Westminster 17th october 2018
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Re: Westminster 17th october 2018
Thank you, Padmachou. I enjoyed your review; lots of details and fun to read.
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Egorbea2018
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Re: Westminster 17th october 2018
Thank you for the great review. Would you mind posting a picture of the part of the programme with the names of the 46 boys in attendance? There were only 31 boys in the USA tour. I am curious to know who the other 15 are.Padmachou wrote: ↑<span title="Fri Oct 19, 2018 5:59 pm">5 years ago</span> Here comes my review of this Westminster cathedral concert, right before the
boys’ departure for the Japan tour !
First, 46 boys on stage ! Some ancient ones, a full range of low voices with Matthew Jansen, Matthew Madine, Sam Wiggin, Ciaran, Alessandro, Isaac and
Gabe Collins (who lost all of his high notes while Alex M, Camden and some others can still perform with the main group). I am eager to know which
of the boys will go on tour, now. The « big boys », when on stage, stood at the back.
Re: Westminster 17th october 2018
Here you go.
- Capture4.PNG (854 KiB) Viewed 5893 times
- Capture4.PNG (854 KiB) Viewed 5893 times
Re: Westminster 17th october 2018
I was lucky to attend the recent Libera concert at Westminster Cathedral in London a couple of days ago. Here is my review. I wrote it without reading other reviews first.
The concert at Westminster Cathedral in London on 17th October 2018 was my fourth Libera concert so far, after Ely 2017, London 2017 and Ely 2018. Attending the concert was a challenge in fact. It was on a Wednesday, in the middle of a week and the date was announced on pretty short notice. I know, many fans were unable to come to London because they couldn't rearrange their plans. I had a lot of luck and was able to organize my things so, that I could drop in for one night to London and be at the concert.
A couple of days before the concert Matt Madine - a former Libera member - tweeted surprisingly that he would be performing "with some of the old boys". What!!! Now the anticipation grew to the highest level. That concert seemed to be very special.
Meeting with other fans is always something special too. It was no different this time. I feel privileged to be a part of the fan community and to be able to talk and just hang out with so nice people. I've always said this and I will say it again: this part of the Libera experience is also very special for me and highly appreciated.
Before the cathedral doors opened, people had formed a nice queue. Awesome and funny! I think, it must have been mostly British people there, who are said to love queuing. Anyway, I found it really funny to see such a nice, long, well organized queue in the front of the entrance to the cathedral.
Signed programmes and "Beyond" CDs purchased. The first look at the set list - no big surprises except one: "Lamentione" which was placed at the beginning of the second part of the concert and which hadn't been sung for a while. Much more surprise was to look at the lineup with 46 names listed! Has Libera ever performed with so many boys on stage at the same time? Now also the names of "some of the old boys" were revealed. On the list were: Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey, Matthew Jansen,Isaac London, Alessandro Mackinnon-Botti, Matthew Madine and Samuel Wiggin. There were also some brand new names: Luke Batteson Dalpiaz, Luca Brugnoli, Laurence Davey, Felipe Jackson and Frederick Mushrafi.
The concert started with "Mysterium". It was Eimar McGeown who stood on the stage alone and started with a thrilling flute solo. While she was playing, the boys entered the stage from both sides and soon joined with their mysterious pure unison descant. Leo sang the high vocalizes. At first I couldn't see him, but soon I localized the spot, from where all high-noters were performing that evening - in the back of the altar, high on the left hand side. As usual, a dramatic lighting added much to the song atmosphere. I remember only the impressive deep red colour and the bright white beam lightening Leo. Unlike in Ely, this time we enjoyed the full version of "Mysterium". For me the opening song was one of the highlights of the concert. Leo finished the song with "Hallelujah" and the audience remained silent, apparently being enchanted and impressed by the first song of the concert.
