‘Il Silencio’ (The Silence)… So Powerful So Moving… by Melissa Venema with André Rieu and his orchestra at the ‘Vrijthof’ in Maastricht.

by | Jun 7, 2015

Venema

Mellisa Venema

‘Il Silencio (The Silence) a rendition of TAPS  Click on this beautiful rendition of the original version of TAPS!

This clip will bring tears to your eyes and remind us all of the sacrifices to save freedom and the 70th Anniversary of the End of WWII.  The following quote is provided as another way to remember and honor the veterans of all wars…

 

                                                 Il Silenzio

About six miles from Maastricht, in the Netherlands, lie buried 8,301 American soldiers who died in “Operation Market Garden” in the battles to liberate Holland in the fall/winter of 1944.

Every one of the men buried in the cemetery, as well as those in the Canadian and British military cemeteries, has been adopted by a Dutch family who mind the grave, decorate it, and keep alive the memory of the soldier they have adopted.  It is even the custom to keep a portrait of “their” American soldier in a place of honor in their home.

Annually, on “Liberation Day,” memorial services are held for the men who died to liberate Holland.” The day concludes with a concert.   The final piece is always “ Il Silenzio ,” a memorial piece commissioned by the Dutch and first played in 1965 on the 20th anniversary of Holland’s liberation. It has been the concluding piece of the memorial concert ever since.

This year the soloist was a 13-year-old Dutchgirl, Melissa Venema, backed by André Rieu and his orchestra (the Royal Orchestra of the Netherlands).  This beautiful concert piece is based upon the original version of taps and was composed by Italian composer Nino Rossi.”

Following is a more complete list of WWII American’s buried on European soil.

The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne, France… A total of 2289

The American Cemetery at Ardennes, Belgium… A total of 5329

The American Cemetery at Brittany, France… A total of 4410

Brookwood, England  – American Cemetery… A total of 468

Cambridge, England… A total of 3812

Epinal, France – American Cemetery… A total of 5525

Flanders Field, Belgium… A total of 368

Florence, Italy… A total of 4402

Henri-Chapelle, Belgium… A total of 7992

Lorraine , France… A total of 10,489

Luxembourg, Luxembourg… A total of 5076

Meuse-Argonne… A total of 14,246

Netherlands, Netherlands... A total of 8301

Normandy, France… A total of 9387

Oise-Aisne, France… A total of 6012

Rhone, France… A total of 861

Sicily, Italy… A total of 7861

Somme, France… A total of 1844

St. Mihiel, France… A total of 4153

Suresnes, France… A total of 1541

Honoring all US Cemetaries in Europe…another moving tribute clip of TAPS…

Steve Sparks, Author, Reconciliation: A Son’s Story and My Journey of Healing in Life After Trauma, Part 2… Click highlighted text for my author page…

 

 

 

 

 

About the author

Steve Sparks is a retired information technology sales and marketing executive with over 35 years of industry experience, including a Bachelors’ in Management from St. Mary’s College. His creative outlet is as a non-fiction author, writing about his roots as a post-WWII US Navy military child growing up in the 1950s-1960s.
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