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In October last year, "Andre Rieu with the Johann Strauss Orchestra" gave a concert in Hall A of the Tokyo International Forum. Though known as a world-famous violinist, Rieu's concert style is a departure from tradition - the embodiment of "showy entertainment". The stage was adorned with flowers and the female players wore gala dress. And not only did every member of the orchestra perform at the highest possible level, but the audience was also charmed by a performance rich with humor. At center stage was Andre Rieu, seeming to skip as he played his violin. By the end of the two-and-a-half hour concert, the audience was utterly captivated and the whole Hall engulfed in excitement. Straight after the performance, we spoke to the maestro himself. Showy stage direction based on my own ideas
I hope people enjoyed today's concert with their eyes, as well as the music. The stage and everything on it was planned and designed by me. Even the glamorous dresses worn by the women, and the music stands, were designed by me. Decorating the stage with flowers is also my idea. I want to be in charge of everything, you see. (laughs) In my head I've got a lot of ideas for presenting music to my audiences, and I'm in the best position to act on those ideas. If I asked someone else to do it, I'd only end up having to correct half of it. I do it all myself because it's quicker that way. With my father being a conductor, I had contact with music and theaters from a very early age. The things I felt as a small child naturally entered my physical awareness. For example, the blue light I use when the audience comes into the auditorium originates from memories of my childhood. In those days, theaters would be lit with blue lights. For me as a boy, that added an air of grandeur. So I always use blue lights before the concert starts. My orchestra consists of young people with plenty of enthusiasm. Every evening, we put our whole heart and soul into creating our concerts. That passion conveys itself to the audience. They become one with the orchestra in their enjoyment of the music. They move, hum, clap, even jump up (laughs) in time to the music. Every evening is another unforgettable experience. But this concert style of mine didn't just happen overnight. It developed gradually. Classical music can be entertaining. I spent my childhood in an environment of great familiarity with classical music. My father was a classical music conductor, so I used to go to his concerts every week with my brothers and sisters when I was a child. We were so proud of him. But classical concerts in those days were very serious affairs. Everything was black, there were no flowers and no lighting effects. I couldn't understand that. If music was so beautiful, why was there no laughter? To me, life seemed very grave and a lot of people seemed to live their lives too seriously. And I felt the same about classical music. By nature, I'm a fairly cheerful person, and I prefer to have a lot of humor in my life. That's why I want to make my concerts cheerful and full of humor. I want the orchestra members and the audience, as well as myself, to enjoy the music from the heart. The atmosphere of reserved aloofness that puts a lot of people off classical music is completely absent from our concerts. Music is a wonderful medium that makes people happy to hear it.
Before giving a concert, people warn me about the way audiences will react. "People in New York are very self-centered, so you'd better be careful", they say, or "People in Paris are lazy", or "People in Tokyo are very polite", or "People in London are snobbish". But when I get up on the stage, everyone everywhere feels just the same. You see, language and nationality are irrelevant when it comes to music. Music is such a wonderful thing. Having been brought up in close proximity to music from a small age, I just couldn't imagine life without it. And that's precisely why I want to make classical music something that everybody can relate to. To achieve that, I'm working hard to set up my own music studio and make new arrangements of classical music. I'm 53 years old now. I aim to live to 120 (laughs), so I've got 70 years left. But rather than setting down future plans, I want to appreciate each year as it comes. Because I feel I'm having the best time of my life now. I love music, I enjoy myself and I actually get paid for it. That makes me happy. And I hope the music I make can continue to bring happiness to other people for a long, long time. The Tokyo International Forum has large, warm Halls.
This year, we put on more performances than last time. As far as I'm concerned, the more performances the merrier. There is nothing more enjoyable than giving as many concerts as you can. I was happy to have five in Tokyo this time, but I'd be happier to have a hundred! (laughs) For me, a great day is a concert day. Being able to put on a concert is the best thing in the world. I would really love to be back for more next year. (Interview: October 2002)
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