Always on the move Everything needed for an André Rieu concert is shipped in sea containers. The Rieu company has four sets of all these items (light, sound, video, catering, and clothing). Because travel by water takes a long time - often two to three months - these sets have been travelling around the world for years. At the time this story was written, one set of containers was on its way to Abu Dhabi, one to Greece, and a third to Mexico, while the fourth was on course for South America.

Margriet: Sept/Oct. 2024. By Marcel Langedijk Translation by Ineke, edited by Diana D. Le On tour with circus André A Scottish kilt with velcro, hundreds of dresses, sea containers full of technology, on the way to Abu Dhabi…. A look behind the scenes of one of the most successful orchestras in the world: “We all just fit in a Boeing 737”. After a performance in Germany, sometime in April 1998, André Rieu's manager came backstage to ask who on earth had ironed his shirt. Gosia Tarnowski (47) still remembers it like it was yesterday, especially because she was the one who had handled the iron that evening. She lived in Poland, but was in Germany for an exchange project and had a student job that required her to iron shirts for hours that day in 1998. Long story short: André Rieu offered her a job that same evening. “‘Gosia,' he said, 'you're going to travel the world with me!' I protested, wanting to continue studying, but I also found it a bit of a challenge. I tried to combine this work with my studies for a while, but that became too much for me." André kept his word: Gosia has been travelling with Circus Rieu for over 25 years and is responsible for all the clothing. "I always ask new orchestra members and singers what they want: which model, which fabric, which colour, although of course it has to fit in with the whole. I also buy the rhinestones for the dresses, jewellery, shoes, and everything that goes with it. Just like I also adjust dresses for ladies who have lost or gained weight." She buys most of her materials in the Netherlands and Germany, but: "Of course, we travel all over the world and sometimes, I have time to look around in a city where we are staying for several days. Even if I am somewhere privately and I see something beautiful, I buy it. André always says: 'If you see a beautiful fabric somewhere, buy it.' It can always come in handy, because beautiful fabrics and materials are the basis of every dress. I remember we were in Sydney and I saw some beautiful lace there. I was able to use it later in a soloist's dress."

Two families The Polish clothing designer is one of the many indispensable cogs in the machine, says Pierre Rieu (43), vice president of the company and son of. "We do this with 120 people. It's not just about my father, the orchestra, the singers, and Gosia, but also about the people from the technical side, the lighting, video, our catering team, and the personal trainer. We really are a travelling circus, a family. In the past, I didn't understand it when my father told me at home that he had two families: us and the people in the company. Now, I not only understand it, I also feel it. When we play in the same city for a longer period of time, some people bring their partners. They arrange that themselves. Of course, they are 'normally' working in the evenings, but the rest of the time they can really enjoy themselves there together. How great is it that you can facilitate something like that? “We take a lot with us on tour, several sea containers with stuff: from stage, lighting, video, sound, instruments, and clothing to a complete kitchen. Because we don't just bring plates, cutlery, ketchup, salt, and pepper, but also our own kitchen equipment. Just like our catering team of seven people." That last team is just as essential as the rest. Concert tour director Roger van Elssen: "They are incredibly important. We are on the road a lot and then you miss your family, your friends. So we take everything with us to make sure that everyone feels a little bit at home and we cook in a way that reminds us of home. Moreover, it is safer, because no matter how delicious: food in other countries can sometimes go wrong and you don't want to think about everyone getting sick. We have back-ups for the key positions in the orchestra, but we never want to do anything that jeopardizes the show. The show has to go on, that is always priority number one." To achieve that, André Rieu can rely on people who have worked for him for thirty years in some cases, but even then, it remains an immense job, says Pierre. "Take the concerts at Het Vrijthof in Maastricht, for example. Eighty trucks are needed for that, which arrive in the right order at the right time at that one gate that leads to Het Vrijthof. Is that order wrong or are they too early? Then, it will be a major disaster and the set-up will cost days extra."

