Beyond

[bachmahlerfan]

It appears that Libera has posted a compilation of samples of the songs in 'Beyond'. The samples are MUCH longer than those previously available on iTunes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYDWO1z ... e=youtu.be

The video is unlisted though, so I'm not sure if this might be an inadvertent leak...

I don't think it's inadvertent considering that Libera has posted an entry about it on both Facebook and Twitter. The sample of Caccini/Vavilov "Ave Maria" makes me more convinced that Alex Montoro is the soloist, because the soloist hits some very high notes which we didn't hear in other samples. I don't think Gabe Collins or Alex Gula could've done that.

Is Leo capable of those notes by any chance?

Leo is certainly capable of those notes, but some people who have heard his voice live tend to think that it's a different voice, and if you listen to the "Voca Me" samples (assuming it's Leo) the voices sound rather different. Also, Leo's lack of history as a soloist outside of "Voca Me" is another reason to doubt him being the soloist. Personally, I see some similarities between this voice and Alex M's solos on the "Hope" album. Of course, we're assuming that it would've been recorded before Alex M's voice change.

[filiarheni]

10th October's song at ClassicFM was Lacrymosa, which totally surprised me. I didn't think they'd choose one more originally instrumental classical song. But ok, it's their genre ... and so in the playlist Salve Regina dutifully doesn't appear as "Salve Regina", but as "Impromptu Gb major D. 899 No. 3 Opus 90" and Lacrymosa is "Carnival of the Animals (7)".

Here it is, at 1:14:10:
https://www.classicfm.com/radio/aod/?ep ... 75a2beb405

The playlist reveals the soloists, Alex G. and Leo, and also lists Rocco for In Paradisum, but dodged the naming for Salve Regina and just wrote "Libera".

And here at 2:45:57 there is Mother of God from another broadcast on Saturday morning, so not exactly belonging to this series, but it appears with the "Beyond" cover and was labelled by the moderator Jane Jones as taster for this week's upcoming broadcasts of the other songs, presented by John Brunning.

https://www.classicfm.com/radio/aod/?ep ... 2b30b70d43

[justin]

I have just listened intently to 'Beyond' in its entirety, and I think my favorite song now is "Do not stand at my grave and weep". Alex Gula's voice is impeccably smooth, pleasant and brimming with emotion; the fact that he sings at a slightly lower register than the original Tom Cully / Ed's rendition did not diminish the power of the song one bit.

On a side note, I think Ave Maria (Caccini)'s soloist might just be Alex Montoro.

[john45]

I have just listened intently to 'Beyond' in its entirety, and I think my favorite song now is "Do not stand at my grave and weep". Alex Gula's voice is impeccably smooth, pleasant and brimming with emotion; the fact that he sings at a slightly lower register than the original Tom Cully / Josh Madine's rendition did not diminish the power of the song one bit.

On a side note, I think Ave Maria (Caccini)'s soloist might just be Alex Montoro.

Neither song is either Alex.

[dani]

So as I said it was all along it was Gabe on Ave M

I am really happy that I could tell his tone of voice.

[john45]

So as I said it was all along it was Gabe on Ave M

I am really happy that I could tell his tone of voice.

Congratulations Dani.

You were they only one to get it right.

[filiarheni]

I have just listened intently to 'Beyond' in its entirety, and I think my favorite song now is "Do not stand at my grave and weep". Alex Gula's voice is impeccably smooth, pleasant and brimming with emotion; the fact that he sings at a slightly lower register than the original Tom Cully / Josh Madine's rendition did not diminish the power of the song one bit.

On a side note, I think Ave Maria (Caccini)'s soloist might just be Alex Montoro.

Neither song is either Alex.

And so the soloist speculations go on and on until the bitter good end.

I'm quite convinced it's Gabe and Leo on Do Not Stand. It sounds like this to me and moreover, I don't see any reason for changing last December concert's duet constellation of these two.

