André Rieu gives around 100 concerts a year. In 2020 he was on stage for the last time in March. "Everything stands still," says the star violinist.
The year 2020 will hit many artists hard, and star violinist André Rieu (71, "Happy Days") is no exception. "My Johann Strauss Orchestra and I gave our last concert in Tampa / USA in March. During the break, Donald Trump announced the new Corona rules on television, which made it clear that we would not finish our USA tour ", recalls the Dutchman in an interview with the news agency spot on news. "We rebooked more than 100 flights overnight to bring everyone back home. We haven't given a single concert or rehearsed since March, everything stands still."
He has never seen anything like it. "I usually do around 100 concerts a year all over the world." He was particularly struck by the cancellation of his popular summer concerts in Maastricht. "The whole city is looking forward to it, 100,000 tickets were sold and we have a big party there every year with fans from all over the world." Fortunately, alternative dates have been found for all concerts this year in 2021 and 2022.
"So far we have not had to fire any musicians"
But not only the star violinist himself is taking the Corona measures, his around 120 employees are currently without a job. "So far we have not had to fire any musicians. As a company, I am getting help from the Dutch government and I hope that the government will continue to support us until we are allowed to perform again," explains Rieu gratefully.
He thinks the measures that are being taken in his home country in the Netherlands are "right and important". He took part in a campaign himself and thanked the people who follow the rules. "The more we watch out and protect and help each other, the sooner we can hopefully be together again soon."
Christmas spirit for his fans
Fans can still look forward to new music by the popular star violinist. His new album "Happy Winter Time" will be released on November 13th. The CD was created during the three "wonderfully big Christmas concerts in Maastricht". In addition to Christmas classics such as "Jingle Bells" or "Silent Night, Holy Night", a bonus DVD provides insights behind the scenes of his Christmas concerts. "I hope that I can at least lift the Christmas spirit with my music."