Then, soon "Joyful Joyful" started. This time the song was not glued into "Mysterium" but started after maybe 2 seconds with it's characteristic pizzicato intro. Soon the choir joined. What I like especially in "Joyful Joyful" is the unison beginning and then splitting the different parts into beautiful harmonies and then developing to the finale to which the powerful bass/tenor section contributed a lot. Now the choir stood in bright light. I noticed many boys look tired. Well, no wonder. They all were having a long day at their schools and in the evening instead of taking a rest, they were having a demanding performance.
In fact, in the following speech Peter welcomed the audience and Joe confirmed, he had had to get up at 6 a.m. that morning. Joe was really funny as were most of the other boys performing the speeches.
Daniel was next with "The Prayer". It was a real joy to watch Daniel sing not only during this song, but during the whole performance. It was obvious he enjoyed the concert a lot and often expressed the enjoyment with his whole self.
"Ave Maria" by Robert Prizeman was sung by Merlin. Merlin was one of the boys who looked really tired and apparently he was. "Ave Maria" didn't impress me very much.
"Stay with me" followed. I like the new intro to the song - played by the orchestra and sung by the choir. Oliver M. stood in the middle. Now he looks more mature with his new hair cut. It fits him. I enjoyed Oliver's singing a lot. Sam Collins was responsible for the high notes from the place back above. He needed few moments to tune himself and enliven his voice, but then he performed beautifully.
Actually, as I mentioned before, many of the boys looked tired. It's actually no wonder having had a long day. The more I appreciate their efforts to do their best on stage, even if sometimes something was not as perfect as it was supposed to be. They all must truly love singing in Libera.
Now time for a speech. Alexandre and Victor presented the robes, explained who miniboys are and told us that Libera had been all over the world and even in Bournemouth. The next song was announced. "Ave Maria". Wait.... "Ave Maria" had already been performed!! A mistake? No, as we saw Leo coming to the very front. What a surprise - "Ave Maria" (Vavilov/Caccini) was about to begin.
Leo did a really great job in that song. We all know how difficult to sing that song is and how much it depends on the soloist. I watched Leo closely and admired his incredible concentration, focus on the conductor, breath control, everything. Even though Leo also looked pretty much tired on that evening, he brought the song to the end and received a very well deserved ovation. There was a technical problem during Leo's performance. Just at the beginning of the song his microphone suddenly seemed either to completely go off or just to significantly drop the performance. I was seated in the second row and I had the impression of hearing Leo's voice coming directly from him and not from the loudspeakers on the side. Honestly speaking I was glad to hear Leo's voice directly, with no electronic correction. What a joy - a definitive highlight of the concert.
Talking about sitting much in the front. I was seated pretty close to the orchestra on the left hand side. I had the string instruments and the drum set practically directly in front of me. It was unavoidable then, to hear the direct, not electronically amplified sound of those instrument. For me it was an interesting experience again, even though sometimes the instruments seemed to be a bit too loud.
"In Paradisum" was beautifully sung by Rocco. I've loved the song since I heard it for the first time in Ely this spring. Rocco manages the pretty high tones of the song perfectly. Rocco was supported by Oliver W-R who sang the second part in the duet parts of the song. A real joy to hear and watch them sing.
"How Great Thou Art" followed. The soloist for that song had been recently Alex G. This time his place in the front was taken by Oliver W-R. Very impressive. I love it when Libera sing traditional hymns in their own arrangements. So, I loved "How Great You Art" very much. Congratulations to Oliver, who did a great job. He sang with a confident, clear voice, not showing any sign of nervousness. In this song the lower voices contributed a lot delivering a powerful finale. This hymn always gives me goosebumps. It was no different this time.
Time for a speech. Koji introduced himself and his older brother and Daniel announced a break following two further songs.
"Voca Me". This song has always been an absolute top of the tops among the whole Libera repertoire for me. I'm so glad having it back in the concert set list. Now I'm even getting used to the new version. I'm only a bit sad, it is shortened compared to the previous one. The song was a great emotional experience for me. It feels really incredible when you are exposed to the multi-part harmonies, which blend in and out in the flow of the music. The dissonances, which are resolved and then appear again in a moment. The increasing and decreasing dynamics of the song. A definitive highlight of the evening for me. And Leo again, flawlessly singing the highest notes of the vocalizes. Beautiful.
