Albums, touring keep classical artist Rieu busy

By John Benson

Andr Rieu may be considered one the most successful classical artists in the world, but when you discuss his most recent releases and his busy schedule, he admits easily losing track of the facts.

“I don’t know exactly what albums came out here in the states, but I know in Australia I did a new album,” said Rieu, calling from Philadelphia. “I’m just flying there for two days to promote it, and then we’re flying back to the United States for a tour, where I jump in the bus and the bus brings me to the next city to play.”

Such is the life of the “King of Waltz,” who along with his 60-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra returns to Northeast Ohio for a show Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena. For the Dutch native, the past year has been yet another whirlwind experience in a career that continues to transcend classical music benchmarks.

Performing for more than 700,000 fans annually, conductor-violinist Rieu was named by Billboard magazine as the No. 1 classical artist in the United States for 2008. In addition, Pollstar magazine named him one of the Top 10 touring acts in the world, sharing the honor with Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and Coldplay. He’s also enjoyed numerous popular PBS-TV specials.

As successful as his recordings have become, it’s his live show that is his calling card. Known for his elaborate sets that include exact reproductions of European palaces, Rieu has broken down classical music boundaries by encouraging his audience to get out of their seats and, well, dance. It’s like the plot to “Footloose” for the Severance Hall set.

“It’s just part of my character, and it goes way back to my father, who was a conductor, and he loved to play waltzes, Strauss waltzes,” Rieu said. “And he even turned to the audience and encouraged them to stand up and dance like in the times of Johann Strauss. And that is still in my genes, I think. I love waltzes. Of course, purists would say, ‘Waltzes? What is waltzes? It’s nothing compared to Wagner.’ I don’t agree. I mean ‘Blue Danube’ is difficult, and I’m not the only one that says that.”

He added, “And very often when I play ‘Danube,’ the whole audience begins to smile and move and stand up and dance, and I can very much see one guy who sits very stiff, and very often that’s the critic.”

Rieu appears to exist in unique uncharted waters between classical and pop music. Despite the critics, Rieu said he plays his music for his own enjoyment and the interest of the audience. This year marks his 30th-anniversary tour, with the conductor promising a career retrospective program that he feels will appeal to all types of music lovers.

“For me there is only one criteria for music, is it good or bad?” Rieu said. “For my father, who was a real pure classical musician, everything that was not classical was bad music. I think that’s not wise to do that. Music is good or not good. When you play things by Michael Jackson or Queen, I think they’re fantastic. And that’s not classical music.”

He added, “So I think the people that come to my shows are Andr fans. And they come from everywhere. There are a lot of purists who said, ‘My God, I discovered you and now I understand what you mean.’ All of these purists should go to therapy. But on the other hand, it appeals to a cleaning woman, a heart surgeon, a professor, everybody. The only thing you should do is open your heart, and be honest with yourself and say, ‘OK, I like it.’”