New Album "If" (Oct 2021 release)

[Yorkie]

He mentioned Robert's passing and that he will be interviewing Sam Coates on Friday's show.

Interesting that he said Sam has taken over as Director.

[dani]

I guess Sam is the logical choice with the way he has stepped up especially in the last few years. He has played a big part in their success in recent years with his skills.

[Yorkie]

Classic FM features If for their Album of the Week.

Today's track was Once An Angel (around the 1h:22m Mark)

[Yorkie]

Scala Radio at 1:53:22 today was Nunc Dimittis:

https://planetradio.co.uk/scala-radio/player/182090585/

[fan_de_LoK]

Thanks.

Had to set a VPN to present myself with an UK IP, then it worked fine

[Surpinto]

I guess Sam is the logical choice with the way he has stepped up especially in the last few years. He has played a big part in their success in recent years with his skills.

Yeah, we'll see when/if this is officially announced by Libera and what this means for the DoM position at their church.

[bachmahlerfan]

So, with "Cum Dederit", you've got a redhead soloist performing a song by a redhead composer. Vivaldi had the nickname "Red Priest", since he was a Catholic priest as well. Anyways, Dominik does a great job, and his voice has a certain "chilling" quality that works well for this piece.

[TullyBascombe]

Will Steven Geraghty still work with Libera? What position will he hold?
Would Sam be ineligible to be DoM at St Philips?

[Surpinto]

So, with "Cum Dederit", you've got a redhead soloist performing a song by a redhead composer. Vivaldi had the nickname "Red Priest", since he was a Catholic priest as well. Anyways, Dominik does a great job, and his voice has a certain "chilling" quality that works well for this piece.

Didn't know that, never red about it before. It's definitely one of my favorites on the album. Funny enough, another song I'm really warming up to "O Lord Support Us" which didn't move me at first was also sung by Dominik.

The soloists and choir at large sound amazing on this album.

[JimmyRiddle]

They both went for fast paced momentum driven tracks today;
Scala 'Sing for our World'
Classic Fm 'Sacris Solemnis'

[Yorkie]

Today's tracks were 'Home' on Classic FM & 'Vespera' on Scala.

The host on Scala said Sam would be on at 10:30am tomorrow (UK time) to talk about the choir and its future.

Jimmy, can you do an audio grab as that will be one to keep for the future?

[Egorbea2018]

Libera – IF
My Review

I have not yet received my CD but l listened to the songs online. I have not read any of your reviews yet.

Steven Geraghty and Sam Coates did an exceptional job directing and producing this album. I am sure Mr. Robert Prizeman is watching them proudly from heaven with a smile on his face. Daniel White says at the end of the introduction video: “You are getting an eclectic mix of songs but you can always expect the top notch Libera quality”. Of course, Daniel is right.

Once an Angel
Solo: Victor Wiggin

Victor Wiggin is sublime in this song. His voice has matured and deepened while still able to hit the alto notes. The raspy voice of his earlier years has been replaced by a smooth and polished tone. This is a gentle, melodious, sweet song, kind of like a prayer. Victor starts alone for the whole first verse his dreamy voice filling your soul. He is joined by a handful of singers for the refrain. For the second verse Victor Wiggin is joined by a singer doing high harmonies. It could be Luca Brugnoli or Dominik Clarke who can both do 1st treble voice. I loved this song since I first heard it.

Let me make songs

This is a stunning choral song. There is no soloist. It is quite different from the usually religious themed songs Libera sings. The harmonies are fantastic. Towards the end of the song the tenor voices become more prominent and add a richness to the sound. It ends with a great Libera finale.

If
Solo: Daniel White

Another remarkable performance by Daniel White. He does the whole song by himself except for the oohs harmonies. It seems like Luca Brugnoli, Laurence Taylor, and Victor Wiggin are the only ones doing the beautiful harmonies in the video. Daniel’s voice has been gorgeous ever since I first heard him sing the Prayer in concert (his 1st tour), seems like a lifetime away. In IF his voice is just perfect. The song is not going to be a repeat player for me. I will probably skip it if Daniel has other songs in this album. If he does not, I will play it just to hear Daniel sing. Daniel White is quite the entertainer too. He seems to be the chosen spokesman for Libera since he does most of the speaking in concerts and videos. He is so confident, fun, and enthusiastic. He is just awesome!

