Summer Concerts 2022 - Brighton & Chichester

[Padmachou]

So, another project for today has been : collecting all my reviews on the same document and printing it to keep it with the programs I have attended 9 concerts, which means the Christmas concert will be my 10th, yaaaay ! Also, I have already written 40 pages of reviews

Thank you for your answer Bachmahlerfan ! Re-reading my reviews, I had to recognized that I have never enjoyed the Stay with me live, a 100% I'm always like "yeah I like it though...".

Yes, the extract from Beati is the climax.

[john45]

Oh my, the translation took me one hour and a half !

Time well spent!
Thanks for the comprehensive review. Makes me wish even more that I could have been there, but at the same time helps me to imagine that I was.

[TullyBascombe]

Hopefully the new songs by Raoul and Josh will be performed in December.

[Surpinto]

Hi everyone I have been pressured to write a review (I would have done it anyway)

Excellently detailed review and with wonderful specifics for those of us unable to attend! Two new songs and two encores? The encore part may very well be unprecedented.

Thank you for taking the time to do the translation, it's clear that it has made a number of fans very happy; and of course I include myself in that.

[Yorkie]

Hi everyone I have been pressured to write a review (I would have done it anyway)

And very enjoyable to read it was too

Sorry I wrote it in french and I am going to translate, I hope it won't be too bad. I might drop some details on the way if it's too complicated, because I wrote an extensive review, 6 word pages long...

It reads fine - some words are slightly different to those used normally in English but the meaning is perfectly understandable so you have done an excellent job.

Thomas S-H and (???) did the last speech (the second boy's name is missing from fan_de_LoK's notes, I am lost, I have to make a complain ), announcing the end of the concert.

I'm pretty certain it was just Thomas - Patrick wouldn't get that wrong

We tried to get a 3rd encore with a 3rd standing ovation, but the boys just waved us goodbye

I was on my feet for the third time, why weren't you?

They were two very good concerts. The boys were sounding good, we got new songs to talk about, possibly a final goodbye to two excellent soloists in Dan W and Victor (hopefully they will stay on for a while at the back because they are great leaders on stage to the younger boys). What more could we ask for (apart from perhaps two more concerts)?

[Celtic]

Hi everyone I have been pressured to write a review (I would have done it anyway)

Very nice review.

They were two very good concerts. The boys were sounding good, we got new songs to talk about, possibly a final goodbye to two excellent soloists in Dan W and Victor (hopefully they will stay on for a while at the back because they are great leaders on stage to the younger boys). What more could we ask for (apart from perhaps two more concerts)?

I'm hopeful that Daniel W might last until Christmas, Victor is in the year above him. However, I can see Dan is getting taller and his voice is definitely lowering, but although he didn't quite hit the first high note in "I am the Day" in Brighton, he hit them both perfectly in Chichester. So I don't think he is at the stage yet where those notes are a struggle.

By contrast in the December 2020 SJSS concerts there was a notable change between first and second concert in one song, as it was obvious the soloist was struggling to hit the notes, and sure enough that was his last outing as a soloist. Perhaps it's just wishful thinking, but I don't think Dan W. has hit that point yet...

If and Come My Way were my favourites from the concerts, for the obvious reason.

[harbroe]

Thank you! Thank you so much for writing the review and for taking the time to translate it so that we lazy English can understand it. Your English is excellent, and there is just that tinge of the French in the language that makes in even more interesting.
As far as I'm concerned, Victor is currently in charge of "the Smile of Libera" that Josh Madine started. And Mitchel, especially in Smile, demonstrated a really attractive, accurate voice. Freddie amazed me; he has that glorious tremelo sometimes which reminds me of Ben Crawley or Isaac London.
Again, many thanks. Now we have London at Christmas to look forward to!

[fan_de_LoK]

Thomas S-H and (???) did the last speech (the second boy's name is missing from fan_de_LoK's notes, I am lost, I have to make a complain ), announcing the end of the concert.

I'm pretty certain it was just Thomas - Patrick wouldn't get that wrong

Confimed.
Thomas S-H was alone for the 'Thank you for coming and goodbye' speech.

