USA summer 2014

Talks and reviews about Libera concerts or public appearances

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JimmyRiddle
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Re: USA summer 2014

Post by JimmyRiddle »

mbbrose wrote:Ah! Thank you for posting about more seats opening up! Thanks to you I was able to get a much closer seat :)
Well done, glad you got a seat near the front. They didn't last for long! Only ones right at the very back available and a few restricted view seating still left. Looking forward to hearing the reviews.
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Re: USA summer 2014

Post by mbbrose »

I'm sitting in the basillica after running into the boys downstairs. They were having something to eat prior to the rehearsal. This venue is very open and people are free to meander around.

As of now I've got a very close seat for the rehearsal and am watching all of the preparations and logistics unfold. I can even hear RP talking things over with the director! I will be very glad to do a write up this evening as well as tomorrow. This is unbelievable!!!
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Re: USA summer 2014

Post by mbbrose »

The rehearsal tonight began at 7:30. It got off to a slow start due to some technical issues. This caused the rehearsal to run past 10pm! By the end the boys were really sleepy but held up well. Although I did notice one boy had to leave the stage and was looking unwell. (I'd rather not say who just to be considerate.)

As I said previously, the venue was open well before the concert. People were walking around in the basilica while lighting and sound was getting set up. There were a fair amount of instrumentalists. One side of the stage had strings and the other had winds, percussion and keyboards. Josh was there playing keyboard and piano.

There are A LOT of boys on this tour, which is great! Big back row.

Since it's late, I will give concert order then do a part 2 tomorrow...I'll have a lot of downtime.

Joyful joyful
How Can I Keep From Singing
Be Still My Soul (nice surprise with this one :D)
Morning Has Broken
America The Beautiful
Wayfaring Stranger
Wonderful World
Amazing Grace
The Prayer

Interval

I Vow To Thee My Country
Ave Maria
How Great Thou Art
Rest In Peace
Sanctus
Song of Life
How Shall I Sing That Majesty
Voca Me
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JimmyRiddle
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Re: USA summer 2014

Post by JimmyRiddle »

Thanks for sharing those thoughts mbbrose - much appreciated for those who cannot be there.

There does appear to be a much more open & relaxed feeling to this concert, probably because PBS are taking care of the staging and technicalities it allows Libera to fully concentrate on the music alone.

Some great pictures of the lighting have been released, I'll include a few here (credits are under each pic)...

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Official Libera - Twitter

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Patrick's Twitter - lots more updates posted on his timeline worth checking ;)

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Lauren's Twitter - goes without saying, another timeline worth following!

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Yuki's Facebook

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Warner Classics USA - Twitter

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Jeroen Jans This is a dutch company responsible for the lighting

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PMTV - According to their facebook page this is the company providing HD Mobile Production Facilities- steady cams, jibs & operators for this amazing PBS concert.
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Horticult2000
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Re: USA summer 2014

Post by Horticult2000 »

Thanks Jimmy for reposting these pictures. As one of those that do not have Twitter I enjoy this. You mentioned Jeroen Jans, you realise he is also the one who did the lighting for the Leiden concert. Probably has contacts with PBS.
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john45
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Re: USA summer 2014

Post by john45 »

At the trial run on the 6th the lighting, the staging and the performances were all magnificent, but the boys themselves were obviously very tired and RP’s exhortations for smiley faces did not meet with the usual enthusiasm. What a difference a good night’s rest and an appreciative audience of more than 1500 make.
At last night’s concert all the boys were in top form and obviously enjoying themselves.

Some highlights.

“Be still my Soul”, a personal favourite. Great harmonies from the back row.

The lighting for “Morning has Broken” simulating a glorious sunrise.

“America the Beautiful”. Stirring arrangement sung with great passion by these young ambassadors. I’m not American, but I could sense the emotional response and pride of the audience. There was a charming moment when one of the younger boys was so intently caught up in the music that he forget to join the others for their final central grouping. I hope they keep it in the broadcast/dvd.

“Wayfaring Stranger” Magnificent. Sam started a long way back on the vast stage in brilliant white light. He gradually came forward to form the apex of an "Ave Verum" like "V" formation for the rousing finale.

“Wonderful World”. Cute introduction with six of the boys speaking in their second language – Alex Gula (Polish), Lucas (Mexican Spanish), Thomas (Spanish), Sam (French), Isaac (Gaelic), Alex Montoro (Italian) - followed by yet another wonderful solo by Isaac.

"The Prayer" - move over Andrea Bocelli.

“Ave Maria”. Great showcase for the “awesome” talent of Thomas Delgado-Little. At the trial run on the 6th, even the orchestra joined the applause.

“How Great Thou Art” Another favourite, beautiful solo by Sam.

“Rest in Peace” Introduced by Ciaran and Alessandro who reminded us that it was written by Peter Skillern, in memory of 911 victims in New York “and here in Washington”. More stirling work from Tom.

“Song of Life” I hesitate to say Isaac at his best – because he just gets better and better.

“How Shall I Sing That Majesty” Led by Lucas and Alessandro.

“Voca Me” Once again, amazing high notes from Tom. Lets hope this time it makes it to the DVD/CD. If anyone from Libera should read this, we are still waiting for the recording that was made in Armagh.