Having sung "Orinoco Flow" in a usual charming way, Libera sailed away to take a break and I had some time just to gather my thoughts and to write my first impressions for friends who were not able to come to London this time. The concert was great so far, though having in mind the fantastic, unforgettable, incredible performance in Ely earlier this year, honestly speaking, I was thinking the latter one was better. Maybe because it was late evening on a normal long, working day.
The second part started with "Lamentione". Leo and Ben B. climbed up to the high-noters spot, all trebles knelled down and on the back of the "stage" remained only the group of older boys with some younger ones, who don't sing trebles any more. So, there were: Alessandro, Matthew J., Ciaran, Isaac, Matt M., Sam W. plus Gabriel, Alex M., Alex G., Camden, Adam, Marc and Taichi. The song started with an orchestra sound and high vocalizes sang in a two part duet by Leo and Ben. Then only the lower voices continued with the descant. It was magical. It was really incredible as again perfectly harmonized high vocalizes appeared in contrast to the lower voices. Then, we could enjoy a solo beautifully sung by Alessandro with his baritone voice. Wow. What a performance. What a tribute to the older boys who used to contribute to Libera so much not so long ago. So very moving. The audience remained silent and enchanted and couldn't believe it when the song was over.
Immediately, without a break "I Am The Day" started. Meantime the younger boys stood on their feet again. Dominik, Peter and Oliver M. formed a triangle in the front and soon started to sing. I felt in love with Dominik's voice immediately. This was the first time I heard him sing a solo and it was enough. What a beautiful performance of "I Am The Day". Again, there is a worthy successor of Alex G. in that song. I must notice also the great supporting role of Ben B. and Emanuele in that song.
Tadhg and Cassius introduced the Moose and told some anecdotes about him including the one about collecting many air miles due to his many travels with Libera. Tadhg is already an experienced Libera member but Cassius only recently joined the main touring group and already now delivered such a nice speech. He spoke clearly, with no visible stage fright, quite easy. Well done, Cassius!
"From A Distance" was up next. Again Merlin and the choir sung the song in an outstanding way. Very confident, very well. Well, up to the "normal" Libera standards, which are: "only the best is good enough". I think, the boys needed the break. Now they looked more relaxed, indeed. I wish I had been able to see with a hidden camera what had been going on during the break in the place where the group stayed.
For the next song the boys formed a well known V-formation with two rows of boys on each side. Soon "Wayfaring Stranger" began. Unusually, it started with a beautiful, long introduction by Eimar McGeown. She played the melody of the whole stanza on her flute. I could not see from my seat who the soloist was. The voice was a young one - so a new soloist again. The voice sounded beautifully indeed. I was so curious, who it might be. I had to wait till the soloist came to the front during the second stanza. I was so surprised seeing Victor there! Victor, well done - great job. It was so nice to see the new soloist of that song together with his older brother Sam who also used to sing that solo, as well as the more recent soloist Alex G. Additionally, the powerful back row added so much power to the final stanza. Goosebumps again.
Peter introduced the usual language speech. This time Alex G. was replaced by Oliver M. who is also of Polish origin. I was happy hearing Oliver speaking Polish, though he still needs a bit more practice, I think. The other boys were as usual: Alexandre and Victor - French, Oliver W-R - Spanish, Tadhg - Irish, Koji - Japanese, Mathias - Italian. Charming, as usual.
The new version of "Sanctus" followed. I'm so glad, the well known, old song has been revived with a new arrangement and the new melody of the Pachebel's Canon. The choir started singing acapella. It was such a joy to hear each different part so distinctly. How many parts? At least 4 I would say. I like especially the new melody which was introduced in this version. It is sung so joyfully and light - a real joy to listen to. A highlight, indeed.
"Salva Me" - another classics - just perfect with Oliver W-R on high salvas.
