Concert at Ely Cathedral in May 2018

Talks and reviews about Libera concerts or public appearances

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Padmachou
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Re: Concert at Ely Cathedral in May 2018

Post by Padmachou »

A lot of reviews here, that's excellent :D I wrote one in french, I'm gonna try and translate it but I'm afraid it will be poor.

This was my third Libera concert and the first one that wasn't a Christmas performance. I was really looking forward to it, because I really do appreciate a Christmas Concert but I was longing to here other songs. And I wasn't disappointed at all. This was so far the best Libera concert I was lucky enough to here, as much for the set list as for the quality of the sound, the lights on the beautiful Ely Cathedral. And I had the opportunity to talk to a few of you :D Thank you so much to Patrick who is so nice and also speaks french which is easier for me :lol: And to Yorkie who bought me a ticket to the King's College Chapel in Cambridge... And to Emily who gave me a program from the last China Tour ! You were all so lovely, Dani, Surpinto, andmar... Sorry if I forget some of you (and I'm sure I do).
It has been a tiring week-end though for me, as the room I booked was more than 30 minutes away from the cathedral and I had to walk between the two at least thrice, under the rain :lol: But I have no regret, it was worth it. Plus, some of the boys seem to have picked the same place to stay, I came across several of them sunday morning !
I also was lucky enough to here part of the rehearsal (heard the end of The Prayer but didn't knew who the soloist would be, Ave Maria and Nearer My God to Thee).

The concert started as usual with the voice of a boy asking that we turned off the phones. If some of you like me wondered whether this was live or not, it's not. I heard the voice recorded during the rehearsal ^^

Then the flutist came on stage and played a bit of an intro to Mysterium. The boys came on stage and stayed in half a circle. It was a really soft and mysterious way to make an entrance, but I feel like it wasn't really the Mysterium song we know as it was so short. Then, Leo made the high notes from behind and he arrived late on stage when the Joyful Joyful started, from the stairs I had plain view on.

I was a bit tensed about these two songs melting, I didn't really like the way Dies Irae and Joyful used to be linked. But this was soft and quite an evidence after all. The boys smiled a bit less than they used to on Joyful, maybe because this was the begining of the concert and they were afraid :D

Two boys (can't tell you who I don't remember) made a speech to say hello and they announced there would be a new CD, they'd been working on for 3 weeks.

So they introduced In Paradisium. Rocco did the solo on this song, with deepness and emotion equal to what he used to bring into Angele Dei. The choir said "Jerusalem" with very powerful harmonies. This is definitely THE song from this concert I'm longing to hear again and again.

Then they positioned for The Prayer, the same way they used on the Angel in America's DVD, kneeling. The solist was Daniel White, who used to be one of the miniboys during the London Christmas Concert. This was his second concert, and immediately a concert he fully performed, also with a mike and doing solo parts ! That's quite impressive... Patrick told me he thinks it never happened before. Daniel makes me think about Isaac, he seems so confident and his voice is a bit alike, only softer but powerful and stable.

The next song was Stay with me, with Oliver Mycka as a soloist, same as december. Just before the song started, I saw Samuel-Francis come out of stage very very quickly, he seemed in a rush. I thought he wasn't feeling good or something... But it just happened Samuel was doing the solo from behind the stage :lol: I believe he just only remembered he had to go ! It was the first time ever I heard boys doing solo parts from behind the stage and I liked it a lot. It was very mysterious, and can't be an easy thing to do.
Then, I liked the song but not so much a fan of Oliver M 's solo. I like his voice but I find he's a bit dreamy and not always very precise. Still enjoyed it :)

Then we discovered a new arrangement of the Prizeman Ave Maria. I believe Merlin started a cappella. Anyway, it was him doing the solo, alone (I think there wasn't the two voice's part like in the record we know from Tom Cully and Ed Day). I can't really remember what else was different, anyway the harmonies were really good and it sounded really soft, maybe softer than the old version.
I liked it, Merlin is amazingly good, he's mastering his own voice so perfectly, with many tints in his voice. By the way, he's gifted in smiling while he sings, and you can't help but just smile back :)

Alex G then performed his usual solo on How Great Thou Art. I agree that he was at his top on saturday... Very great voice !

I'm pretty sure there was an other speech but can't tell when. Maybe the one with Koji (sooo cute) and Daniel, telling about their ages and the miniboys who left the stage for some songs. I'm pretty sure Dominik, Ethan, Benjamin and Daniel did the full concert. But Calam, Johnny, Theo Wood, Nick and Jack left from time to time (maybe Cassius Collard too).
Then they announced they would take a break.

Orinoco Flow was the last song of the first part. I liked it even more than in december. Maybe because the choregraphy was a bit more dynamic. During the "sail away" they all rushed in front of the stage, then walked backwards, doing two lines in the middle, and single lines and both sides. There was a lot of smiles during this song, they really have fun.

- ENTRACTE -

The second part started with I am the day. In the middle there stood Alex G (main soloist) and Peter Kielty and Oliver Mycka who did the whispers. It's a beautiful song, one of my favorites when I first discovered Libera. It's a pleasure to here it. It was very similar to what they did in december at Westminster.

The boys then did a speech, to introduce Moose, who travelled all around the world. They said he had been captured by korean fans, but that they (the boys) were strong and decided that they would not pursue the concert if Moose wasn't returned ! :lol:

Then came From a Distance. It's funny cause I didn't enjoy it in december. Maybe it was because of the mike issues. Maybe I got used to Merlin's solo, listening the Song of Praise's record. I was totally catched by Merlin's solo this time ! His smile, the way he seems so humble. I don't think the boys kneeled, but they stood the usual way. Wonderful time !

Salva Me started, and I did not saw the boy who was going to do the solo part come from the stairs. But couldn't tell who was doing the "Salvas" on stage... Then I remember I had been surprised to see Oliver W-T wearing a mike, and I had talked about it with Patrick. I checked and he wasn't on stage : it was indeed Oliver doing the solo part. He has a really nice voice, clear and perfectly audible. I really enjoyed the song.

Then came Amazing Grace, with some of the boys kneeling in the middle, the other ones standing. Oliver W-R was part of the kneeling ones, he really has an importance in the choir now ; I believe Daniel White was there too. When the solo part came, I was looking at Rocco but... he wasn't singing ! It was Peter Kielty, right next to him. It was a surprise to me. I like his voice, singing perfectly in tone. I believe he breathes a bit more than Rocco but it was so touching. I hope we will hear him again.

I believe there was a speech before Sanctus, saying that it had been rearranged. It was beautiful, closer to the Pachelbel's piece than what we're used to. New rythmics, new harmonies, very beautiful and powerful ones. I think Leo and Daniel (maybe Oliver W-R too) did the high notes, and Rocco was doing lower ones. I am looking forward to hearing this song again. It was a bit risky to change this very famous song, but Prizeman is the best.

Then came Wayfaring Stranger, still with Alex Gula. I agree he was really good but I found his highest notes were less easy than they used to be, I'm not sure we will hear him again on that song. Still amazing. One of my favorites.

