The final preparations are underway for two nights of magical music under the stars of the Maltese summer sky by star violinist André Rieu and his Johann Strauss orchestra. This will be the first time that the Dutch maestro and his mesmeric musical orchestra will grace the Maltese Islands.
André Rieu has sold more than 40 million albums and his concerts around the world are attended by more than half a million people each year. In addition, nine million people follow the Dutch music maestro on social media. Rieu’s concerts in Malta are just two of around 90 concerts on his packed schedule for 2023, ranging from his hometown in Maastricht, The Netherlands to far-away places such as Toronto, Chicago and Bahrain.
Ahead of the concerts on Friday and Saturday night, visiting the Granaries early on Friday morning were Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo along with Malta Tourism Authority Chairman Gavin Gulia, who were given a brief on the event by Charles Magro from event organisers TEC Ltd.
MTA Chairman Gavin Gulia mentioned how the Authority is committed to supporting some of the finest events on the local calendar and that this concert is capping off a magnificent summer of quality events one after another.
Minister Bartolo emphasised how this event is not only bringing a world-class act to the Maltese Islands, but also serving as emphatic promotion for Malta as the concert will be recorded for André Rieu’s official concert DVD, which will be distributed in the weeks and months to come. “The fact that André Rieu will be performing on the renowned Granaries today and tomorrow shows that we are committed to bringing to our country events and artists that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and is proof of our commitment towards events that are of high quality and sustainable,” stated Minister Bartolo.
Minister Bartolo added that tourists from more than 48 countries from Europe and beyond are scheduled to attend the concert this weekend.
Rieu will be accompanied by his Johann Strauss orchestra, a 60-person troupe that has been touring with him since 1987 and is formed of sopranos and tenors as well as a musical orchestra. Aside from directing his magnificent orchestra, Rieu himself plays a Stradivarius violin from 1667.
