My Haven ANDRE RIEU
The violinist, conductor and King of the Waltz, 72, at his castle home in Maastricht, Holland
1 STRADIVARIUS
This is my
Stradivarius, which dates back to 1692. I bought it three years ago for
£7m. It’s a beautiful instrument and does half the work for me. It’s a fantastic feeling having it under my chin, and knowing that Antonio Stradivari made it himself. It’s the third Stradivarius I’ve owned — my first, from 1667, was the second violin he ever made. It was small and hard to play but I recorded some beautiful albums on it. 2 PICTURE PERFECT
I treasure this photo of me with my wife Marjorie and our sons Marc (left) and Pierre. I met Marjorie when I was 11 — I remember her curls. We got together years later and married in 1975. She was a language teacher but now she writes my concert scripts. I really love Christmas and always spend it at home with my family and enjoy spoiling my five grandchildren. 3 BELLE OF THE BALL
In 1978 I founded my first ensemble and then, in 1987, established the Johann Strauss Orchestra. I had no money. All I could say was, ‘I have a dream to travel the world with beautiful music. Will you join me?’ There were 14 of us at the start. Now, I have 60 musicians, including the chorus, and we’re the biggest private orchestra in the world. When I started making money, I began designing ballgowns for my female musicians, like this one, copied from a gown worn by Elisabeth, wife of the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph. I oversee this as I want every performance to look as good as it can. 4 READY, STEADY, BAKE!
I cannot sit still so during the pandemic I started baking cakes. This cake, called Kronsele met sjoem,is filled with gooseberries and cream. I couldn’t eat all the cakes I baked so I started sharing them with my neighbours. Then the shop round the corner asked if I would bake for them. Soon I was baking for everybody! To celebrate my birthday, I baked a croquembouche for my orchestra. It’s the biggest cake I have ever made. 5 MY TOY STORY
This toy truck reminds me of my youth because my brother Robert and I played obsessively with a car we made from discarded wood and wheels. I had an unhappy childhood. I’m the third of six children and we lived in a cramped house in Maastricht. My father Andries, an orchestral conductor, never showed me love. My mother Alice was even worse. They were jealous because within three weeks of picking up the violin, aged five, I could make a beautiful tone.
6 MAN OF THE WORLD
Hergé’s Tintin adventures were a favourite of mine growing up. I used this Spanish translation, as well as Spanish translations of Donna Leon’s crime novels (on the chair far left), while learning Spanish during the pandemic. I also speak English, French, German, Dutch and a little Italian. As a child, Tintin was my hero. He could solve any problem. Anything was possible. I have a little of that mentality myself because I am a problem solver.