André Rieu, the Netherlands' most commercially successful violinist and orchestra frontman , is releasing a new album Romantic Moments II and a DVD of an open-air concert from his home town Love in Maastricht together on 22 March. The CD album Romantic Moments II features 16 beautiful songs taken from famous films, ballads and classics that have touched the hearts of millions of people throughout the ages. The Love in Maastricht DVD contains thirty songs, including romantic waltzes, popular arias and world-famous melodies such as Nessun Dorma, Snow Waltz, Radetzky March or Can't Help Falling In Love. All performed by the legendary Johan Strauss Orchestra, founded in 1987 and with 60 members.

With the orchestra André plays an average of one hundred performances a year, which are regularly attended by over 110,000 visitors. Today, every concert by the orchestra under Rieu's direction guarantees an unforgettable experience full of classical music evergreens, during which visitors often move into the aisles and spontaneously waltz to the magical sound of the Strauss Orchestra.

Through his activities,André Rieu tries to introduce and bring classical music to as wide an audience as possible and make them fall in love with it. He is more than successful in doing this - people dance, sing, cry and smile at his concerts. He has over 500 platinum awards, which no other artist dedicated to classical music has achieved in all of history. Rieu is also one of the most prolific writers - he records both on tour and in his own studio in his hometown of Maastricht and has several dozen albums, singles and DVDs to his credit. His dream is to be the first to play on the moon and at the North Pole.

"My heart still beats for the music of Strauss and my beloved orchestra. As long as there is music in this world, we can still hope for happiness, love and a chance for peace," Rieu says.