Then, one of the best surprises to me, Eternal Light. A song I used not to like so much and I wasn't excited to here it live. But... Ben Bywater's solo was so good ! A very pure and mature voice, a soft soft smile.... He was helped on the harmonies by Oliver W-R who is, just like Ben very discreet. By the way, that song... whith the lights on Ely Cathedral's stones... ! Priceless.

Surprise, surprise, again ! Nearer My God to Thee was so good. Always impressive to here the boys a cappella, they fill the cathedral even when they are just 6 of them. And they can do so many harmonies ! Really moving, I hope as some of you it will make its way on the CD, or at least a video like the one we got for the a cappella "Danny Boy" once.
Funny and impressive : I saw from the beginning, even before he sang his parts, that Rocco was fighting a hiccough. And when he started to sing, every time he felt it coming he just stopped singing so that it would not be heard in the mike. Only once he let it slip out. At the end of the song, he seemed incredibly relieved and Leo congratuled him.

Last song was Libera, always perfect. Rocco was kind of shaking still from his little adventure ! But he is so professionnal...

And the encore. Thank you Patrick and all the other ones, who kept the secret for me, even when I was speculating on what it would be :lol: I didn't expect Smile to make its way to Ely, as Alessandro wasn't singing that night. But Alex M did the low part very well (soft soft voice he's got now). I'm sad that Gabe isn't doing any solo anymore (he and Taichi seem to have grown up too fast... I dearly hope Gabe's pure voice was recorded on some songs). But Victor W ! Who could sing to us about a smile better than him ? Wonderful solo, his voice is more mature than before, I liked it soooo much even when the song isn't one of my favourites. Amazing encore.

To sum up, a beautiful concert I wish I could listen to again. I'm really excited about In paradisium, just like you Patrick I'm singing it all the time ^^ I really enjoyed the Sanctus 2.0. And I hope we will hear Eternal Light again, Victor and Daniel's voices as soon and as often as possible... It's impressive how many soloists there was. Alex G, Rocco, Oliver M, Oliver W-R, Samuel-Francis, Ben B, Peter, Daniel, Merlin, Leo, Victor, Alex M... That's 11 of them ! And 12 if you count Romeo's flute solo.
Last edited by Padmachou on Thu May 17, 2018 9:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Surpinto
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Re: Concert at Ely Cathedral in May 2018

Post by Surpinto »

Excellent review, Padmachou, a pleasure to read. So happy to hear that you enjoyed this concert. :D

Sanctus 2.0 you call it? There is already Sanctus, Sanctus II, Locus Iste, and now this new version; although in the program it is just called "Sanctus". At first, your title Sanctus 2.0 seemed appropriate as an informal title to distinguish it from the regular Sanctus, but then it may confuse some due to Sanctus II.

Perhaps Sanctus III would be better? Or perhaps we should call refer to it as "Sanctus ('Beyond' version)"?

So much confusion. :lol:
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Padmachou
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Re: Concert at Ely Cathedral in May 2018

Post by Padmachou »

I thought about Sanctus 2.0 because it's kind of a reboot of the song, and it was refering to computer science :lol: Let's agree on Sanctus 3.0 ? By the way, the new lyrics on the song have been added using the same air you can hear in Sanctus II starting from 1:58.
Check it here :
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Re: Concert at Ely Cathedral in May 2018

Post by Joshua Wake »

LIBERAWESOME!!!!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
TullyBascombe
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Re: Concert at Ely Cathedral in May 2018

Post by TullyBascombe »

So if I understand you they sang Sanctus II, which has been around for about 12 years, with new lyrics added? What was added?
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Surpinto
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Re: Concert at Ely Cathedral in May 2018

Post by Surpinto »

TullyBascombe wrote: <span title="Sat May 19, 2018 4:16 am">6 years ago</span> So if I understand you they sang Sanctus II, which has been around for about 12 years, with new lyrics added? What was added?
Actually, they did not sing Sanctus II. That was just a quasi-joking back and forth between Padmachou and I where we tried to determine a new name for this new version of Sanctus.

Sanctus II (from "Luminosa") is distinctive through the use of drums unlike the original Sanctus (from their first album "Libera"); but apart from that remains largely unchanged. The words are the same, the harmonies are the same, and the melody is the same.

The new Sanctus which has only been performed in Ely in 2018 (let's call it Sanctus III) is a lot like the original Sanctus but adds additional words and an additional melody to those added words.

Here are photos of the new and old lyrics as taken from an old program (Summer 2017 in US) and from Ely 2018.

Old Sanctus:
Image

New Sanctus (Sanctus III):
Image

Notice that in the new Sanctus III there are additional words in the form of "Hosanna in excelsis". When the choir sang these words they were with a new melody. The rest of the piece did not change in any way.
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filiarheni
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Re: Concert at Ely Cathedral in May 2018

Post by filiarheni »

The Libera concert this time only had one highlight for me.
It was the concert itself.
Song after song was brilliant, and if that quality had ended after the first half of the concert, I would yet have been completely satisfied with the evening ... but still after the interval it went on and on and just never stopped. This has been my 5th Libera concert so far (which isn't much, but I am very engaged in music and concert-going, which may compensate it a bit) and this one was the best. Ely 2017 had already been perfect for me and so my bar had been set very high. After that concert, I thought that I wouldn't ever experience one any better. How surprised I was and am that I was so wrong! Libera has managed again to excel itself.

It was a highly attractive, nicely balanced set list and there were many different soloists, also many new, unexpected ones, and this variety simply caters to my wishes a 100 %. Reliability in musical abilities is fine, but I love the unexpected, the surprise in a concert. It doesn't really fit to this that for the first time I couldn't restrain myself from reading the complete song list before the concert (normally I read one half), but it didn't matter, as I put the programme aside during the concert and so, apart from Mysterium and Joyful Joyful, I forgot each song's position in the list and well, so I had my surprises nevertheless! :mrgreen:

Having attended the sound check, I knew that Mysterium would be sung (aw!), that Robert's Ave Maria would be sung as well (awww!!), but when I then discovered even Voca Me in addition, I was entirely happy! With these three song plus a new one, my evening was "rescued" in advance.

I start with the sound check, as it again felt like a pre-concert to me. I do enjoy that, because it gives a mini-insight in the choir's work, and we also could hear some of Robert's instructions. Furthermore, it is at least a tiny bit of a substitute of the concert series I wish to attend so much one day: To hear a song and being in a position not to be sad afterwards, but simply look forward to hearing it again quite directly. So sound check for me increases my overall enjoyment of a concert itself.
Someone had said previously that there would be exactly one new song and this one song was rehearsed, too: In Paradisum. I found that song very beautiful and promising (very catchy btw).

So with all of that, I went into the concert already filled with joy and this joy very justified remained on that high level throughout the whole concert, with amplitudes exclusively upwards.

