As some may know, I am the type that can easily be moved to tears when it comes to certain types of art. I cried the first time I was faced with a Rembrandt, not because of the beauty of the work, but because I could literally see the hand of the master and feel the power radiating off the painting. I could feel the aura, the brushstrokes. The same happened when I went to see the Rembrandt musical. It got me at my very core. I was transported to the Golden Age, I was seeing Rembrandt, I was getting sucked into his masterpieces.
I am a connoisseur of passion in the arts. Yesterday a fellow student and I were discussing a research project I am currently working on. I am investigating the standardization of Afrikaans and how the language relates to the culture. Very interesting, although at times quite challenging. My interest for this subject comes from the fact that Afrikaans developed from 17th century southern Dutch. Cape Town and Cape Colony were founded in 1652 by Jan van Riebeeck, on behalf of the V.O.C., The Dutch East India Company, a major trading concern that made The Netherlands the center of the world in the 17th century. This colony was meant to be a place for supply ships to pause en route to India. The men on board were supplied with goods and could continue on the rest of their journey. Anyhow, I digress. When my classmate saw my books on Afrikaans, she asked about my project and mentioned a woman who could sing in this language. She wrote the name down for me and I looked her up as soon as I got home. I was blown away. I was on the verge of tears. Touched.
Wende Snijders was born in England but lived in Guinee-Bissau, Africa as a child, where she learned to sing in French. I did see her sing in Afrikaans and in Spanish, English and Dutch for that matter, but her forté is the French Chanson. Her voice is powerful as is her whole attitude on stage. I could not stop looking, listening, feeling. After seeing that she was giving a concert in Amsterdam at the Concertgebouw, I immediately ordered three tickets to an almost sold-out performance. I've also ordered one of her CDs and a DVD. I am looking forward to the concert in April, and guaranteed, I'll be moved to tears.
Here's a look at Wende doing what she does best:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DezbQHMiJ-o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOYknAlikLc
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