St John's Smith SQ Christmas Concert 2020 (Dec 6)

[john45]

Something that keeps messing with my mind somehow: when Koji explains that the second concert will be streamed live, that sounds like he is announcing it during the first concert...

"...we are performing this shortened concert twice today with this second one being streamed to perhaps an even larger audience all across the world..."

Makes perfect sense.

[bamboo]

A video of "Poor Little Jesus" will be released on YouTube tomorrow. That will make 3 of the concert's songs released on YouTube so far. I wonder if they plan to put more of them up?

I really hope they put up If! That's one of my favourites from the concert. Lyrics are great, tune is wonderful and Daniel did an absolute fantastic job on it!

[maartendas]

"...we are performing this shortened concert twice today with this second one being streamed to perhaps an even larger audience all across the world..."

Makes perfect sense.

Thanks, John. It sounded to my ears like "the second one", like a separate occasion... that's where the whole confusion started

[Surpinto]

A video of "Poor Little Jesus" will be released on YouTube tomorrow. That will make 3 of the concert's songs released on YouTube so far. I wonder if they plan to put more of them up?

I really hope they put up If! That's one of my favourites from the concert. Lyrics are great, tune is wonderful and Daniel did an absolute fantastic job on it!

They will. They are filming it as a music video. That means the audio will be a studio recording which promises to be superior to the concert version. Nothing against the concert version as both Daniel and the choir sang it exceptionally well, but a studio recording is always of better quality due to greater audio control and the ability to do retakes.

[Egorbea2018]

Hello all.

I found a video in Youtube for Poor Little Jesus from the Christmas 2020 concert.

Here it is:

[Egorbea2018]

Libera Christmas Concert
St John Smith Square
December 6, 2020

I want to thank the staff and parents of Libera and St John Smith Square for giving us a great concert via streaming. The Libera boys did a fantastic job. I can’t imagine rehearsing using Zoom or similar platforms since they cannot rehearse in person. Libera’s singing was sensational. Libera is in great hands when Robert Prizeman retires. Steven Geraghty was a great director.
Here is my review. I tried to include details the others did not. The whole concert was so awesome I cannot pick a favorite song. I just love Christmas songs, especially the Libera versions. Daniel White was in charge of most of the speaking. The main soloists were Daniel White, Victor Wiggin, and Dominic Clarke (which happen to be the best of this group in my humble opinion). I noticed so many new faces I did not recognize and some of the older boys have grown so much I hardly recognize them.

Let me make songs for people

Beautiful harmonies. Looks like Dominic and Luca were the high voices. No solos.

Speech – Daniel White and Tadgh Fitzgerald
Daniel White said: Welcome to the concert. They are called Libera which is the Latin word for free. We are so glad to be here, because we did not know if it would be possible. He mentioned they are not able to move during the concert and how they have been rehearsing online. Daniel mentioned this is the first time they sing the previous song in public.

Tadgh Fitzgerald talked about the animated film The Snowman for which the song Walking in the Air was made. He said Aled Jones made the song famous many years ago. He mentioned some older Libera boys sang at Aled Jones’ wedding and that recently Libera recorded a song with Aled Jones.


In the bleak midwinter

Nice and gentle. Glittering Libera harmonies. During the A Capella part you can clearly hear the high voices. Dominic Clarke does the solo with his magnificent voice. The solo is much longer than the one he did in the CD. Dominic enunciates very clearly and is in full control of his amazing voice. He is much more sure of himself than he was back in the 2019 America tour where he was kind of tense and nervous. He clearly loves the spot light. His voice has matured but he can still hit those high notes.

Walking in the air

I have loved this song since they first released it. Luca Brugnoli is enchanting. For a singer so young, he is clear and confident. He has a shining, brilliant voice. He is perfect for this song.

Ding Dong Merrily on High

This song has grown on me. I did not like it much when it first came out. But of course, Libera makes every song better. It is so joyful. It looks fun for the boys even though they could not move. The very very long “Gloria hosanna in excelsis” towards the end requires an extraordinarily big breath. Such breath control is astounding to me.


Speech – Koji Shinokubo and Frederick Mushrafi
Koji Shinokubo talked about the audience being much smaller than usual because of the pandemic. He mentioned the concert was being streamed. He said hello to all wherever you maybe in the world. He mentioned the boys go to different schools and some even go to university. He is so ebullient and fun.

