Quotes from Andre Rieu

When I was 4 or 5, I attended my father's concerts. He very often played Strauss waltzes as encores and I saw something happening with the audience.

I think there are people who use classical music to say, 'I am better than you, because I know all the rules and you don't.' You're not allowed to have fun or entertain.

We should make decisions in life with our hearts, not our brains, not only in music but in daily life.

I know that when I like music, when it touches my heart, that it will touch your heart, too. That, I think, is the secret to my success.

It doesn't matter as long as there's interaction between me and the audience. That's why they come.

I am travelling half the year around the world, every year, so coming home is one of the most beautiful things.

I am a showman in the traditional sense, but modern, too. I like to use sets and lighting to create magic.

When I'm not on tour, I love to have a long breakfast at home in my garden.

When my twin grandchildren, Linda and Lyeke, were born two years ago, it changed me. I felt it was the essence of what life is about, and I cried all day. When my son Pierre, their father, was born I didn't cry like that.

I have two speeds, nothing and full pelt.

Mozart composed his music not for the elite, but for everybody.

Critics or musicians who attack me are jealous of my success and the fact that I make people feel so happy.

I was the black sheep of the family, and my mother never really understood me.

I first picked up a violin aged five - I just assumed everyone played.