kultura / culture
Violinist André Riou in Belgrade The king of the waltz is coming, so get ready to dance We’ll enjoy his music at Belgrade’s Štark Arena on 24 th November, and he promises it will be a phenomenal evening of Strauss waltzes and famous opera arias It is an unbelievable
their feet throughout the entire con- cert. I've spent years listening to his hits Dancing In The Dark and Born In The USA. If we were on stage to- gether, that would be another dream come true! And who would you single out when it comes to classi- cal music? - The man after whom I named my orchestra is a man and composer I respect deeply: Johann Strauss. He was the real King of the Waltz, who composed so many beautiful melo- dies and was able to enchant his au- dience every evening. Among con- temporary musicians that is Gustavo Dudamel, who is capable of gather- ing together young people and play- ing wonderful music with them. His concerts are a festive holiday for all the senses. Although you travel a lot, you would never abandon your hometown... - It was 73 years ago that I was born in the oldest city in the Neth- erlands, Maastricht. I have never abandoned it and it’s there that I will spend the rest of my life. When I'm at home, I like to read a good book or make cakes and cookies. I walk with my wife and dogs, solve sudoku puzzles and, perhaps most importantly, spend time with my grandchildren. I am a proud grand- father of five grandchildren... What’s the first thing you always check out in a new city? - I travel a lot and actually don’t have much time to discover new cities. Given that I was raised in a Catholic family, I love to see church- es, and stained-glass windows in par- ticular attract my attention. I often look to the floor when the sun shines through those windows and fills the floor with hundreds of colours. What are your future plans? I’m honoured and satisfied with the fact that I can delight so many people with the music that I play. I hope to be able to continue to do this for many more years and that health will not be a problem for me. I plan to live to 140 and I'm 73 now. So, I'm only halfway there [laughs]!
world. She recently told me about your kolo [traditional Serbian cir- cle dance] and I was also delight- ed when I saw it. It is very pretty! It is rumoured that you have unusual ambitions, such as performing on the Moon? :-) - I hold around 100 concerts annually on all continents, and I’d like to be the world’s first artist to perform on the Moon or the North Pole, which would be a great chal- lenge! Why on the Moon? Because you won’t be able to see any borders, and that’s what music is: a way to unify people. That somehow already happens at my concerts – people who don’t know one another at the be- ginning of the concert start dancing together, exchange telephone num- bers and become friends! You've shared the stage with many fantastically tal- ented people, but is there still some star of music with whom you’d like to be able to perform? - Yes, there is one pop star with whom I’d love to share the stage: Bruce Springsteen! We are around the same age, but I envy his ener- gy... He really knows how to enter- tain his audience and keep them on
fact that he stages almost 100 concerts per year . He turns every concert into a specta- cle of tones, colours, dance, smiles and love. He is Dutchman André Rieu, and his Johann Strauss Or- chestra boasts as many as 60 mem- bers. He has been brightening up people's lives with his music and en- ergy for the past 30 years, and during that time has won more than 500 world-renowned music awards – not only in recognition of his talent for the violin and conducting, but rath- er his entire life’s work. We’ll enjoy his music at Belgrade’s Štark Arena on 24 th November, and he promises it will be an unforgettable evening... - We will present many beau- tiful melodies, wonderful waltz- es and famous arias from musicals and operas. I will bring with me ten- ors, as well as several celebrated so- pranos. I can hardly wait to perform in Belgrade, says Riou. Have you previously had an opportunity to enjoy some Serbian music? - My wife, Marjorie, is a passion- ate folk dancer. She’s been dealing with that for more than 30 years and it is thanks to her that I know a lot about dances from all over the
Dobio sam mogućnost da radim ono što najviše volim – da radujem ljude muzikom koju biram srcem I gained the possibility to do what I love the most: to bring people joy with music that I choose from my heart
34 | Intervju » Interview
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