I never take notes during the concert, but this time I tried to be clever and record some after the concert in the hotel, but as it was late, I only whispered into the microphone and later I realised that hardly anything could be understood with any trick whatsoever. :oops: And even though I was there with all my senses, it is unbelievable how many details I forget quickly. So please, if I got something wrong, let me know.

Torn between wistfulness and happiness that he's still there with Libera, I had seen that Alessandro was with the group, but not as an active singer anymore. He was now listed with Kavana and Matthew J. for the stage management. This has made me wonder every now and then, how the decision is taken and by whom, whether a former singer who would like to stay joins the deeper voices or takes over a role in the staff. As a balanced sound is needed, they can't have too many deep voices. I am always pleased to see the boys still remaining with Libera, it adds to my positive feeling about the Libera family and I hope that they as well as those who leave the whole group after their active singing time are all pleased with what they do then. - There were four deep voices today (Alex M., Marc, Camden, Gregor). Alex G. was standing next to them and seeing him there and hearing his voice later in "his" songs, I was suspecting ... Oh yes, the way of the boy singers' world.


Mysterium and Joyful Joyful
Mysterium is one of my first-Libera-day songs and it has exerted an absolute fascination on me at all time. I thought that this would sure not be a song they'd ever sing live, but very soon was told wrong and since then, of course, I had been deeply wishing to experience it in a concert. So now this is half-way done - it was shortened and tied to the following Joyful Joyful. I would certainly have loved to hear the song in full length. But I was well able to catch the atmosphere also by this shorter version; the sound check had prepared me, so it was no surprise and I listened, very aware of how lucky I was. It began with a flute solo, which I felt as rather friendly in relation to the upcoming gloominess, and then those keyboard sounds, which always have me picture triangles and rectangles of glass (now don't ask me for the reason :lol: ) dancing and sparkling in the air, came in and started that said gloomy atmosphere. I love it! Solo by Leo and the "ooo"s by the choir all were amazing. Leo is one of my high favourites anyway and I will come back to him later. The choir's "ooo" were seamlessly embedded in the instrumental setting and these voices created just the right eerie mood. Tense enjoyment of the song through and through.

There's a saying "Through difficulty through the stars" which in German is translated as "From darkness into light" and this describes perfectly the way I felt when the song changed into Joyful Joyful, which also brought some kind of relief: Don't be scared anymore, and: Life is beautiful. I think if it was meant to happen that Mysterium was connected with another song, then Joyful Joyful was the best choice, exactly because of the contrast. All else would have seemed halfhearted, I must say, and liking this very pairing or not, this was a commitment and to me it makes sense that way.


In Paradisum (Ben Robbins)
was the next song. I had never heard it before and thought it was a song by Robert, until I later on read the programme. Here is some background information which I found quite interesting as you can see some relationship in musical life (the original can be found on youtube):

https://soundcloud.com/benrobbinsproducer

http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/products/ ... sum/52696/

This song musically is very romantic and in its arrangement sustains the symphonic style of "Hope", so that's somehow consequential. I liked it a lot, especially the "Jerusalem" part of the full choir, which showered me with goosebumps over and over. Exactly this part was also the one which made me fear the harmonies would drift off to the sentimental, but it's very interesting: The Libera arrangement does not, while the original does (I listened to it afterwards)! The choir sings a long dissonance there, which breaks every danger of sentimentality. Big thank you, that is so good.
Total enjoyment. But most of all: Rocco! That very Rocco whose singing I loved so much in Angele Dei and Amazing Grace and I was shocked when I saw that on "Hope" he had the tiniest solo you can imagine. At that time, I began to beg secretly that they would record an entire solo song with him in time. And now I'm close ... so glad. :D :D

So Rocco was amazing! Normal for him, no? :mrgreen: I am so impressed by his singing. He is very secure in intonation and there was a high note to hit as the very first note of In Paradisum, which is generally difficult, and again: He just made it! Very charming song and actually, the original, whose singer sounds shrill and hard to me, can in no way be compared to the far more beautiful, gentle Libera version.


The Prayer
Well, this song just doesn't make it to my favourites, yet I enjoyed it that night! This is not surprising again, because hearing the songs live is different from only listening to album versions. There is always something that captures me when Libera performs on stage, no matter which song it is, since you have the full experience in one: the music, the room, the lighting, watching everyone act, the direct atmosphere. I am very glad that Daniel is capable of such a wonderful, entire solo at such a young age. He is my chance to be there right from the first moment to accompany the a boy's singing development over a couple of years - well, very hopefully. His voice and way of singing impressed me. They fitted the seriousness of the song, and he truly seemed older than he is. Touching.


Stay With Me
Also not one of my favourite songs in general, but today I had a double highlight with it: I just like Oliver's fine voice and I like him in his modesty. He sang very well and has all right in the world to lose his shyness.
And who sang the vocalises? I found it difficult over the whole evening to recognise who was standing up there on the pulpit and somehow I missed nearly every time who was going there and coming back, because the boys were mingling during that period to position themselves for the next song. The face of the individual soloist was darker which made me unsure, but - this soloist held his head inclined to the right and I had noticed, after assigning it as typical of Gabe, that now his brother Sam does exactly the same even in the same direction, which looks quite funny and cute when you see both of them doing so with a few boys' distance between them. So that looked a lot like Sam up there, and I am overjoyed that it indeed was him! I have a weakness for Sam, since I saw him in the London concert 2016. He, just like Josh, highly reminds me a of my younger son with his eyes and smile, so that is why. I must confess that I even felt a little proud of Sam with his solo ... :wink: He did so well. How I now hope and look forward to hearing more of him - very much so!


And now ... enchanting, so moving, simply the best:
Ave Maria
This song was my pure dream of the whole evening! In every regard! It's a favourite song of mine right since the beginning, but somehow I never thought that I would be so gifted to get that in a concert, at least not already now, so early. I want to say an extra Thank you to Robert to have taken that into the set list! It is a slightly varied version with partly different lyrics and I totally liked it. Merlin sang a fascinating solo with his beautiful voice, and this solo no doubt won over the later From a Distance, as Merlin's voice in Ave Maria was gentle beyond words, super well fitting this very song and he was completely on point. Congratulations, Merlin! And the choir, simply marvelous! No joke: Their sound was like silk and their singing reminded me of a mild night wind, sweeping over the fields, and in this gentleness conveyed this imploring prayer in the best way I can imagine. How do they manage it to have make their sound match the individual song so perfectly?! Another example for Robert's excellent work with Libera and for Libera's quality.
And this time it happened: I cried me through half of the song. That mostly happens to me only at home, because normally in a concert my inner - positive of course - tension is too high, but this time Libera opened the watergates, no possibility to hold back.
I am longing for a recording of that and I HOPE with all my heart that the CD recording of the song has reached this high level and intensely touching interpretation.

One general note about Merlin: I find him extremely inspiring. This smile! It's very special. The smile and his whole posture are less like being happy about what he does than what he has, like a basic inner contentment, which simply belongs to his personality. Whatever happens, he will take it and live with it. That's how he appears to me. Admirable, very nice boy.