Airplanes and sleeper buses “It’s not just the stuff that has to be in the right place at the right time,” says Pierre: “For our people, we often rent an airplane for performances in Europe. With 120 people, we just about fit into a Boeing 737. We then leave from Maastricht. For performances outside Europe, we simply book scheduled flights. Although the crew often leaves a bit earlier to start setting up.” Gosia also travels ahead: “After the performance, all the dresses are neatly hung in boxes, provided with a card with the name of the soloist or musician in question. The technical people and I then go to the next city at night with nightliners - these are sleeper buses - so that they can start setting up the hall early in the morning and I can focus on preparing the wardrobe for the artists. By the time the orchestra arrives - in the afternoon - everything is neatly hung, washed, and ironed in the wardrobes again.” Of course, things do go wrong sometimes, even in such a well-oiled machine like “circus Rieu”. Sometimes, it's hard to keep a cool head, says Gosia, laughing. "When something goes wrong on stage, I break out in a sweat. Once, the zipper on the back of a soloist's dress broke during her performance. There were hooks on it, so the dress wouldn't fall off, but I saw how the singer had to twist herself into all sorts of positions to keep the dress from falling down. Fortunately, she had enough talent to make it look charming in spite of it." But there are also more serious issues that need to be dealt with, says Pierre: "We try to do everything we can to keep everyone fit. Not only through our own catering team, but also through the personal trainer. He is there primarily for André, but he often has enough time during the day to train with other people. The hotels where we stay also generally have a swimming pool or fitness centre. Or both. But you can't stop everything. People get sick, drop out and six years ago even our trombonist died during a tour. Then, everything comes to a standstill, nothing happens anymore." Concert tour director Roger van Elssen also remembers a number of such awkward moments: "We had to cancel a concert in the Amsterdam ArenA twice, and a few months ago we could only go ahead with two of the planned six concerts in Mexico, because André was too ill to perform. We also had to leave Chile in a hurry once, because riots broke out there and COVID made us nervous, of course. Those are exciting things, although we don't panic easily. Of course, these are tropical days, like the last time in Mexico. A decision has to be made, the Mexicans have to be consulted, a press release has to be issued, people with tickets have to be informed and we have to go back home. We decided early in the morning to cancel and in the evening, the first people were already on the plane back to the Netherlands. It's very sad and a big challenge to arrange everything, but we don't get scared that easily anymore and have also learned to put things into perspective. We manage that crisis and then quickly move on to the next projects."

Intense enjoyment Because the tour never stops. Well, there is a summer and a winter break, but apart from that, between eighty and a hundred concerts are planned each year. Not only in Europe, because André Rieu also visits North and South America, Canada, and the Middle East. And you never get used to it, says Roger: "Actually, every concert is unique. We're there in Bahrain, a country where people who may have never danced in their lives try to waltz: so beautiful. But I also enjoyed myself in Serbia. Some people spent their last money on a concert ticket there, but I saw them enjoying themselves so much. And here in the Netherlands, too, it's a party. Not only at Het Vrijthof, but also in the MECC - actually nothing more than an ugly, dirty box - which we convert into a concert hall with a Christmas market. It just goes in all directions with us. Sometimes, it's very small and we sit quietly next to each other for lunch on the side of the road. And the next time, we're on the other side of the world visiting the King of Bahrain." Even after all those years working for his father, Pierre also enjoys every concert again, what happens on stage and in the hall. "It's an incredibly beautiful moment every night. It has to be, otherwise it would almost become self-evident. And it isn't. A concert like that in Mexico, a few months ago... That 10,000 people go home happy, 14,000 kilometres from home for us. Then, I stand at the back of the hall looking at all those happy people and I think: this is not normal. Of course, I could continue working and go to the office, but I think it's important to be at those performances. Performances that are attended by around 800,000 people every year. That's what we do it for, so I want to see that happen."

The mixing console on the Vrijthof, from which light and sound are controlled.

Back in time. For years, traffic raced along the Via dei Fori Imperiali past the Colosseum, the ancient ruins, ancient columns, fragments and arches, but fortunately those days are over. The boulevard, which was built by Mussolini, has changed from a hectic traffic artery into a wonderful pedestrian zone that leads past the highlights of the Roman Empire. Enjoy the view of the Roman Forum and the rolling hills filled with pine trees and flowering oleanders. Then walk up the stairs to the Piazza del Campidoglio (designed by Michelangelo) where a priceless view awaits you on the south side. Walking with Ann and Joe. In the 1953 film classic Roman Holiday, Audry Hepburg plays the young princess Ann, who travels through Europe with her entourage. Fed up with all the strict rules, she escapes from her bedroom window in Rome and then meets journalist Joe Bradley, played by Gregory Peck. It is the start of a romantic adventure through the Eternal City, from the Bocca della Verità to the Spanish Steps. Want to follow in the footsteps of the legendary duo? Ciaotutti.nl has mapped out a walking route along the iconic places from the film. Order the digital City Walk Vacanze Romane and save it, for example on your tablet or smartphone.

Did you know… • that around 1.5 million Euros in small change is thrown into the Trevi Fountain every year? • that the money is donated by the city to charities? • that the Pantheon differs from other ancient temples in Rome because the sanctuary was not dedicated to one God but to all Gods?(pan=all, theos=God). • that the excavation Largo di Torre Argentina is called the cat forum because so many stray cats live there (and are cared for). • Jo and Joe, hostel in 16th century monastery with private rooms and dormitories. Near Pantheon and Trevi fountain. (Budget tip).

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Cat sanctuary in Rome. Photocredits: Laura Mistica.