[edit] Career
At University he performed the Gold And Silver Waltz by Franz Lehár. Encouraged by the audience reaction he decided to pursue the waltz form. Rieu formed the Maastricht Salon Orchestra and performed as a violinist with the Limburg Symphony Orchestra. In 1987, he created the Johann Strauss Orchestra and his own production company. Since then, his melodramatic stage performances and rock-star demeanor have for some been associated with a revival of the waltz music category. André Rieu plays a 1667 Stradivarius violin.[1]
In April 2009 (Australia) /June 2009 (UK), he made a cameo appearance as himself on "Ramsay Street" in the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours.
[edit] Johann Strauss Orchestra
The Orchestra began in 1987 with 12 members but now performs with between 40 and 50 musicians. At the time the Orchestra first toured Europe, there emerged a renewed interest in waltz music. The revival began in the Netherlands and was ignited by their recording of the Second Waltz from Shostakovich's Jazz Suites. As a result, Rieu became known as the waltz King.
Rieu and his orchestra have performed throughout Europe, in North America, and Japan. Winning a number of awards including two World Music Awards, their recordings have gone gold and platinum in many countries, including 8-times Platinum in the Netherlands. In September 2007 Rieu performed in Australia for the first time solo, without his Orchestra at the Eastland shopping centre in the Melbourne suburb of Ringwood playing "My Way" and "Waltzing Matilda"—and the next day appeared at Sydney’s Arena Cove, Warringah Mall shopping complex with the same set. Rieu and orchestra returned to Australia in November as part of his world tour. Rieu and his orchestra played 3 concerts at Melbourne's Telstra Dome from 13-15 November and continued their tour throughout Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide, through to December 2008. The concert theme is 'A Romantic Vienna Night' and the set comprises a replica of part of a Viennese castle, complete with 2 ice-skating rinks 2 Fountains, and a ballroom dance floor situated above and behind the Orchestra. Rieu's largest concert attendance to date in Australia was 38,000 on Saturday 15th November in Melbourne. The Perth concert did not feature the replica of the Viennese Palace as it was stated in the press because it would not fit into the front doors of Subiaco Oval.
He records both DVD and CD repertoire at his own recording studios in Maastricht in a wide range of classical music as well as popular and folk music plus music from well-known sound tracks and theatre musicals. His lively orchestral presentations, in tandem with incessant marketing, have attracted worldwide audiences to this subgenre of classical music.
Some of his orchestra's performances have been broadcast in the United Kingdom and the United States on the PBS television network[2] such as the 2003 airing of Andre Rieu Live in Dublin, filmed in Dublin, Ireland, and 2005’s André Rieu Live in Tuscany filmed in the Piazza Della Repubblica in the village of Cortona in Tuscany.
[edit] Criticism
The artistic director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Richard Tognetti, has called Rieu's music Schlagermusik, among other things.[3]
Eamon Kelly writing in The Australian newspaper, in an article that discusses the controversy that Rieu engenders, said: "He depicts his critics as members of a stuffy musical elite with narrow aesthetic tastes, yet regularly demeans in interviews music that is not to his taste and classical musicians who choose not to perform in his manner."[4]
[edit] Personal life
He is married to Marjorie, who works with him full-time as production manager, and has two sons, Marc and Pierre. He speaks (in order of fluency) Dutch (including his home/city dialect Maastrichtian), English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.[citation needed] Rieu has worked with his brother, Jean Philippe for several years, but Jean Philippe has now started his own production company
The Windmills Of Your Mind
André Rieu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
Like a snowball down a mountain, or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that's turning running rings around the moon
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
Down a hollow to a cavern where the sun has never shone
Like a door that keeps revolving in a half forgotten dream
Or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
Keys that jingle in your pocket, words that jangle in your head
Why did summer go so quickly, was it something that you said?
Lovers walking along a shore and leave their footprints in the sand
Is the sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand?
Pictures hanging in a hallway and the fragment of a song
Half remembered names and faces, but to whom do they belong?
When you knew that it was over you were suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning to the color of her hair!
Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
As the images unwind, like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind!
