filiarheni wrote: ↑<span title="Sat Oct 13, 2018 10:03 am">6 years ago</span>
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? [...] The second voice is just too important in this song [...] Hopefully, it's Leo, even though not credited. [...] It's just a much nicer thought to have it natural: that two persons make music together and not only one, by technical help, with him-/herself.
Thanks God! It's Gabe and Leo! After racking our brains, the Japanese booklet is more exact and clarifies the matter by listing both.
But it does not know Victor's surname at For the Future: "Oliver Watt-RodrÃguez, Daniel White, Koji Shinokubo, Oliver Mycka, Mathias Montoro & Victor."
"But in the dark and cold of things there always, always something sings"
filiarheni wrote: ↑<span title="Thu Nov 01, 2018 9:04 pm">6 years ago</span>
filiarheni wrote: ↑<span title="Sat Oct 13, 2018 10:03 am">6 years ago</span>
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? [...] The second voice is just too important in this song [...] Hopefully, it's Leo, even though not credited. [...] It's just a much nicer thought to have it natural: that two persons make music together and not only one, by technical help, with him-/herself.
Thanks God! It's Gabe and Leo! After racking our brains, the Japanese booklet is more exact and clarifies the matter by listing both.
But it does not know Victor's surname at For the Future: "Oliver Watt-RodrÃguez, Daniel White, Koji Shinokubo, Oliver Mycka, Mathias Montoro & Victor."
That's wonderful that the booklet for the Japanese version has the missing information! It's strange, though, that Leo is listed in one but not the other. That's also funny about Victor!
No surprises there as a hardcore music streamer, Libera's CDs are literally the ONLY music in hardcopy I'll ever buy. Or any music I'll buy outright for that matter.
aoba wrote: ↑<span title="Sun Oct 21, 2018 4:58 pm">6 years ago</span>
The following list is the Japanese edition's early purchase bonus notebooks ‘beyond diary mini’.
There are 5 kinds of covers for each CD store.
A rather nice review of "Beyond" in the latest edition of "Church Music Quarterly", which is the magazine of the Royal School of Church Music. Scroll to the bottom of the page to read it here:
WolfPaul wrote: ↑<span title="Mon Dec 10, 2018 10:28 pm">6 years ago</span>
A rather nice review of "Beyond" in the latest edition of "Church Music Quarterly", which is the magazine of the Royal School of Church Music. Scroll to the bottom of the page to read it here:
Thank you for finding and sharing this. Here's hoping that this brings Libera to more prominent attention in professional music circles. Interesting that the author "would like to see a ‘Libera Plus’ group emerge sometime" which he elaborates to mean the Libera boys + (young) men whose voices have changed. I am not sure if he is aware that several boys who sing in Libera have changed voices; but the tiny handful that they have only singing harmony parts (oooh, aaah, etc).
It has been discussed here before what Libera might look like if it had the composition of a more tradition choir of men and boys. Would they still retain their uniqueness? Or would they sound too much like the other choirs of men and boys with which many here are familiar? I am not sure and it undeniably comes down to the selection of music for such a group to sing. Yet I agree with Stuart Robinson, the author of the review, that I would love to hear such a group. Robert Prizeman, without doubt, has the ability to arrange or compose amazing music for such an ensemble to record an album if he ever chooses to do so.
I love the whole album. Every single song is spectacular! I ordered the Japanese version so I have the special track “For the future†and the DVD. For the Future is my favorite song from this Cd, In Paradisum second. This is Leo Barron’s album. When he is not the soloist, he is doing the super high descants or harmonies with the soloist. I agree with Maartendas. This a prayerful album.
Ave Maria – Gabriel Collins – He has a beautiful, sweet voice. This is a very difficult song and Gabriel was flawless. Gabriel is a worthy successor to Tom Cully and Steven Geraghty. I only saw Gabriel sing live once on the USA Tour 2017. I am glad he was able to record this before his voice got lower. Now we have two recorded songs of Gabriel, Smile and Ave Maria. I saw on your concert reviews he is with the tenor section now and that Leo Barron does the solo now. I hope I will be able to see a video of Leo singing it before his voice change.
