Passchendaele concert, Belgium - October 4, 07

[thomas]

Hi Joyce!

Thank you for these phantastic pictures! This must have been an unforgetable day!

Thomas

[James]

chrisw said:

If anyone else can do this, we may be able to rebuild this the old fashioned way.

Sorry to be pushy over this, but this thread meant a lot to me, and I was planning on saving it tonight anyway. Argh!

~Chris

What a nightmare! I just managed to access page 13 in my cache, but when I tried to save, it updated and now doesn't exist. Fortunately I managed to save an image of this part of the thread in MS Word. Therefore I will send to whoever has the technical skill to repost that - can you add attachments to PMs, because I couldn't figure out how? Otherwise I'll email to Chris or Dave (or anyone else with better computer skills than me!)

I think I can access some of the other lost pages from my cache if everyone can wait til the weekend when I have more time.

James

[Mark]

Hi Joyce

Thank you so much for re-posting the photos. I spotted a few that you didnt post last time - I think

I really do hope that Caitlin and Chris in particular can find a way of salvaging your very special and very well written reports I will of course do anything I can to help - trouble is, I don't know my way round the back workings of a computer very well - but would be willing to have a look if someone gives me clear and easy to follow instructions

Very best regards
Mark

[gordon]

I am sorry to see the problem that has occurred and hope that a solution is found.
I have appreciated the very moving and comprehensive reports given by Caitlin Joyce and Chris, and would echo Mark's comments. At least everyone still have their photos of the day.
It is a shame that you had problems with your video Drew, better luck next time.
You must have felt really fed up when you had to curtail you trip James but you do have the December concerts to look forward to.

Best Wishes,

Gordon

[Jeff]

It's a shame so many posts went missing. A pity too that no-one got a pic of Hayley walking through the mud in her bare feet. That would have made a great caption competition ! It reminded me of her blog from New York last winter when her boots got drenched in the snowy puddles and she had to buy a new pair. She probably thought, practical girl that she is, that she'd rather wash her muddy feet later rather than buy yet another pair. Then again, she may enjoy shopping for boots, many girls do, so I'm told !!

P.S. I shan't be logging on again later today.......there's some rugby that needs watching !!

[James]

This is part 2 of Caitlin's wonderful report on Passchendaele which I managed to salvage from my cache. There were some photos of Hayley singing Abide With Me in this part of the thread, but I'll leave Caite to repost them as I only have them as screenshot quality.

(Caite - feel free to delete this report and repost in your own name).


Hi everyone!

I had a part one and that would generally mean there was more to come, and there is! I haven't been feeling well over the past few days and am now feeling up to posting more and actually writing the rest of my report. Without further ado here is
Part Two

I left off with after the concert. The fog had lifted at this point and the warm sun was beginning to shine brillianty. It completely illiuminated the cemetery and the vibrant colors shone through - it was as if to say "thank you for the beautiful ceremony, it meant a lot" and the entire atmosphere itself had changed.

After leaving the cemetery Chris and I drove back into town to find a place to park. Most of what we found was two hour parking and finally we found a street that had no signs on it about limits to parking, parked there and crossed our fingers that the car would still be there when we got back!

We went to the Chateau and found we weren't the only one's there! In fact a big tent (perhaps you call them marquee's?) was set up and drinks and food was being served. After walking around, and stepping into the museum for a moment we decided that we should find something to eat. We did so just in time because the store we entered was about to close and they were kind enough to let us enter! We bought some things for a picnic lunch because it was such a gorgeous day and would have been a waste to sit inside on it.
We walked back to the chateau and went to find a bench to sit on. However, they were too wet! A kind man offered us a cloth to wipe of one of the benches with a smile, but we kindly refused him. He heard us speaking and said "Oh! You speak English!" which made us laugh and Chris responded "Well I do." - he pointed to me- "She's American." and the man laughed and responded "ah, well then..." and we continuted on our way. We ended up sitting on a brick "step," that outlined a grassy area in front of the chateau, which looked out upon the nice pond. We sat there for quite some time and had finished our lunch when all of a sudden I spotted Joyce. She must have spotted us at about the same time as she waved and ran towards us. It was so great to see an old friend again! Introductions were made and a few photographs were taken, which Joyce has already taken. We again walked around and discovered where Hayley would be performing that night. We thought we heard her singing, but it turns out it was just the sound guys playing some music as they did some set up. It was good music though!