The lyrics to André Rieu's song The Windmills Of Your Mind are a beautiful representation of the intricate and complex nature of the human mind. The opening lines are poetic, comparing the mind to a circle in a spiral, a never-ending wheel within a wheel, spinning on an ever-spinning reel. The listener is reminded of the fleeting and ephemeral nature of life, and how memories and experiences are intertwined, forming an intricate web in the human psyche. The imagery of a snowball down a mountain and a carnival balloon symbolizes the seemingly endless nature of our thoughts, which can quickly and easily spiral out of control.
The second verse of the song delves further into the dreamlike nature of the mind. The listener is asked to imagine a tunnel that leads to a cavern where the sun has never shone, a door that keeps revolving in a half-forgotten dream, and ripples from a pebble in a stream. These images suggest the cyclical nature of the human experience and the sense of being lost in one's thoughts. The wistful tone of the song continues in the final verse, where the image of autumn leaves turning to the color of a lost love's hair carries a sense of longing and regret.
Line by Line Meaning
Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
Life moves in cycles, with one event leading to another.
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
Life is a continuous process, where there is no clear beginning or end.
Like a snowball down a mountain, or a carnival balloon
Life can be like a rapid downhill slide or an exciting and unpredictable ride.
Like a carousel that's turning running rings around the moon
Life is like a constantly turning merry-go-round, with the moon (a symbol of time) always in sight.
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
Life is always ticking away, with time constantly moving forward.
And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
Life is fragile and constantly in motion, like the earth spinning in space.
Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
Life is full of patterns that we create in our own minds, which can take us on unexpected journeys.
Like a tunnel that you follow to a tunnel of its own
Life can lead us down multiple paths, with each one creating new branches and forks in the road.
Down a hollow to a cavern where the sun has never shone
Life can take us to dark and unknown places, where we can feel lost and alone.
Like a door that keeps revolving in a half forgotten dream
Memories of the past can feel like a revolving door, where the same images and feelings keep repeating in our minds.
Or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream
Small actions can create far-reaching consequences and have a ripple effect on our lives.
Keys that jingle in your pocket, words that jangle in your head
The little things in life can bring joy or irritation, depending on our perspective.
Why did summer go so quickly, was it something that you said?
Time passes quickly, and we may never truly understand why.
Lovers walking along a shore and leave their footprints in the sand
Love can leave a lasting impression on our lives, even after the moment has passed.
Is the sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand?
Reality can be subjective, and what we perceive as truth may not always be accurate.
Pictures hanging in a hallway and the fragment of a song
Memories and music can take us back to a specific moment in time.
Half remembered names and faces, but to whom do they belong?
Memories can fade and become uncertain, leaving us to question their validity.
When you knew that it was over you were suddenly aware
Life can change suddenly and unexpectedly, altering our perceptions and priorities.
That the autumn leaves were turning to the color of her hair!
Nature can be a reflection of our thoughts and emotions, reminding us of the people and experiences that have influenced our lives.
As the images unwind, like the circles that you find
Life can unravel like a spool of thread, with one experience leading to another in an infinite loop.
In the windmills of your mind!
Life is filled with subjective interpretations and patterns, which can take us on unexpected journeys.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Marilyn Bergman, Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
elkamynante
on Conquest Of Paradise
The lyrics of the song Conquest of Paradise by Vangelis are written in Pseudo-Latin and its words so far have not an accurate translation (or explanation) but apparently are intended to evoke a sense of mystery and wonder about the human spirit and our quest for knowledge and understanding. The following explanation is only one representation from many distinctive theories regarding the song repeated phrase "In noreni per ipe, in noreni cora / Tira mine per ito, no domina" supposedly suggesting that we are all searching for something, and that we must learn to follow our hearts and minds in order to achieve our goals.
The second half of the song, which begins with the phrase "In romine tirmeno, ne romine to fa / Imaginas por meno, per imentira," is somewhat easier to understand although remains under the same "theory" aspect and suggest that there are many things in life that we imagine, but that are not actually true, and that we must take care to separate reality from illusion (or lies) in order to find our path. Throughout the song, the music builds to a powerful crescendo, representing the intensity of our quest for knowledge and the power of our spirits to conquer any obstacle. The musical aspect, or technically speaking, the chord progression of the song, is based (or a variation of) on an old European anonymous theme called La Follia.
Željka Saje
on Mama
Beautiful music, and song!!!!!!!