In Paradisum – Rocco Tesei – Rocco is breathtaking in this song. The Jerusalem part melts my heart every time, and I have watched the video on YouTube so many times I lost count. His voice is so sweet, smooth, gentle, soulful, mature, and powerful all at the same time. It is a lot easier to appreciate his magnificent voice in the Cd and video. Live in concert, the rest of the boys are too loud because there are so many of them (the music is louder) and Rocco is kind of shy and is not clearly heard above the others (except the Jerusalem part). The video is intense, in a good way. The location is incredibly beautiful and the boys’ simple acting bring the lyrics to life. Many have commented on the meaning of the video. From the first time I saw it, I knew it would be special to me and one of my all-time favorites. His voice is just perfect in my humble opinion. I wish he will have many more recorded solos (before he retires from Libera).
Salve Regina – Rocco Tesei - This is a very old, Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary which is said at the end of the rosary. Rocco’s pronunciation is very clear and I can understand every word when he sings. I am glad he got a longer solo on this song; it felt incomplete on the Hope Cd. When I hear the last Maria is sounds different (to me) from the prior version. I like his voice so much. I hope he joins the very short list of Libera singers that keeps their treble voice until they are 16 years old. Correct me if I am wrong, but the short list would include Steven Geraghty, Daniel Fontannaz, and Josh Madine (he did alto in Time). I think Rocco is 13 now since he was 9 years old in the Washington D. C. DVD 2014. Isaac, Alessandro, Camden, and Alex G. all lost their treble voices at around 13 year old.
Sanctus – I like this new version better than the older one. The new verse has great lyrics and shimmering new harmonies. I wonder who does the solo. It is not listed in the cd. Leo Barron probably does the high descant at the beginning of the song which used to be done by Tom Cully and was later removed.
Ave Maria – Merlin Brouwer – He has great control of his beautiful voice but he is not my favorite singer. This song’s solo part was best done by Ed Day, in my opinion. The new musical arrangement with the instrumental and choral parts along with Merlin’s solo make it more beautiful than before. I am glad Merlin got recorded since he is also in the verge of a voice change. His masterful performance in the video of From a Distance is my favorite Merlin solo. He is also fantastic live in Nearer my God to thee which I was fortunate to see live in the USA tour 2018.
Lacrymosa – Alexander Gula and Leo Barron – Alex does the low parts and Leo does the high descant. Alex and Leo are fabulous as a duet. Leo starts the song with a gorgeous solo full of feeling, my favorite part. Alex Gula shows his experience in this song which is very difficult. Alex’s voice is mature, smooth, yet gentle. I really love his voice. It is gorgeous. Alex has an almost tenor voice in the video (Filarheni called his voice breathy). Even though the song has the same name as the Ben Crawley and Ben Phillip version, it is a completely different song. They could have named it something else because the lyrics are not even close. They picked two of the most photogenic Libera boys to star on the video (Leo and Alex G.), besides being exceptional, experienced singers. I don’t think the video has a dark theme. For me the theme goes like this. Alex remembers the good times with his dead friend (scenes playing and talking) and he also conveys sadness (with his face and voice) that his friend, Leo is gone. The only thing I don’t like about it is the weird, creepy blue/green tint which reminds me of the Time video where Josh had a very green face. I like this Lacrymosa but the other very different Lacrymosa by Ben Phillip is my preferred version (and I like the lyrics better too).
Voca Me – Leo Barron – Leo does the super high descant. Leo has a great voice. His voice is so different from Joe Platt and Tom Delgado-Little. It is like each boy gives the song his own personality. Who does the Lacrymosa dolorosa part? In the Washington D. C. video Ciaran and Matthew did it. I think Voca Me sounds better when you have more tenors/basses as well as the alto voices. From the list of singers, it seems that the only low voices are Isaac, Alessandro, Alex Montoro, and Gregor. To me, the lower voices support the trebles and altos and make the sound richer and more balanced.
