As the weather forecast was for rain and clouds, I decided to go to Amsterdam, making use of one of my days of free train travel, and my Museum pass. In the "Hermitage" along the river Amstel there is a beautiful exhibition of paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, Anthonie van Dyck en Jacob Jordaens, famous Flemish painters. All the paintings are on loan from the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. Some are well-known, even to me who has never been to Russia – there should always be something left to wish for – as I have seen them in art programmes, as reproductions, in books, on cards. But seeing the actual paintings is another thing, not only because the size is often so different from what I had expected. Rubens painted women which are not very popular nowadays, as they definitely do not resemble Twiggy. They are voluptuous women, but beautiful, tactile in a way. And they seem very much alive. The Hermitage is an excellent location for such an exhibition, as the main exhibition hall is very high and perfect for displaying big paintings. The website gives a lot of information about the Hermitage in Amsterdam, beautifully located and with a fascinating history (all in English and Dutch). Originally it was built in the 17th century, in 1683 to be precise, as a home for old women. Much later, in the early 19th century, men were admitted as well. It was more or less in use till the turn of the century, but then too outdated. Plans to change it into a museum took shape around the beginning of the 21st century. The building as such is worth a visit. Inside not much reminds us of the former home, except for the church hall which has a very beautiful pipe organ, and the boardroom with a splendid view of the River Amstel and an intersecting canal. A pity I totally forgot to bring my camera, for contrary to the weather forecast, it had become a glorious day, warm and sunny, an excellent day to see the glory of Amsterdam.
The museum houses a restaurant as well. Prior to viewing the paintings, I had a coffee and apple pie while it was still relatively quiet. Much later, with a dry throat and sore feet but very happy, my head full of colour and information, I ordered a coffee and a toasted sandwich in the same pleasant restaurant. I waited twenty minutes and nothing came. Although it was pretty busy by now, later arrivals were already enjoying their food, even full meals. A toasted sandwich can't be that complicated, can it? So I asked what had happened. Apparently the waiter who had come back twice to ask what exactly I had ordered, had forgotten all about the order as soon as he turned his back on me. Another waitress promised to give me priority treatment. I do not know what that means, for I had to wait another 10 minutes for my coffee to arrive, and not till I had finished that did my toasted sandwich arrive. Which was cold and soggy. Apparently they had prepared it, but forgotten to toast it. So I send it back. They promised to make me another one, but I told them not to bother, because by now I had sat there for 40 minutes, just for a coffee, and outside the sun was shining. I got my money back! The exhibition was definitely far better than the service in the restaurant!
Walking along the River Amstel was bliss. I sat on one of the public benches for a while before finding a very nice sidewalk cafe along the river, with a fantastic view of the river and a canal, and facing south as well. Here –although it was crowded - I got my coffee and a toasted sandwich quite quickly.
I meandered a bit, along the many canals in what is definitely the oldest and most attractive part of Amsterdam. There are many churches here, an Anglican one, and the big "Zuiderkerk", the South Church. It was built by the famous architect Hendrick de Keyser (1561-1621) between 1603 and 1611 as a protestant church. The very remarkable tower is the home of the oldest church bell in Amsterdam – dating back to 1511 – which can still be heard regularly. In fact, they were ringing the bells when I walked along the canals. Since 1929 the church has not been used for services. It is now owned by the city of Amsterdam and is multifunctional.
Apart from the Oude Kerk (the Old Church), there are four big churches, the Westerkerk, Oosterkerk, Zuiderkerk and Noorderkerk. Only the Westerkerk and the Noorderkerk are still in use as Protestant churches.
The Oude Kerk is very remarkable. Rembrandt married Saskia van Uylenburg in this church, and buried her here as well. Sweelinck, who played the famous organ, is also buried here. The church was originally built as a Roman Catholic Church, and consecrated to St. Nicolas. But after the New Church on the Dam was built, its name was changed into Old Church. Nothing inside reminds us of the Catholic past of this church. It is empty and sober. I have been to organ recitals here, and among organists this church is very well known. I have also sung Evensong in this church several times. It is a beautiful church, although stark, but strong, with thick brick pillars.
 |
| Organ Oude Kerk Amsterdam July 2009 |
Some of the canals are very quiet, serene almost. There are so many buildings of historic interest. The University of Amsterdam is here as well, there are former warehouses, with ornate and intricate gables and gable stones. I wish I had not forgotten my camera. The round bridges are reflected in the canals. Unfortunately the nearer one gets to the station, the more spoilt the area becomes. Here is the red light district, with the "windows", the nightclubs, the very cheap hotels and the coffee shops. Even around the Oude Kerk, so beautiful, there are red windows and behind them, in full view, women exposing themselves.
In the connecting alleys we find the Salvation Army for the poor and homeless, the Christian organisations working with drug addicts, and other organisations caring for all those in need in this big city. It is a pity that the most interesting part of Amsterdam is so spoilt by the sex industry and by the hordes of tourists who are attracted to this part. But also "normal" people live here, and I suppose that on a Sunday mornings it will be lovely to walk here, in the absence of workers, traffic, and tourists.
As I had 45 minutes to spare, I did some necessary shopping in a well-known store before going to the St. Nicolas Church, the big Roman Catholic Church opposite the station. Here Choral Evensong is sung every Saturday afternoon at 5 o'clock, and amazingly the church is always pretty full, on a Saturday, in what has become a very seedy part of Amsterdam. Inside I entered another world. The church is very big, with a central dome, and the noise of the busy traffic outside can't be heard here. The choirs of this church are well-trained, and the acoustics of the church are fantastic. It seemed to me the music was soaring up.
This is the sung part of the liturgy:
Introit: Give us the wings of faith – Ernest Bullock (1890-1979)
Preces and Responses : Herbert Sumsion (1899-9195)
An office hymn, the Sarum Plainchant was sung, Lucis Creator Optime
Psalm 3 and Psalm 4 were chanted, each with a different chant.
The Canticles (Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis) were by Sidney Watson (1903-19910, Service in E
Anthem: Justorum Animae, Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)
Although the music chosen was relatively modern, it was all very beautiful music. The diction of the choir and the dynamics are so good, that for me this Evensong was a restoring experience.
One of my friends sings in this choir and it was nice to be able to travel together back to Leyden. She had to travel on to Delft, but we had plenty of time to talk about music and travel! Her grandmother lives near Vancouver. I think she is 103 by now, and a few years ago my friend took her granny on a road trip through the Rockies. So we compared notes about our different itineraries.
No comments:
Post a Comment