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Look up ave in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

"HAVE" Mosaic outside the House of the Faun, Pompeii (Have is a spelling variant of Ave).

Ave is a Latin word, used by the Romans as a salutation and greeting, meaning "hail". It is the singular imperative form of the verb avēre, which meant "to be well"; thus one could translate it literally as "be well" or "farewell".^[1]

The Classical Latin pronunciation of ave was [ˈaweː]. In Church Latin, it is ideally [ˈave], and in English, it tends to be pronounced /ˈɑːveɪ/.

The term was notably used to greet the Caesar or other authorities. Suetonius recorded that on one occasion, naumachiarii—captives and criminals fated to die fighting during mock naval encounters—addressed Caesar with the words Ave Caesar! Morituri te salutant! ("Hail, Caesar! Those who are about to die salute you!") in an attempt to avoid death. The expression is not recorded as being used in Roman times on any other occasion.

The Vulgate version of the Annunciation translates the salute of the angel to Mary, Mother of Jesus as Ave Maria, gratia plena ("Hail Mary, full of grace"). Ave Maria is a Catholic Marian prayer that also has inspired authors of religious music.

Fascist regimes during the 20th century also adopted the greeting. It was used during Nazi Germany in the indirect German translation, heil.

References[link]

See also[link]

• Roman salute
• Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant

Mirusia Louwerse, 2 January 2011

Mirusia Louwerse (born 29 March 1985) is a Dutch Australian^[1] soprano. She performs as 'Mirusia' and is seen by the Australian press as "The Unconventional Pop Star".^[2]

Louwerse was born in Brisbane, Australia. She graduated in December 2006 from the Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane obtaining a Bachelor of Music in Performance in Classical Voice. In 2006, Louwerse became the youngest ever winner of the Dame Joan Sutherland Opera Award^[3] and went on to record a debut album entitled She Walks in Beauty.

Louwerse is a lyric soprano and has performed in such operas as Mozart's The Magic Flute, Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges and Britten's Albert Herring.^[4]

Her aunt, who lives in the Netherlands, contacted André Rieu to tell him about her niece's talent. He listened to her voice on her website and phoned her straight away and two days later she was standing before him in his studio ready to sing.^[1]

She has been touring with Dutch violinist and conductor André Rieu since 2007 as soprano soloist.^[5] She is of Dutch descent and can speak Dutch fluently. In May 2008, André Rieu and Louwerse released an album entitled Waltzing Matilda in Australia which made it to the number one position on the Australian music charts and went platinum within ten days.^[6] On Rieu's DVD I Lost My Heart in Heidelberg (2009) she sings the title song "Ich hab' mein Herz in Heidelberg verloren", as well as "Zwei kleine Italiener", "In mir klingt ein Lied", and (with Carla Maffioletti and the Berlin Comedian Harmonists) "Adieu, mein kleiner Gardeoffizier".^[7]

Her album Always & Forever was released in Australia on 8 October 2010, and went straight to #1 on the ARIA classical charts^{[citation needed]} and #17 on the ARIA pop charts^[8]. It was also released in The Netherlands in December 2010 and reached #26 on the Dutch pop charts.^{[citation needed]} Her DVD Always & Forever was released in March 2011 and stayed at the #1 position on the ARIA DVD charts for 4 weeks.^[9]

Louwerse is an ambassador for the Australian Children's Music Foundation^[10] and believes strongly that if children are exposed to music or are involved in music, they will grow up to be better human beings. In 2009, Louwerse participated in a concert to raise funds for the ACMF, which raised $100,000 for music in schools in Australia.^[11]

Louwerse will be touring Australia solo in July 2012 with special guest Sam Moran. ^[12]

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Louwerse's page at André Rieu Translations
• Mirusia Louwerse at the Internet Movie Database

André Rieu
Rieu in Atlantic City, NJ, in 2007
Background information
Birth name	André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu
Born	(1949-10-01) 1 October 1949 (age 62)
Origin	Maastricht, Netherlands
Genres	Waltz
Occupations	Conductor, violinist
Instruments	Violin
Years active	1978–present
Labels	Denon Records , Philips
Website	www.andrerieu.com
Notable instruments
Stradivarius violin (1667)[1]

André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu (born 1 October 1949) is a Dutch violinist, conductor, and composer best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra.

