Libera's ability to showcase unique voices

[fugalharmony]

This has always been one of the main draws for me to Libera. I appreciate the formal discipline and technique of English trebles at various institutions, but I wonder if certain singers with unusual voices are more ordinary when their voices have been 'trained' into a particular sound. Obviously, the non-classical songs in Libera's repertoire allow for different styles of singing. However, even in a case like Freddie M. in "Ave Verum", would he have been allowed to sing exactly that way as a Cathedral chorister? I'm sure Ben Crawley would have had to sing "Where'er You Walk" by Handel in a different way if he was in a traditional chorister group. I certainly like hearing the more 'traditional' sounding soloists as well, like Dominik Clarke and Thomas D.L. They are absolutely essential to the group. However, the more unique voices of Libera are also essential in my opinion.

I also think that the use of microphones and their methods of recording allow for less emphasis on projecting the voice. That opens the door for some interesting results as well. Of course, there are some strongly projected voices in their music, but there's a wide range of possibilities due to their use of technology. In fact, there are some past soloists who I would refer to as soft voice 'specialists'.

[Padmachou]

I think you are absolutely right about the microphones. I remember Filiarheni mentioned how gentle they treat their voices in Libera. It's a very unique way to perceive the voice, how it works, what it can produce...

That being said, I am not sure we can ever unveil the mystery of why and how Libera is Libera, and such a special thing compared to ordinary boychoirs I would give money to be there when they recrut kids, see how they train them... be there for ordinary rehearsals...

[Cat-a-tonic]

This has always been one of the main draws for me to Libera. I appreciate the formal discipline and technique of English trebles at various institutions, but I wonder if certain singers with unusual voices are more ordinary when their voices have been 'trained' into a particular sound. Obviously, the non-classical songs in Libera's repertoire allow for different styles of singing. However, even in a case like Freddie M. in "Ave Verum", would he have been allowed to sing exactly that way as a Cathedral chorister? I'm sure Ben Crawley would have had to sing "Where'er You Walk" by Handel in a different way if he was in a traditional chorister group. I certainly like hearing the more 'traditional' sounding soloists as well, like Dominik Clarke and Thomas D.L. They are absolutely essential to the group. However, the more unique voices of Libera are also essential in my opinion.

I also think that the use of microphones and their methods of recording allow for less emphasis on projecting the voice. That opens the door for some interesting results as well. Of course, there are some strongly projected voices in their music, but there's a wide range of possibilities due to their use of technology. In fact, there are some past soloists who I would refer to as soft voice 'specialists'.

I completely agree. This is something I've always loved about Libera. The first Libera piece I fell in love with was Going Home from the Leyden concert and one of the things that stood out to me was the free very different voices and how well they were used for the song. Josh's beautifully soft warm voice matches the lyrics, Ben's slightly younger sounding voice is a nice contrast and Tom has the more traditional treble chorister voice. The song would sound good sung by a more traditional treble as it did with Michael Horncastle but for me these different voices make the Leyden version much better.

Actually even some of the individual boys have a lot of flexibility in how they sound. Luca's range and flexibility is huge, Dominik could sing in both traditional chorister and more operatic mode, Morgan does a lot of the soft solos but really nails the top bell like notes in Angele Dei. I'm sure there are others too that I can't currently think of.

I'm sure you're right that the microphones help. I guess it must be possible to sing softly but project as actors can with stage whispers but I would imagine it's tricky. With the microphones they can get a far greater range of volume. So you can have something like Twilight where the soloist sings softly and then something like In Paradisum where the soloist really belts it out.