André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra return to Ireland this week as part of their 2023 World Tour with performances in Belfast and Dublin
The world-renowned Dutch violinist and conductor plays to packed crowds all across the globe, where he thrills audiences with his energetic performances. On his tours, the stage design, lighting, lavish costumes and sound add a sense of magic and wonder to proceedings to create an almost fairy-tale-like setting.
His orchestra is made up of 50 - 60 players from a wide range of nationalities. Each musician plays a vital role in creating the beautiful music Rieu is so famous for.
Rieu's instrument of choice, a 1692 Stradivarius violin, is worth millions.
Rieu began studying violin at the age of 5 and went on to study violin in his teens and 20s in his hometown of Maastricht and the Belgian cities of Liège and Brussels.
During this time he also got married to his wife Marjorie and they have been together both personally and professionally for almost 50 years.
Marjorie works with Rieu to help create his tours, the sets, the costumes and decide on the venues. They have 2 sons together, with one of them, Pierre, being vice president of Andre Rieu Productions.
Rieu's music has become a real family business.
Speaking about his family in his biography, Rieu said: "For at least the last twenty years, my personal life has been so bound up with my work that the story of my personal life would sound pretty much the same as the story of my career - especially as my wife Marjorie has been so closely involved from the start.
"My life is simply music, music is what we are always doing, and it never gets boring!"
Rieu's music is so popular that he has even had recent screenings of his shows Together Again, Happy Days Are Here Again and Live in Dublin 2022 shown in cinemas around the world.
Some highlights from the Dublin show included performances of Nessun Dorma, The Rose, O Caro Mio Babbino, Can't Help Falling In Love With You and You'll Never Walk Alone. There were also crowd-pleasers such as The Wild Rover and You Raise Me Up, written by Co Tipperary's Brendan Graham and a number-one hit for boy band Westlife.
When he is not touring Rieu lives in a magnificent castle in Maastricht that was built in 1452 and is the setting where the real D'Artagnan, part of The Three Musketeers, was said to have had his last breakfast before he died in battle serving Louis XIV.
This same castle, which is surrounded by beautiful gardens, is one that Rieu used to visit as a child to take piano lessons. As he got older he dreamed of one day buying and renovating it. A dream that is now a reality.
Rieu said: "Even as a child, I was fascinated by the world of music. My father was a conductor, and I remember the huge orchestra and the wonderful sound it made, all those bows moving together - I thought it was fantastic.
"But even then I can remember being surprised at the sombre atmosphere during the concerts. Everybody looked so serious, you weren't supposed to cough or laugh, even though the music seemed to me to radiate so much joy!"
Wanting to change how classical music is enjoyed, Rieu set about making his performances full of fun.
"At one of our concerts you'll see me and the orchestra, and the audience too, all having a lot of fun together. Swaying with the music, humming along, clapping, jumping up and down - it all happens! Every evening is a wonderful experience, and in my view there couldn't be a greater pleasure for a musician."
André Rieu plays the SSE Arena in Belfast on Thursday 20 April and the 3 Arena in Dublin on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 April. Limited tickets are available via Ticketmaster.
Report: Mark Casserly