How Great Thou Art
I love this hymn which always reaches me. Alex G.'s voice was a bit breathy and I think I noticed a tiny effort. This is no criticism, I just guess that his voice may have started to change, With adding a some more reverberation everything was fine. I like Alex and his voice, and his interpretation was excellent in both of his songs. How Great Thou Art is one of the most moving Libera songs for me and very much appreciated to have it in the concerts.


Voca Me
A new version??? What for? :?: :o :shock: When I saw the new lyrics in the programme, I became frightened. Because the song is just so perfect, so complete. But thankfully there is no reason for that at all, as both versions can very well co-exist. The first solo verse was different in tune and lyrics and it was great! All in all the changes are slight. They left one part out, that is the first "Lacrymosa dies illa" section towards the end, when the song gets to its climax, but pauses for a moment to start again. I wonder if the "Beyond" version will be the same. Anyway: What a superb performance that was!
Leo's singing is effortless and his voice owns the flexibility which is needed for singing vocalises. His voice always glows; with Voca Me I even had the association with a needle, so wonderfully precise and fine was it, and I'm enthusiastic about getting him with that singing on "Beyond"! He also seems to constantly enjoying himself in Libera, and I on the other hand enjoyed his enjoyment already very much in Westminster Cathedral last year.
Voca Me. 3rd time live for me. 3rd and very best, oh wow! The wandering to that climax was evenly increasing in dynamics, excellent.
That piece was gorgeous, enthralling!


Orinoco Flow
This is a live song for me! I never get captured very much by just listening to its recording, maybe because it's so much like Enya, but Libera live now electrified me! Very much vigour - felt like dancing in me.


I am the Day
Well, I said there was only one highlight, but who says that a highlight can't have highlights? So my third big one of the concert, together with Ave Maria, Voca Me and later Nearer My God To Thee was I am the Day, which started the second half of the concert. Already in London it had been great and so I hoped for a repetition of the event. Yes, here it was, very good once again, but this time more than last time I felt a total unity of the leading voice of Alex G. in the front with the whispers of the two others, Oliver M. and Peter, who stood behind him, thus forming a triangle all three of them. Their sound was incredibly well balanced! Such sounds, just like the whole Ave Maria earlier, caress my ears.
Special was the lighting here. When the choir sang "Illuminosa", the room was suddenly submerged in light, both times when they sang it - and at the end the light became so bright that it was nearly white. Brightness in total for the words "in aeterna", what a strong statement!


From a Distance
I used this song to extensively watch Robert conducting, which I find interesting again and again: his movements, his interactions, his signs. Very impressive how "small" he conducts and without distracting anyone from what's happening on stage, but accurate and it is entirely clear what he means. He doesn't need the big. - Merlin was very good again, but as said before, what truly blew me away was his other song.
Then the only negative thing happened: Somebody in the row before me actually started clapping, when the last note was not yet finished. Absolutely ruthless to do that, to the choir and to the audience. Apparently, I am in the minority finding that clapping after one, two seconds of stillness and coming back to reality would be early enough and I accept that others see it differently. But this clapping into the song - this is intolerable.


Salva Me
is subscribed for being performed in an excellent way in each concert. 5 out of 5 times were just marvelous. Again I had to guess who was standing on the pulpit singing the "Salvas" and this time it was the haircut, which led me to the solution: Oliver W.-R., another very nice surprise for me that evening to see an unexpected soloist once more and he delivered flawless "Salvas".


Amazing Grace
will never be my song, but it's well appreciated when Libera sings it. Peter sang the solo and he has a lovely voice. I gather that he was very nervous, as he didn't hold the notes long. I know it from myself in such a situation: The heart beats heavily, the breath goes fast and the result is that you don't have enough air to sing the full length of a note. So I want to encourage him so much: He sang the song beautifully and correctly, so all his singing and his voice were just fine! I hope that he will gain self-confidence, which would be entirely justified - no need to be nervous, Peter!


Sanctus
Yes, this is a Sanctus version I really like! Much better and more difficult to sing than the older one we heard in concerts and musically more interesting still than Sanctus II, as it now has got more of Pachelbel's original. There is more movement and some new text was added. So this is another song I'm looking forward to on the new album, but most of all to have it replacing the old Sanctus in concerts. That would be good and then I would not wish to push it out of the set list anymore.


Wayfaring Stranger
They did their usual V-form, but not as accurate as there wasn't enough space, but anyway, soloist Alex G. was placed in the middle in the background as we know it, but this time I couldn't see him for a long time, while he was singing his first lines and stepping forward to the top of the "V", because I was sitting to the side. But exactly that created a very special atmosphere for me: hearing, but not seeing him, yet knowing what he was doing and that he probably was illuminated from behind. Very mysterious!
The song itself just as I know it: Like Salva Me: I've never heard that anything but very good, and the powerful message of the song captivates me each time.


Eternal Light
Hey, Eternal Light! Who would have thought that this song would be in the set list?! I like it, but not that all too sugary "drawing up" of the note at "of" in "this miracle of light" and I was very curious, if the choir would do that here, too. And they did ... and it got me wondering if they do not just sing it that way, but if it is actually composed like this. In this case (which I am going to pretend from now on), I am very willing to like it better than before. A moved, friendly song radiating confidence.
My soloist wish of hearing Ben B. (after I heard the China concert-goers compliment him) had been heard and I am very satisfied now, I like Ben's voice very much. The lighting was similar to the one in I am the Day and ended the song with the same bright light.


Nearer My God To Thee
This song was a real highlight, too. It's a still song and, musically simple, Libera's interpretation was extremely touching! It was sung as a sextet, slowly building up intensity by adding boy(s) by boy(s) after Merlin had started alone and then going back and closing the circle by reducing the number again. There were Merlin, Ben B., Alex G. (following each other in the order they were standing on stage next to each other) and Rocco, Leo and Alex M. It was sung a cappella and the intonation was very well in pitch. They were so good, all six of them! During the sound check, I had enjoyed particularly Alex M.'s deep voice, so there was something I actively looked forward to in the concert. His voice is so very pleasant and it added a wonderful warm tone to the group's singing and made the whole song round.
As far as I know, it has never been recorded for an album, so now it's time, isn't it? The next day, when I met three of the boys, I used the opportunity to let them know how much we wished to have it on the "Beyond" CD, but of course I was aware that they couldn't tell me anything. :wink:


Libera
The classic. And when I so far had secretly thought that the Leiden version with only one soloist was more "mine" and the duet version every time has come with something strangely delaying in it, I learnt today that it can indeed work very well also with two soloists - you made it, Alex G. and Rocco! The song flew easily just as it should be for the first time for my ears and I loved it.


