Seekers Set for A Rieu-union With Andre Rieu
The Sunday Telegraph
IT'S 9am on day one of rehearsals for Andre Rieu's upcoming Australian tour and his orchestra is piling into his Maastricht studio. The room is busy with lots of kisses, hugs and greetings in Dutch, French, German, and English.
The musicians have not seen each other for a week, having had a break.
Rieu sits at a table in the studio tearoom, sipping a cup of coffee (he made himself) and eating a fresh pain au chocolat.
Australian band The Seekers have re-formed as special guests on his tour - it's been seven years since they last played together. They're minutes away and Rieu puts down his pastry to be ready to greet them for the first time.
"I always like not to prepare things," the violinist, conductor and composer tells Seekers singer Judith Durham as the pair walk into the studio, trailed by the band's other three members, Athol Guy, Bruce Woodley and Keith Potger.
It's quickly down to work in a massive purpose-built room of high-tech equipment to house Rieu's 60-member Johann Strauss Orchestra, all of whom are on his payroll.
In three hours, they have to get through and put Rieu's touch on all the songs The Seekers will perform with the orchestra when he brings his tour to Australia next month.
Before morning tea - a massive spread of pastries, sandwiches, juices and coffee - they also run through The Seekers' hit songs Georgie Girl and I Am Australian. Durham has also written a new song, Andre (All The Stars Come Out), for the tour.
"It's a special privilege to work on the scale of Andre Rieu," Durham says in the break. "The Seekers have done most things that you'd want to do and when we broke up in the '60s it was partly because we sort of felt we'd done all the things that you could do. There was nothing new.
"But this is completely different; this is a very special person we are working with, with special music and special audiences."
Rieu is equally full of praise for his guests, saying: "It was fantastic, they are really nice guys. They're good musicians, open to suggestions, so I think it is going to be great."
Towering over the petite Durham, Rieu commands attention as he works in the studio, going through I'll Never Find Another You.
Rieu, 61, is strong and healthy, a clear leader, making it easy to understand why people refer to him as the Waltz King.
But just a few months ago, Rieu experienced a life-changing moment, falling ill with a viral infection of his vestibular nerve.
Bedridden at home, the admitted control freak was forced to postpone his Australian tour last October.
That experience made him realise he is not invincible.
"I've never had anything like it in my whole life," he explains to Insider. "It came suddenly over me and from one second to another the whole room would move around me. It taught me that I am a normal guy like everybody else. Being sick taught me to prioritise my life.
"My wife, Marjorie, and I, we did two lists, what is good for me and what is good for other people.
"I did too many things for other people so I have to learn to say no and I am very bad at that."
Later, we sit on the terrace at Rieu's private castle, named de Torentjes, a 10-minute drive from his studio, on a small hill overlooking the beautiful Maas river.
Rieu is relaxed and clearly happy to be home - understandable since he spends more than six months of the year touring the world.
Built about 1450 by a French duke, this is the castle where the real D'Artagnan is said to have had his last breakfast before he died in a battle serving France's Louis XIV.
There's also a greenhouse. When he's not playing music, this is his place to reflect alone. It's humid inside, with fish, birds and butterflies looked after by a gardener.
Rieu's two sons, Marc and Pierre, are working with Andre Rieu Productions, as does his wife of 37 years, Marjorie. He's a doting grandfather to Pierre's twin daughters. And he also sees himself as a father figure to his orchestra.
"Of course I am married and I have my family but this is my other family," he said earlier at the studio. "I am the father and they trust me - it's a nice feeling." That confident and passionate attitude sets the tone for his business.
He's admitted he's made mistakes in business but he says he's learned from them. He lost a lot of money on his 2008 Australian tour, which saw him re-create Vienna's stunning Schonbrunn Palace, complete with two ice skating rinks, fountains and a ballroom dance floor.
The production cost $34 million and Rieu says he lost millions of dollars on the tour. "The bank was not very happy with me," he laughs.
"It is expensive to tour and I lost a lot of money but with the castle, the whole world was speaking about me after that. It hadn't been done before.
"After all, I will never do such a risky thing again."
That said, Rieu's new Celebration of Music tour is scaled down slightly. It's the stage and cast he usually travels with, although he still has a touring party of about 100 people and still promises it will be a spectacular for his fans.
And he has a lot of fans to please - Rieu has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and millions more DVDs. Last year he sold more concert tickets than any other male artist, ahead of big names like Bruce Springsteen.
"For a violinist, that's not bad for a start," he laughs, sitting back on the bench.
Rieu's ethos is simple: "It's all about having fun, me, my orchestra and the audience."
Andre Rieu performs at Acer Arena , May 13 and 14, www.ticketek.com.au. The Seekers: Greatest Hits is out now
Hurry down under Dear Andre we are waiting impatiently for you & counting the days, with great excitement, travel safetly
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Thank you so much Jeanine - I enjoy all your posts that reach my inbox, and particularly enjoyed reading this one. Just a thought - maybe his illness last year was a blessing in disguise. The huge sets etc. are wonderful, but we wouldn't mind seeing him and the JSO in any venue - it's about the music, his charm, sense of humour and the joy he brings to all. Our concert on the 19th March 2011 at Sun City was stupendous! And there were no special sets. He doesn't need them...! God bless to you, Sally and Bill Cole and everyone involved with AR Fans and Friends. Marianne Dijzel
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Hi, my mother Rose is crazy fan of Andre, we re from argentina next friday april 29 is her 80´s birthday. Is there any poss to receive greatings from you
Sorry for poor english!!
Thanks a lot
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Will there be a DVD of the Christchurch concert on 8th May 2011 available for purchase?
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