Fri, Dec. 09, 2005
Eliminating the fear factor
MUSICIAN-CONDUCTOR ANDRÉ RIEU WANTS TO OPEN DOORS FOR CLASSICAL MUSIC
 
By Yoshi Kato
Special to the Mercury News
 
There is something refreshing about the idea that André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra will be playing to a full house at HP Pavilion on Thursday night, in a concert presented by KTEH-TV. That the conductor-violinist is performing in the same arena that recently hosted Kanye West, Depeche Mode and Paul McCartney, not to mention home games by the San Jose Sharks, says much about Rieu's artistic outlook and audience.

 ``I want to open the door a little bit to classical music,'' says the 56-year-old musician, artistic director and entrepreneur, ``and therefore I prefer to play in arenas and outdoors, instead of going to the so-called classical halls with good acoustics.''

 He observes that the public worries about not having the education to appreciate classical music and feels intimidated by it.

 ``That is exactly what I don't want,'' Rieu continues by phone from his home in the Maastricht section of Amsterdam. ``I want them to feel at ease and to feel at home. I want to finish this fear of classical music, and that is, in fact, . . . why I play in arenas like in San Jose.''

 His 2005 concert DVD ``The Flying Dutchman'' (one of several of his filmed performances championed by PBS stations) shows Rieu chatting with the audience between selections. And, rather than black-and-white formal attire, the female instrumentalists are wearing colorful dresses. More significantly, both the musicians and audience members seem to be having the kind of good time not often seen in concert halls, except possibly on New Year's Eve.

 What typifies Rieu's concerts is their communal sense of celebration, fueled by the conductor's trademark waltzes. ``I think it's really about joy,'' says Rieu. ``People call my concerts, every now and then, a `show.' But . . . for me, a show is when you go to Broadway, and there are 25 girls with the same movement. With our shows, there's always a place for improvisation, and every concert is different.''

 The son of a conductor of local symphony and opera orchestras, Rieu has followed in his father's footsteps, and so have his siblings, who play in traditional orchestras. ``I am the black sheep of the family,'' says Rieu with a chuckle. ``Music was in our house, of course, so it was a reason why I do music also. But I wanted to do it in a slightly different way, to add a little humor to the whole thing.''
 A graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp, Rieu founded the Maastricht Saloon Orchestra in 1978. Nine years later, he started the Johann Strauss Orchestra. He and his wife, Marjorie, also launched André Rieu Productions that same year, which now has a recording studio for making the orchestra's albums.

 Since Rieu sets himself somewhat apart from Europe's longstanding orchestral traditions, he has his detractors, who sometimes disparage his flowing brown hair and winning smile.

 ``Of course there are critics who say, `Yes, but when you play the overture of ``La Traviata,'' you have to play the whole opera.' They're right to think so, but I don't ruin the music when I play it. I only make programs for my public. I mean, when somebody wants to go to `La Traviata,' he's free to go. . . . But I like the overture very much, and when it fits in my program, I play it.''

 As with the pops concerts of many orchestras, Rieu uses the occasional popular piece. ``The Flying Dutchman,'' for example, includes ``Over the Rainbow'' and Queen's ``We Are the Champions.''

 ``My repertoire is not so strictly classical,'' he says. ``For me, there's only good and bad music. I mean, Bach did compositions for five harpsichords. I'm very sorry, but it's terrible to listen to. So I do not think you can say, `It's classical music, so it's good.'

 ``There are composers like the Beatles or Queen or Michael Jackson who did fantastic things. As for the Strauss family's waltzes, some critics say, `That's the light part of our business.' But I don't think so. It's just good music -- for me, at least.''André Rieu and the Johann Strauss OrchestraWhere HP Pavilion at San Jose, 525 W. Santa Clara St.