Ben B. came to the front for the next solo. "Eternal Light" started soon. The first and the last time so far I heard Ben singing that song was in Ely this spring. I think it was Ben's debut. Now he sung that difficult song so beautifully. The song is really difficult as it requires a wide range from pretty low tones to pretty high ones and has some big tone intervals to jump and hit perfectly - really difficult. Ben mastered that piece very well. Ben was supported by Oliver W-R in duet parts. Really a great performance. A highlight of the concert again.
It was the red-haired Johnny who announced the end of the concert and one more additional, not listed song: "Nearer My God To Thee". I almost hooped up on my chair from joy hearing that. It was one of the highlights in Ely. Then Libera decided to record and publish a video from their live performance of that hymn, which I'm so thankful for. Now I was about to hear the song live again.
Six boys formed a half-circle in the front. Unlike during recent performances, neither Alex was there. Instead, Mathias and Victor joined the sextet. Merlin started the song all by himself, then Ben joined. In the second verse, it was Mathias who replaced Alex's low voice. Mathias has also a nice voice, which is in the rather lower range indeed. The final verse was sung by all six boys with Rocco and Leo accompanied by Victor on the high parts. The performance was so good again. The audience remained silent for a couple of seconds after the boys had finished singing just to allow the last sounds to resound completely. A magical moment indeed. A well deserved huge ovation followed.
"Libera" was planed as the last song for that evening. Another must at every concert, as usual performed beautifully. The soloists were Rocco and Tadhg, who replaced Alex G. The song was much enjoyable and well sung to the highest Libera standards. Then a standing ovation followed.
Of course, no-one assumed no encore and indeed the ovation ended as soon as the boys formed the position for "Smile" with Victor and Alex M. as the soloists. This time Romeo didn't appear in the front with his recorder, unfortunately. "Smile" was such a lovely end of the concert.
The concert passed away way too fast, but this is what Libera concerts for us, fans always do. I was so glad to be there and be privileged to hear the distinctive, unique sound of Libera live again. This experience is worth all the travel and time.
To sumarize the review:
The highlights:
- "Mysterium"
- "Ave Maria" (Vavilov/Caccini)
- "Voca Me"
- "Lamentione"
- "Sanctus"
- "Eternal Light"
and of course "Nearer My God To Thee".
I'm so glad Libera has so many new outstanding soloists: Daniel, Dominik, Oliver W-R, Victor. We don't need to worry about Libera's future for a while now.
I want to add that the whole choir did a great job. Despite the late hour, despite tiredness after a long day they were able to concentrate and deliver a wonderful performance. It was a real joy to watch many of the singers simply enjoying their time on stage. Daniel was one of them, who seemed to enjoy the performance with his whole self. I can tell the same about Dominik. I saw, how engaged Ben B. and Emanuele were, not to mention all the soloists and supporting voices. Thank you all, Libera, for a fantastic evening.
At the end I want to say about what I was missing. I was missing at least a slight mention of the older boys, of whom so many were present on stage that evening and who most likely were performing with Libera for the very last time. It would have been really nice, if they all have had been credited somehow - maybe in a speech. I'm sure, all the audience would have rewarded them with a long ovation, which they really deserve.
Then, as time passes and boys grow up they finish their treble "careers". Last time I saw Libera in Ely this spring I was missing Gabriel and Taichi, who both of them had beautifully performed during the previous concert in London 2017. This time I was missing Alex Gula so much. He was present on stage but remained entirely in the background. Somehow, Alex has been my favourite Libera member, maybe because he is of Polish origin, just like I am. I was so glad to be able to hear his solos and speeches during all three Libera concerts I was lucky to attend previously. I'm also very glad to have heard him in recent Libera interviews (California 2017 and 2018) and to have a brand new song "Lacrymosa" (plus a music video) with him as a soloist. Now the treble time for Alex is over. His voice will be missed. I hope Alex will remain in Libera for some more time.
Anyway, now I'm looking very much forward to next concerts. This year is going to be special. Instead of usual two concerts in the UK, there will be three of them this year - so one more soon. Moreover, Libera will perform in Moscow after Christmas, which is more or less the same distance for me to travel as to London, so this is going to be my fourth concert this year.