The Prayer – Daniel White – Great successor to Isaac London! His voice is so smooth and controlled. He sings like he is so much older and experienced. For those who have not seen him live, he is only 9 years old. He has great stage presence when he sings live, just like Isaac did at the same age. I think Daniel will probably be the next leader in Libera. That is, after Leo’s voice changes. I read somewhere that Alex Gula was the leader during the USA Tour 2018, but he is with the lower voices now (according to the reviews of the Japan tour 2018), so I guess Leo is the boss now. Funny enough, Daniel called Leo his boss in the interview Alex G, Leo, Daniel, and Robert Prizeman did at Christ Cathedral. We can expect great things from little Daniel! Hopefully, they will film him singing other songs.
Do not stand – Gabriel Collins and Leo Barron – Gabriel sings this song with great feeling and tenderness. His voice sounds somewhat lower, more like an alto. He is very gentle. Leo does the very high harmony perfectly. I wish I had seen it live. Very worthy successors to the Tom Cully/Ed Day duet. For me, this song is about Jesus telling Mary Magdalene not to weep for him at the garden by his tomb when she went there on Resurrection day. She found Jesus alive and overjoyed went to tell the apostles (John 20:11-18).
Benedictus Deus – Leo Barron – Leo is so different from Tom Delgado-Little. He can reach the stratospheric notes easily but does not sound as sharp as when Tom did it. You cannot understand some of the words as Leo sings them. Tom’s enunciation was crisp and clear. Don’t get me wrong, Leo is stupendous and has a beautiful voice too. Other than the words, you can hardly tell the difference between their voices. Another outstanding performance by Leo.
Mother of God – Sounds like it is a cappella. It is beautiful. You can hear the perfect blend between the trebles and the low voices. This is a very gentle song. Like Daniel said, it is very calming.
For the future – This is an outstanding song. I am so GLAD I ordered the Japanese version of the Cd. Some of you were lucky enough to hear it live. I wish they would post a video of the whole song. This is a true Libera song with the spectacular harmonies and the great solos. Daniel White and Oliver Watt- Rodriguez start the song each with an incredible solo in Japanese. WOW!!! There is a sweetness and maturity in their voices that is a pleasure to hear. We need more great solos from those two. I believe they are both 9 years old. Koji, Oliver M, Mathias, and Victor are credited as soloists but I cannot tell who is who by listening to the Cd. I only know who starts it because of the teaser video clip of this song. I think the gorgeous harmonies are as complicated as the ones in the new Sanctus or the older Voca Me. It is mind blowing to me how each Libera boy can sing his incredibly complicated voice part without getting confused by the boy next to him (since the voice parts are all mixed up across the stage when they sing live). For the future is very beautiful music even though I have no idea what they are saying (I play it in the car). Kindakool did a translation in Libera Dreams. For me For the Future is the best song of the Cd but In Paradisum has the best solo singing.
Egorbea2018 wrote: ↑<span title="Tue Dec 11, 2018 2:21 pm">6 years ago</span> Lacrymosa – Alexander Gula and Leo Barron – Alex does the low parts and Leo does the high descant. Alex and Leo are fabulous as a duet. Leo starts the song with a gorgeous solo full of feeling, my favorite part. Alex Gula shows his experience in this song which is very difficult. Alex’s voice is mature, smooth, yet gentle. I really love his voice. It is gorgeous. Alex has an almost tenor voice in the video (Filarheni called his voice breathy). Even though the song has the same name as the Ben Crawley and Ben Phillip version, it is a completely different song. They could have named it something else because the lyrics are not even close. They picked two of the most photogenic Libera boys to star on the video (Leo and Alex G.), besides being exceptional, experienced singers. I don’t think the video has a dark theme. For me the theme goes like this. Alex remembers the good times with his dead friend (scenes playing and talking) and he also conveys sadness (with his face and voice) that his friend, Leo is gone. The only thing I don’t like about it is the weird, creepy blue/green tint which reminds me of the Time video where Josh had a very green face. I like this Lacrymosa but the other very different Lacrymosa by Ben Phillip is my preferred version (and I like the lyrics better too).