[theriverflowson]

THANK YOU, Padmachou, for your excellent, lively, cheerful review - I'm so glad you enjoyed the concert so much! It was also very nice to meeting you and benefiting from your profound knowledge about the botanical treasures to be found in the Bishop's Palace Garden

Still overwhelmed by the Ely concert, I'm so grateful for another two fanatastic concerts. It felt so good waving goodbye to Libera in Brighton with the certainty that this time another Libera experience is waiting for me right the next day!

Since I was located in Brighton during this extended Libera weekend, I spent a lot of time in the surrounding area of Saint Bartholomew to connect to the place as a preparation for the concert itself. I even was able to experience the rehearsal - though only from outside, since the church was officially closed during that day. It was very interesting to get a first impression about the setlist and the singers. Compared to Ely in May, I was located significantly closer to the stage during the Brighton concert and next to the double bass instrument, so I experienced a lot of the original singing and the background music. It was an extraordinary musical experience for me and made me feel closely conncected to what was happening on stage. Not to forget, I totally loved the church with it's long and high nave, the concise rose window and the roof beams of the inner ceiling, making it an impressive and restrained location at the same time.

I arrived a bit late in Chichester the other day and sadly missed the first part of the rehearsal, which could be joined by visitors this time. The rehearsal was short compared to Brighton and it seemed that the main focus was to manage the movements on the quite narrow stage. I can confirm that it worked very well during the concert, chapeau! It was a bit funny to see the boys sometimes being packed like sardines and it appeared that some of the boys were in certain situations having a hard time to concentrate on their performance with a dear friend standing so close next or in front of you I felt a little bit less connected to the stage this time, which I think was because of the greater distance to the stage (getting used to amenities like seats close to the stage so quick! ) and with a impression of hearing more from the speakers than from the acual singing. It still was very, very great and the peculiarities of the location and the perspective from my seat made it another unique experience. And not to forget, the seats at Chichester Cathedral were much more comfortable, which was very much appreciated by my back

I'm glad we have at least another 124 days to discuss the summer concerts until it might be lavished by talks about the Christmas concert.

Hoping everyone had a safe trip home or is able to enjoy a few more nice days off!

[Padmachou]

Hopefully the new songs by Raoul and Josh will be performed in December.

That is a reasonable hope !

Two new songs and two encores? The encore part may very well be unprecedented.

Actually the number of songs was the same as usual, they just surprised us

We tried to get a 3rd encore with a 3rd standing ovation, but the boys just waved us goodbye

I was on my feet for the third time, why weren't you?

Oh, I was, everyone was but my guess is, you hid us and that is why we did not get a third encore

Thomas S-H and (???) did the last speech (the second boy's name is missing from fan_de_LoK's notes, I am lost, I have to make a complain ), announcing the end of the concert.

I'm pretty certain it was just Thomas - Patrick wouldn't get that wrong

Confimed.
Thomas S-H was alone for the 'Thank you for coming and goodbye' speech.

OH, that makes sense Sorry I doubted you Patrick !

It was also very nice to meeting you and benefiting from your profound knowledge about the botanical treasures to be found in the Bishop's Palace Garden

Ah, I can't deny, I DO recognise a flower when I see one But I am not such an expert with trees as Sabine is, very knowledgeable when it comes to footballtrees.

[Choirfan]

Great to read all the comments and reviews/memories of the shows. What a blast they were!

I did get to the 'mini-shows' last December in SJSS but these were my first full concerts in some time and boy, were they worth the wait. I'd never been to Brighton before but it was a lovely setting and base for the two days, the sunny weather certainly helped. To get not one but two shows was the icing on the cake.

Others have probably mentioned him but the boy that stood out the most for me was Nathan. He was absolutely amazing on the high notes in several songs and his expressions throughout the concerts were captivating. That is not to take away from anyone else, as we all know Libera is one big team effort. I have never tried drugs but the highs I felt at various parts of the shows (such as when they sang Voca Me, one of my favourite ever Libera songs) were surely comparable to any narcotic high one can imagine. I'm sure I saw the man next to me wiping away a tear at one point. I couldn't blame him. It was really nice to hear some of the older Libera songs again like Sacris Solemnis, Stay with me and Far Away.