Thank you for reading who withstood up until the end.
Now I'm going to enjoy other reviews.
The concert at Westminster Cathedral in London on 17th October 2018 was my fourth Libera concert so far, after Ely 2017, London 2017 and Ely 2018. Attending the concert was a challenge in fact. It was on a Wednesday, in the middle of a week and the date was announced on pretty short notice. I know, many fans were unable to come to London because they couldn't rearrange their plans. I had a lot of luck and was able to organize my things so, that I could drop in for one night to London and be at the concert.
A couple of days before the concert Matt Madine - a former Libera member - tweeted surprisingly that he would be performing "with some of the old boys". What!!! Now the anticipation grew to the highest level. That concert seemed to be very special.
Meeting with other fans is always something special too. It was no different this time. I feel privileged to be a part of the fan community and to be able to talk and just hang out with so nice people. I've always said this and I will say it again: this part of the Libera experience is also very special for me and highly appreciated.
Before the cathedral doors opened, people had formed a nice queue. Awesome and funny! I think, it must have been mostly British people there, who are said to love queuing. Anyway, I found it really funny to see such a nice, long, well organized queue in the front of the entrance to the cathedral.
Signed programmes and "Beyond" CDs purchased. The first look at the set list - no big surprises except one: "Lamentione" which was placed at the beginning of the second part of the concert and which hadn't been sung for a while. Much more surprise was to look at the lineup with 46 names listed! Has Libera ever performed with so many boys on stage at the same time? Now also the names of "some of the old boys" were revealed. On the list were: Ciaran Bradbury-Hickey, Matthew Jansen,Isaac London, Alessandro Mackinnon-Botti, Matthew Madine and Samuel Wiggin. There were also some brand new names: Luke Batteson Dalpiaz, Luca Brugnoli, Laurence Davey, Felipe Jackson and Frederick Mushrafi.
The concert started with "Mysterium". It was Eimar McGeown who stood on the stage alone and started with a thrilling flute solo. While she was playing, the boys entered the stage from both sides and soon joined with their mysterious pure unison descant. Leo sang the high vocalizes. At first I couldn't see him, but soon I localized the spot, from where all high-noters were performing that evening - in the back of the altar, high on the left hand side. As usual, a dramatic lighting added much to the song atmosphere. I remember only the impressive deep red colour and the bright white beam lightening Leo. Unlike in Ely, this time we enjoyed the full version of "Mysterium". For me the opening song was one of the highlights of the concert. Leo finished the song with "Hallelujah" and the audience remained silent, apparently being enchanted and impressed by the first song of the concert.
Then, soon "Joyful Joyful" started. This time the song was not glued into "Mysterium" but started after maybe 2 seconds with it's characteristic pizzicato intro. Soon the choir joined. What I like especially in "Joyful Joyful" is the unison beginning and then splitting the different parts into beautiful harmonies and then developing to the finale to which the powerful bass/tenor section contributed a lot. Now the choir stood in bright light. I noticed many boys look tired. Well, no wonder. They all were having a long day at their schools and in the evening instead of taking a rest, they were having a demanding performance.
In fact, in the following speech Peter welcomed the audience and Joe confirmed, he had had to get up at 6 a.m. that morning. Joe was really funny as were most of the other boys performing the speeches.
Daniel was next with "The Prayer". It was a real joy to watch Daniel sing not only during this song, but during the whole performance. It was obvious he enjoyed the concert a lot and often expressed the enjoyment with his whole self.
"Ave Maria" by Robert Prizeman was sung by Merlin. Merlin was one of the boys who looked really tired and apparently he was. "Ave Maria" didn't impress me very much.
"Stay with me" followed. I like the new intro to the song - played by the orchestra and sung by the choir. Oliver M. stood in the middle. Now he looks more mature with his new hair cut. It fits him. I enjoyed Oliver's singing a lot. Sam Collins was responsible for the high notes from the place back above. He needed few moments to tune himself and enliven his voice, but then he performed beautifully.
