December 23, 2024, Nous Deux, by Olivier Petit Translated by Diana D. Le André Rieu "My goal? To make people happy!” For forty years he has been making audiences and records waltz. As his tour will soon take him to France, the musician opens his heart. His journey, his loves, his wounds, he tells us everything. And with humor! Do you remember your first musical emotion? "I was 3 years old, my father was a conductor and it was the first time I saw so many bows moving. It was Mozart's 'Little Night Music'. The memory of the sound of all those strings is still alive and still impresses me. It was surely this experience that led me to the violin two years later." You have democratized classical music. How do you take the criticism and mockery that this has earned you? "I will answer you with an anecdote. One evening, at the exit of the Salle Pleyel in Paris, an experiment was attempted: headphones were put on the ears of the audience who had just attended a great classical concert. It was my music that people heard in the headphones. We asked them what they thought of it and they were all excited. When we told them it was André Rieu, they almost threw up on the sidewalk (bursts of laughter)! In fact, what the purists do not forgive me for is that I put humor and lightness in my concerts to make classical music less solemn, and therefore more accessible." How do you perceive musicians who are more traditionalist than you? "Everyone is free to approach classical music as they wish. My approach is full of life. I am someone who was born happy and who has remained so. I was also the only one among six children to be like that, a real little black sheep (laughs)! Humor is a vital thing because it allows us to put the worst into perspective." You just mentioned your childhood... What were your parents like? "Very, very serious. Very strict. They never showed me much love. I missed that a lot. They were convinced that I would never amount to anything in life." You have almost become a brand. Could you be the richest musician on the planet? “I don't know, but I'm not complaining. Anyway, money, for me, is not something I collect to spend money on, but to make the musical dreams I have in my head come true and give... value for money to those who sometimes travel 500 kilometers to come see me. My goal is to make the public happy." Is it true that the world tour for which you recreated the Austrian castle of Schönbrunn on stage left you broke? "It's true, I admit that I had seen a little too big. It must be said that at that time, in Australia, in the rankings of the best songs, I was ahead of Beyoncé or Pink. So, to offer the best to the public, I aimed for stadiums. And I had a copy of the Schönbrunn Palace made to use as a stage set. I took this overpriced idea all over the world and it almost cost me money. I even had the bailiffs at my house. But the banker, who was there, asked them not to touch anything and to continue to let me play, because it was the only way for him to see his money again (laughs)! And indeed, after a few months of full houses, he was reimbursed." After almost seventy years of playing the violin, do you still work on your instrument every day? "No, I play less and less. First, because the muscles in my arm are no longer the same with age. Then, because I like to devote myself more and more to my activity as a conductor. And there are more conductors who are still conducting at 100 than violinists” (laughs)! Have you passed on your passion for the violin to your two sons? "I tried when they were very young, about the same age that I started. But Pierre, the youngest, broke the violin on his eldest, Marc's head. So, they quickly signed the end of their careers!" Are you going to spend Christmas on stage or with your family? "With family, invariably. I have often been offered fortunes to play on Christmas Eve, but I have always refused. It is a very important day for us and, in addition, I love spending time making the decorations." What memories do you have of your childhood Christmases? "I sang in church choirs and I have wonderful memories of it... Especially, since there were some very pretty girls among us and always one with whom I was in love." You have been married for almost fifty years to Marjorie, who works with you and one of your sons. What is the secret of such marital longevity? "It's just that she and I always think the same thing. How many times in a day does Marjorie say something I was about to say! She and I are actually one person. It's both crazy and wonderful." On your current tour, you are taking young Emma Kok, who suffers from a serious illness, gastroparesis, and who sings as if her life depended on it... "It was my son Pierre who discovered her on 'The Voice Kids Hollande', which she won. He made me listen to it and I fell off my chair I was so impressed. I invited her to the studio and we worked together straight away. She is an enormous talent and such a courageous person, forced to live with two feeding pumps in her stomach twenty-two hours a day. So, when she takes off her equipment to come and sing on stage, it is a wonderful moment for her. Because, finally, she is free." Are you one of those artists who dreams of dying on stage? "No, it's definitely not my favorite dream (laughs)! Death even on stage. I don't want to think about it." AR: "I wish all readers of Nous Deux a wonderful Christmas with friends and family and, of course, lots of music! My orchestra and I look forward to seeing you again at our concerts in Lyon, Bordeaux, and Paris in March 2025." Where to see André Rieu in France? André Rieu will perform in France on the following three dates: March 20, 2025 at the Arkéa Arena in Bordeaux March 21, 2025 at the LDLC Arena in Lyon-Décines March 22, 2025 at the Accor Arena in Paris Information and reservations on the website: www.andrerieu.com/fr