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.