The standing ovation after this last song of the official part came, naturally, without any hesitation and super-deserved! And then they gave us the best encore to let us leave with after the concert, musically and in its message:


Smile
Oh Victor with your irresistible and ever-shining smile, who else could have been chosen for that song but you?! And he just stands there, smiles and sings. It all looks so natural, so self-evident. And I really believe that he is as relaxed as he looks, because smiling does relax. And smiling is also good for singing again, just because it relaxes the body. So why should anyone wonder about how flawlessly Victor sang this song? And yet it is impressive, because he is so young and inherited the song from much older Gabe! He sang so well. Here I sit writing and smiling in memory, thanks to him.
And someone else drew my attention: Adam. As he was often standing on my side at the outer end of the choir, I could watch him well. He looked very dreamy all the time, but here in Smile he simply carried me away with his rapt look. His eyes were permanently directed to the ceiling. He was fully in the music. I hardly could take my eyes off him and even missed listening closely to Romeo's recorder playing. I love it and it moves me to tears to see someone being so enchanted by music, and look at that age! Wonderful.

Second standing ovation, people jumped up from their seats. Then the concert was over.


Another boy who caught me today was Joe. How quickly he has developed! I remember how stoical he looked as a newbie at the London concert 2016. Then I heard and saw on pictures how funny he is and I can only guess he that is a little rascal, but what he sure is: He is in love with his music and performing. He permanently stood there throughout the concert, a bit leaned forward with an eager face like "More singing! More singing now!". The whole boy expressed so much enthusiasm and engagement that night that watching him was pure joy for me.

Koji is also interesting. He is much more serious than his brother Taichi had been. You can see his concentration. Taichi may be at the beginning of his voice change and looks more serious than I ever saw him, he always smiled such a lot. So I wonder if he might be a bit sad about his voice beginning to change ...?


:D This concert has been one single superlative for me! This in so many aspects and I consist of thankfulness and am happier than words can describe to have been able to attend it. The music was great, the choir on best form and there are so many good soloists with very pleasant voices! So much of what I had wished was fulfilled. Is it allowed to be so lucky?
Thank you, Libera, Robert, just everyone involved in and around the choir, for this splendid, unforgettable concert which I will live on for a very long time! :D

Closing remarks:
  • I missed Angele Dei (didn't think it would be taken off the set list so soon), but funnily only much later, because the concert was so captivating that I realised it only when another fan mentioned the fact after the concert. :lol:
  • The tickets again were not controlled.
  • The concert was not sold out. I wasn't able to get rid of my H5 ticket before the concert and the Ely staff had told me they would take it back and sell it anew, if it was sold out and it was not.
  • I immensely enjoy the international atmosphere around Libera's concerts. I have always loved to meet people of other countries and languages, and it is amazing how we, coming from everywhere, different continents, cultures, are all united by the "Libera language".

***

Appendix off-topic:
On my way home to Germany, I ate something at London St. Pancras, producing some waste and after eating I faced the major problem how to get rid of it. I did plenty of walking through the station and also outside, but all was very clean, because there was no bin with waste! At last, I asked someone of the station staff and she pointed far away and said: "Over there is one, but you can also just leave it on a table, we have service people who clean up." I thought I had heard wrong and asked if she was sure and she was. Having an invalid foot, I did not at all feel like taking any more step if not necessary, and with the blackest conscience in my life I placed that waste bag on a table outside a café and walked away, when suddenly the loudspeakers announced through the hall: "Please remember to take all your belongings with you."

I did not.
And reached Germany safely a few hours later. :P
Last edited by filiarheni on Sun May 20, 2018 10:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
"But in the dark and cold of things there always, always something sings"
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Surpinto
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Re: Concert at Ely Cathedral in May 2018

Post by Surpinto »

What an amazingly detailed review, filiarheni! :D I always love reading your reviews in particular because you add in so many unexpected and interesting personal annotations; these really make your concert reviews unique and from the heart.

Thank you for writing this long and detailed review and for putting a smile on my face as I was reading it. So glad you enjoyed the concert as much as you did.
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Re: Concert at Ely Cathedral in May 2018

Post by kinda_k00l »

Thank you everyone for your reviews, I thoroughly enjoy reading every word of them! *insert heart emoji*
I planned to wait for a little while and read loads of reviews at once so as to 'maximize' the emotional effect, and yes that's quite (I mean absolutely) overwhelming! :mrgreen:

I don't have time to write down my response to everything and be lengthy as I usually do at the moment, but I would say that they make me feel as if I were there. There are lots of opinions with which I agree too, based on both what I've heard previously and my imagination; and that they even give me goosebumps & consequently raise my anticipation real high - I might as well grab every single chance I have to go to another concert in this year. I fell for it again! :roll:

P/S: I've heard the original In Paradisum, and while I do think a Libera version of it would be superb, I do agree with filiarheni about Angele Dei & I want it back again.
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Re: Concert at Ely Cathedral in May 2018

Post by maartendas »

filiarheni wrote: So with all of that, I went into the concert already filled with joy and this joy very justified remained on that high level throughout the whole concert, with amplitudes exclusively upwards.
"...amplitudes exclusively upwards", I love that! 8) It's like poetry :)
filiarheni wrote: Stay With Me
(...) I just like Oliver's fine voice and I like him in his modesty. He sang very well and has all right in the world to lose his shyness.
How very well put!
filiarheni wrote: One general note about Merlin: I find him extremely inspiring. This smile! It's very special. The smile and his whole posture are less like being happy about what he does than what he has, like a basic inner contentment, which simply belongs to his personality. Whatever happens, he will take it and live with it. That's how he appears to me. Admirable, very nice boy.
Again, very well put. I was able to thank him after the concert and he seemed so attentive. I was still in awe of the whole concert and wanted so bad to thank all the boys that I showered him with my enthusiasm which I think left him a bit overwhelmed :wink:
filiarheni wrote: Wayfaring Stranger
They did their usual V-form, but not as accurate as there wasn't enough space, but anyway, soloist Alex G. was placed in the middle in the background as we know it, but this time I couldn't see him for a long time, while he was singing his first lines and stepping forward to the top of the "V", because I was sitting to the side. But exactly that created a very special atmosphere for me: hearing, but not seeing him, yet knowing what he was doing and that he probably was illuminated from behind. Very mysterious!
Same here. Hearing him without seeing him was quite special. When he sang "I'm going there...to see my father" - the way he sang "father" with his deepening voice just struck me right into my inner being.
filiarheni wrote: And someone else drew my attention: Adam. As he was often standing on my side at the outer end of the choir, I could watch him well. He looked very dreamy all the time, but here in Smile he simply carried me away with his rapt look. His eyes were permanently directed to the ceiling. He was fully in the music. I hardly could take my eyes off him and even missed listening closely to Romeo's recorder playing. I love it and it moves me to tears to see someone being so enchanted by music, and look at that age! Wonderful.
I noticed a few times how his gaze was transfixed, enraptured. Very special to behold and hard to keep your eyes off him - as if he fixes your gaze with his own! It reminded me of the way Matthew J used to sing, always upwards, as if he was beholding a heavenly vision.
filiarheni wrote:I immensely enjoy the international atmosphere around Libera's concerts. I have always loved to meet people of other countries and languages, and it is amazing how we, coming from everywhere, different continents, cultures, are all united by the "Libera language".
I agree, it was great to meet fans from all over the world and spending some more time with some of them. This really makes the concert so much more than an already wonderful experience and I am thankful I was able to share those moments and now the memories.
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Re: Concert at Ely Cathedral in May 2018

Post by bingbonglong »

Having followed Libera from afar for several years, Ely was my first chance to see them live, and it was the most fantastic concert. They are so very talented.

