ANDRE RIEU // OVO HYDRO, GLASGOW
ANDRE RIEU CELEBRATES PLAYING HIS 10TH CONCERT AT GLASGOW’S OVO HYDRO ON SATURDAY NIGHT.
★★★★★ (5/5)
Andre Rieu, conductor, violinist and showman extraordinaire, opened this evening’s performance with his Orchestra marching through the arena to the sound of Seventy Six Trombones; that moment of magic when the audience rose to their feet in thunderous applause. It may be the anniversary of the tenth visit of Andre Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra to Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, but Rieu continues to pull in packed audiences. Exquisite ball gowns, tuxedos and tailcoats, suggestive of a bygone era, a stage immersed with flowers, ornate gilded music stands and a panoramic backdrop of changing colourful scenery, just evoke that wow factor. Rieu is indeed the King of Waltz, bringing the world of light classical music to the wider public and entertained the audience at the OVO Hydro with his blend of romantic waltzes, well-loved arias and popular songs.
When, with a single raised eyebrow and humorous prompt, Rieu queried “The best singing audience of the whole world lives in Glasgow?”, there was a unison of song across the entire arena as The Platin Tenors gave a rousing rendition of Volare. A hush then descended as the Tenors pulled at the heartstrings with This Land Is Mine and The Sopranos blended beautifully for The Rose. Ever the showman, Rieu loves introducing songs with quirky anecdotes or fairytales, none more so than the tale from the Arabian Nights, which inspired Nikolai Rimsky-Korsokov to compose Scheherazade and the Seven Tartars. Woe betide, however, those latecomers coming back from the bar with drinks! The Orchestra launched into the whistling notes of Colonel Bogey’s March, with utterly surprised individuals finding themselves up on the big screens.
No show in Glasgow would be complete without that Scottish touch. The Police Scotland and Federation Pipe Band marched in playing Scotland the Brave, swiftly followed by joining Manoe Konings for an emotionally arousing Highland Cathedral. Manoe, better known as the female clarinettist with the blue dress who swigs back the champagne, learned to play the bagpipes within two weeks according to Rieu and to her credit is the only bagpipe player in the Orchestra.
A high point of the concert had to be the arrival of the Gospel Choir. The vibration in the hall just literally rose, with the audience swaying in their seats to When the Saints Go Marching In, Amen and Happy Day. I Will Follow Him, as in the film Sister Act, was a huge hit. Andre Rieu said that as soon as the first notes of the Blue Danube (An Der Schonen Blauen Donau by Strauss) are played, people jump out of their seats and start to dance, every night, the whole world over and nothing here had changed. Marcel Falize’s three sons, Glenn, Dean and Colin, percussionists like their father, ushered in the slow tempo of the 18th century Spanish dance, Bolero, said to be one of Rieu’s best musical tracks.
Alas, all good things had to come to an end. As the Radetzky March got the feet a tapping, balloons rained down and the Orchestra played a medley of Strauss waltzes. La Traviata’s drinking song brought in a touch of merriment; an Orchestra that did not take themselves too seriously with champagne flowing freely. Rieu’s encore included the customary Can’t Help Falling In Love with the arena a sea of mobile phone lights and the songs most knew the words to; Tutti Frutti and Y Viva Espana. Manoe came back with the bagpipes for a beautiful version of Amazing Grace and the night closed with a rather noisy Adieu Mein Kleiner Gardeoffizier. There was indeed a standing applause for Rieu and his Orchestra, simply proving that Rieu’s philosophy that music can bring people together from all over the world does indeed work.
