While reading the KC Star Web site today and playing the customary game of "whack-a-mole" with the pop-up ads, I came across one advertisement that sent spasms of delight down my culture-starved spine. Andre Rieu, world's most beloved violinist, will be appearing at the Sprint Center on Friday, April 18.
Heralded far and wide as the "King of the Waltz," Andre Rieu perpetually tours the world, playing elegantly upon the strings of his 1732 Stradivarius as well as the heartstrings of middle-aged women around the globe. Occasionally mistaken for Mel Gibson's character in the Patriot, Andre Rieu and his Strauss Orchestra have hypnotized and delighted literally countless classical music fans over the years.
Seeing Andre Rieu in concert has been referred to by many fans as a life-changing experience. Who, they ask, upon hearing Rieu's version of "My Heart Will Go On" (from his "Andre Rieu at the Movies" album) could ever hope to be the same? And what person with functioning ears and beating heart would dare deny the majesty of Rieu and Company's "The Blue Danube," performed live at Royal Albert Hall and punctuated by the booming of fireworks?
However, it is not simply the compositions he interprets but the soul-stirring facial expressions he composes mid-performance that elevate Rieu to the deific heights reserved for those such as Mozart, Yanni and Groban. In the same way that the far-reaching aria of an opera singer can shatter the finest crystal, a single meaningful glance from the virtuosic visage of Dutch violinist Rieu can break hearts.
There are many rumors circulating about the man -- nay, the enigma -- that is Andre Rieu. There are claims of an invalid at a Medjugorjean monastery being drawn out of bed and into a spontaneous waltz upon hearing the artful swells of Rieu's "Swinging Bells of Limburg" on the order's antique phonograph. There has been excitement for years in both the hip-hop and classical communities that if a long-anticipated collaboration between Andre Rieu and Outkast's Andre Benjamin takes place, the two genres will be united to usher in a golden-age of popular world music.
Yes, there is much magic and mystery surrounding Andre Rieu. And as ebullient as this write-up of mine may be, one must (after all) decide for oneself. On April 18, for the starting price of $50, this chance can be yours.
2 comments:
I would have expected this announcement to come at least 1.5 years before the actual concert.
Hold it a minute. Did I read that right? Did you really lump Yanni together with Mozart and Beethoven? I find your lack of taste disturbing. :P
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