Reply to: Andre Rieu

[MicrosoftBob]

It's middle of the road entertainment for mums who think Daniel O'Donnell is a bit too edgy

[FatLazyContractor]

He comes across to my eyes as a sex addict who bangs every woman, man, dog, trumpet and drum in his band.

Pure and sheer arrogance, is what he shows IMHO.

[minestrone]

The chaps with the flaming torches are back.

[minestrone]

Maastricht 2 tonight.

[xoggoth]

Tedious Rieu is definitely a number 1

What about those "funny" long pauses he always puts into The Blue Danube? Improvisation at its finest!

[malvolio]

There's three kinds of musicians, regardless of genre, but especially when it comes to orchestral conductors:

1. Those that follow the dots; think of any amateur band (even the paid ones) who apply no imagination to their work but do what it says on the score, no less and certainly no more.

2. Those that add their own dots and totally bugger up the original. Musically accomplished but with no soul. Think Liberace, or Russell Watson.

3. Those that interpret the dots what the composer wrote. That'll be any of the conductors whose name you will know

Tedious Rieu is definitely a number 1, and adds the flaming torches to hide his lack of talent.

[minestrone]

There was a bit on the show where the choir, who must have been 100 strong, walked on dressed in white carrying flaming torches. I though there was going to be a lynching.

[SimonMac]

My nan is obsessed with him, she and my mum went to see him in Leeds Arena before Christmas, as has been mentioned the most white, middle class audience I've even seen!!

[xoggoth]

He's always on.

[VectraMan]

Last year Sky renamed Sky Arts 2 as Sky Arts Rieu for a whole month.

But I see he's on right now.

[minestrone]

Searched on sky there using his name, 36 programs on in the next week and currently on on demand.

It is really obvious how sky pack the basic channels with absolute tulipe to try and get you to buy the only slightly better packages.

[xoggoth]

Quite liked it in the past but it does tend to be a bit samey. The "Spot the" game me and missus liked playing was to see how many musicians or spectators we could see who resembled famous people. We'd sit there with our vodka/whisky going, look there's Bill Murray/Peter Sissons/Jimmy Carr etc, etc. She always won, darn it.

[DirtyDog]

My aunt and uncle travelled from America to Europe three times to see him because they loved him so much.

Last year, his Christmas concert was broadcast live to various cinemas around the world, so there must be a market for it.

[darmstadt]

Yes he is big, I don't know. Hans Liberg, an extremely talented and funny Dutchman (like Andre Rieu, the Dutch bit, not the funny bit), really takes the piss out of him:

[minestrone]

The white thing was just an observation after me and the missus played 'spot the black man' for 20 minutes. It was a no score draw.

I was aware of his existence as he seems to be in all the time but I seen him in the side of a Sky van this week so I thought that I would have a look at his next show. I get the picture that sky think this is prime time entertainment and obviously think they have one up on the other broadcasters if he is on the side of vans.

I just don't think I expected pure cheese on that level, it was frighteningly dated.