REVIEW BY: CATHERINE BUCHAN
PHOTOS BY: STUART WESTWOOD
TOUR CONTINUES:
WED 31 MAY 2023 MESSEHALLE ERFURT, ERFURT, GERMANY
THURS 1 JUN QUARTERBACK IMMOBILIEN ARENA, LEIPZIG, GERMANY
SAT 3 JUN O2 ARENA, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
WED 7 JUN ERGO ARENA, GDANSK, POLAND
THURS 8 JUN ATLAS ARENA, LODZ, POLAND
FRI 9 JUN TAURON ARENA KRAKOW, KRAKOW, POLAND
SAT 10 JUN GLIWICE ARENA, GLIWICE, POLAND
FRI 16 JUN ROYAL ARENA, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
SAT 17 JUN JYSKE BANK BOXEN, HERNING, DENMARK
SAT 24 JUN M&S BANK ARENA, LIVERPOOL
THURS 6 JUL VRIJTHOF, MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS
FRI 7 JUL VRIJTHOF, MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS
SUN 9 JUL VRIJTHOF, MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS
THURS 13 JUL VRIJTHOF, MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS
FRI 14 JUL VRIJTHOF, MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS
SAT 15 JUL VRIJTHOF, MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS
SUN 16 JUL VRIJTHOF, MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS
THURS 20 JUL VRIJTHOF, MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS
FRI 21 JUL VRIJTHOF, MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS
SAT 22 JUL VRIJTHOF, MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS
SUN 23 JUL VRIJTHOF, MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS
FRI 1 SEP FOSOS, FLORIANA, MALTA
SAT 2 SEP FOSOS, FLORIANA, MALTA
TUES 12 SEP CREDIT UNION 1 ARENA, CHICAGO, USA
WED 13 SEP LITTLE CAESARS ARENA, DETROIT, MICHIGAN, USA
THURS 14 SEP VALUE CITY ARENA-SCHOTTENSTEIN CENTER, COLOMBUS, USA
SAT 16 SEP CAPITAL ONE ARENA, WASHINGTON DC, USA
SUN 17 SEP UBS ARENA, ELMONT, NEW YORK, USA
TUES 19 SEP TD GARDEN, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, USA
THURS 21 SEP CENTRE VIDEOTRON, QUEBEC, CANADA
FRI 22 SEP BELL CENTRE, MONTREAL, CANADA
SAT 23 SEP CANADIAN TIRE CENTRE, KANATA, CANADA
SUN 24 SEP SCOTIABANK ARENA, TORONTO, CANADA
WED 8 NOV STOZICE ARENA, LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA
THURS 9 NOV WIENER STADTHALLE, HALLE D, VIENNA, AUSTRIA
FRI 10 NOV WIENER STADTHALLE, HALLE D, VIENNA, AUSTRIA
FRI 11 NOV ZIMNY STADION ONDREJA NEPELU, BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA
WED 22 NOV BARCLAYS ARENA HAMBURG, HAMBURG, GERMANY
THURS 23 NOV OWL ARENA, HALLE/WESTFALEN, GERMANY
FRI 24 NOV RUDOLF WEBER ARENA, OBERHAUSEN, GERMANY
SAT 25 NOV LANXESS ARENA, COLOGNE, GERMANY
FRI 15 DEC MECC, MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS
SAT 16 DEC MECC, MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS
SUN 17 DEC MECC, MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS
SAT 6 JAN 2024 ZIGGO DOME, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
SUN 7 JAN SPORTPALEIS, MERKSEM, ANTWERPEN, BELGIUM
WED 17 JAN STADTHALLE ROSTOCK, ROSTOCK, GERMANY
THURS 18 JAN ZAG ARENA (TUI ARENA), HANNOVER, GERMANY
FRI 19 JAN GETEC ARENA, MAGDEBURG, GERMANY
SAT 20 JAN MERCEDES-BENZ ARENA, BERLIN, GERMANY
WED 24 JAN HANNS-MARTIN-SCHLEYER-HALLE, STUTTGART, GERMANY
THURS 25 JAN OLYMPIAHALLE MUNICH, MUNICH, GERMANY
FRI 26 JAN ARENA NURNBERGER VERSICHERUNG, NURNBERG, GERMANY
SAT 27 JAN SAP ARENA, MANNHEIM, GERMANY
WED 5 JUN MESSEHALLE ERFURT, ERFURT, GERMANY
THURS 6 JUN QUARTERBACK IMMOBILIEN ARENA (ARENA LEIPZIG), LEIPZIG, GERMANY