The only thing that disappointed me was the arrangement of the video camera and the big speakers. It meant that, for those of us nearer the back who were relying on the screens to see what was going on, many of the centre-stage soloists were completely obscured by one of the speakers and could not be seen. Not a complaint, just some feedback for future concerts.

I look forward to seeing Libera again soon!
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Re: Concert at Ely Cathedral in May 2018

Post by andmar »

Here I am at last with my Ely 2018 concert review. I have seen many reviews posted here before but I haven’t read them yet. I just wanted to express my own thoughts and impressions first, without being distracted by others.

The concert in Ely in May 2018 was my third Libera concert. Having attended the wonderful concert in Ely a year ago and then the marvellous concert at Westminster Cathedral in London last December, I thought it would be hardly possible to beat those two. I was wrong. The recent concert at Ely Cathedral was soooo good, just perfect, just WOW.

But first things first. The concert was announced in summer 2017 – pretty much in advance. This was just perfect as many of us were given more time to plan the trip let alone the costs of travel and accommodation were much more affordable when booking so early. As the concert tickets went on sale in January I was wondering why the first rows of seating were missing. The riddle was solved on Saturday morning – the stage was moved about 6-8 meters towards the audience compared to last year. I found the new stage placement much better this year as the gap between the stage and the audience was much shorter, which made me feel more inside the performance and closer to the choir. Here is a picture showing the stage setup in 2017 and 2018 (thank you Surpinto for kindly allowing me to use your photo).
Stage20172018.jpg
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Stage20172018.jpg
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Before the concert I was waiting in front of the cathedral with some other fans for the boys to arrive. As they finally reached Ely at about 2:30 p.m. and got out of the couch I noticed, that the only boy significantly protruding above the average height level was Alessandro. Isaac was missing!! Yes, this is how it is with boy choirs. Boys come, stay for a while, grow up and go. So, Isaac was definitely missing and Alessandro, as we found out later, didn’t perform either. He was listed as a stage manager in the official programme. This made me feel a bit sad. Later I did some research about Isaac’s and Alessandro’s singing with Libera. Did you know, that Isaac’s first concert was on 27th of July 2011 and since then till the Westminster Cathedral concert in December 2017 he has sung in 77 Libera concerts and has never missed even a single one? Alessandro started a bit later – on 1st November 2012. He has performed in 59 Libera concerts since then, without having missed any single one as well.

In the afternoon we were lucky to hear Libera’s soundcheck and rehearsal in the cathedral. The cathedral is normally open to visitors during all the day and just like last year they didn’t close earlier because of the concert. This gave us an unique opportunity to see at least a tiny bit of a rehearsal and concert preparations. Before the boys appeared on the stage in their “Sunday uniforms” and the very special Libera coats we had been able to hear a completely new piece of music played by the orchestra. Later, it turned out to be “In Paradisum”. This year there was no time pressure, so the soundcheck lasted longer and we could hear about 8 songs, I think. The excitement and the anticipation reached high levels as we got to know that some songs, which had been wished to return to the set list for a long time, would really be sung. We knew already, it would be a great concert. It was a great joy to be at the soundcheck not only because we could hear some of the songs twice that evening, but also because we could have a glimpse into a rehearsal. Again, it was amazing to see how professionally and in full focus the boys worked together with their director and technical stuff. During the soundcheck I was seated close to the sound mixing equipment and I could hear some directing, comments and leads made by Robert Prizeman which were apparently transmitted to the boys’ earphones. The boys responded to them perfectly and without hesitation or doubt. It all worked together like in a well-oiled machinery. The spirit of team work, reliance and confidence could obviously be seen.

The Saturday afternoon and evening was rainy in Ely this year, so probably the boys could not spend their free time before the concert enjoying some fresh air in the park next to the cathedral and we will not get to see their funny pictures like those from a year ago. Anyway, I spent the time before the concert with some other fans in a nearby restaurant. Meeting other fans and chatting with them is always a big pleasure and joy too. Especially, when you get to know someone in person, whom you have known from the forum for a longer time. I have been in the Libera fan community only for just a bit longer than a year now, so I’m still a newbie. But again Libera fans turned out to be very friendly and kind people. Meeting them is always a big pleasure and an additional bonus to the concert.

Finally the concert time came. The set list – wonderful, but as usually - too short. I’d like it to be 30 or 40 songs long. It’s a joke of course. We must live with it, that when new songs appear on the set list some others must disappear. So, no “Angele Dei”, “San Damiano”, “I’m Dreaming of Home”, “Angel” or “Smile” there, but “Mysterium”, “The Prayer”, “Ave Maria”, “Voca Me” and “Ethernal Light” were back. And of course a totally new song: “In Paradisum”.

Actually it was good for the concert itself, that the weather was grey and wet that evening. If it had been sunny outside, it would have been too brightly in the cathedral and we wouldn’t have been able to fully enjoy the beautiful lighting already from the beginning of the concert. And so, the concert started in a dimness with only the flautist Eimear McGeown on the stage. “Mysterium” received a totally new introduction with a flute solo at the beginning and more instruments joining to build up a mysterious atmosphere. While the music slowly developed, the boys entered the stage from both sides and finally joined the orchestra. I could not spot the soloist for “Mysterium” though. The soloist for this song and the ones who performed high vocalizes in other songs stood behind the choir – on the stairs to the church pulpit in the back. Unfortunately, they didn’t climb all the way up and stood somewhere in the middle of the stairs, so they were hardly visible to the audience, even those, sitting in front rows. Just after the solo part “Mysterium” turned smoothly into “Joyful, Joyful”. This was a pretty big contrast. A gloomy “Mysterium” turning unexpectedly into the joyful “Joyful, Joyful”. Well, I liked it and was happy to hear at least a half of “Mysterium” live, though, I’d love to hear the full version live one day.

“Joyful, Joyful” was very nice. With all usual harmonies and a brilliant finale. Actually, even though there were so many new, young boys on stage and the veterans were missing, the Libera sound and quality remained unchanged.

The first speech came in that place. Alex G and Peter greeted the audience and revealed that Libera had been busy recording songs for a new album which was expected to be released in a couple of months. There were some more speeches during the show as usual – mainly performed by younger boys. I don’t remember exactly when, who and what said, but I remember the speeches were funny and delivered by all boys at ease and in a very charming way. So, later we had Victor and Alexandre(???) talking about the robes and their hoods, (??? I don’t remember) and Alex G introducing the Moose, Daniel speaking about the youngest choir members including himself having just turned 9 (well, I remember Daniel speaking in London last year and stating his turning 9 three weeks before the London concert, so his birthday must be somewhere about 10th to 15th November 2008), Koji introducing himself and his older brother Taichi and we had the usual charming language speech with Peter and a bunch of boys saying few words in the languages of their origin, before the interval we had the speech about not splashing orange juice on the white robes and so on.