@Dani: Yes, congratulations! I'm glad to hear it's Gabe! Now I'm super curious to hear the song in good technical sound quality, as I can't listen accordingly properly today.

I have just listened intently to 'Beyond' in its entirety, and I think my favorite song now is "Do not stand at my grave and weep". Alex Gula's voice is impeccably smooth, pleasant and brimming with emotion; the fact that he sings at a slightly lower register than the original Tom Cully / Josh Madine's rendition did not diminish the power of the song one bit.

Josh ...? I think there is confusion with Ed who sang it with Tom. Or I miss a live version. And lower register ... no, it's the same (I can have them sing in a nice quartet ). Or do I misunderstand what you mean?


Now to complete this week's broadcast collection - or is there still one song to be expected for tomorrow? - at this place, here is today's Ave Maria (Vavilov or Caccini), at 1:11:18:
https://www.classicfm.com/radio/aod/?ep ... 55f2d614fb

[justin]

Neither song is either Alex.

And so the soloist speculations go on and on until the bitter good end.

I'm quite convinced it's Gabe and Leo on Do Not Stand. It sounds like this to me and moreover, I don't see any reason for changing last December concert's duet constellation of these two.

I have yet to hear Gabe live unfortunately, neither did I have the opportunity to go to last December's concert, so I can only make my best guess based on what I remember of their individual voices, and it REALLY sounds like Alex Gula to me

Josh ...? I think there is confusion with Ed who sang it with Tom. Or I miss a live version. And lower register ... no, it's the same (I can have them sing in a nice quartet ). Or do I misunderstand what you mean?

Ah yes, I stand corrected, it was Tom and Ed. Regarding the lower register, I've tried comparing the two recordings and it really does sound to me that Alex Gula/Gabriel (or whoever it was) sings at a slightly lower register..... or am I imagining things?

[bachmahlerfan]

So, Gabe Collins is the soloist on the Caccini/Vavilov "Ave Maria" after all. I didn't realize he had the high range to pull it off. I knew that his younger brother can go that high, but not him.

[filiarheni]

Thank you, John and Patrick, for your information and always helpful advice to the fellow fans!

Yesterday, I had no chance to listen, so I've just caught up with it. I would like to try if this direct link to yesterday's broadcast works?

Salve Regina (it's at 1:13:40, as John mentioned above)
https://www.classicfm.com/radio/aod/?ep ... be4053a4f6

They used the "Hope" recordings of choir, orchestra and Rocco. I've been wondering anyway if Benedictus Deus and Mother of God are the only songs with parts of older recordings taken over to "Beyond".

The soloist of the first verse sounds different from Rocco to me, younger somehow in his voice. Not sure though.

I hear at least a remastering as some parts sound more distinct than they did on the original. As someone who considers the Hope "Salve Regina" a top favorite I listened very closely to that song and, while my track record on guessing soloists is poor, I think there is a possibility that it is Rocco at the beginning. I agree that it sounds like they used the ending solo from Hope.

Yes, they worked a shine upon it so that it sounds brighter now.

Libera Records reveals the first 1'30'' of the new song and video 'For the future'

https://libera-records.com/news/2018/10/10/735/

It as at least 2 different soloists.

It sounds very pleasant
I can't wait to listen it in full and hear it live!!

Screenshot_2018-10-10-08-26-58.png

"[...]The completed "tomorrow ~ for the future" is the world view of LIBERA itself. It blesses our life like a hymn and praises our future. The interlude is in Italian, Spanish, Polish, French, the word "to the future to for the future" of the country of origin of the member of LIBERA. It is not magic of music that instantly bring out such global symbiosis and impression."

I like what I've heard of the song and I love the sweet duet by Oliver WR and Daniel! Oliver sings really nicely, and look at the trace of a smile at 0:42!
And Daniel: Again and again I can't believe how his face can look so much younger than his voice sounds ... so mature! And both voices fit to the song and they fit together just perfectly!