Actually, as I mentioned before, many of the boys looked tired. It's actually no wonder having had a long day. The more I appreciate their efforts to do their best on stage, even if sometimes something was not as perfect as it was supposed to be. They all must truly love singing in Libera.
Now time for a speech. Alexandre and Victor presented the robes, explained who miniboys are and told us that Libera had been all over the world and even in Bournemouth. The next song was announced. "Ave Maria". Wait.... "Ave Maria" had already been performed!! A mistake? No, as we saw Leo coming to the very front. What a surprise - "Ave Maria" (Vavilov/Caccini) was about to begin.
Leo did a really great job in that song. We all know how difficult to sing that song is and how much it depends on the soloist. I watched Leo closely and admired his incredible concentration, focus on the conductor, breath control, everything. Even though Leo also looked pretty much tired on that evening, he brought the song to the end and received a very well deserved ovation. There was a technical problem during Leo's performance. Just at the beginning of the song his microphone suddenly seemed either to completely go off or just to significantly drop the performance. I was seated in the second row and I had the impression of hearing Leo's voice coming directly from him and not from the loudspeakers on the side. Honestly speaking I was glad to hear Leo's voice directly, with no electronic correction. What a joy - a definitive highlight of the concert.
Talking about sitting much in the front. I was seated pretty close to the orchestra on the left hand side. I had the string instruments and the drum set practically directly in front of me. It was unavoidable then, to hear the direct, not electronically amplified sound of those instrument. For me it was an interesting experience again, even though sometimes the instruments seemed to be a bit too loud.
"In Paradisum" was beautifully sung by Rocco. I've loved the song since I heard it for the first time in Ely this spring. Rocco manages the pretty high tones of the song perfectly. Rocco was supported by Oliver W-R who sang the second part in the duet parts of the song. A real joy to hear and watch them sing.
"How Great Thou Art" followed. The soloist for that song had been recently Alex G. This time his place in the front was taken by Oliver W-R. Very impressive. I love it when Libera sing traditional hymns in their own arrangements. So, I loved "How Great You Art" very much. Congratulations to Oliver, who did a great job. He sang with a confident, clear voice, not showing any sign of nervousness. In this song the lower voices contributed a lot delivering a powerful finale. This hymn always gives me goosebumps. It was no different this time.
Time for a speech. Koji introduced himself and his older brother and Daniel announced a break following two further songs.
"Voca Me". This song has always been an absolute top of the tops among the whole Libera repertoire for me. I'm so glad having it back in the concert set list. Now I'm even getting used to the new version. I'm only a bit sad, it is shortened compared to the previous one. The song was a great emotional experience for me. It feels really incredible when you are exposed to the multi-part harmonies, which blend in and out in the flow of the music. The dissonances, which are resolved and then appear again in a moment. The increasing and decreasing dynamics of the song. A definitive highlight of the evening for me. And Leo again, flawlessly singing the highest notes of the vocalizes. Beautiful.
Having sung "Orinoco Flow" in a usual charming way, Libera sailed away to take a break and I had some time just to gather my thoughts and to write my first impressions for friends who were not able to come to London this time. The concert was great so far, though having in mind the fantastic, unforgettable, incredible performance in Ely earlier this year, honestly speaking, I was thinking the latter one was better. Maybe because it was late evening on a normal long, working day.
The second part started with "Lamentione". Leo and Ben B. climbed up to the high-noters spot, all trebles knelled down and on the back of the "stage" remained only the group of older boys with some younger ones, who don't sing trebles any more. So, there were: Alessandro, Matthew J., Ciaran, Isaac, Matt M., Sam W. plus Gabriel, Alex M., Alex G., Camden, Adam, Marc and Taichi. The song started with an orchestra sound and high vocalizes sang in a two part duet by Leo and Ben. Then only the lower voices continued with the descant. It was magical. It was really incredible as again perfectly harmonized high vocalizes appeared in contrast to the lower voices. Then, we could enjoy a solo beautifully sung by Alessandro with his baritone voice. Wow. What a performance. What a tribute to the older boys who used to contribute to Libera so much not so long ago. So very moving. The audience remained silent and enchanted and couldn't believe it when the song was over.