Alex introduced the new song “In Paradisum” in the first speech. The tile of the song is a bit confusing, because the song has absolutely nothing to do with Libera’s “In Paradisum” from the 2008 “New Dawn” album. This “In Paradisum” was Libera’s cover of a song composed by Ben Robbins (here is an original recording of that song, though I liked Libera’s version much more mainly because I don’t like too much vibratio in a soprano voice https://youtu.be/3PtPWtk9wic ).
The soloist for “In Paradisum” was Rocco. I was so glad to hear him perform “his own” song at last. Rocco did a wonderful job at “Angele Dei” and “Amazing Grace” previously, so he fully deserves to sing a significant solo. I’m so glad that the song will be recorded and will appear on the newly announced CD. I wasn’t disappointed by Rocco’s performance at all. I was surprised, how high he can sing. His previous solos were much lower, and his voices resembled a clarinet sound to me somehow. This time it was completely different – many pretty high tones (maybe not C6, but close) as the original piece was composed for a soprano. “In Paradisum” is quite difficult to sing but Rocco did a good job and I think, this song will join my list of Libera favourites.

The next song was “The Prayer”. Hearing it I have immediately Isaac’s performance from the America DVD in my mind. This time the soloist was… Daniel. Yes, Daniel – the nine years old who was just performing in his very first full concert! Having heard Daniel in Ely singing his solo in ”The Prayer” I can only say, that we can expect another outstanding soloist who is just rising in front of us. OK, he seemed to be a bit nervous, but who of us wouldn’t be in front of such a huge audience. Daniel was really very good. He stayed in tune and in rhythm all the time, his voice was clear and nice to hear. Just a great pleasure to have the song on the set list and Daniel as a soloist.

Oliver M. did a great job in “Stay With Me”. This time without any technical problems, we could enjoy Oliver’s voice in this joyful song. His performance was convincing and very pleasant to listen to. I wasn’t sure about the boy singing the vocalizes – again he stood in the back and I couldn’t see who he was. I found out later it was Sam. Not Taichi, who did the job last time in London. Sam did a good job for his first solo performance.

Then it was time for the next most expected song, which hadn’t been on the set list for some time: “Ave Maria” by Robert Prizeman. With Merlin as a soloist nothing could go wrong. And it didn’t. Merlin’s voice was so strong and clear and the song was a feast to the soul. So good, that we will have Merlin’s version on the new CD.

Old traditional hymns sung by Libera belong to my most favourite pieces. With greatest pleasure I listened to “How Great Thou Art” with Alex G as a soloist. I like the arrangement of the hymn in Libera style – each stanza is sung differently – from a solo performance, through a simple unison choir sound up to incredible multipart harmonies in the finale. Always goosebumps.

“Voca me” was next up – one of my very, very top favourites. I have never heard this piece live before and I was looking very much to it. It was just smashing indeed. I don’t understand how the boys can sing the amazing dissonances and keep the right notes if the guy next to you is singing a different part. Moreover, there are so many new, younger member of the choir. Obviously it is possible, as “Voca Me” was soooooo good. High vocalizes were sung flawlessly by Leo – I noticed him leaving the stage before the song and returning after it. Leo stood again in the back and could not be seen while singing. For the first time we could hear a different version of “Voca Me”. The main theme and the vocalizes remained the same (thankfully) but the stanza got a new tune and new lyrics. I’m not sure which version I like better – the new or the old one. We will have the song in the new CD, so it would be easier to compare.

“Orinoco Flow” finished the first part of the concert. I like the performance in Ely better that “Orinoco Flow” in London last December. Why did the first part end so fast – we all asked the question in the interval. The level of contentment in the audience reached probably to the cathedral’s ceiling as the performance, the music, the lights the speeches, the overall atmosphere were just wonderful. I remember me being sad after my first Libera concert – in Ely a year back – as I didn’t remember so many details of the performance. This time it was better, but still, I can’t tell what the lights were like, what the formation on stage was like and so on. I can only tell, the lights wonderfully supported the music but always stayed in the background. The boys perfectly changed their positions between songs and moved on the stage – everybody knew what and when to do, no-one was confused. It was a joy again to see the boys act so professionally and apparently enjoy the performance too.

The second part started with “I Am The Day”. Again, like previously in London, only three boys appeared on stage: Alex G, Oliver M and Peter. Alex started the solo part supported by Oliver and Peter whispering. Soon the other joined and the song developed to its full harmonies. I really enjoyed watching Alex at this particular song. He sang the solo part with joy and at ease, at least it looked so. Wonderful, goosebumps again.

“From A Distance” followed with Merlin – always a pleasure. What can I say more – just beautiful and a great joy. After that song I noticed Oliver W-R leave the stage in a hurry. “Salva Me” was next up and it was Oliver who sang the high Salvas!! Not Taichi again. Oliver was very good. His salvas were clear and in right places. So during the Ely concert at least three younger boys had their solo debut: Sam in vocalizes in “Stay With Me”, Daniel in “The Prayer” and now Oliver with the salvas. I’m quite sure we don’t need to worry about Libera’s future as the younger boys worthily replace the older ones. I’m looking forward to seeing how they will develop in the future.

The next song was “Amazing Grace”. Beautiful as always – again each stanza sung a bit differently with a final solo by… Peter. Yes, it was not Rocco this time but Peter. I think, it was Peter’s first solo ever. Congratulations. Well done.

Another surprise this evening was “Sanctus”. Yes, the well-known and performed at each concert song got a new arrangement. It was not Sanctus II, with the drum-set. The new arrangement was similar to the “normal” “Sanctus”. A new a new section added – with new lyrics and the famous Pachebel’s canon main tune, which was present in “Sanctus II” but was missing from “Sanctus”. I found it good, that one of the most performed and one of the Libera’s landmark songs was refreshed. I’m looking forward to having it on the new CD.

“Wayfaring Stranger” was up next. Alex G – an experienced soloist meanwhile - did a great job on the solo part and the whole performance was amazing with beautiful lighting. It is one of my favourite songs anyway, so I enjoyed it a lot. A year ago I was hoping to hear more solos from Alex, but I was sceptic, if it really would come true. But it did. I’m so glad now having heard Alex in more solos and I hope, his voice will remain with him at least till the next Christmas concert. Well, Alex will be 13 this summer, so you never know.

“Eternal Light” was another song which returned to the set list after a longer break. Ben was the soloist. I didn’t have a chance to hear Ben sing a solo before (except for some low quality China concert video scraps) but I read here in the forum that his voice was promising. “Eternal Light” is a beautiful song. It is quite difficult to sing because of a wide range – the soloist has to sing both: pretty low and pretty high notes and keep them steady for longer time. I enjoyed Ben’s singing and hope to hear more solos from him.