Frederick Mushrafi talked about the mini boys and said Joseph is the youngest at 7 years old. He mentioned that normally, the mini boys would have been singing at Mass in March but the current situation made this concert the first time the mini boys could sing with the choir. This is the first time I see Frederick Mushrafi doing a speech. He did a great job. No nerves at all. He is very poised, kind of like Alexandre Menuet in the online concert.


IF

Another new song. Daniel White starts the song with just piano accompaniment. This is a completely solo song for Daniel White. He is such a joy to watch. His voice is so mature and melodious. Daniel White is an amazing performer, never nervous, always confident and precise in his singing. The choir just does beautiful oohs harmonies in this song.


Sing Lullaby (The Infant King)

I love this song so much! It is gentle, powerful, and uplifting. And the Libera harmonies are just gorgeous. Dominic Clarke does the solo verse. Of course he is Awesome! Dominic is poised, intense, and clearly having a great time. What a voice he has. The best harmonies come at the end. I love the lyrics too as they narrate Jesus’ life from infancy to Resurrection.

The Angel Gabriel

This is another great solo for Victor Wiggin. What a talented singer! He has two long verses that he does beautifully. Victor Wiggin’s raspy voice is sweet and gentle in this song. He is a little out of breath and sounds more like an alto voice. I hope his voice is not changing yet.

Carol of the Bells

This is a fun, happy song. It is too bad they could not do the movements. I could not hear the lower voices like I did in the video. It appears to me that Dominic Clarke was doing the descant. The solos at the end were done by Dominic Clarke and Daniel White, two amazing singers.


Speech - Daniel White and Tadgh Fitzgerald
Daniel White: That was a special arrangement of Carol of the Bells. Small Daniel was singing his first solo. I am big Daniel. It is great fun for us but quite the tongue twister as the speed is very fast and we have to sing lots of words very quickly almost with no time to take a breath. No interval today and no time to have a drink.

Tadgh Fitzgerald: Moose is the most travelled moose in the world and he is dressed for Christmas. For the internet concert we recorded the parts separately and put them together on the internet. It was quite difficult because we had to deal with ordinary things going on in our homes. But not tonight.

Deep Peace (Gaelic Blessing)

There were no solos for this song like we had on the internet version. Daniel White, Victor Wiggin, and Dominic Clarke sang together for what used to be the solo parts. Dominic was louder than the others. The song was still beautiful but I prefer if with the solos.

Noel Nouvelet

Victor Wiggin is such a phenomenal singer. He is so calm and confident. Victor was so serious during the concert, I miss his smile. He starts the song in French for a whole verse by himself. Dominic Clarke seems to be doing the descant. There is a beautiful duet between Oliver Watt-Rodriguez and Frederick Mushrafi. What a nice surprise to hear Frederick Mushrafi’s sweet voice for the first time. We can expect many more great solos from him.

Poor Little Jesus

I believe this song is a Capella. It is a gentle sweet melody. Luca Brugnoli did his solo with ease. Lucky for us fans, he has at least three more years of treble voice left and will probably get better with time. My favorite part of this song is when they say: “come down all you holy angels”.

Total Praise

Daniel White started a Capella by himself. Victor Wiggin joined Daniel with harmonies. This is a glorious Libera arrangement. Even though it is not a Christmas song, it is very appropriate for what has been the weirdest year. The line “you are the source of my strength” is a powerful reminder for us Christians that God is still in charge. The harmonies in this song are pure Libera greatness. This song is even more powerful than in the mini online version.

Sing for our world

I don’t think this is a Christmas song. It is very fast and quite hard to understand. One of the mini boys was dancing in the back on the left side of the screen. It seems fun. I like it.

I Saw Three Ships
After a long standing ovation Steven Geraghty started waving his hands and the boys started singing this song as an encore. This a very lively fun song with a great finale. What a brilliant way to end a fantastic concert.

[Egorbea2018]

No Alex Gula either but I guess he is about 15/16 but after seeing him since he was a little kid it still for me was surprising he was missing.

Also Rocco and Leo of the older boys have probably left as well.


eta - also nathaniel bates fisher wasn’t in this concert.

Nathaniel was in the back with the big boys. He is the one with the big fluffy blondish hair.

[theriverflowson]

Here is my review.

Thank you, Egorbea2018, for your review! This was quite entertaining to read and a great addition to the other reviews so far Now I feel the desire the rewatch the concert once again to check for the many details you mentioned

[Surpinto]

Here is my review.

