Subiaco Oval will be turned into a vast wintertime Viennese palace, with ice rinks and a golden coach drawn by six white horses, when flamboyant violinist Andre Rieu visits Perth in November.

Known to his fans as the King of the Waltz and to classical music purists as the King of Schmaltz, the Dutch musician will bring 600 performers and support crew with him on his Australian tour.

His November 22 concert at Subiaco Oval, often a venue for rock acts, was announced yesterday.

The Liberace of the violin will share the stage with more than 200 backing performers in 19th century period costumes, including a full orchestra and choir, skaters swirling around two ice rinks, the Vienna State Opera Ballet and a coach carrying lookalikes of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and his wife.
  
Rieu, 58, told The West Australian yesterday that he wanted to lighten up classical music, which had become too elitist and sombre.
  
“I think classical music can be for everybody,” he said. “It doesn’t need to be so serious and so stiff. In the time of Mozart everybody in the street used to whistle his tunes and now his music is only for the few. And I don’t know why.”

STEPHEN BEVIS
ARTS EDITOR

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A special Thank You to Leslie for sharing the above article and to Stephen Bevis for his writing.

FEBRUARY 18, 2008

Dear André Rieu Fans & Friends Around The World:

Thank you all for being patient with me while I heal my sore neck.  I took the time off the website to relax.  Is there any coincidence that André also took time off his site?  I shall remain mum on that!

Many of you have sent information and articles, Thank You!

Our web guru is diligently working on our new database.  We will be emailing you with details soon.  It will be so fun to easily share information about everyone's favorite Maestro.  Good things, good people, good fun and most of all Good Music.

More soon, and send us those stories, articles and photographs.

FEBRUARY 13, 2008

Just in time for Valentine's Day, André announces his Perth Concert!

ANDRE RIEU has announced a concert in Perth
November 22 at Subiaco Oval.

Mr. Rieu will bring Vienna to his fans in Australia with two ice rinks and hundreds of dancers, musicians and artists. Fans will feel like they have journeyed to Europe to see him perform.

His unique and exuberant style makes his show one of the most talked about in the world. Fans spend more time dancing in the aisles than sitting in their seats. The King of the Waltz has enjoyed nine albums in the Top Ten DVD chart.

Incredibly taken by the welcome given to him by the Australian public on his recent promotional tour of the country, Mr. Rieu commented “I am so moved. I love Australia and I feel something within me has changed.”

As a tribute to a country André has wholeheartedly embraced, his primary new recording for 2008 will include several Australian traditional songs sung by Brisbane-born soprano Mirusia and will be called “Waltzing Matilda”. It is scheduled for release before Mother’s Day.

With confirmed sales and strong reorders, André Rieu has now surpassed a staggering 845,000 units across CD and DVD to date, and was Universal Music Australia’s biggest-selling artist in 2007 as well as the biggest-selling recording artist in the Australian classical record industry that year. His best-selling DVD “André Rieu in Schönbrunn, Vienna” has just gone seven times platinum in Australia. In keeping with the spirit of Vienna, André Rieu’s brand new DVD, “André Rieu – Live in Vienna” was also released 9 February.

The André Rieu Concert

Imagine yourself in the most romantic city in the world… Vienna. You will indulge André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra and Choir, many well-known soloists, the Platinum Tenors, the Vienna State Opera Ballet, 60 Vienna Debutantes, the golden coach with the Empress Sisi and Emperor Franz-Joseph, the Vienna Figure Skating Association, famous skating champions, a golden coach with 6 white horses, fabulous costumes, gorgeous music, magical waltzes and so much more…

Not to be missed!

· The golden coach with six white horses carrying the Empress Sisi and Emperor Franz-Joseph.

· 60 Vienna Debutantes from Vienna’s famous Elmayer Dance School.

The world-famous ballet of the Vienna State Opera.
· More than 200 artists are taking part, all resplendent in the most romantic of costumes.

· Music includes the Blue Danube, the Emperor Waltz, Gold and Silver, My Heart Will Go On (from the Titanic).

· Fantastic melodies from operas, musicals and of course, waltzes.

· We are building two real ice rinks where the world’s best skating artists will be paired up to dance.

· The Vienna Figure Skating Association will be coming to Australia. In total 40 skaters will be performing

· The Platinum Tenors, Carmen Monarcha, Carla Mafioletti, Mirusia Louwerse, Suzan Erens, the Johann Strauss Orchestra and Choir will be there to entertain you.

· Waltzes by Strauss and Lehár, melodies by Stolz and much more…

For ticketing enquiries, please contact Ticketmaster www.ticketmaster.com.au