Several languages, that's fine. Could that give some hope to have it in a normal UK concert, too? I always think so about the "guest gifts" like "Bayan Ko", "The Moon Represents My Heart", "Arirang" etc.: That they should not only be meant for the local audience of their relevant tour countries, but for us all. Songs of other countries and with different languages make it so colourful.

[Surpinto]

My album review!

Ave Maria (Caccini)
I must say that I am impressed with Gabe. This is no easy song and requires hitting a few high notes quickly and accurately. The arrangement is good and distinct. Nothing else to say other than it is a very solid performance in line with the high standard of the prior version by Tom Cully.

In Paradisum [/size]
Since we had the music video first and this piece was also sung in concerts, we know the song already. But that does not make the song any less powerful when listening again and again and again. Rocco’s voice leads the song masterfully and the piece is very touching and elevating. A favorite on the album for me; this piece simply cannot be denied its rightful place as a fan favorite ever since it was sung in Ely 2018.

Salve Regina
This new arrangement adds an amazing solo part by Rocco to the piece. Some stated when Hope came out that, while they enjoyed the piece, it was a bit slow and repetitive for them. I disagreed with them at the time though I understood why they felt this way. With this new iteration it certainly cannot be argued that this issue has been left unresolved. With a new introductory solo and what sounds like a redo of the Hope solo at the end, I think that this song has now had new life breathed into it. Excellent.

Sanctus
Ah, the obligatory “Sanctus”, how predictable, tired, and boring right? My perennial complaint that they need to stop putting this song on every single album they release has not been heard; and for once I am glad that I have been ignored . Libera has managed to renew this song for me with the new verse which adds a new twist to this all too familiar piece. The new verse actually sounds quite intimate in its recording; my guess being that they used a smaller number of boys than usual and maybe a closer microphone or set of microphones. I’m no audio or sound recording expert so I could be wrong, but whatever they did just makes the song sound more amazing.

Ave Maria (Prizeman)
Those of us who have heard this in concert know that Merlin does an excellent job on this song and this recording is no different as he has a very distinct voice with a rather pure tone. The recording is actually distinct from the live version. Particularly the instrumentation here is interesting with what sounds like a violin whose strings are being plucked or more likely a harp beginning at 2:50 which starts as a transition for the last section of the song. The song is well done and the instrumentation unique. The live version was good and there is less power/projection on the solo verses than in concerts (which is to be expected), but this album version comes with all of the necessary polish we would expect.

Lacrymosa
With Alex’s lower voice the song is markedly different from previous studio album recordings (Luminosa and Peace). Ben Crawley on the former and Ben Phillipp on the latter have a softer, sweeter, and higher tone to their voices which makes the singing a bit incongruous with the very weighty words about crying out to heaven for help out of fear and terror. The mood is suitably darker and at first I was put off by it because I am accustomed to the previous versions, but after a second listen I was totally hooked. An effective counterbalance is created between Alex’s lower voice on the one hand, and the choir as a whole combined with Leo’s higher notes on the other. This serves to create a very mysterious effect that elevates this song for me. A very good refresh on this old, but certainly not tired, Libera song.

Voca Me
This is the same version sung in recent concerts and has distinctive high notes. The lyrics have been changed to all Latin and, while the melody may seem a bit different due to where the emphasis on the new Latin words falls, the melody remains unchanged. This is another successful reboot of a fan favorite. Good job Leo!

The Prayer
An excellent piece sung very well by Daniel. The last time we heard this song recorded was by Isaac on the live album “Libera in America” and Daniel is a worthy successor to that solo part both in recent concerts and on this album. We have discussed this song and Daniel’s excellent solo a lot after the recent concerts at this forum so I will not add anything more as my personal appreciation and enjoyment of this song has already been expressed.

Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep
This song is an exact duplicate in terms of the arrangement as Free. It is a peaceful and calming piece. Gabe’s solo, and what I assume are Leo’s high notes, are solid.