Early life and studies[link]

The name Rieu is of French Huguenot origin.^[1] He began studying violin at the age of five. His father, of the same name, was conductor of the Maastricht Symphony Orchestra. From a very young age he developed a fascination with orchestra. He studied violin at the Conservatoire Royal in Liège and at the Conservatorium Maastricht, (1968–1973). His teachers included Jo Juda and Herman Krebbers. From 1974 to 1977, he attended the Music Academy in Brussels, studying with André Gertler, getting his degree "Premier Prix" from the Brussels Royal Conservatory.^[2]

Career[link]

At University he performed the Gold And Silver Waltz by Franz Lehár. Encouraged by the audience reaction he decided to pursue the waltz form. Rieu formed the Maastricht Salon Orchestra and performed as a violinist with the Limburg Symphony Orchestra. In 1987, he created the Johann Strauss Orchestra and his own production company. Since then, his melodramatic stage performances and rock-star demeanor have for some been associated with a revival of the waltz music category. André Rieu plays a 1667 Stradivarius violin.^[1]

In April 2009 (Dublin)/June 2009 (UK), he made a cameo appearance as himself on "Ramsay Street" in the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours.^[3]

Johann Strauss Orchestra[link]

The examples and perspective in this article or section might have an extensive bias or disproportional coverage towards one or more specific regions. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page.

The Orchestra began in 1998 with 21 members but now performs with between 80 and 150 musicians. At the time the Orchestra first toured Europe, there emerged a renewed interest in waltz music. The revival began in the Netherlands and was ignited by their recording of the Second Waltz from Shostakovich's Jazz Suites. As a result, Rieu became known as the waltz King.

Rieu and his orchestra have performed throughout Europe, in North America, and Japan. Winning a number of awards including two World Music Awards, their recordings have gone gold and platinum in many countries, including 8-times Platinum in the Netherlands. In September 2007 Rieu performed in Australia for the first time solo, without his Orchestra at the Eastland shopping centre in the Melbourne suburb of Ringwood playing "My Way" and "Waltzing Matilda"—and the next day appeared at Sydney's Arena Cove, Warringah Mashopping with the same set. Rieu and orchestra returned to Australia in November as part of his world tour. Rieu and his orchestra played 3 concerts at Melbourne's Telstra Dome from 13–15 November and continued their tour throughout Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide, through to December 2008. The concert theme is 'A Romantic Vienna Night' and the set comprises a life-size reproduction of the Viennese imperial Schönbrunn Palace, complete with 2 ice-skating rinks, 2 Fountains, and a ballroom dance floor situated above and behind the Orchestra. Rieu's largest concert attendance to date in Australia was 38,000 on Saturday 15 November in Melbourne. The Perth concert did not feature the replica of the Viennese Palace as it was stated in the press because it would not fit into the front doors of Subiaco Oval.

He records both DVD and CD repertoire at his own recording studios in Maastricht in a wide range of classical music as well as popular and folk music plus music from well-known soundtracks and musical theatre. His lively orchestral presentations, in tandem with incessant marketing, have attracted worldwide audiences to this subgenre of classical music.

Some of his orchestra's performances have been broadcast in the United Kingdom and the United States on the PBS television network^[4] such as the 2003 airing of Andre Rieu Live in Dublin, filmed in Dublin, Ireland, and 2005's André Rieu Live in Tuscany filmed in the Piazza Della Repubblica in the village of Cortona in Tuscany.

