The Blue Danube Waltz: The Very Best of André Rieu / The Blue Danube Waltz: The Very Best of Andre Rieu

André Rieu's career goes back to late-1970s Flanders, and the potential buyer of one of his compilations faces a bewildering array of choices, complicated online by the inability to view the documentation in the packaging. Of course, that's not an issue with this double-CD release, which includes nothing beyond a tracklist and has no indication whatsoever of where these recordings came from. From the evidence of the music they can be classified as early (on disc 1) and earlier (on disc 2). Rieu hit the big time as a latter-day waltz king, playing the music of the Strauss family and others in Brussels and leading his own orchestra, with violin solos of his own. The music on the first disc presents a representative sampling of these, along with a few pieces (like Amazing Grace, track 18) pointing the way toward the extravaganzas of the 1990s and 2000s. The waltz recordings are available on various budget collections. The material on the second disc is rarer, and perhaps even earlier, although dating these recordings would require some discographic work. It's rather curious stuff, and for the confirmed fan it does give some insight into how Rieu got to be as popular as he is. They are mostly live, and Rieu's violin is not always in evidence. Instead he is a sort of bandleader and master of ceremonies, leading performances, and in some cases singalongs from a very enthusiastic crowd. The texts are mostly in Dutch and apparently contain a variety of references local to the Maastricht region from which Rieu hails. Rieu paid his dues as a showman in situations like these, and the results, as they say, are history. Other releases contain a bit more explanation of this music. But for the casual Rieu fan wanting a collection of his early music, this could fill the bill. If you have some of Rieu's recent concert spectaculars on disc and want a selection from these, however, this isn't what you want.~James Manheim, Rovi