Benedictus Deus
A beautiful song for sure. The arrangement and everything else, aside from the soloist, is identical to the Hope album so any comparison can only speak to that difference alone. While TDL was arguably one of Libera’s best soloists in terms of his pure tone and ability, this version certainly compares to that one. Having listened to both side by side, including the solo parts alone, I am at a loss to choose a favorite version of this song. That fact in and of itself speaks volumes for how well Leo measured up on this piece. Excellent.

Mother of God
Last heard on Eternal, this song, which sounds like it is sung acappella, is incredibly peaceful and touching. The arrangement appears identical to the previous version although the recording quality is a tad higher. I am glad that this song is being reintroduced as the peaceful quality it brings definitely makes it a go-to for when I am feeling stressed and need the comfort of music to alleviate the same.

Overall, the album is solid. When I originally saw the track list I was disappointed by the repeat songs, but these reboots, new soloists, and new arrangements have surpassed my expectations. Well done, Libera, on another new album. I will be listening to many of these songs constantly from now on!

[justin]

In Paradisum [/size]
Since we had the music video first and this piece was also sung in concerts, we know the song already. But that does not make the song any less powerful when listening again and again and again. Rocco’s voice leads the song masterfully and the piece is very touching and elevating. A favorite on the album for me; this piece simply cannot be denied its rightful place as a fan favorite ever since it was sung in Ely 2018.

Salve Regina
This new arrangement adds an amazing solo part by Rocco to the piece. Some stated when Hope came out that, while they enjoyed the piece, it was a bit slow and repetitive for them. I disagreed with them at the time though I understood why they felt this way. With this new iteration it certainly cannot be argued that this issue has been left unresolved. With a new introductory solo and what sounds like a redo of the Hope solo at the end, I think that this song has now had new life breathed into it. Excellent.

Overall, the album is solid. When I originally saw the track list I was disappointed by the repeat songs, but these reboots, new soloists, and new arrangements have surpassed my expectations. Well done, Libera, on another new album. I will be listening to many of these songs constantly from now on!

Thanks Surpinto for a great review, much of it echoes my thoughts about the album! I think among all of the current soloists, I like Rocco's vocals the most. He may not have the highest range (I think Leo does, correct me if I'm wrong), but his voice is sweet, powerful and mature.

[james010101]

Libera Records has revealed that the Japanese special "Tomorrow to the Future" (明日へ～for the future) has been released today for Libera Japan Fan Club members, and will only be available for a brief 24 hours.

https://libera-records.com/news/2018/10/13/780/

Edit: And as Patrick kindly pointed out, the full video should be released to the public on 17th Oct.

Spoiler

► Show Spoiler

I can confirm that there will indeed be a segment of the song in several other languages, sung by the respective boys who have a connection to those languages/countries. Also, since this song is meant to be a tribute to the Japanese audience/fans, you can expect to see a wonderful solo delivered by Libera's very own Japanese member.

[fan_de_LoK]

Surely the full video will be made public when the Japanese version of Beyond will be released, on October 17th

► Show Spoiler

So there are more than 2 soloists, they are 4.
With the few words sung in Italian, Spanish, Polish and French, it adds 2 other faces, two the of boys being on both solo and language.

The French word used for 'future' is not 'futur' although it seemed obvious, it's a synonym: 'avenir', probably chosen for musical reason.

The video is simple yet really beautiful

[filiarheni]

What I forgot to say about that "To the Future" video, but wanted to highlight: Dominik is so involved in singing, he visibly enjoys it and really goes with the music. It's a joy for me to watch him!

I'm confused about the soloist crediting in the "Beyond" booklet. Only Gabe is listed there for Do Not Stand. Now is the other one Leo? It should be him, like in London, but where's his name? I looked up the other booklets: On "Free" Ben and Joe are listed. On "Angel Voices - Libera in Concert" only Tom, not Ed. But we know that it was Ed singing the second voice.
The second voice is just too important in this song, as they complement each other in an extraordinary way.

Do Not Stand stays such a beautiful song ...

@Surpinto: Thank you for your review which I'll read after I've written mine.