Glad you enjoyed it Danny & Karppoo...
I wont' bore you with a long review but a few thoughts about Friday's concert;
Firstly this was a huge step forward in the presentation for audience attending UK concerts. As your probably aware they installed two massive rear projection screens for those seated in the side aisles and who would have their usual view blocked by the cathedral columns. I'm sure this was the reason, why there was more people seated in those areas than previous years. Also they hooked up two very large flat screen TV's for those towards the back of the church in the centre aisles...(and as I joined a queue that was already snaking round the outside railings, this was very much appreciated). The live in-concert filming was very impressive and professional. The camera focused on the relevant soloists and allowed you to appreciate the songs even more.
Corpus Christi Carol
TDL (Thomas Delgado Little) contributed in many fine solo passages throughout; his highlight (and probably mine, amongst many) of the whole concert was his complete solo in 'Corpus Christi Carol' . There's something very special when a lone treble sings into the near silence of a hushed concert venue. His floating upper register was very captivating and I noticed fellow audience members also bewitched by it. The soft low-level lighting helped set the mood.
Hymn To Mary
This was not listed in the program as we discovered on their Philippine tour - it was an impromptu solo by Isaac and sat between the last two songs of the first half. I was very happy to personally witness it live. I think Isaac knelt down whilst singing it and some of the other boys knelt behind him. There was only a soft accompaniment from the piano. Isaac's singing voice is very rich and meaningful and he paints a picture with the lyrics. This was another part of the concert which put the audience in a deeply reflective mood. We didn't have Danny Boy this time, but this more than made up for it.
Dreaming of Home
This is such a wonderful addition to the libera repertoire and I hope it makes it to CD. Libera's arrangement is stunning and there's a solo passage by Tom that is quite breathtaking and would have given his famous namesake of previous years a run for his money with the very impressive top notes. His control was exceptional. The film
Joyeux Noël as obviously given it a sincere connection with troops going off to war with the high probability of never returning home, but you could easily associate it with being away from home in any circumstances. A favourite for sure.
Voca Me
Always ranks high on my list of favourite Libera songs. We all know how the song goes, and how the build up of momentum progresses to an ear splitting climax, but again, nothing can match being lucky enough to be there in person. No bats this time, but I'm sure anything alive up in the rafters would have been awoken from slumber. Probably would have created a talking point for those members of the passing public outside too.
The other Christmas songs were performed much like the Ireland DVD, and I detected little if any mistakes or slight imperfections. It was quite a flawless performance, one of the best I've been too. There was a little coughing towards the very end, but it was most likely due to being tired (remember they were at school that day). Libera have got some very competent young singers in their pack now, if they can commit to the cause, I'm sure they will become even better in years to come.
The programme was appropriately festive in appearance, and continued the high quality glossy layout and photographs we've evolved from since the A4 photocopied printouts of 2007.
I noticed a pickup in the amplification levels after a few songs of each half. It's a very tricky venue to service with limited speakers. So whilst some of the audience seated from halfway to the back would have greatly welcomed the extra volume (I know I did), maybe those sat at the front and nearest to the speakers could have found it a little loud at times. The sound mixing guys probably have the toughest job, full credit to them.