Another great concert. The release of the DVD in the Spring of 2015 seems a long way off, but I guarantee it will be worth the wait.
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Re: USA summer 2014

Post by PaulWSpaceRockDodger »

Many thanks for your detailed report on Libera's Washington concert! It is great to see how each new "generation" of LIbera achieves such excellence as singers. What a tribute to the brilliant direction of Robert Prizeman -- and, of course, to the dedication of all the boys in Libera, as well as to the choir's support network, including, of course, the boys' parents! I'm also impressed by the range of other languages spoken by Libera's members, which is in part also a reflection of Libera's ethnic diversity. One question on a separate subject: is there any way that fans who were not able to attend the Washington concert can purchase copies of the concert program and/or some of the souvenirs that were on sale at the concert (e.g. caps)?
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fan_de_LoK
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Re: USA summer 2014

Post by fan_de_LoK »

PaulWSpaceRockDodger wrote:One question on a separate subject: is there any way that fans who were not able to attend the Washington concert can purchase copies of the concert program and/or some of the souvenirs that were on sale at the concert (e.g. caps)?
Yes it will have a way : it was said to keep watching http://libera.org as an online shop will be set on the site for the remaining goodies after the concert. Based on what I saw on the tables at the very end, it seems to me that all kind of items were avalable but somes were on piles almost empied. So I recommand you to buy quickly what you want at sales opening, to avoid a sold-out of the item.

Thank you for your review John, hope to see you again very soon :)
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maartendas
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Re: USA summer 2014

Post by maartendas »

What a special selection of songs. So looking forward to hearing Libera's version of Wayfaring stranger, Amazing grace, The prayer and particularly How great thou art. Cool to see Song of Life made its place as one of Libera's own classic songs :D Thanks for the pictures too!
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tom413
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Re: USA summer 2014

Post by tom413 »

Back home after a long day of driving yesterday.

This event was more open in its access due to the fact that the basilica is open to the public until 7:00pm every day without exception. While the nave was open, the pews were not necessarily, so ticket holders were able to get the seats they secured without difficulty. The basilica's access policy resulted in all practices and retakes being open to the public. On Thursday afternoon, I noticed a small crowd watching Ciaran delivering one of his speeches several times over. :)

I concur with John's comments about the Wednesday rehearsal. It clearly was a long day for the boys and two of them
were not able to fully complete their scheduled duties, but both bounced back and did great on Thursday after some much needed rest and relaxation.

For me the absolute highlight was Wayfaring Stranger. This song had the combination of being well staged, well lit
and well performed. I really hope it looks as good on the DVD as it did in person. On a personal basis, I was also
excited to hear Be Still My Soul live for the first time. While I had seen Rest in Peace live before, this performance
featured more of the choristers than it did in 2008 and went over well I think. I Vow to Thee My Country, an odd
addition for a selection of mostly American tunes, was performed as more of a group effort rather than a Matthew Jansen solo piece.
Though it's hard to tell from where I was situated, I believe that Morning Has Broken will also score points on the DVD for its lighting.
How Great Thou Art also struck me as much improved from this spring, Sam Wiggin
had a great two nights! Fans of Isaac, Tom and Ciaran's solo work will also not be disappointed and Alessandro
will now have a solo burned on DVD for the rest of his life. :D

One of the nice things about these TV productions are that many veteran Libera members are brought back
to fill in the back row. It was a true pleasure to see Henry, Anthony, Sammy, Tiarnan, Sam Leggett, Daniel and Kavana
back in their robes. Reminiscent of the Channel Islands tour Josh had both vocal and keyboard duties.

All in all a fine concert. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for one more opportunity to see Libera again this year.
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Yorkie
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Re: USA summer 2014

Post by Yorkie »

Thanks for the write up gentlemen.

FDL has posted his write up on the French Forum + a handy guide to who is who from one of their Washington D.C. photos



john45 wrote: “America the Beautiful”. Stirring arrangement sung with great passion by these young ambassadors. I’m not American, but I could sense the emotional response and pride of the audience. There was a charming moment when one of the younger boys was so intently caught up in the music that he forget to join the others for their final central grouping. I hope they keep it in the broadcast/dvd.
Surely you have a little bit of American in there somewhere John?
Last edited by Yorkie on Mon Aug 11, 2014 3:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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john45
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Re: USA summer 2014

Post by john45 »

[quote="Yorkie] "Surely you have a little bit of American in their somewhere John?[/quote]

The closest I have is my great uncle Arthur (Pritchard). He emigrated to the USA in the early 1900's and was quite well known as a radio sports commentator in New Orleans. I met him once. There is a fairly large extended family but sadly we have lost touch.

And yes, I did shed a vicarious tear.

John
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hiskeys
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Re: USA summer 2014

Post by hiskeys »

Good evening all.

I was excited to be able to go, and bring someone from our church youth group as well to see his first Libera concert. He thoroughly enjoyed it and didn't mind the drive from Florida.

The concert was fantastic, and I'm sure the setting and lighting will bode well for the DVD.

I believe the highlight for me this time (after seeing them in April for the first time) was the Meet and Greet. Just being able to chat with them for a while (and Eleanor Lewis) confirms everything we already know - that they're just a great bunch of young gentlemen, in addition to being good disciplined singers. Hats off to the parents and staff (especially Robert), since nothing with this kind of impact happens without a significant combined effort.

I thought that the new selection of merchandise was a great idea also. There was a good variety, and it gives fans something else to collect in between CDs and concerts.

And, I know it's another thread, but the Songs of Praise special was just that - very special. Throw in the Kennedy Patrons, and it was a busy summer.
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hiskeys
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Re: USA summer 2014

Post by hiskeys »

By the way, I forgot rather someone on this thread or somewhere else mentioned it, but the reason they didn't look into the Washington National Cathedral for this DVD is because it is still undergoing restoration from the 2011 earthquake. It has netting on the inside ceiling where they're inspecting each block.
TullyBascombe
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Re: USA summer 2014

Post by TullyBascombe »

I had though of asking that very question. There was also some damage to our church in Lynchburg, VA, which is 170 years old, and to Bruton Parish in Richmond, Va. I believe that Bruton Parish is about 270 years old
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