Cum Dederit
Solo: Dominik Clarke

WOW! Dominik Clarke is majestic! This is a classical song which sounds extremely difficult to sing. Even the musical instruments have a complicated arrangement. I suspect Dominik had some classical training before joining Libera. He has incredible breath control and holds those incredibly complex notes with ease. I don’t think it will be on the concert list. I am very glad Dominik got to record it before his imminent voice change (he is 14 years old). He just gets better with every song!


Total Praise
Solos: Daniel White, Victor Wiggin, Matthias Montoro

Daniel White starts the song alone. Victor Wiggin and Matthias Montoro join Daniel with their harmonies. This first part is a Capella. The choir and the instruments follow. Libera has done this song many times and it is still great.

Ave Maria (Schubert)
Solo: Tadhg Fitzgerald

I am so glad they were able to record Tadhg before his voice change. You can hear his new voice in the introduction video. He will probably sing baritone from now on. Tadhg Fitzgerald has an airy, tender, graceful, voice in this song. He is so talented, I wonder why he never had a solo before. This recording is so much better than the mini concert. This is a well-deserved recording of his amazing voice. Below is the live version sung by Thomas Delgado-Little, different technique but equally beautiful. Tadhg sounds more mature.

Ave Maria (Schubert) – Thomas Delgado-Little



Sing for our world

This is probably my favorite song on this album and there are so many great ones. It is bouncy, happy, eclectic, ethnic, energetic, and quite a complicated musical arrangement. In the words of Dominik Clarke, it is dynamic and fun to perform. It is amazing how the boys sing with a sharp, crisp pronunciation, while keeping their own singing parts in the scintillating harmonies, while at the same time keeping the extremely fast rhythm of the song. It is quite breathtaking to me. Towards the end, they have a very smooth key change, you almost miss it. It is that perfect. The harmonies are glorious. The song is about a world where there is peace, unity, and hope for a better future. The Libera singers are sensational in this song. And what an ending! I still don’t know how they do it (especially when they did it live). They all stop at the same time and say Sing! It is quite an unusual song choice for Libera. It is not solemn or religious but it sure is a great addition to their repertoire. Bravo Libera!

Nearer my God to thee
Singers: Luca Brugnoli, Victor Wiggin, Matthias Montoro, Dominik Clarke, Benedict Bywater

I loved this song since they performed it live in 2018 (video below). Of the original singers, only Benedict Bywater is in this recording and in Libera. But we have a spectacular group of singers that make the song even more glorious than before. I am not sure, but it sounds like Dominik Clark at the beginning and Luca Brugnoli next. My guess is Matthias Montoro is the tenor voice. The last verse, I have no idea who it is. Maybe one of you knows?

Nearer my God to thee
Singers: Merlin Brouwer, Benedict Bywater, Alex Gula, Alex Montoro, Rocco Tesei, and Leo Barron



Vespera
Solo: Luca Brugnoli
Descant: Daniel Catalogna

The song starts with the first verse in Latin. It is a spellbinding combination of trebles and tenors in gorgeous harmonies. The tenor section sounds very powerful. I love it! It is a wonderful solemn song. I have always liked it. Luca Brugnoli was AWESOME! I think this is best performance yet. It is a long solo. Luca has a clear, shining voice. I even like it better than the Steven Geraghty version below, and that is saying something. Daniel Catalogna has a brilliant album debut with his beautiful descant.

Vespera – Steven Geraghty - soloist


O Lord support us
Solo: Dominik Clarke

I am assuming Dominik Clarke is the one doing the brilliant descant since he is listed as the soloist. It sounds like a plaintive prayer to me. The harmonies are glorious and quite stirring. The music accompaniment is light so it sounds almost like a chant. St John Henry Newman is listed as the author of the lyrics. I found in the internet that he also had a hymn called Lead Kindly Light (sounds like one of the Libera songs). I wonder if the words are the same.

Sacris Solemnis
Solo: Frederick Mushrafi

It is always a nice surprise to hear a new soloist. He did a short duet with Oliver Watt-Rodriguez in the Christmas concert, but this is his first recorded solo. Frederick Mushrafi has a nice, steady, clear, beautiful voice. From the introduction video, it appears Luca Brugnoli is the descant singer and he is very good in this song. The song starts with Frederick doing his solo without the choir. Then the choir joins him with subtle harmonies. The last verse the choir sings the complex, stunning harmonies we are used to hearing from Libera. Luca Brugnoli does his descant solo before Freddie sings the last Gaudia as a solo. I like Frederick’s voice better than the one in Luminosa which has Ben Crawley as soloist (even though he is not credited in the album cover, I recognize the slight vibrato in his voice).