Reception[link]

Eamon Kelly writing in The Australian newspaper, in an article that discusses the controversy that Rieu engenders, said: "He depicts his critics as members of a stuffy musical elite with narrow aesthetic tastes, yet regularly demeans in interviews music that is not to his taste and classical musicians who choose not to perform in his manner."^[5]

Of Rieu's popularity and the debate in the media over criticism of him, Eamon Kelly says: "It is disappointing to see professional journalists indulging in cheap, inaccurate stereotypes to dismiss criticism of Rieu."^[5] But he goes on to add: "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."^[5]

Eamon Kelly further adds, after hearing the orchestra perform, that there is "no cause" for Rieu's boast his orchestra was "superior to the many other orchestras that specialise in ... Viennese and popular classical repertoire." Additionally, he found that in musical terms "the performance did not surpass playing standards in Australia's major symphony orchestras". He did add that the "oboist, Arthur Cordewener, provided the most impressive musical performance with a sublime introduction to an otherwise unremarkable performance of [Ravel's] Boléro."^[5]

David Templeton, writing in the magazine All Things Strings says:

Ironically, it is Rieu’s own success that has earned him a horse-drawn carriage full of criticism, a pot-shot laden backlash aimed chiefly at the calculated emotionalism and theatrical flourishes of his performances, which, according to many, only cheapen the classical-music experience. Classical radio stations avoid his music as they might avoid a leper in the mall, though—let’s just say it plain and clear—Rieu is a superb violinist.^[6]

Chris Boyd, a critic writing for Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper, finds that he could not give a general criticism of the playing of Rieu, as, except for "a clean and lyrical solo in Waltzing Matilda", his main stage function was apparently "blarney and delegation". However, Boyd also comments that the quality of the artists that Rieu works with is "extraordinary". Boyd assesses the low points of the concert as the "Three Tenors-style" rendition of "Nessun dorma" which he finds was an "abomination", while saying the concert's highlights included "a sugar-shock sweet rendition" of "O mio babbino caro" as well as Strauss's Emperor Waltz and Blue Danube, Clarke's Trumpet Voluntary and the Boléro.^[7]

Personal life[link]

He is married to Marjorie, who works with him full-time as production manager, and has two sons, Marc and Pierre. He speaks (in order of fluency) Dutch, English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

Honours[link]

• Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Netherlands, 2002)
• Honorary Medal of the Province of Limburg (Netherlands, 2009)
• Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France, 2009)

Selected discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• André Rieu (official website)
• Official André Rieu Facebook page
• André Rieu on Twitter
• Official André Rieu YouTube Channel
• André Rieu's Official Australian website
• André Rieu (C Music TV Biography)
• André Rieu at Allmusic
• The Magic of Andre Rieu

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Renato Zero is the stage name of Renato Fiacchini (born September 30, 1950), an Italian singer-songwriter and showman whose career spans a full 6 decades, from the 1960s to the 2010s, with 40 million records sold^[1]. Zero was born Renato Fiacchini in downtown Rome, in Via di Ripetta, next to the famed Via del Corso. He quit his studies early to devote himself to his true passion, the arts, more specifically playing music and singing - though initially with little success. From an early age, he would wear make-up and cross-dress. He replied to the criticisms he received (including the recurring insult Sei uno zero! - "You're a zero!") by taking on the pseudonym Renato Zero. He recorded his first songs in 1965: "Tu, sì", "Il deserto", "La solitudine", which were never issued. His first published single, "Non basta sai/In mezzo ai guai" (1967), sold a total of 20 copies and was quickly forgotten. He had several different jobs, including an appearance in an advertisement for ice-cream, work as a dancer in a TV show, playing and dancing in two musicals and a couple minor roles in two Fellini movies.

In the late 1960s/early 1970s Zero's career was given a boost by the glam-rock movement, from which he benefited with his sexual ambiguity and androgynous appearance. At the same time, this led him to being accused of emulating other celebrities like David Bowie and, in particular, other British singer Marc Bolan whom he looked a whole lot like. In 1973 he issued his first LP, No! Mamma, no! (recorded live), but still with little success. The follow-up Invenzioni met the same fate.

Birth of the "Zeromania"[link]

It was not until 1976 that he scored his first hit with the single "Madame", a collaboration with songwriter Franca Evangelisti and composer Piero Pintucci, with whom Zero continued to work in the years that followed. "Madame" and the album including it, Trapezio, established a regular and loyal audience for Zero. This was to increase exponentially in the following years, until he could boast a huge following of die-hard fans that he dubbed Sorcini ("Little Mice"). His greatest hits at the time, all of them topping and breaking the Italian charts for quite some time, were lurid, only partly veiled recounts of extreme life in the sex-crazed 1970s: "Mi vendo" (a transvestite hooker's anthem), "Il triangolo" (a threesome's tale), and "SessoOEsse" (S.O.S. spelled like "Sex-or-S"), all set to a Bee Gees-like disco beat that was trendy at the time, were, and still are, really popular in Italy, and were among all disco clubs playlists. He also became friends at the time with french chanteuse and disco-queen Amanda Lear,Gay French icon.

The late 1970s were indeed years of great success for Zero's character, with the LPs Zerofobia ("Zerophobia", 1977), Zerolandia (1978) and Erozero (1979) topping the Italian charts. At this time Renato Zero was amongst the two or three most popular singers in Italy and his song "Il Carrozzone" was already regarded, also by critics, as one of the best Italian songs ever.

The name Zerolandia referred also to the moving theatre (a circus tent with a capacity of 5,000) in which he gave shows throughout Italy. On numerous occasions fans would participate in the gigs, made-up like Zero and dressed in his typical bird-like and strass-decorated costumes.

In 1979 Zero played as himself in the movie Ciao Nì (his usual greeting to his fans, which can be roughly translated as "Hi pal!"). In Italy this film grossed more than the American blockbuster Superman.

The 1980s: career dip[link]

In the 1980s he began to abandon make-up and greasepaint, but this did not rid Zero of his mania for grandeur: in the 1980 tour, for example, he entered the scene riding a white horse. In 1982 he began a collaboration with the opera director Renato Serio, who was to write the string arrangements for almost all of Zero's following LPs. In late 1983 he took part in RAI's Fantastico 3, then the most popular Italian TV show.

His career continued to be successful until 1984, with top-charts songs like "Amico" ("Friend") and "Spiagge" ("Beaches"). That year, however, his album Leoni si nasce and the tour of the same name, in which he appeared disguised as a lion and escorted by four aborigines, were commercial failures. The album Zero of 1987 marked the lowest point of his career: instead of playing in arenas and stadiums, Zero had to sing almost for free in the piazzas and discos of Italy's minor cities.

1990s: The comeback[link]

In 1991 Renato Zero participated to the Sanremo Music Festival with "Spalle al muro", and from that moment on his career began to rise again. In 1993 he ranked #1 on the Italian charts with the LP Quando non sei più nessuno. The following year Imperfetto repeated this success. During his tour concerts would regularly sell out, and he returned to his famous dress changes during the spectacles, although in a more balanced style.

In the mid-90s Zero dubbed the character of Jack Skellington and sang the songs in the Italian release of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.^[2]

In 1999, he sang at Pavarotti and Friends his hit song Il cielo together with tenor Luciano Pavarotti, and later the same year, Italian diva Mina paid him a tribute with her album Mina n° 0, containing nine Zero's songs, including one sung in duet with him.

2000s: the Emperor's Reign[link]

In 2004 his tour "Cattura il sogno/Il sogno continua" (Catch the dream/The dream continues) was awarded from Pollstar magazine as the most successful of the year in Italy and as well as one of the most successful worldwide (#30). The recording of the Roman concerts, held at Olimpico Stadium in June, was the best sold musical DVD of 2004.

In 2005 he took part to the Italian stage of Live 8, in the Circo Massimo. In November his new album Il dono ("The Gift") topped the charts and maintained #1 until the end of the year. In December 2005 he performed in the Vatican with a song dedicated to Pope John Paul II. Renato Zero's 2006 tour was entitled Zero movimento and involved 25 concerts. After 40 years of musical career, in February 2006 he refused the Career Award of the national Festival of San Remo, stating that should be for artists at an old age.

During some concerts held at the time of the campaign for the April 2006 elections, he declared himself against (right-wing) former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

In 2007 he toured again in major Italian cities, filling the biggest sports stadiums. The tour was called MpZerO, and attracted 270,000 spectators on 7 dates, of which 120,000 filled the Olympic Stadium of Rome, his hometown. He's often called the Emperor of Rome.

"Presente", his 30th album, released in Europe, South America and North America March 20, 2009, caused him to gain 5 discs of platinum in Italy and 80,000 copies sold out by Italy. Following Presente release, Renato toured again in autumn 2009: "Zeronove tour" collected 30 sold-out dates, most successful gig of the year in Italy. On December 10, "Ancora qui", the first single from the album "Presente", won the best Italian video of the year. In September 2010 "Presente" (cd edition + special cd+dvd edition) was certified by FIMI as the highest selling album in Italy during 2009–2010 years.

Zero's accomplishments[link]

Renato Zero is still the only Italian artist to have reached the number one charts position of singles in 4 different decades (70's, 80's, 90's and 2000's). He had no fewer than 26 albums in the Top 10.

He likes to work with other artists, and wrote songs for numerous other singers as well. With his particular approach in performances, shows and tours, he is a leading live performer in his country and obtained a unique spot in the Italian musical scene. Throughout his career, Renato Zero has been a crusader against drug abuse. His grand force is regarded to be having shown the normality of the diverse, convincing the public that diversity feeds our human abilities to feel and act with love, respect, solidarity and faith.

Personal life[link]

Zero has never either admitted nor denied being gay and he avoids the subject although the general consesus is that he is gay, albeit a conservative one, who fancies no outings and no public displays of it except in his art. His image has changed thru the decades, from the flamboyant, make-up wearing transvestite of the mid 1970s, reminiscent of Marc Bolan or Rocky Horror Picture Show's Frank'n'Furter, to today's somber, blue suit-clad icon of no specific gender and unspecified age, his only allowance to fancifulness, a casque of jet-black hair and a thin veil of foundation and lipgloss.

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Renato Zero

• Official website (Italian and English)
• Zeromania, fan site
• Renato Zero, tribute space

Valentina Lisitsa
Background information
Birth name	Valentina Lisitsa
Born	1973
Origin	Kiev, Ukraine, USSR
Genres	Classical
Occupations	Classical Pianist
Instruments	Piano
Website	Official Website

Valentina Lisitsa (Ukrainian: Валентина Лисиця, translit. Valentina Lisitsya,) is a Ukrainian-born classical pianist. Lisitsa resides in North Carolina in the USA.^[1][2] She is among the most frequently viewed pianists on YouTube. ^[3]

Biography[link]

Lisitsa was born in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1973. She started playing the piano at the age of three, performing her first solo recital at the age of four.^[4] Despite her early disposition to music, her dream at that point was to become a professional chess player.^[5] Lisitsa attended the Lysenko music school for Gifted Children and, later, Kiev Conservatory,^[6] where she and her future husband, Alexei Kuznetsoff, studied under Dr. Ludmilla Tsvierko.^[7] It was when Lisitsa met Kuznetsoff that she began to take music more seriously.^[8] In 1991 they won the first prize in The Murray Dranoff Two Piano Competition.^[6][9] In the same year, they moved to the United States to further their careers as concert pianists. Their New York debut was at the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center in 1995.^[7]

Lisitsa has performed in various venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and the Musikverein. Recently, she has been the pianist in recital engagements collaborating with violinist Hilary Hahn.^[6] Her recording of the 4 sonatas for violin and piano by composer Charles Ives, made with Hahn, was released in October, 2011. Many of Lisitsa's performances, including Frédéric Chopin's Op. 10 and Op. 25 Etudes and Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata, can be viewed on YouTube.

Lisitsa has recorded 6 CDs for Audiofon Records, including two solo CDs, the other two being duets with husband Alexei Kuznetsoff, a Gold CD for CiscoMusic label with cellist DeRosa, a duet recital on VAI label with violinist Ida Haendel, DVDs of Frédéric Chopin's 24 Etudes, Schubert-Liszt Schwanengesang, and her most recent DVD titled Black and Pink.

Lisitsa was featured on the HORSE the band song "Rape Escape" from their 2009 album Desperate Living.

Lisitsa has recorded composer-specific album "projects" in the last three years, from Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Chopin, and Beethoven. Her Rachmaninoff and Liszt projects are still undergoing final mixing and distribution. ^[10]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Valentina Lisitsa's website
• Valentina Lisitsa's videos on YouTube
• Review of Valentina Lisitsa's September 30, 2010 recital at George Fox University