Libera Dreams

Hi,

I just wanted to make anyone who may be interested aware that a phenomenal Norwegian boy soprano is hoping to record a CD of Baroque music with the renowned London-based "Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment".

He currently has a "Kickstarter" project running to raise the funds he needs - only 18 days left, but he's already reached 71% of his sponsorship target. Rewards for making a pledge include signed CD's, YOUR name credited in the CD booklet, personalised videos + other rewards based upon how much you are willing to pledge:



Aksel has many high quality videos on YouTube (+ some older ones on vimeo):

The end of this concert compilation has a nice top C

I'm sure there are enough boy soprano fanatics here to help make this boy's dream come true...

Mark.

He does for sure have a beautiful voice.

Thanks for sharing that, and welcome to Libera Dreams.

I went ahead and backed it, because he does sound fantastic in the YouTube videos I've seen of him. Looks like he still needs about $5,725 US dollars, but there are 12 days left, if anyone else is still thinking about it.

Good to hear

I heard about this from a parishioner at St. Philip's, no less, and have already supported what appears to be a worthy cause.
He certainly has a remarkably good voice. Hope he makes it

I received an email to confirm that the target has been reached so, barring a dramatic voice break, the project is on.

So excited - going to see Aksel in concert next month in Oslo! He will be performing arias by Handel
I have family in Norway so it will also be a nice get together.

The debut CD of Aksel with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is now scheduled for release on September 2 by Signum Classics.

Note to moderators: perhaps the title of the topic can be changed now Aksel has succesfully ended his Kickstarter campaign and in fact his debut album is now released.

Yesterday, August 21st, was the first day the CD was sold. It was at the Oslo Kammermusikk festival where Aksel performed with the Trondheim Barokk orchestra. A memorable event!
The concert was held in a medieval castle called Akershus, in a room which looked like it was once a small chapel, with a big round stained glass window behind the performers. It was quite a big orchestra, about 20 people I think. Various instruments, strings, flutes, even percussion. And also a trumpet player for two arias - 'Let the Bright Seraphim' and 'Eternal source of light divine', both by Handel. Both were stunning. 'Let the Bright Seraphim' was the first aria he sung and it has some a cappella parts and many flourishes. After it was finished the audience burst into applause and cheering. Aksel even had to take a second bow! But he seemed to be too modest to take that second bow, the musical director really had to make a gesture of "come on!" He made sure Aksel received the recognition and appreciation that the audience was giving him. 'Eternal source of light divine' was also sung with great acclaim - it is almost entirely in a very high register and it was a joy to hear him sing it, and to witness his own joy in getting those high notes and singing them beautifully.

For myself, the aria 'Lascia ch'io pianga' was the most memorable. It is a very moving aria about sadness, and the melody evokes that very well. The way Aksel sang it, I felt very emotional. He communicated sadness so well. It was like I was engaged in the emotion of the song. It was a very special moment to sit so close (second row) to this performance and without any amplification, only natural sound.
The other arias he sang were more cheerful and in those arias he communicated those emotions very well too. I felt so happy and light It truly was as if the room lit up with a special light or colour when Aksel sang.

After the concert there was a small line-up at the table where he was signing his CD and many people gave him compliments. He seemed very modest and down-to-earth and at the same time very professional, and that for a boy in his early teens. I believe he gets great support from the people around him and it will hopefully be a joy to watch him mature and develop his singing career through the years. I told him that his performance of 'Lascia ch'io pianga' had been very emotional for me and I said that I think it's great when someone is singing, you believe what they're singing. He agreed that it's very important, and I told him to keep that up

For those of you who are interested it's worth checking out his CD with arias by Bach, Handel and Mozart. He has a remarkable voice, with great control and range and like I said, a very believable performance. A joy to listen to!

I'm waiting for my signed CD to arrive, although (If I'm honest) the music he has chosen to sing for his CD is not generally to my liking. However, his talent is obvious and undeniable.

Thank you for your concert review Maartendas. Generally speaking I am not a fan of the genre he sings, but after reading your review I went online and listened to a few pieces by this singer and am impressed by the mastery and talent he exhibits.

maartendas wrote:'Eternal source of light divine' was also sung with great acclaim - it is almost entirely in a very high register and it was a joy to hear him sing it, and to witness his own joy in getting those high notes and singing them beautifully.

I should mention that the choice for the high register is in fact Aksel's interpretation. I thought it sounded different in the concert than how I know it and I was right - I compared it to another version sung by Andrew Swait and he sings it in a lower register (though still in the treble range).
The difference can be compared to the difference between a brilliantly shining sun (Aksel's upper notes) and a golden glow of dusk (Andrew's subdued colours). Amazing how two different performances work to such a different effect. Seeing such creativity in a young singer is wonderful.

Aksel sure makes the music he sings his own. From the liner notes of the CD, referring to 'Let the Bright Seraphim', which is compared to 'Eternal source of light divine" because of the use of the trumpet: 'Once again, Aksel finds a vocal timbre that balances the sound of the natural trumpet so well that he makes his own argument for his interpretation.'

--Edit:
For comparison:

Aksel:


Andrew:


I find myself more and more infatuated with Aksel's full-out high register interpretation. It's like basking in sunshine...

A picture from last Sunday's concert and one from after the concert
I sat one row behind the photographer

Aksel's first music video is here:



I think it's really well done. It has the same kind of atmosphere as some Libera videos, such as Song of Life and Eternal Light

Hi!

For my Kickstarter reward, I chose the private video option.
I discovered a couple of poems by Sarojini Naidu (1879 - 1949) and set them to my own original music.

Aksel, along with the rest of his team (parents, pianist & vocal coach) liked the songs and agreed to have them recorded
However, I am not permitted to upload them to YouTube or make them available to the public, due to publishing rights.

Of course, I can send them privately to friends and to promote myself as a composer to individuals.

At the (totally awesome) London concert yesterday, a few guys were talking about Aksel, which prompted me to make this post!

So, if any friends/individuals are interested, send me a message

Mark.