"It is disappointing to see professional journalists indulging in cheap, inaccurate stereotypes to dismiss criticism of Rieu." He also wrote: "Equally misguided are those who cursorily dismiss Rieu. Rieu's live and recorded performances have brought joy to millions of people. Few in his audiences are regular classical music attendees and it could be seen as promising that, via Rieu, they are listening to standards of the classical canon. The fact that Rieu's focus is on highly accessible, enjoyable repertoire is not an argument against his musical credentials." By December 2008, Rieu had achieved his 100th platinum accreditation in Australia and by May 2011, Rieu had sold over $50 million worth of wholesale shipments of his CDs and DVDs in Australia and was the highest-selling music artist in the Australian market between 2006 and 2011. Honours Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Netherlands, 2002) Honorary Medal of the Province of Limburg (Netherlands, 2009) Knight of the Order of the Arts and the Letters (France, 2009) Grand Decoration in Silver of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (Austria, 2011) Order of Bahrain (Bahrain, 2023) Selected discography Albums Videos References Further reading External links André Rieu (official website) André Rieu's Official Australian website André Rieu (C Music TV Biography) The Magic of Andre Rieu André Rieu official channel on YouTube 1949 births Living people 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century classical violinists 20th-century Dutch musicians 20th-century Dutch male musicians 21st-century conductors (music) 21st-century classical violinists 21st-century Dutch musicians 21st-century male musicians Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Dutch classical violinists Dutch conductors (music) Dutch people of French descent Easy listening musicians Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Maastricht Academy of Music alumni Male classical violinists Male conductors (music) Musicians from Maastricht Recipients of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria