I've read about André Rieu before and, when I did, I wrote him off as the latest instantiation of Peter Nero or Mantovani or the 101 Strings. Maybe Liberace. In other words, my deeply bred snobbery relegated him to a popularizer who probably didn't deserve serious consideration. --Today I read this in the Wall Street Journal:
Mr. Rieu grossed about $96 million on tour last year. That haul landed him at No. 6 among the world's top touring acts, according to Billboard's 2009 tally—ranked just below U2, Madonna and Bruce Springsteen, and above Britney Spears, Coldplay and Metallica. --And he has his sites set on the U.S.
Now, in all fairness, I grew up listening to Montovani and 101 Strings and I even saw Peter Nero in concert. I also listened to E. Power Biggs, the Philadelphia Symphony under the baton of Eugene Ormandy and watched every single episode of the Young People's Concerts
Maybe I'm wrong. It's widely know that classical music can't draw a crowd to save its life -- literally. Classical music radio has become way too scarce and, unless one has the means to listen to internet radio, there is no selection whatsoever, especially when it comes to hearing anything "classical" that's been written in the past 100 years.
So, maybe, I should be showered André Rieu with flowers instead of brickbats. Maybe I need to update my opinion. Maybe, in this day and age when the San Francisco Symphony's radio partner is all the way up the road in Sacramento, I should get over my snobbery and start grasping for something that looks like straws instead of gold and silver. I won't be throw my money at any CDs by Mr. Rieu, but I won't be throwing any brickbats either.
