New CD "Christmas with LIBERA" in 2019

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fan_de_LoK
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Re: New Christmas CD in 2019

Post by fan_de_LoK »

Thanks to Aoba who reported it on twitter, we now know the Western version release date, tracks list and cover :)

The album will be named "Christmas Carols With Libera".
It will be released on Friday November 15th.
It has 17 tracks, the same as for the Japanese version, not in the same order though.

01. In dulci jubilo
02. Walking in the air
03. Ding dong merrily on high
04. In the bleak mid-winter
05. Noël nouvelet
06. Once in royal David’s city
07. I saw three ships
08. What child is this (Greensleeves)
09. Sing lullaby (The infant King)
10. Carol of the bells
11. Wexford carol
12. O little town of Bethlehem
13. The angel Gabriel
14. Poor little Jesus
15. Gaudete
16. Silent night
17. Do you hear what I hear?

As for the recent previous CDs, the label is IHM (Invisible Hands Music)
Reference is IHCD89

Image


So far only two sites mention the new album, and only one very small image is known :
- Amazon.co.uk
- Plastichead

Can anyone find more information and a bigger image ? :)
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filiarheni
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Re: New CD "Christmas with LIBERA" in 2019

Post by filiarheni »

While Amazon has only put a laconic "Currently unavailable" and a threatening "We don't know when and if this item will be back in stock" automatism :mrgreen: , that Plastic Head Megastore website is more generous with information, so they also name the price now which is £ 9.50. A little less than the cost for the Japan CD. :shock:

Plus a teaser text:

"The 3 time Classical BRIT nominees and You Tube sensations have chosen 17 of their favourite Christmas songs and the boys invite you to celebrate Christmas with their unique Libera sound. Libera are one of the leading worldwide exponents of the British choral tradition and this special collection includes 16 popular carols and a bonus song from the film "The Snowman", The award winning “Walking in the Air”... all recreated in Libera style. From the traditional "Once in royal David’s city" and the haunting "Carol Of The Bells" to the popular "In the bleak mid-winter", this new CD has captured the unmistakable atmosphere of a Libera concert."
Last edited by filiarheni on Fri Sep 27, 2019 10:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New CD "Christmas with LIBERA" in 2019

Post by dani »

I am surprised it’s out a month after the Japan release but the good news I think we can expect a concert around that period.
Last edited by dani on Fri Sep 27, 2019 3:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New CD "Christmas with LIBERA" in 2019

Post by Surpinto »

Thanks for the updates. Still no sighting of the album on Amazon US but I'll be patient.
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Re: New CD "Christmas with LIBERA" in 2019

Post by bachmahlerfan »

While I'm alright with the Japanese cover (even if it's a little corny), I'm not crazy about the cover for the Western edition. It seems to have a good message, but from an artistic standpoint it does nothing for me. Even the color palette of this cover bothers me. As for the message, it seems that one of the singers is pointing to the star on the Christmas tree, which is an important symbol of Christ's coming, while the other people are busy with Christmas shopping.
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Re: New CD "Christmas with LIBERA" in 2019

Post by justin »

It's official now! Don't forget to check out the preview tracks!!! This version of "Walking in the Air" is absolutely beautiful!

https://libera.org.uk/news/christmas-ca ... -libera-2/
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Yorkie
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Re: New CD "Christmas with LIBERA" in 2019

Post by Yorkie »

justin wrote: <span title="Sat Sep 28, 2019 12:00 pm">5 years ago</span> It's official now! Don't forget to check out the preview tracks!!! This version of "Walking in the Air" is absolutely beautiful!

https://libera.org.uk/news/christmas-ca ... -libera-2/
Really liking everything to be honest - even 'O Little Town', given a sprinkle of Libera magic dust, is sounding superb.
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filiarheni
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Re: New CD "Christmas with LIBERA" in 2019

Post by filiarheni »

I've just listened to the snippets several times. My first impressions:


In Dulci Jubilo - cheerful as always, but a bit too much like pop? I'll have to wait for the whole.

Walking in the Air - Wow! A much better solo than I've ever heard anywhere before. And the song fulfills my secret hope that Robert would extend the vocal arrangement to the choir. He did and this totally increases my confidence that it will appear in the Christmas concert to be announced. 8) :wink:

Ding Dong - sounds too hasty for my taste

In the Bleak Midwinter - just like breathing out, a waaarm feeling inside and memories of the Brighton concert. Oh yes, I'm so waiting for this song!

