Rieu and his orchestra tour worldwide, often playing in stadiums. He resides in his native Maastricht, where he also regularly performs at the Vrijthof.
Early life and education
The name Rieu is of French Huguenot origin, though both of Rieu's parents were Catholic. André was born to Andries Antonie Rieu and is the third of six children.
Rieu's father was conductor of the Maastricht Symphony Orchestra. Showing early promise, André began studying violin at the age of five. From a very early age, he developed a fascination with orchestra, although he found his parents strict and moved away from his father's musical style in adulthood. He studied violin at the Conservatoire Royal in Liège and at the Conservatorium Maastricht, (1968–1973), studying under Jo Juda and Herman Krebbers.
He married Marjorie Kochmann in 1975. She has been a language teacher and has written compositions. They have two sons, including Pierre, a producer who frequently works with the Johann Strauss Orchestra. He lives in a small castle in Maastricht, which he alleges was once inhabited by Charles de Batz Castlemore-d'Artagnan.
He speaks six languages: Dutch, English, German, French, Italian and Spanish. His net worth was estimated at €25 million in 2016.
Vrijthof square during Rieu's annual concert series in his home town Maastricht (2018)André Rieu and Carmen Monarcha (Düsseldorf, 2009)
Rieu created the Johann Strauss Orchestra in 1987 and began with 12 members, giving its first concert on 1 January 1988. As of 2020, he performs with between 50 and 60 musicians. Rieu plays a 1667 Stradivarius violin.
Rieu and his orchestra have appeared throughout Europe, North and South America, Japan, and Australia, and New Zealand. In 2008, Rieu's tour featured a full-size reproduction of Empress Sisi's Castle, the biggest stage to have gone on tour at that time.
Recent world tour results in Billboard / Pollstar annual worldwide top tours lists
Year
Rank
No. of shows
Revenue
Source
2010
#16
86 shows
$39,992,285
Billboard Top 25 Tours 2010
2011
# 9
102 shows
$67,104,756
Billboard Top 25 Tours 2011
2012
#10
99 shows
$46,785,710
Billboard Top 25 Tours 2012
2013
#20
70 shows
$49,881,605
Billboard Top 25 Tours 2013
2014
#17
70 shows
$42,983,266
Billboard Top 25 Tours 2014
2015
#20
101 shows
$51,151,367
Billboard Top 25 Tours 2015
2016
#23
71 shows
$40,169,471
Billboard Top 25 Tours 2016
2017
#42
89 shows
$47,700,000
Pollstar Top 100 Worldwide Tours
2018
#21
71 shows
$55,933,149
Billboard 2018 Top 25 Tours
For two weeks in 2013, one of the channels of the BSkyB group, Sky Arts 2 in the UK, was renamed as Sky Arts Rieu. Between 30 March and 14 April 2013 Sky Arts Rieu broadcast Rieu concerts and documentaries 24 hours per day.
Rieu also composed music for the 2014 film Tuscan Wedding.
One of Rieu's largest fanbases is in Australia, where his popularity has drawn attention from some members of the classical music establishment. Chris Boyd, a critic writing for Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper, did not criticize his playing, but described Rieu's main stage function as "blarney and delegation".[self-published source] Music researcher Sarah Keith described critical response to Rieu as “generally disdainful”, linking it to objections to his commercial approach and his treatment of classical music as popular entertainment. Keith argued that criticism of Rieu reflects fears about classical music’s “loss of presence and esteem”, but found “no discernible evidence” that classical music audiences were declining because people were attending Rieu’s concerts instead.
Eamon Kelly wrote in The Australian newspaper: "It is disappointing to see professional journalists indulging in cheap, inaccurate stereotypes to dismiss criticism of Rieu." He also wrote: "Equally misguided are those who cursorily dismiss Rieu. Rieu's live and recorded performances have brought joy to millions of people. Few in his audiences are regular classical music attendees and it could be seen as promising that, via Rieu, they are listening to standards of the classical canon. The fact that Rieu's focus is on highly accessible, enjoyable repertoire is not an argument against his musical credentials."
By December 2008, Rieu had achieved his 100th platinum accreditation in Australia and by May 2011, Rieu had sold over $50 million worth of wholesale shipments of his CDs and DVDs in Australia and was the highest-selling music artist in the Australian market between 2006 and 2011.
United Kingdom
Tom Service, reviewing a film of one of Rieu's Maastricht concerts (the highest-grossing concert film in British history upon the article's publication in 2015) in The Guardian, described the performance as the "very acme of commodified classical music", saying that Rieu turned "unsuspecting masterpieces" into "saccharine fodder". Also in The Guardian, in an interview with Rieu, Alfred Hickling stated that Rieu's critics were "missing the point", comparing Rieu's showmanship and business acumen to that of Johann Strauss II.
United States
Nina Siegal, for the New York Times, described Rieu as a "maestro for the masses, if not the critics", comparing him to Liberace while noting that his fame in the US had not reached the levels it has in Europe, Australia, and Brazil. In an email interview with Siegal, Rieu remarked that he saw frequent criticism of his act as "schmaltzy" as a compliment: "I’m trying to create a ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ where music, décor and costumes all add up to a magical evening."
123Cooper, Kevin (14 November 2015). "Interview:Andre Rieu". UK Music Review. Retrieved 1 March 2021. For his work, Rieu has been awarded such honours as the Order of the Netherlands Lion by the Netherlands, the Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France, and the Honorary Medal by his native Province of Limburg.
12"Awards". Andrerieu.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
Top 100 (ARIA) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDFed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p.234–235.
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