Light classical music in an Italian Village in Tuscany

Andre Rieu was born in the Netherlands in 1949 to a musical family. His father was a conductor, and Andre became a violinist and conductor. In 1987 he formed the Johann Strauss Orchestra and quickly achieved popularity in Europe and later in the US. He soon attracted the attention of PBS, and now his many recorded concerts are often heard and seen during PBS fundraising events and at other times. That's how I became aware of him.

Cortona is a village in the Italian province of Tuscany. Its scenic delights were seen in the 2005 movie "Under the Tuscan Sun." But two years earlier, in 2003, Andre and his orchestra were there, recording a concert in the Piazza della Repubblica in beautiful Cortona. The concert was first aired on PBS in 2004, and is available on DVD.

Andre began his musical career with an effort to re-popularize the waltz. His other fixation was to overcome what he saw as an overly stiff and serious demeanor of audiences at classical music concerts. His concerts demonstrate an astounding success in both endeavors. His programs are a delightful amalgam of waltzes and other light and familiar classics, and he invariably induces the audience to sing along, sway to the music, clap to the rhythms, and even dance in the aisles.

This concert in Tuscany is no exception, with the added appeal of a lot of photography of the incredibly beautiful Tuscan countryside and the charming village of Cortona.

The program is lively with 23 familiar works. Classics like the "William Tell Overture," (Rossini), "O Mio Babbino Caro" (Puccini), "Lagune Waltz" (Strauss), "Barcarolle" (Offenbach), "Radetsky March" (Strauss)-----are interspersed with even more familiar works like "Love Theme from the Godfather", "Strangers in Paradise," "Chamson d'Amour,"and the "Italian National Anthem."

The fifty-piece orchestra is joined by several soloists and the audience is very definitely a part of the show, as are a few Cortona residents---all with the wonderful village of Cortona as a backdrop, and occasional scenes of the beautiful Tuscan surroundings, where we see a few beautiful members of the cast frolicking in the countryside.

As the romantic music is played we see shots of the audience with lovers young and old embracing, children hopping about and clapping to the music, and an old man weeping to a beautiful aria.

It's a superb and satisfying concert experience, and if you haven't seen it on PBS you ought to order this DVD NOW!