. I know what I’m doing on stage and the critics can write what they like. I have been the victim of a lot of snobbery. They have criticized me for playing waltzes and performing popular, as well as classical music. That’s up to them. It’s their lives, their bubble. All I can say is, I see a lot of jealousy around me. For me, there are no borders in music – only good and bad music." Absolute worst thing ever? "Everybody is rightly lamenting all the conflict that is currently raging in the world. War and aggression are truly awful, but I try to be hopeful. There have always been wars and there have always been happy times. At this very moment, people are killing each other but also loving each other. I’m a positive person so I believe things will gradually improve." André Rieu’s latest album, "The Sound of Heaven", was released on December 6, 2024. His Christmas concert, "Gold & Silver", are in UK cinemas through January 22, 2025, and he will tour the UK in April and May 2025; www.andrerieu.com

Sir Anthony Hopkins and his wife Stella. Maastricht concert 2011.