Gramaphones top 20 world best choirs, and the winner is....

JimmyRiddle · Post by **JimmyRiddle** » 14 years ago

...not Libera sadly

Whilst they will always make it on our top 20 list, sadly they don't figure in the minds of the international select committee of music critics who decided the contenders.

Three British boy choirs do make it on the list; Westminster Abbey Choir (16), The Choir of New College, Oxford (14) and Choir of King's College, Cambridge (12) and mixed youth Wells Cathedral Choir is highest placed (6)

The winners are The Monterverdi Choir and they are very good obviously, but I do wonder if there is a touch of establishment snobbery when it comes to revealing their choices. Maybe no matter how good Libera are, and how popular they become with the public, groups that dare to crossover slightly from the traditional may never appeal to those who orchestrate these type of polls, no matter how much they deserve too.

Let's hope Libera feature if/when they construct a top 20 worlds best boy choir poll.

Yorkie · Post by **Yorkie** » 14 years ago

Is the list the one behind the boy choir link? If so, then King's is there too (and Well's has girls)

JimmyRiddle · Post by **JimmyRiddle** » 14 years ago

Edited now, thanks.

They are all great choirs in that list, can't argue with that, but they can be controversial as many other great essembles are left out. They covered a 'worlds greatest orchestra' poll a couple of years ago and left out many noteworthy contenders.

Yorkie · Post by **Yorkie** » 14 years ago

Well, at least the horrible warbling of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or the robotic WSK didn't make it in to the list either (ducks for cover)

symphonica7 · Post by **symphonica7** » 14 years ago

What about the people's choice awards??? I think Libera wins that one.

TullyBascombe · Post by **TullyBascombe** » 14 years ago

Admittedly I don't know the works of most of those choirs, but of the ones that I do know I'd suggest that only very traditional choirs make it to the list. Libera doesn't fit their mold.

symphonica7 · Post by **symphonica7** » 14 years ago

I'm not too fond of traditional choirs anyways....which is why I Love Libera.

maartendas · Post by **maartendas** » 14 years ago

The boy choirs mentioned feature not only boys/trebles but also men (tenors, basses etc). Their repertoire is much more wide ranging and (yes, true) traditional than the repertoire of Libera. Libera ofcourse means free, and as a choir Libera was always meant to be free in the direction they choose to bring boy choir singing to a wider audience - nothing more, nothing less. They succeeded so far and will hopefully continue to do so in the future. However, their very nature places them out of the kinds of lists such as this one from Gramophone - they don't record complete Bach cantatas or forgotten ancient manuscripts or Bruckner masses etc.

On a side note, I am pleased that Polyphony are nr 2 - I love that choir, their sound is so clear and moving.

symphonica7 · Post by **symphonica7** » 14 years ago

maartendas wrote:The boy choirs mentioned feature not only boys/trebles but also men (tenors, basses etc). Their repertoire is much more wide ranging and (yes, true) traditional than the repertoire of Libera. Libera ofcourse means free, and as a choir Libera was always meant to be free in the direction they choose to bring boy choir singing to a wider audience - nothing more, nothing less. They succeeded so far and will hopefully continue to do so in the future. However, their very nature places them out of the kinds of lists such as this one from Gramophone - they don't record complete Bach cantatas or forgotten ancient manuscripts or Bruckner masses etc.

On a side note, I am pleased that Polyphony are nr 2 - I love that choir, their sound is so clear and moving.

Polyphony, I will have to give them a listen....

TullyBascombe · Post by **TullyBascombe** » 14 years ago

symphonica7 wrote:I'm not too fond of traditional choirs anyways....which is why I Love Libera.

The three Jimmy Riddle mentioned are really, really quite good, especially for Christmas carols. You should consider giving them a listen

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symphonica7 · Post by **symphonica7** » 14 years ago

TullyBascombe wrote:
symphonica7 wrote:I'm not too fond of traditional choirs anyways....which is why I Love Libera.
The three Jimmy Riddle mentioned are really, really quite good, especially for Christmas carols. You should consider giving them a listen

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I will!!!! Thanks!!!!

Sue · Post by **Sue** » 14 years ago

A german choir on place one, Monteverdi from Wuerzburg - wonderful!

symphonica7 · Post by **symphonica7** » 14 years ago

Sue wrote:A german choir on place one, Monteverdi from Wuerzburg - wonderful!

I'll check that too!!

Yorkie · Post by **Yorkie** » 14 years ago

Sue wrote:A german choir on place one, Monteverdi from Wuerzburg - wonderful!

Is it! I thought that was English too........

http://www.classicalmusic.org.uk/2010/1 ... emble.html

http://www.monteverdi.co.uk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monteverdi_Choir

So, they are based in Germany but created and conducted by an Englishman? Have done some research and I think the Wuerzburg choir may be different from the one that was top of the list as that one is conducted by Matthias Beckert but the winning choir is conducted by John Eliot Gardiner (and the Wuerzburg choir seems to be bigger looking at YouTube clips). Anybody know for sure?

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They seem to wear different 'uniforms' to perform in as well:

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Sue · Post by **Sue** » 14 years ago

O really strange, cause there are two located in Wuerzburg, first the Monteverdi Ensemble http://www.kammerchor-wuerzburg.de/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
and second the Monteverdi College Choir http://www.hochschulchor.uni-wuerzburg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. ... /index.php

Relate to group size, they can have more groups & subgroups (not uncommon for german choirs) and different clothing for different appearances (not uncommon for german choirs as well). Is there any information from the organizers of the competition about this competitor?