This time we were in a smaller space and unlike the basilica there was no large area for them to move around. A small stage was constructed in front of the altar and choir stall area. Riverside Church, NYC is a large church to be sure but smaller than the massive basilica, and the pews are situated much closer to the front. Had they been singing from the choir stalls for a service there would have been some, but not much, distance between us in the audience/pews; but due to the fact that they were singing from a small constructed stage we were exceptionally close to them. This allowed us to not only see them better but also to hear their natural voices and not just through the amplification equipment.
This was especially notable with Nathan who has such a beautiful voice! I could hear him quite distinctly as he sang right in front of me in various songs. I'm not even referring here to his solos by the way!
Highlights this time for me included, unexpectedly, "Sanctus". I've known this song for so long it's not one that ought to impress me but, when the sound is really working in a space, you can hear all of the different voice parts in in a way that is by no means apparent in the recording. In the recording everything is nicely blended together and the song is a classic Libera song for a very good reason. But on stage, and if the audio conditions are just right, you can actually see them duetting back and forth between the higher trebles and the lower trebles. Yes for sure you can hear this on the album but it's more distinct in concert when seeing it. I was really moved and impressed by this piece, pulled in musically speaking.
Now in writing this review I was hoping to add new commentary about songs I didn't write about previously but I would be totally remiss if I didn't mention Luca on "Ave Maria" again. He sang it even better than in DC and I didn't think that was even possible. His execution was not only good but absolutely flawless, his voice is like cutting through slightly melted butter. That buttery soft and smooth quality coupled with his impeccable delivery was beyond reproach. Absolutely beautiful!
I'm further compelled to mention "Ave Verum" again which probably was the most impressive piece in New York as it was in DC particularly for the uninitiated. One can see real operatic type training with Freddie based on how he was moving his body and mouth so as to maintain vocal control. I've only ever seen that kind of body movement (to that extent anyway) with professional adult classical singers.
Next we come to "O Beata". While I liked this song in DC it somehow sounded better this time. Mitchel and Victor have a wonderful duet on this song, singing the solo parts together at the same time. I complimented Mitchel's voice in my prior review, but the second time around I really heard him on this particular song. His voice has a certain lightness to it, a certain sweetness, like a feather on the wind that might float away at any moment, and yet doesn't. Yet his singing isn't all light and air, as he entices and beguiles you into the song with him.
His performance this time on "Smile" was also incredible. As mentioned in the previous review, I've never heard so much emotion added to a song from a singer who wasn't an experienced adult performer. When I wrote that other review I had wondered if perhaps it was a fluke of some sort, a one-off. No way! This was absolutely intentional and he did it again this time. Incredible!
Another interesting highlight this time that I didn't discuss before is Daniel on "God Only Knows". This song was done as a duet with him and Luca. Luca does a commendable job on this piece but I want to focus on Daniel here. Daniel has a very interesting range at this stage of his vocal development. It's like a staircase rather than a slide. In one verse he climbs to a higher stair to sing in the more alto register, and then on the next he steps down a few steps to sing in the tenor range. It doesn't appear that he can easily "slide" along the entire spectrum of that vocal range at this point if that makes sense. But he seems to be able to access particular sub ranges within his vocal capacities. Absolutely amazing that he can maneuver between these different rungs on his vocal ladder. And, yes, I'm mixing metaphors here so what of it?
Then we come to an unexpected descant singer Oskar H who didn't sing at the DC concert but was apparently doing the high notes on "Vespera" I was told. I didn't see it myself because from my vantage point I couldn't see that part of the stage, but if so we have a strong voice from a fairly small boy. We'll see what happens with him as time goes on!
An interesting tidbit: Dominik may have been (if I'm not mistaken) the only individually mic'd older lower range boy in the group. I could definitely make out his nice lower voice during some of the lower parts.
With all of that said, the choir as a whole sounded absolutely brilliant once again. I didn't hear any notable flaws in the execution of the group as a whole and it seems that they do better with a slightly larger compliment of singers as is the case this time.
I know that I'm failing to mention so many songs and so many soloists who did a phenomenal job at this concert. There's so much more that could be said about this performance but I want to just focus on my own personal highlights and the things that moved me and which I can easily express here. For those of you seeing them in San Francisco and/or LA please keep us posted because you're in for an unforgettable performance.
You make it sound fantastic !
Felt like clapping, also was annoyed when they said the concert was going to end. Very authentic experience, I recomend a 100% 
also I did not recognise every boy, I had to check the Libera Passion's archives 
