The Genius of André Rieu

Part 2 The Singers

As a recent André Rieu convert, I have been looking at how his musical output has evolved over the years. There are lots of videos available covering the last 25 years of his orchestra, but I have found little from his first decade. It seems he started playing orchestral music only; waltzes and other light orchestral works, with his brilliant orchestra, in a way that engaged audiences large and small. He had a massive hit record in about 1994 with “the Second Waltz” by Shostakovich, which increased his fame and would have given him additional financial resources.
A seismic change occurred at the beginning of this century with the introduction of singers. The first of these were three highly-talented singers: Suzan Erens, Carla Maffioletti and Carmen Monarcha. In about 2004, André brought in the three tenors “the Platin Tenors”: Gary, Béla, and Thomas, each a brilliant operatic tenor, who sing together and are sometimes joined by the sopranos. One of the original tenor has moved on to be replaced and all the original sopranos have departed for other work.
His current principal sopranos are Anna Majchrzak from Holland and Michaëla Oeste from the USA. They are both fabulous singers and performers. One of André’s talents is to find numbers which really suit the voices and personalities of his sopranos. There is also the amazing teenage sensation Emma Kok, whose recording of Voilà with André at a Maastricht concert went viral.
The role of the singers has not undermined the position of the orchestra, who still play several orchestral pieces at each concert, as well as providing superb accompaniment to the singers. We must not forget his choir, who supplement the sounds of the orchestra as well as singing songs and arias. Many of the choir members are excellent solo singers.
André’s success over a period of nearly 40 years has been phenomenal. He is a flamboyant character able to engage with audiences, but he is also a superb musician, conductor and arranger of music, who is tireless in his preparation for all aspects of his concerts all over the world.

The evolution continues. Over recent years pop numbers have been introduced towards the end of the concert to get the audience dancing and going home in a happy mood. There are concerts where we find works by Handel and Verdi and later on “Tutti Frutti”, “the Macarena” or “YMCA”!
André is now in his late 70s, but shows no lack of energy and enthusiasm or wish to retire. Long may he continue and bring joy to many people over the whole world.

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