Noël nouvelet - Goosebumps! What a beautiful song that is and how very fitting for Libera!

Once in Royal David's City - I like the quiet tempo, it brings calm to me. In opposite to that, I have some doubts about the tempo of Ding Dong as said and also of I Saw Three Ships. Was the latter one that fast in the concert? I must get used to it first.

What Child is This - lovely and very calming

Sing Lullaby - new to me, a wonderful song that goes into my heart!

Carol of the Bells, Wexford Carol, Gaudete - I have to hear them in full before I can say something, due to Libera's other recordings.

O Little Town of Bethlehem - sweet solo and certainly very well arranged, but the song itself is too sentimental for me.

Angel Gabriel - so promising! I can't wait to hear the entire song, but I know I'll just love it!

Poor Little Jesus
- one of my upcoming favourites of the album. So touching in its simplicity.

Silent Night - This will be the special delicacy of the album with the reduced line-up, very intimate.

Do You Hear - will be the soaring finale of the album and at last I have one of my all-time favourites Christmas songs on album by Libera, marvelous!

:D
"But in the dark and cold of things there always, always something sings"
bachmahlerfan

Re: New CD "Christmas with LIBERA" in 2019

Post by bachmahlerfan »

I shouldn't have heard this so early in the morning when I'm planning on going back to bed! I had to keep listening to Luca's solos to make sure this kid is for real, and he certainly is! I'm also happy to see the whole choir involved in this arrangement of "Walking in the Air" while still featuring a soloist. I'm glad the previews don't include a number of solos such as those of Dominik, Tadhg, and Daniel. That way, there will be more surprises in store when I get to hear the whole album. That excerpt from "Ding Dong Merrily on High" has to be one of most harmonically complex that I've heard from any Libera track. There's a considerable amount of contrapuntal writing going on in that one. "Noel Nouvelet" sounds great, and is one of the tracks that I most look forward to hearing. The sample of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" contains a couple of harmonic surprises that I wasn't expecting. I think this track could win over some skeptical British fans. I have to admit that the two "a cappella" tracks (Silent Night, Poor Little Jesus) are a needed respite in this album, which contains a lot of heavy orchestration in the samples at least.
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Re: New CD "Christmas with LIBERA" in 2019

Post by Surpinto »

Like filiarheni I will add my impressions as well so as not to be outdone :lol: :roll: :wink:

The TLDR summary: This promises to be an amazing album with unique and traditional arrangements mixed together. In particular, I am intrigued by the newer songs "Ding Dong", "Noël Nouvelet", "In the Bleak Midwinter", "I Saw Three Ships", "Sing Lullaby", "O Little Town of Bethlehem", "Poor Little Jesus", and "Do You Hear". :D





In Dulci Jubilo - Seems like it's the same arrangement as before. That's not a criticism as I love Libera's version of this song.

Walking in the Air - I like it! Sounds more or less like the classic arrangement as done by others but with the choir on backup.

Ding Dong - WHOA! This is very much not the traditional arrangement I was expecting. I need to hear the whole song before making a final judgement but the fast pace, the new rhythm added by the instruments, and the new arrangement may make this song a great upbeat go-to for me once I overcome the novelty. Whether I end up loving this song on a personal level remains to be seen, but the new arrangement is brilliant.

In the Bleak Midwinter - The traditional arrangement (more or less) of this song with Libera's signature polish and flourishes. Beautiful!

Noël Nouvelet - Much more powerful than I expected. I want more more more.

Once in Royal David's City - The same arrangement as before but this well-known and beloved choral classic for Christmas time is perfectly performed by Libera every time.

I Saw Three Ships - Another WOW! No words, just want more. :D

What Child is This - Same arrangement as before but maybe with slightly different instrumentation it sounds to me - or maybe that's just me because the last version was a live version rather than a studio version. I liked this song a lot on the Ireland album and now we get a studio version. No complaints here!

Sing Lullaby - This is a song which peaked my curiosity once I saw it on the upcoming tracklist and it seems to be similar (different key?) to this version but with much better instrumentation and I am deeply moved by it in a way that I was not by the other version. The instrumentation, the gentle chords, the harmony of this song as done by Libera is just so beautiful. It will be difficult to wait until release time.

Carol of the Bells - Same as before. Best arrangement of this song I know of. Why mess with the classics? I once again remind everyone that their music video of this song is their most popular video on YouTube with over 8 million views. :D

Wexford Carol - One of my top 10 Libera songs ever! Same arrangement as prior recordings. But to me that is perfectly fine.

