"The world of Rieu exudes an un-Dutch atmosphere of tinsel and friendliness. It is like with the hotels of the Van der Valk group: you will not find them in any serious tourist guide and yet you cannot ignore them", according to the report. Nieuwsblad van het Noorden about the phenomenon André Rieu. One can think what one wants about this Limburg waltz king, but one cannot deny that he has managed
… to work his way up to one of the best-selling artists of the moment with perhaps more business instinct than musical talent. The fact that he is also a grateful target for the ridicule of many comedians ("You will only have started as Stradivarius and end up under the chin of André Rieu", according to Lebbis and Jansen about the failed purchase of a Stradivarius) seems nothing to the success to take off, because the recently released CD "100 jahre Strauß" by André Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchester has now managed to conquer thirteenth place in the Mega Album Top 100. The works on this CD, mainly by Johann Strauss, do not sound in their original version. but in arrangements. As a result, these performances lack the transparent virtuosity that is so typical of Strauß, so that the Johann Strauß Orchester sounds more like an enlarged salon orchestra with added reverberation than a natural symphony orchestra. _ The works performed on this CD, mainly by Johann Strauss, do not sound in their original version, but in arrangements. As a result, these performances lack the transparent virtuosity that is so typical of Strauß, so that the Johann Strauß Orchester sounds more like an enlarged salon orchestra with added reverberation than a natural symphony orchestra. _ The works performed on this CD, mainly by Johann Strauss, do not sound in their original version, but in arrangements. As a result, these performances lack the transparent virtuosity that is so typical of Strauß, so that the Johann Strauß Orchester sounds more like an enlarged salon orchestra with added reverberation than a natural symphony orchestra. _more
