ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on notions of nostalgia, fantasy, and aging white heterosexual identities. In terms of an area of European popular music culture that would benefit from an aging studies lens, Andre Rieu was an obvious choice. Rieu has cultivated an ‘almost “rock star” approach to classical music’ that places him at the boundaries of the popular classical tradition. The playful and sometimes carnivalesque performances of the Johann Strauss Orchestra (JSO) are the product of a great deal of labour on their, and Rieu’s part. The JSO actively engage in a process of interactivity with their audiences. In the concert, the carillon of Sint Servaas Basilica is sutured into the musical set by means of a film screened on the many projection screens in the square. The repartee that takes place between the musical numbers in each concert is recorded in several different European languages.