O Little Town of Bethlehem - I have heard this song in passing many times over the year such as on the radio at Christmas time, but this arrangement is the first that made me want more. Touches the heart and stirs the soul. More please!

Angel Gabriel - Similar to the traditional version but sweeter somehow. I would need the whole song to evaluate further but it sounds promising.

Poor Little Jesus - Stunningly beautiful!

Gaudete - A song they've been singing for ages from even before they were Libera (I heard one small change with the instrumental pause) but it's a great song.

Silent Night - Good song and seems to be the same as what they did before. Can't mess with the classics. :lol:

Do You Hear - Unreal! This song has a soaring quality I never expected. For a traditionally gentle song this was a shock to the ears! But it was not a bad one.
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Re: New CD "Christmas with LIBERA" in 2019

Post by chris17 »

I listened through all of the tracks and I think it's going to be amazing, even better than I was expecting. :D The arrangements for the new pieces are beautiful and add new harmonies to many of them than I've heard in other versions, and there is a really nice variety of pieces on the album, so it's not just going to be "another Christmas album." The solos that can be heard in the samples sound perfectly executed and I think the soloists' voices match the pieces very well. I'm also glad that not all of the solos are featured on the samples, though, so there's still more to look forward to. :D

I'm especially looking forward to Noel Nouvelet, Do You Hear, I Saw Three Ships, O Little Town, and Poor Little Jesus. But it's hard not to list the entire list - I'm really looking forward to all of them.

Carol of the Bells is definitely the same version from the Christmas EP, as evidenced by the slightly out-of-tune bell towards the beginning of the sample (in the entire track, it's at 1:52) and the solo bit. Although a new recording would have been nice, I can't justify complaining about that when the rest of the album sounds so amazing. :D

Also, I do think the album will end up sounding a little less dramatic as far as orchestration and volume once we hear the full versions, because several of the samples (for example, Do You Hear What I Hear, I Saw Three Ships, What Child Is This) seem to include snippets of the later or final verses/climaxes of the pieces. I think the album will sound a little more balanced, but no less amazing, once we can hear the songs in their entirety.
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Re: New CD "Christmas with LIBERA" in 2019

Post by filiarheni »

Surpinto wrote: <span title="Sat Sep 28, 2019 4:01 pm">5 years ago</span> Like filiarheni I will add my impressions as well so as not to be outdone :lol: :roll: :wink:
No competition, please! :lol: A serious founded review is anyway only possible after hearing the songs in full. :)
"But in the dark and cold of things there always, always something sings"
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filiarheni
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Re: New CD "Christmas with LIBERA" in 2019

Post by filiarheni »

I've had a look at the order of the songs in the Japanese and the international version, and they differ so distinctly from each other this time that it makes me curious to know the criteria for putting them like this for the one and like that for the other version. And who decides? I'd think that Robert does the order for the international album. And Libera Records perhaps for Japan?

Libera Christmas 2019.JPG
Libera Christmas 2019.JPG (65.73 KiB) Viewed 3059 times
Libera Christmas 2019.JPG
Libera Christmas 2019.JPG (65.73 KiB) Viewed 3059 times
"But in the dark and cold of things there always, always something sings"
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Re: New CD "Christmas with LIBERA" in 2019

Post by aoba »

fan_de_LoK wrote: <span title="Thu Sep 26, 2019 11:47 pm">5 years ago</span> Can anyone find more information and a bigger image ?
It is the bigger image that exists on Amazon's server.
http://z-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/P ... ZZZZZ_.png
( :!: 2560*2560, 1.9MB)
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Re: New CD "Christmas with LIBERA" in 2019

Post by fan_de_LoK »

Thank you Aoba :)
This one is likely the larger image we can expect to have.

A few other images have also been posted on Amazon.uk:




Another thing:
Reported this morning by Taka on Twitter: Itunes Japan now allows to hear long extracts of each song, 1'30'' samples, mostly located on the start of the songs, which is really appreciable.


Here the procedure do hear these sample :

1) Go to the Itunes Japan website: https://music.apple.com/jp/album/christ ... 1482012500

2) If it displays, click on the blue bubble on the top of the page.
     This will start the Itunes application.
      Image

3) Into the Itunes application, the tracks can be played :)
      Image


At the bottom on the page there is a link "Preview all" that gives a 30 minutes long wonderful taste of the new album ! :D
I'm really looking forward to receive the CD I ordered and have the songs in full!!
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