I very much agree with your comments. I've always wondered why Alex G wasn't given more solos, when he actually has a fantastic voice and is often quite able to convey the emotions necessary for the songs. He might not be as technically refined as TDL or Tom Cully of old (although that might be up for debate as well), but he IS very experienced (5 years and counting from his first appearance back in 2013!). Leo is equally accomplished, in both vocal technique and experience. Although he's 13 now and his voice is obviously changing, I hope he'll retain the purity of his voice for a while more.
Normally I don't really like the 'darker' songs, but I think this version of Lacrymosa and its accompanying music video is fantastic, mostly thanks to the dynamic duo of Alex and Leo. And as you so aptly put it, it certainly doesn't hurt that Alex and Leo are quite photogenic and have good acting skills.
Thank you for the review, Egorbea2018! Your assessments and commentaries about the various songs, solos, and arrangements particular to "Beyond" were fun to read and I agree with many of them.
Reading reviews by other fans is the best because we get to see how others describe and enjoy the same music we do.
filiarheni wrote: ↑<span title="Sun Dec 23, 2018 1:43 pm">6 years ago</span>
Surpinto wrote: ↑<span title="Sun Dec 23, 2018 3:13 am">6 years ago</span>
While I understand the analysis, my understanding is that anything Libera recorded with Warner prior to going independent is owned by Warner. So either Libera recorded the same song again exactly the same somehow, or that song had specific rights associated with it which nullifies Warner's exclusivity.
Yes, my guess would be some kind of specified agreement.
Of course I have no idea about their contract details and specifications for each song, but perhaps there was a time of 10 years or less licensed so that the song was free now.
However, it will probably remain a mysterium, and it leads me to Benedictus Deus once more: Lately I've been wondering whether there was a copyright/licence issue with using Thomas DL's voice still today and if part of a deal might have been to newly release the song with someone else. I'm aware that this sounds wild. But there must be whatever reason, as the fact of handling it like this is wild as well in my opinion.
"But in the dark and cold of things there always, always something sings"
filiarheni wrote: ↑<span title="Sun Dec 23, 2018 1:44 pm">6 years ago</span>
Lately I've been wondering whether there was a copyright/licence issue with using Thomas DL's voice still today and if part of a deal might have been to newly release the song with someone else. I'm aware that this sounds wild. But there must be whatever reason, as the fact of handling it like this is wild as well in my opinion.
Although the song was recorded before they when they went independent for the release of Hope, I am sure that Warner has no rights to any recordings which were not released on albums. Libera has been clever and has retained all copyrights on the songs/arrangements themselves to Robert Prizeman, only the particular musical recording of a song has copyright to anyone else.
I know that doesn't address your question about how Libera got permission to commercialize "Benedictus Deus" which was not written by Robert Prizeman. I assume they got permission as part of the recording deal for the film it was in.
Yes, I'm fine with that and my understanding of the practice in this business is in accordance with this completely. However, what I was aiming at with my question was that quick replacement of Thomas DL's voice. I may have expressed it clumsily. I meant: Could there have been another label with a right on "using" Thomas's voice so that a replacement by another boy - Leo - was required? Or is this thought too far-fetched?
"But in the dark and cold of things there always, always something sings"
filiarheni wrote: ↑<span title="Mon Dec 24, 2018 8:59 am">6 years ago</span> Yes, I'm fine with that and my understanding of the practice in this business is in accordance with this completely. However, what I was aiming at with my question was that quick replacement of Thomas DL's voice. I may have expressed it clumsily. I meant: Could there have been another label with a right on "using" Thomas's voice so that a replacement by another boy - Leo - was required? Or is this thought too far-fetched?
They have never performed it live or done a recording of it for commercial reasons
so I think it was recorded again as it’s a beautiful song and it was another song on the album that had been positively received on the album before.
Thanks God! It's Gabe and Leo! After racking our brains, the Japanese booklet is more exact and clarifies the matter by listing both.
as a hardcore music streamer, Libera's CDs are literally the ONLY music in hardcopy I'll ever buy. Or any music I'll buy outright for that matter.
