King of Waltz or King of Schmaltz? How conductor André Rieu fills stadiums.
The original Waltz King, Johann Strauss II, had five orchestras. On numerous Saturday nights during his musical reign, the maestro would book his various ensembles into five different venues in and around Imperial Vienna. As the evening’s balls and cotillions began, Strauss would play his violin and conduct – at the first of these dance pavilions.
Once the dancers were lost in the whirl of waltzing, the maestro would pack away his violin, steal into his carriage, and race to the second venue, where he would arrive to cheers from another ballroom of dancers. He would conduct a few more waltzes, and maybe squeeze in a polka.
Strauss raced about like this all night, until he had led each of his five orchestras.
Two things resulted: Thousands across Vienna were able to tell their friends they had, indeed, danced to the Waltz King. And the Waltz King grew rich.
Yet the wealth amassed by Strauss is a pittance compared to the modern-day King of Waltz, André Rieu. The Dutch violinist, who conducts his orchestra – like Strauss – while standing and playing his violin, has become a multimillionaire by taking the music of
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