At this point Joyce's friends Wil and Annie left to get a drink while Joyce, Chris and I walked through the museum. The photographs and things I saw reminded me of the movie "All Quiet on the Western Front" - one I had a really hard time watching. It also reminded me of the photographs, and artifacts that we have in Minnesota of my great-grandparents who fought in World War One. It was very interesting, but it also was really tough. I can't imagine what it would be like to go through a war and be the one fighting it knowing you might die. Even as I sit here and write this the emotions from the day are coming back...

After the museum the three of us went to join Wil and Annie for a drink before Joyce, Annie and Wil had to check in at their holiday home. At this point Chris and I went to check if the car was still there (it was!) and dropped a few things off and picked a couple things up for the concert. Chris and I then headed back to the Chateau to sit on the grounds. We got to see everyone arriving with police escorts and witnessed a few interviews taking place. One very near to us! In fact, because we were so near to everyone we were offered the food that was being served. I didn't feel right having any, but it was still really neat to think we looked like we fit in...even though we weren't dressed as smartly as everyone else around us. Chris and I decided to walk around a little bit more and we ran into Gerald we had a nice conversation about the day, about Sophie and what she's been up to, what the plans were etc. At this point we could hear Hayley having a rehearsal with Fiona and Ian (though we didn't know it was Fiona and Ian). Gerald said he wanted to check and see if the Maori man who was going to do the music was here yet so he excused himself and went into the marquee. He stuck his head back out and nodded to us to indicate that he was, and he was going to be performing tonight. Not long after that Gerald invited Chris and I in to watch the remainder of the rehearsal, which was very nice of him to do. Thank you Gerald After the reherasal finished we realized there wouldn't be much time until the tent was opened to the public and were wondering about what to do when Gerald told us we could choose some seats. I went with Gerald back into the building that holds the museum while Chris stayed in the marquee. When I came back out of the building I saw Joyce in line and explained we had saved her, Wil and Annie some seats so not to worry.

Part Three and pictures to follow...

<3 Caitlin

[manuel]

Hy HiWIs,

Thank you for your report Caitlin, and thank you very much to James too. I arrived too late to read the post and I can understand better your journey, when you go to see Hayley you take your time seeing all around the event and It´s easier to imagine where you were and where Hayley choose to sing.
Thank you for the pictures that show the outside and for your memory, you would be a really good journalist!
I can´t understand how you felt when you saw "All quiet on the Western Front" becuase surely Changed the tittle in Spain, It likes so much to the producers, I´m sorry, but general speaking I think that I´m near you want to say.

bye bye.

Manuel, Spanish HiWI.

[dutchjoyce]

Here are some photographs i made the day after the concert at Tyne Cot Cemetery. Joyce.

[graemek]

Hi Joyce,
Lovely shots of those peaceful fields that hide so much horror.
I came across this article on a war art website. Its worth reading & weeping over.......Graeme
www.art-ww1.com/gb/present.html

"The Great War lasted for four years and caused the deaths of eight million men. It saw the collapse of three empires – Germany, Austro-Hungary and Russia. It devastated the regions on both the eastern and western fronts. It was the first industrial war, with endless technological advances, mass production and the general mobilisation of all human, economic and mechanical resources. Its victims came from every nationality and from every background - from Europe and North America, from the Commonwealth nations and colonised peoples in India, Indochina and Africa. It happened everywhere, on the ground and underground, on the water and under water, and in the air. It was fought using every possible means, from cavalry charges to hand-to-hand trench warfare, from bombardments to assault tanks, using gas or phosphorus. In this war, the warrior was reduced to the dual role of servant and victim of the machine.
Europe emerged from the Great War completely changed - exhausted, horrified, and forcibly modernised. The war was a catalyst of revolution; daughter of the industrial and scientific revolution; mother to the political revolutions that gave rise to the Soviet Union and the Weimar Republic. It changed the face of central Europe for two decades, until the Anschluss and the invasion of Czechoslovakia and Poland by the Third Reich. It shaped the world and for some, its after-effects are still with us to this day - the fields of Picardy and Champagne still yield a crop of unexploded shells ready to go off at any moment.
All this is recalled and commemorated by the monuments and cemeteries set up in the warring countries and on the battlefields. Every nation has written accounts, histories and memoirs published by those who survived the European theatres of war."