Immediately, without a break "I Am The Day" started. Meantime the younger boys stood on their feet again. Dominik, Peter and Oliver M. formed a triangle in the front and soon started to sing. I felt in love with Dominik's voice immediately. This was the first time I heard him sing a solo and it was enough. What a beautiful performance of "I Am The Day". Again, there is a worthy successor of Alex G. in that song. I must notice also the great supporting role of Ben B. and Emanuele in that song.
Tadhg and Cassius introduced the Moose and told some anecdotes about him including the one about collecting many air miles due to his many travels with Libera. Tadhg is already an experienced Libera member but Cassius only recently joined the main touring group and already now delivered such a nice speech. He spoke clearly, with no visible stage fright, quite easy. Well done, Cassius!
"From A Distance" was up next. Again Merlin and the choir sung the song in an outstanding way. Very confident, very well. Well, up to the "normal" Libera standards, which are: "only the best is good enough". I think, the boys needed the break. Now they looked more relaxed, indeed. I wish I had been able to see with a hidden camera what had been going on during the break in the place where the group stayed.
For the next song the boys formed a well known V-formation with two rows of boys on each side. Soon "Wayfaring Stranger" began. Unusually, it started with a beautiful, long introduction by Eimar McGeown. She played the melody of the whole stanza on her flute. I could not see from my seat who the soloist was. The voice was a young one - so a new soloist again. The voice sounded beautifully indeed. I was so curious, who it might be. I had to wait till the soloist came to the front during the second stanza. I was so surprised seeing Victor there! Victor, well done - great job. It was so nice to see the new soloist of that song together with his older brother Sam who also used to sing that solo, as well as the more recent soloist Alex G. Additionally, the powerful back row added so much power to the final stanza. Goosebumps again.
Peter introduced the usual language speech. This time Alex G. was replaced by Oliver M. who is also of Polish origin. I was happy hearing Oliver speaking Polish, though he still needs a bit more practice, I think. The other boys were as usual: Alexandre and Victor - French, Oliver W-R - Spanish, Tadhg - Irish, Koji - Japanese, Mathias - Italian. Charming, as usual.
The new version of "Sanctus" followed. I'm so glad, the well known, old song has been revived with a new arrangement and the new melody of the Pachebel's Canon. The choir started singing acapella. It was such a joy to hear each different part so distinctly. How many parts? At least 4 I would say. I like especially the new melody which was introduced in this version. It is sung so joyfully and light - a real joy to listen to. A highlight, indeed.
"Salva Me" - another classics - just perfect with Oliver W-R on high salvas.
Ben B. came to the front for the next solo. "Eternal Light" started soon. The first and the last time so far I heard Ben singing that song was in Ely this spring. I think it was Ben's debut. Now he sung that difficult song so beautifully. The song is really difficult as it requires a wide range from pretty low tones to pretty high ones and has some big tone intervals to jump and hit perfectly - really difficult. Ben mastered that piece very well. Ben was supported by Oliver W-R in duet parts. Really a great performance. A highlight of the concert again.
It was the red-haired Johnny who announced the end of the concert and one more additional, not listed song: "Nearer My God To Thee". I almost hooped up on my chair from joy hearing that. It was one of the highlights in Ely. Then Libera decided to record and publish a video from their live performance of that hymn, which I'm so thankful for. Now I was about to hear the song live again.
Six boys formed a half-circle in the front. Unlike during recent performances, neither Alex was there. Instead, Mathias and Victor joined the sextet. Merlin started the song all by himself, then Ben joined. In the second verse, it was Mathias who replaced Alex's low voice. Mathias has also a nice voice, which is in the rather lower range indeed. The final verse was sung by all six boys with Rocco and Leo accompanied by Victor on the high parts. The performance was so good again. The audience remained silent for a couple of seconds after the boys had finished singing just to allow the last sounds to resound completely. A magical moment indeed. A well deserved huge ovation followed.