RP's presence was very much felt, he has left a wonderful legacy in Libera and from what I saw last weekend, they will certainly carry on to honour what he created in them. The best part is we only have to wait 4 months until the next show

[Celtic]

Brighton Review

I made my way to Brighton and got there by 2pm, whereupon I made my way down to the pier and walked to the end where I had a pint in the pub there and then made my way back into town wandering around until I discovered a German Bier Haus, where mid-weissbier I spotted the amazing parkour group "Storror" over the road from me, obviously scoping out new locations for parkour! I follow them on YT and they are amazing and have 7.5 million followers. I had watched one of their videos the night before so to randomly see them over the road from me... was epic. The random coincidence absolutely made my day and put me in a fantastic mood even before I got to the concert venue, which I did via a panini'n'pint at a 'spoons.

As I was walking up to the church I wondered if I was on the right road and then saw it looming above the skyline at the end of the street! Chatted to some fellow fans before the show, outside and inside the venue.

The concert opened with Verspera with Luca on the solo and high notes by Nathan. A lovely opener, and because of the crowd-funder I had resolved to pay more attention to Luca's solos. This then lead into Sanctus again with Luca's voice highly prevalent. There was a comforting familiarity to both songs and they were performed excellently.

The first speech followed with Koji, who's voice sounds so deep now (relatively!), and Daniel W. Daniel paid tribute to Robert again, and then both introduced the next songs, including the new one, Lighthouse, referring to the fact it was written by Josh "over there on the piano".

Let me Make Songs is a nice choir song, no solos, and a stirring and soaring climax. This was then very much contrasted by Lighthouse, which is a much slower more reflective piece with some solo work again by Luca. I don't want to get into a discussion here about it, but Luca's voice has never been one that has really stirred anything in me. But the piece and singing overall was nice enough.

This was then followed by If, sung of course by Daniel W., who continues to be able to put across the emotion of the song fantastically. This was probably the first point in the concert where I just relaxed into it and just lost myself in the music.

The end of this mini section was Salva me, with its insistent drum beat waking you from your reflective musings (or Seagull induced sleep...) Joseph delivered on the high notes and he is certainly one that could provide some excellent solo work in the future. He is my one to watch following the (probable) sad departure of Daniel C.

Speech two was delivered by Lewis Q and Freddie M. two singers I know quite well. They did the "mini-boys" and "bigs" speech and "IF" album joke.

Sing For Ever was excellent and absolutely reinforced my opinion that Joseph H. is one to keep a watch for with Nathan also providing some nice vocals and Luca using his skill to provide the background vocals.

Always With You was with Morgan on the solo. Morgan does have a good voice. Neither he nor his voice are particularly dynamic, but there is a softness and sweetness to his voice that still makes it compelling. Thomas M. and Joseph H. shared the high notes and both did a great job.

Stay With Me followed, and it is a song I really like, again with this insistent percussion in the background and a nice mix of solos and choir parts. Laurence D did high notes, and it was great to hear him in that.

Voca Me was the second to last song of the half with Luca providing exceptional high notes of outstanding clarity that really impressed me.

It was then on to another speech with requisite "spill drinks on robes" joke, and then Daniel W. conducting again!! If Steven G. is ever sick, we know who can step in! Laurence D. was alongside him but Daniel with his speech delivery is unmatched. His confident delivery really does let you just relax into the speech and enjoy it. (Rather than when you have hesitant ones or ones forgetting their lines, where you are willing them to get through it and trying your best to look away and keep your expression neutral as they stumble - or am I the only one that finds those moments difficult?) There is none of that anxiety with Dan, you just get a feeling that rain or shine, he will get through it.

So then it was "Libera" to take us into the interval and the end to a great first half.

In the interval I was astounded to discover there was only one toilet in the whole church! Am I wrong in remembering they opened up a local building for that in the 2018 concert?

Excess beer vacated, it was time for the second half. I should probably mention at this point that after all my whinging I had actually got a front row seat, and with the stage spread out and the musicians either side of me I had absolutely perfect sound quality.

