Rieu: I wanted more than polite applause

The superstar violinist and conductor hits out at classical music’s perceived stiffness.

Andre Rieu has told Classic FM’s Nick Ferrari that classical music isn’t as emotionally charged as it should be. Speaking as part of a conversation to be broadcast tomorrow on Sunday, March 27, the violinist told Nick:

“It’s just my character! I was always looking to the beautiful girls in the audience – I wanted more than just polite applause. Music for me is a tool to be in contact with you.

“It’s not about ‘listen to how good I play’. You hear that much too often in classical music. We don’t speak about feelings any more, we speak about ‘He’s a better player than she is!’.

“I read a book by Rubinstein who talked about these ‘poor musicians, having to compare and compete with each other!’. I was in Poland at the time and having great fun with all the girls and laughing! It was a beautiful life!”.

Tune in to hear the full interview with Andre on The Classic FM Interview from 7pm on Sunday, 27 March.