[dutchjoyce]

www.zonnebeke.be/nl/nu/fotoverslag.php?pRepId=402

I just read something on a belgium site about the concert, with nice pictures.Will try to make a translation!
Greetz Joyce.
It starts with," If angels exist, and they could sing.....
than whe have seen one.................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[Stephany]

Hey Chris & Joyce, you're in the pictures!
Many thanks for posting Some of the pics are really nice.
On the one below, I see that she had the sheet music for 'Sonny'. Just in case?


Stephany

[Stephany]

Hi again,

You can see other pictures taken by a member of the audience here (you need to scroll down a little bit). There's also a review and a picture of Hayley on Flanders1917.info that you can see below:

Hayley Westenra Concert
The New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra sang to a packed marquee of more than 700 people at a free concert in the grounds of the Zonnebeke Chateau on the evening of October 4. A number of other people, unable to get in, stood outside after the back of the marquee was opened.

Horomona Horo opened the concert with a haunting melody on taonga puoro, traditional Maori instrument, before Miss Westenra appeared on stage to sing her first song Pokarekara Ana. She was accompanied throughout her "Songs for Passchendaele" concert by the New Zealand violinist Fiona Pears and the English pianist Ian Tilley.

The first half of her 50-minute programme included Pokarekare Ana, The Water is Wide, Danny Boy and Amazing Grace. Fiona Pears then played Memories of Martin and Mary before Miss Westenra retured to the stage with Prayer, Lascia Ch'io Pianga, Ave Maria, Mummers' Dance and Hine e Hine.

Five buglers from the Last Post Association then blew the Last Post for a still and standing audience before returning to the Menin Gate for the nightly 8 pm Last Post Ceremony.

The Mayor of Zonnebeke, Mr Dirk Cardoen, presented Miss Westenra with a new book on Passchendaele before she sang Sonny, accompanying herself on the keyboard. She received a long, standing ovation from an audience that was completely under her spell.

Television interviews followed, notably one by the national Flemish programme "De Rode Loper" (meaning The Red Carpet) which screened the following night. Another, by regional television, is currently streaming on the sites of several major Belgian newspapers and can be seen here. The title of the interview, which is interspersed with clips from the concert, uses an old Flemish saying which is difficult to translate but which roughly means "19-year-old charms/sings the stars from the heavens". Another local one begins with the words: "If angels existed and could sing, then we saw and heard one last night".

Earlier in the day Miss Westenra had sung Abide with Me at the ANZAC Commemoration Service at Tyne Cot Cemetery.

During her two-day visit she called at the Mesen / Messines Town Hall to meet the Mayor, Mr Sandy Evrard, and also lunched at the Irish Peace Village in the town. Led by the New Zealand historian and author Dr Chris Pugsley, she and her father then visited the battlefields of 's Graventafel and Passchendaele as well as Tyne Cot Cemetery. It was at 's Graventafel Ridge that a relative had lost his life shortly after the First Battle of Passchendaele. He is commemorated on the New Zealand Memorial to the Missing at Tyne Cot.

Stephany

[dutchjoyce]

Well here i go with my translation.

If angels exist,and could sing, than we saw and heard one at Zonnebeke. Tenor(?) and Worldstar Hayley Westenra, is unknown to most of the inhabitants of Zonnebeke, but if you know that she sold over more than 4 million cd's worldwide,and performed with big singers on earth like Andrea Bocelli and Jose Carreras,than we know that it was a very unique concert/performance she gave to us.She did it for free,because she had a connection(link) to Zonnebeke. A familymember(relative) died here in WW1.

To discribe the performance with words is impossible. By hearing the first notes she sang, the audience became
goose....(chickenskin). So wonderful,so clear and pure like a nightingale , singing early in the morning by daybreaking, a personal concert.
Normally HAYLEY Westenra performs for audiences from 10 till 50.000 people,and everywhere she performs venues are sold out in short time.
It is just a matter of time that this young talented singer(just 20 years old) will be a big star in our region, and we
inhabitants of Zonnebeke just got a free and Unique concert.



Greetz JOYCE.

[Stephany]

Hi Joyce,

Thank you for translating this brillant review. It really looks as though the audience was very impressed by Hayley's performance. A memorable ending to this very special day.

Stephany

[dutchjoyce]

And just found another article with very nice pictures.
www.wo1.be/ned/evenementen/erbij/2007/Oktober/ZonnebekeWestenra-0410/body1.htm
Take a look!!!! greetz JOYCE.