The half opened with Lux Aeterna and for this one Morgan's vocals worked perfectly, giving his solos and the piece an innocent quality. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was followed immediately by the upbeat and lively Orinoco flow and there we were, very much into the second half!

Hal and Laurence D did the speech talking about their summer holidays and weeks away.

Ave Maria (Prizeman) was delivered by Lewis, Daniel and Luca with lovely vocals from all three.

Far Away followed with Luca again on solo and I really enjoyed his delivery, he was in the next track again providing high notes, with Freddie M. on the main solo. Freddie is in the same year as Daniel W. so it will be interesting to see how their respective voices develop over the next months. Anyway, Sacris Solemnis was great as usual, can't beat a bit of Beethoven!! (listening to Beethoven - Symphony No.7 - Allegretto right now while I tidy this post up )

Then we were in to the second new song of the evening, Beati. I quite liked it, certainly more than Lighthouse. I found it uplifting, more interesting musically than Lighthouse and with a nice mix of solos, orchestra, percussion and choral parts. It's too early for me to make a judgement in relation to other tracks in the Libera catalogue, but I liked it. Apparently it's pronounced Bay-ah-ti at least according to Koji who was alongside Daniel, who introduced Moose to the audience as executive producer, and apparently also working on their new record. Good to know the new album is in safe... uhm... hooves?

Next was Come My Way sung by Daniel, and is absolutely a song that suits his voice. I also wonder who they have to replace him when his voice goes as it is a song, like "If", that needs a voice with character to deliver it effectively.

Second to last of the songs in the programme was Grateful Heart, and here Luca really impressed me with his delivery, with a soulful performance from him and with Daniel providing some background vocals. Really enjoyable.

Thomas did the final short speech and then it was in to I Am The Day with Morgan with his delicate and innocent vocals a great way to "end" the concert with Daniel providing the few high notes.

Standing ovation, and then of course an encore, with the joyous and stirring Sing For Our World, leading to the perfect climax and another standing ovation.

Only (as you already know) it wasn't the end, we had one more encore, Smile.

And oh, I did.

I smiled because I had heard a wonderful choir again.
I smiled because I had heard soloists I love.
I smiled because I had chatted to old friends.
I smiled because I had chatted to new acquaintances.
I smiled because I had an amazing day.
I smiled because I wouldn't have had, if I didn't follow Libera.
And finally, I smiled because I knew I could do it all again the next day.

[bachmahlerfan]

I just wanted to clarify something when you were discussing one of the soloists. It seems that you were making a distinction between appreciating a voice on a cerebral level vs. a voice that touches you on a deeper level (emotionally?). The reason I ask is because you said their voice didn't really stir anything inside of you, but you also mentioned being impressed with their voice and enjoying their voice. Am I understanding correctly?

[Celtic]

I just wanted to clarify something when you were discussing one of the soloists. It seems that you were making a distinction between appreciating a voice on a cerebral level vs. a voice that touches you on a deeper level (emotionally?). The reason I ask is because you said their voice didn't really stir anything inside of you, but you also mentioned being impressed with their voice and enjoying their voice. Am I understanding correctly?

Yes, that's exactly it for me. It's very much the difference between me saying "oh that's an amazing voice technically, I'd probably buy any album he happened to produce" and "oh my god that voice is amazing I love it, it hits me emotionally, give me more of his music now!"

Very much a head and heart thing.

[bachmahlerfan]

I just wanted to clarify something when you were discussing one of the soloists. It seems that you were making a distinction between appreciating a voice on a cerebral level vs. a voice that touches you on a deeper level (emotionally?). The reason I ask is because you said their voice didn't really stir anything inside of you, but you also mentioned being impressed with their voice and enjoying their voice. Am I understanding correctly?

Yes, that's exactly it for me. It's very much the difference between me saying "oh that's an amazing voice technically, I'd probably buy any album he happened to produce" and "oh my god that voice is amazing I love it, it hits me emotionally, give me more of his music now!"

Very much a head and heart thing.

One singer of the past that I always felt an emotional response to was Michael Horncastle. There may have been other singers who could sing higher notes, but none of them could beat him in terms of sincere, heartfelt singing.