Thank you, Egorbea2018, for your review! This was quite entertaining to read and a great addition to the other reviews so far Now I feel the desire the rewatch the concert once again to check for the many details you mentioned

I second this! Lovely detailed review with quotes from the speeches makes me relive the concert once again...so now I have to. Thank you, Egorbea2018.

[Netnutter]

Another song from the concert will be released on the official Libera YT channel, on 27th December.

I Saw Three Ships

[JimmyRiddle]

For those yet to watch the concert, you may have an opportunity via

Viking TV

...on New Years Eve.

[Surpinto]

For those yet to watch the concert, you may have an opportunity via

Viking TV

...on New Years Eve.

Oh wow! Nice find, Jimmy.

[theriverflowson]

For those yet to watch the concert, you may have an opportunity via

Viking TV

...on New Years Eve.

So not only six but seven chances to watch the concert for those who purchased the stream, this is great Thanks for letting us know!

[filiarheni]

Walking in the air - a dream, a fairytale, marvelously executed by Luca. I am impressed with the ease with which he sings, so strongly he stands there and delivers his notes. I don't mean it's effortless, but he manages with great confidence to sing clearly and powerfully. Superb.

I completely agree with you! I see it like this: When it looks like there's no effort, when it looks like you and I and everyone can do it without big practising, then it's the highest degree of doing it in a natural way = Luca.

If' - Wonderfully sung and perfectly pleasant to listen to... just didn't grab me! Quite repetitive, and has few layers to it.

Key to liking it is, I guess, the lyrics. The music of course intensifies their effect.

- 'Sing for our world' - [...]  I'd definitely welcome more like this, and also wonder if such songs would have a wider (audience) appeal. I'm sure they're more enjoyable for the boys too! We've seen other choirs (cough WSK) experiment with their style quite drastically away from their roots, with arguable results. Libera has excelled here.

For me it's the opposite: As much as I like the song's temperament and the boys' fun and spirit - and I really enjoy it, not to cause a misunderstanding! - I hope that this type of song will not increase too much in their repertoire. My love for Libera is based on a different kind of their music which should never get lost ... There is nothing wrong though with occasional trips to other styles as a breathe of fresh air, like it also was the case with the brilliant, haunting Three Ravens (a song we'll never see live), on the contrary: By covering the more modern or pop genres as well, Libera demonstrates again the wide range of music they can excellently handle. Only please, no growing to a too large part of the whole. Their core area making them unique does not lie in this kind of music ... no boy band - please remain a choir!

I know remember "Let Me Make Songs", and can sing it too  :lol: It is really good, and I suspect we could hear a solo on a future arrangement.

Agreed, there is room for a solo and I can actually hear the parts suitable for one voice alone. On the other hand, the song works well without a solo, so why not let it stay that way for a change?  A song by the group of Libera for the group of the people, symbol of togetherness.

Let Me Make Songs For The People formed the thrilling concert opener and following the lyrics' meaning, it was doubtlessly the most appropriate song to start off a concert which accomplished under such problematic circumstances in a world turned upside down this year.
Tune and harmonic construction of this anthem-like piece are rather conventional, no big surprises, they progress in a familiar way.

Let Me Make Songs for the People. This previously unheard track left me with very few impressions the first time I heard it, yet I really enjoyed it on the second listen. It is a hymn with unsurprising though very varied arrangements, a song that gains some depth with each new listen. For me this piece felt like a love letter by Prizeman for his art (he composed the music) with the feeling that whatever happens, this music must go on.

Yes, it was a song that could be sung along at the first listen.  It's unusual about compositions by Robert Prizeman to stay within the "usual". Nothing bad about it here, though: I can even imagine that it was well-considered intention in terms of making songs "for the people". This year was so hard for everyone, and I think that this song entirely mirrors what very many people have needed, just pure beauty, a song to just fall into and relax.

Anyway, this has been a perfectly reviewed concert throwing light on many different, personal details, I love it!

[theriverflowson]

For those yet to watch the concert, you may have an opportunity via

Viking TV

...on New Years Eve.

For me it appears that the concert on Viking TV was the same that is available as stream via St John's Smith SQ - I did not recognize any elements that might be from the first concert on that evening.

Worth mentioning is a brief intro for the Viking TV audience by Daniel, Victor and Freddie, filmed at the same location than the Christmas Message:

Daniel: "Hello Viking TV friends around the World!"
Victor: "We are Libera and we are going to perform a Christmas concert in London."
Freddie: "We are very spaced out and we have a smaller audience, but we are happy to be singing together again."
Daniel: "We hope everyone is enjoying that Christmas period (?). We wish you a very happy New Year."