Andre Leon Marie Nicolas Rieu (born October 1st, 1949), better known simply as Andre Rieu, is a Dutch violinist and conductor. He hails from Maastricht.
Best known for having brought together the Johann Strauss Orchestra, a musical movement dedicated the waltz style, Rieu is now widely considered one of the world’s most successful classical acts still working; that’s certainly something that’s true in terms of his live shows, which generally see him play to packed out arenas around the world - the kinds of venues usually reserved for pop and rock acts. since 1987, he’s been flanked by his Johann Strauss Orchestra, which now can boast anywhere between eighty and 150 musicians, depending on the performance. Their mastery of the waltz has led to Rieu being dubbed the ‘waltz king’.
Having performed across the globe, including lengthy tours of Europe, the Americas and Japan, the Orchestra have also enjoyed a great deal of recorded success, with a slew of gold and platinum certifications to their name; some of their records have gone up to eight-times platinum in Rieu’s native Netherlands. In recent years, Rieu’s performances with the Johann Strauss Orchestra have become increasingly lavish and extravagant, including a 2008 tour that saw him perform in front of a full-scale reproduction of Empress Sisi’s Castle. He was the world’s most popular male solo touring artist in early 2009.
The Courteeners
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