"Libera" was planed as the last song for that evening. Another must at every concert, as usual performed beautifully. The soloists were Rocco and Tadhg, who replaced Alex G. The song was much enjoyable and well sung to the highest Libera standards. Then a standing ovation followed.
Of course, no-one assumed no encore and indeed the ovation ended as soon as the boys formed the position for "Smile" with Victor and Alex M. as the soloists. This time Romeo didn't appear in the front with his recorder, unfortunately. "Smile" was such a lovely end of the concert.
The concert passed away way too fast, but this is what Libera concerts for us, fans always do. I was so glad to be there and be privileged to hear the distinctive, unique sound of Libera live again. This experience is worth all the travel and time.
To sumarize the review:
The highlights:
- "Mysterium"
- "Ave Maria" (Vavilov/Caccini)
- "Voca Me"
- "Lamentione"
- "Sanctus"
- "Eternal Light"
and of course "Nearer My God To Thee".
I'm so glad Libera has so many new outstanding soloists: Daniel, Dominik, Oliver W-R, Victor. We don't need to worry about Libera's future for a while now.
I want to add that the whole choir did a great job. Despite the late hour, despite tiredness after a long day they were able to concentrate and deliver a wonderful performance. It was a real joy to watch many of the singers simply enjoying their time on stage. Daniel was one of them, who seemed to enjoy the performance with his whole self. I can tell the same about Dominik. I saw, how engaged Ben B. and Emanuele were, not to mention all the soloists and supporting voices. Thank you all, Libera, for a fantastic evening.
At the end I want to say about what I was missing. I was missing at least a slight mention of the older boys, of whom so many were present on stage that evening and who most likely were performing with Libera for the very last time. It would have been really nice, if they all have had been credited somehow - maybe in a speech. I'm sure, all the audience would have rewarded them with a long ovation, which they really deserve.
Then, as time passes and boys grow up they finish their treble "careers". Last time I saw Libera in Ely this spring I was missing Gabriel and Taichi, who both of them had beautifully performed during the previous concert in London 2017. This time I was missing Alex Gula so much. He was present on stage but remained entirely in the background. Somehow, Alex has been my favourite Libera member, maybe because he is of Polish origin, just like I am. I was so glad to be able to hear his solos and speeches during all three Libera concerts I was lucky to attend previously. I'm also very glad to have heard him in recent Libera interviews (California 2017 and 2018) and to have a brand new song "Lacrymosa" (plus a music video) with him as a soloist. Now the treble time for Alex is over. His voice will be missed. I hope Alex will remain in Libera for some more time.
Anyway, now I'm looking very much forward to next concerts. This year is going to be special. Instead of usual two concerts in the UK, there will be three of them this year - so one more soon. Moreover, Libera will perform in Moscow after Christmas, which is more or less the same distance for me to travel as to London, so this is going to be my fourth concert this year.
Thank you for reading who withstood up until the end.
Now I'm going to enjoy other reviews.
Last edited by andmar on Mon Oct 22, 2018 8:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Westminster 17th october 2018
Very nice review Andmar. A pleasure to read and to relive the concert. Agree with everything you said. Thanks.
Re: Westminster 17th october 2018
Amazing review, Andmar! A big thank you on behalf of those who could not attend. 
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Libera Snow
- Member
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Re: Westminster 17th october 2018
Thank you very much for your wonderful review,Andrew.
Also thanks for spending much time for writing!
Surprising 46 singers!
Oh no I believe I missed many special moments.
Maybe it might be the first and the last chance????....you are lucky!
I have read your review many times.
I guess you will join the concert at Moscow,then will join at England again!
It means I can look forward to another your reviews!
Also thanks for spending much time for writing!
Surprising 46 singers!
Oh no I believe I missed many special moments.
Maybe it might be the first and the last chance????....you are lucky!
I have read your review many times.
I guess you will join the concert at Moscow,then will join at England again!
It means I can look forward to another your reviews!