Now there is time for “Libera” – the last song. Wait…. No…. I think, it was Johnny who said the final speech and announced a well-known hymn before the final “Libera”. Yes, a surprise again: “Nearer My God to Thee” arranged for 6 parts. And there were 6 boys performing: Merlin started all by himself. Ben joined in the second stanza, then Alex G in the lower part. Finally Alex M did the low part and Rocco and Leo the high notes. This hymn was sung totally a'capella. What a wonderful performance – only the boys’ voices, even though not all trebles. In fact the deep Alex M’s voice added very much to the sound. For me a highlight of the evening together with “Voca Me”. The performance was very moving; how I wish it would be also recorded and included in the CD’s set list. Well, honestly speaking, “Nearer My God to Thee” was also sung during the rehearsal, so it was one of the songs, we could enjoy twice. I was surprised not having found it in the programme. But Ok, it could be regarded a first encore then.

Officially the last song was “Libera” – another must at every concert. Again well performed with Alex G and Rocco. I also spotted Alex M singing the solo part in the song’s finale – together with Rocco, which added the power to the sound.

A well-deserved standing ovation followed and it was clear, that an encore was inevitable. The boys formed soon a familiar formation on the stage and Romeo appeared with his recorder in the very front. But, the usual soloists for “Smile” were not there! Instead there were Victor and Alex M. And they sang! Wow. Victor fits so well into this song with his big smile. He and Alex did a great job indeed and Romeo playing his recorder too.
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That was it. So fast – again? The so long awaited and anticipated concert was over. Much too fast. In fact, the concert was amazing. The best one of all, I’ve attended so far. My joy was at the highest level and a big smile was also on my face.

The highlights for me were “Voca Me” and “Nearer My God To Thee”, though I enjoyed immensely all the songs. I was so glad to see new soloists: Victor, Daniel, Sam and Oliver W-R, I was so glad to hear and see, that the Libera quality will be preserved with the younger boys. I was very glad to see and hear current core singers: Alex G, Rocco, Leo, Peter, Ben, Oliver M, Merlin, Tadhg, Marc, Emanuele, Adam. I was so glad to see Victor’s smile and Leo’s enthusiasm. I was glad to see Theo coming back after a year break. I was missing Taichi’s smile and enthusiasm from last year. Taichi was performing but he stayed mainly more in the back. Last year he was shining in the front row. An early voice break? Well, Taichi turned 12 in January this year, so it’s possible. I was missing Gabe as he also remained mainly in the back. I was missing Neo – he was listed in the programme, but was not there. I was missing Arthur – he was not listed; hopefully he still sings with Libera.

A wonderful, amazing, simply smashing concert is now behind us.
Now I can enjoy reading of all the other reviews, which is something, I'm looking very much to.
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Re: Concert at Ely Cathedral in May 2018

Post by Surpinto »

Excellent review full of details. Love it! I am so glad that you were able to find my photo useful to your review as I was not aware of what others meant by the seating and stage changes from 2017 to 2018; since I was not in Ely in 2017.

You, like so many, describe the music of Libera, particularly live, as affecting you in a deeply personal way. Many mention getting "goosebumps" or "chills" or an analogous sensation. I can read from your review that this was the effect the concert had on you as well; particularly certain songs which you underline in your review. This concert was excellent and will be hard to beat!

I agree with your assessment that Libera's future is very bright judging by what we saw in Ely. They have a very strong group that will continue Libera's tradition of excellence. I am excited to see what they have in store for us with the upcoming CD and future concerts too.
andmar wrote: <span title="Sun May 27, 2018 10:58 pm">6 years ago</span>Anyway, I spent the time before the concert with some other fans in a nearby restaurant. Meeting other fans and chatting with them is always a big pleasure and joy too. Especially, when you get to know someone in person, whom you have known from the forum for a longer time. I have been in the Libera fan community only for just a bit longer than a year now, so I’m still a newbie. But again Libera fans turned out to be very friendly and kind people. Meeting them is always a big pleasure and an additional bonus to the concert.
It was so much fun meeting you, and others, and having the opportunity to interact at length before and after the show with other fans. Thank you for being one of the people who made this trip extra special for me. :D
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Re: Concert at Ely Cathedral in May 2018

Post by filiarheni »

Many thanks to all who have written (and are still going to write) a review. It is a great pleasure to read how much we agree that this concert was nothing less than magnificent and, within that frame, it fascinates me, how similarly and also how differently each one of us perceives the details. Exactly for this concert, all these reviews bring me back to the concert with a memory more vivid than ever before. So that helps to reduce the sadness that it's over and to prolong the concert to echo in me.

And well ... I am still waking up with "Je-ru-u-sa-leeeem" singing in my ear. :lol:

andmar wrote: <span title="Sun May 27, 2018 10:58 pm">6 years ago</span> I could not spot the soloist for “Mysterium” though. The soloist for this song and the ones who performed high vocalizes in other songs stood behind the choir – on the stairs to the church pulpit in the back. Unfortunately, they didn’t climb all the way up and stood somewhere in the middle of the stairs, so they were hardly visible to the audience, even those, sitting in front rows.
I enjoyed your long review, andmar, thank you! So you were not able to see the vocalises soloists from your seat, that's a pity. During the concert, I wasn't aware that they might not be seen by a part of the audience. Now I find it amazing as well how lucky I was with my seats in 2017 and 2018 here in Ely: Last year, I sat at the extreme right side and could watch Taichi being newly rewired beside the stage; this year more to the left side which turned out to be the very right side, because it was the one of the pulpit, so I could watch the singers up there. :)

Is it astonishing that they took a comparably new song, Angele Dei, out of the programme so soon? I was very surprised (once I realised it after the concert :oops: ), since it's the song for that venue. It got me thinking which song must have replaced it, because Angele Dei had been such a winner of the Libera audience. My guess is I am the Day, because this one is the most similar, as both have that resplendently flourishing, rich part and this even to the same word "illumina/illuminosa" (see lighting, too) after a mystic beginning. While, of course, Angele Dei does not copy from I am the Day, it's perfectly original. But as the set list served all kind of musical taste, I could imagine that Angele Dei fell off it for this nearness.
"But in the dark and cold of things there always, always something sings"
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filiarheni
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Re: Concert at Ely Cathedral in May 2018

Post by filiarheni »

I don't recall that this has been mentioned here before. There was an announcement article about Libera also in the "Elyi Magazine":

https://issuu.com/elyimagazine/docs/may_2018

In case there's a problem to post this photo of the pages here, I will delete it of course.

Elyi Magazine announcement Libera concert 2018-05-12 title 30s.JPG
Elyi Magazine announcement Libera concert 2018-05-12 title 30s.JPG (385.11 KiB) Viewed 4686 times
Elyi Magazine announcement Libera concert 2018-05-12 title 30s.JPG
Elyi Magazine announcement Libera concert 2018-05-12 title 30s.JPG (385.11 KiB) Viewed 4686 times
"But in the dark and cold of things there always, always something sings"
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