Luminosa – Sacris Solemnis - Ben Crawley soloist



Deep Peace (Gaelic blessing)
Solo: Luca Brugnoli, Neo Parson

Another excellent performance by Luca Brugnoli. Luca does the first half of the song very controlled and beautiful. This song suits him. Neo Parson does the second half of the song. Neo’s voice is more like an alto. It is gentle yet powerful. Luca and Neo’s voices blend in wonderful harmonies. I like this version better than the original below which was pretty good.

Deep Peace – Stefan Leadbeater





Nunc Dimittis
Solos: Tadhg Fitzgerald, Dominik Clarke

Incredible duet by two extraordinary Libera singers. This version is much better than the one below.

Angel Voices 2 – St Phillips boy choir – Nunc Dimittis - Daren Geraghty soloist


Home
Solo: Luca Brugnoli

Since this song was in the album Hope (so recently) with Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey as soloist I have to mention him too. I think Luca had big shoes to fill and, even though he has impressive singing talent and an amazing, sweet voice, he still sounded like the little boy he is. Sadly, the lockdowns have prevented Luca to have more experience in concerts and regular choir practices. Ciaran had a lot more maturity and experience when he recorded this song. There are other songs where Luca Brugnoli’s voice is perfect and breathtaking like Walking in the Air. Lucky for us, Luca is still young and can learn to master his powerful, brilliant voice.

Home – Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey


Lux Aeterna
Solo: Oliver Watt-Rodriguez

I like the new part where the tenors sing and the trebles respond. Oliver Watt-Rodriguez’s solo is amazing. His voice is steady, smooth, and perfect. Like Daniel White, he seems to have matured in his singing. I have always liked his voice. Who sings the harmony with Oliver? The tenors adds such a beautiful depth to it. The last verse is new (it was not part of the Adam Harris version below). Adam Harris had a light, airy, younger sounding voice. Sadly for us, Oliver seems to belong to the tenors now. It is possible they recorded this song last year. I hope he stays with Libera a little longer.

Lux Aeterna – Adam Harris solo, Steven Geraghty descant


This is the Luca Brugnoli and Dominik Clarke Libera album just like Beyond was Leo Barron’s album. But we also have what could be the last solo performances for Oliver Watt-Rodriguez, Neo Parson, Tadhg Fitzgerald, and maybe Victor Wiggin because of their coming voice changes. Lucky for us fans, Daniel White and Dominik Clarke are still holding on to their treble voices. And we have many extremely talented younger boys that are ready to take all the solos like: Luca Brugnoli, Frederick Mushrafi, and maybe even little Daniel Catalogna. Who knows what surprises Libera has for us in 2022!

Thank you Libera boys for another spectacular album!

[JimmyRiddle]

Thanks for the comprehensive review Egorbea - I'm guessing Luca Brugnoli opens and closes solo for Nearer my God to thee. Hopefully this will be performed at St John's in December.

Today's tracks were 'Home' on Classic FM & 'Vespera' on Scala.

The host on Scala said Sam would be on at 10:30am tomorrow (UK time) to talk about the choir and its future.

Jimmy, can you do an audio grab as that will be one to keep for the future?

Sadly Yorkie (for me anyway) I'm at work during the day tomorrow. I will try and capture it on the listen again feature for those not in the UK and not able to use a VPN, but I expect someone may have done it by then.

[bachmahlerfan]

Today's tracks were 'Home' on Classic FM & 'Vespera' on Scala.

The host on Scala said Sam would be on at 10:30am tomorrow (UK time) to talk about the choir and its future.

Jimmy, can you do an audio grab as that will be one to keep for the future?

This will be interesting, because I've never heard Sam Coates speak or be interviewed. I know some fans have spoken with him at concerts, but for the rest of us this will be something new. Seems odd that Classic FM would choose 'Home' as one of the featured tracks, considering they are a classical music station.

[dani]

Lovely to hear from Sam and the thought process behind the album.

Home was re-recorded because it was the 10th Anniversary of the tsunami in Japan which the song was written for.


Cum Dederit was chosen because of Dominic’s talent and his work he was doing in Lockdown and they decided it would make a wonderful Libera track and asked him if he wanted to do it.

Spoke about Robert and his legacy

Libera is about showcasing the boys voices first and foremost

Total Praise was the song of the day


Sam spoke about his beginning in the choir and what has made Libera so different though the years


A wonderful quote at the end “once you are in , you are in for life”


A lovely interview and quite in-depth.