André Rieu: “I Know How To Melt People's Hearts”

The violin phenomenon on love, touring the world and the healing power of music

- Eva Mackevic

Listen, my father was a conductor and I went to all his concerts up until I was 16 or 17, so I think I heard all the classical music there is. But I only play the music that touches my heart. Perhaps you don’t believe me, or you think it’s a cliché but it’s really true. The music I play, I play it because I like it—that’s the only reason. And I know that if I like it, it’s most likely that the whole audience will like it too.”

I’ve clearly touched a nerve. Many classical music critics have accused the King of Waltz of pandering to the masses with his high-spectacle concerts that include life-size ballroom stage sets, millions of balloons and confetti, and musicians in bright, puffy gowns performing such pieces as The Blue Danube or the theme to Titanic. It’s a topic that’s frequently brought up during interviews with André, so it’s no wonder that the man gets a bit defensive when I ask what he makes of some of the “heavier” music in the classical repertoire, such as Wagner or Beethoven.

Nevertheless, the superstar violinist is a real musical marvel; during his 30-plus-year career, he’s sold over 40 million albums, won more than 500 Platinum Awards and plays roughly 100 sold-out shows every year, so much so that he was named world’s most successful male touring artist in 2009 by Billboard. People just can’t get enough of him.

“I have the experience of 40 years and I know exactly how to melt people’s hearts. People propose to each other all the time at our concerts. I see it every night, all over the world, when we come on stage. In the beginning they just sit nicely next to each other, then, after the break, the husband will put his arm around his wife, and during the encore there’s nothing but kissing!” he laughs.