Letter to Andre Rieu.

Dear Andre,

I first became aware of your existence late last year, when I purchased your 'New York Memories' CD. I love some of the tracks on it, particularly, Pie Jesu and Yackety Sax. I will be honest, I was not immediately enamoured. I must say, although I did enjoy your rendition of The Music of the Night.
I was in my local Post Office a couple of weeks ago, is it only so short a time, and saw they had some of you DVDs for sale. I purchased your Live from Dublin, and watched it that day. I was instantly hooked! I purchased the only other one that was at the Post Office, The Flying Dutchman, and loved it too. I love the Dublin one so much, I have played it nearly every day since I bought it.
I have since acquired seven of your DVDs and was fortunate enough to be able to buy the last copy of New York Memories DVD. What a joy that is. It is so much better to be able to see what you did, and there is so much to see. The lovely young Saxophone player is brilliant! You and your orchestra obviously have a great time when you do these concerts, and I pray you will be able to do it for a long time yet.
Akim Camara is, as you say, adorable and a prodigious talent for one so young.
I intend to buy everything of yours, whether CDs or DVDs, that I can.
I have read recently there are some who think what you do is irrelevant and 'over the top' pure schmaltz and showmanship. That you are dishonouring your classical training. In other words, wasting your talent. What a load of garbage!
I have also read that the 'purists' think Johann Strauss was a light weight in the music genre.
Well, what a lot of snobby, stuck up stuffed shirts. I am a lover of music, that is, anything with melody and tunefulness. There is a lot of so called classical music I would not give you tuppence for. It is lots of clanging noise, and not worthy to be acknowledged as music. I could not possibly sit through an evening of such a racket. These people are of course, perfectly at liberty to 'enjoy' this kind of classical music. Why do they think it is necessary to criticize those of us who do not like it?
What you do is wonderful. You make people feel happy.You touch their very souls and, make some of us weep with the beauty of the melodies you play. I wept when I watched your Romance DVD, and you played the Nightingale Serenade. Don't ask me why, I just did.
I also laugh at the antics of members of the orchestra. They are so funny. I 'crack up' every time I watch the Dublin DVD, especially the poor lass running out of the theatre being chased by the fake bull. I am still not sure if that was a 'set up'. I love The Chianti Song, The Red Rose Cafe and the Marino Waltz.
My all time favourite though is, Carmen Monarcha's rendition of, O, Mio Babbino Caro. It has been a favourite of mine for over thirty years, and always moves me to tears, because it reminds me of my late father.
You said once in an interview, you had reached a place where you are happy in your skin, Bravo!
You are living your dream, and you are very fortunate to have such a wonderful wife, who supports you and who gives you the freedom to pursue it, even though it means lengthy
separations.
I firmly believe you are doing what you were put on this earth to do, Please keep doing just that and ignore the stuffed shirts and knockers. There are millions who love you for what you do.
God Bless you and your orchestra and the people behind the scenes,
With affection,
Susan.
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