The Limburger, December 12, 2024, by Ivar Hoekstra, reporter media & culture and columnist. Photo: Marcel van Hoorn. Translated by Ineke and edited by Diana D. Le André Rieu Christmas concerts even grander than previous years: “There will be four hundred wind instruments alone” The André Rieu Christmas concerts in the MECC, have become a household name in five years. It is as much a part of Christmas as the Viennetta ice cream cake is a part of Christmas dinner dessert: the André Rieu Christmas concerts in the MECC in Maastricht. They will start again on Friday and it will be even grander than previous years. Pierre Rieu: "There will be four hundred wind instruments alone." The first edition of the Christmas concerts in the MECC took place in 2019. In five years, they have become a spectacle that is even starting to rival the summer Vrijthof concerts by André Rieu and his Johann Strauss orchestra. “In terms of preparation, it is perhaps even more intensive than the Vrijthof concerts,” says Pierre Rieu, André’s son. “The four hundred wind instruments that are participating for the first time now come from all over the country. And we have had to train them in recent weeks, our choreographer Kim Smit has been to Maastricht and Sevenum, but also to Veldhoven and Odijk, a village near Utrecht. And for the 170 dancing couples that are participating again this year, Smit has traveled to Waalwijk, Utrecht, Almere, Almelo, and Assen, among other places.” Flying in Flying in all those brass players and dancing couples a day in advance and then quickly getting them ready clashes with the perfection that André Rieu strives for. “It has to be perfect, my father will never make any concessions on that. I saw it again during the rehearsals the last few days, nothing escapes him. Quality always comes before quantity for him.” It was also a painstaking task for Rieu’s dressmakers. “Four hundred suits for the brass players that all have to be exactly the same, you can imagine. But they turned out beautifully.” Where there was a fake ice rink in the MECC last year, there is now a real one again. “Because that fake rink was nothing, so we are going back to a real ice rink.” All with just one goal: the visitor must be overwhelmed by the Christmas spirit. Rieu: "New this year is that we will also provide entertainment outside at the entrance and inside, visitors will be greeted by a 4.5-meter-high wooden Christmas angel." While the Vrijthof square already provides a cozy atmosphere, transforming the MECC into a cozy place is hard work, according to Rieu. "The MECC is basically an empty box, of course. But from Friday, it will once again be the place where Christmas beats the drum: with a Christmas village and a decor with snow, ice rinks, and chandeliers. We have 85 trailers in storage with, among other things, Christmas decorations, and just like with the Christmas baubles in people's homes, those items can be taken out of the box once a year." 75,000 According to Rieu, the difference between the Vrijthof concerts and the Christmas concerts in the MECC in terms of approach and grandeur is getting smaller. "Also in terms of visitor numbers. Not counting the terraces, you have 88,000 spectators at the twelve Vrijthof concerts. The MECC can accommodate 12,500 people, so with six evenings you have 75,000." The difference is that the visitors to the Vrijthof concerts are more international. "In the summer, they really come from all over the world. At the Christmas concerts, they are mainly Dutch, Belgians, and Germans. Although you see that changing. Last year, I also met quite a few English people." Cinema Where the Christmas concerts have overtaken the Vrijthof concerts in terms of popularity, is in the cinema. The Christmas recordings do better there. "But that also depends on the time of year, Christmas lends itself more to cinema. In the weeks before Christmas and during Christmas, people want to get that Christmas feeling and a Christmas concert fits in with that, of course." When the last of the six Christmas concerts in the MECC has been played on 22 December, the Rieu family's agenda is cleared for a while. "We celebrate Christmas together at home in Maastricht. That is sacred. Then we will prepare for the New Year's shows in the Ziggo Dome on 10 and 11 January." Christmas with André Rieu in the MECC on 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, and 22 December. More info: www.andrerieu.com

Shownieuws, SBS6, December 14, 2024. Duration 5 min. Translation: Ineke/John de Jong. Subtitles: Ruud

Bart Ettekove, Shownieuws, SBS6, on the Vrijthof in 2024.