2019 US Summer Tour

[Padmachou]

During the signings, I asked Olver WR which was his favorite solo, and he replied “the second one”. I think that meant “In Paradisum”, but I now am blanking on what his first solo was. Does anyone have a clue which was his first?

I am not sure what he meant. Perhaps he had a descant part somewhere that we missed? As you may recall, he was doing descants last year so perhaps he is referring to that? Or maybe he meant the second solo part of “In Paradisum” itself? I am speculating here and am not entirely sure.

He performed "How Great Thou Art" in 2018, maybe he says he prefers "In Paradisum" to "How Great Thou Art" ? Other hypothesis, did he not sang a solo in "Exultate" ? I think he did in Arundel, so that is why I ask. But I would be surprised if he liked that small solo part to the main one "In Paradisum" ! So I'd go for the first hypothesis.

Thank you all for your reviews ! Always a pleasure to share your experience

[Surpinto]

No, I was surprised too. But if I am not mistaken, I think that in the last few years we have seen far more solos on songs than in the past. I get the impression that more songs were sung as a whole choir and duets were used more as well. I may be wrong about that, but others have also remarked about the varied and larger number of solos and soloists… so that can’t be solely my imagination (pun intended).

With that said, the solo may have been removed so as to not overtax the boys who do solos on tour as there is only so much they can handle. Plus, it gets to showcase the choir as a whole without focusing on any one chorister.

As far as I remember, Sam did indeed have a solo in the middle of the song. But maybe I am misremembering! Perhaps someone else who was there might be able to clarify ?

No, you are correct I think. Apologies, I was thinking of the more extensive solo in the introduction on "There's a light upon the mountain...." was not there, right? It was sung by the entire group, correct?

[gingerthedog1]

No, I was surprised too. But if I am not mistaken, I think that in the last few years we have seen far more solos on songs than in the past. I get the impression that more songs were sung as a whole choir and duets were used more as well. I may be wrong about that, but others have also remarked about the varied and larger number of solos and soloists… so that can’t be solely my imagination (pun intended).

With that said, the solo may have been removed so as to not overtax the boys who do solos on tour as there is only so much they can handle. Plus, it gets to showcase the choir as a whole without focusing on any one chorister.

As far as I remember, Sam did indeed have a solo in the middle of the song. But maybe I am misremembering! Perhaps someone else who was there might be able to clarify ?

No, you are correct I think. Apologies, I was thinking of the more extensive solo in the introduction on "There's a light upon the mountain...." was not there, right? It was sung by the entire group, correct?

Yep, that sounds right to me! I think a small group began the song and the rest joined in the latin verse, however there definitely was no solo in the beginning.

[filiarheni]

During the signings, I asked Olver WR which was his favorite solo [...]

He performed "How Great Thou Art" in 2018, maybe he says he prefers "In Paradisum" to "How Great Thou Art" ? Other hypothesis, did he not sang a solo in "Exultate" ? I think he did in Arundel, so that is why I ask. But I would be surprised if he liked that small solo part to the main one "In Paradisum" ! So I'd go for the first hypothesis.

In Arundel, Sam sang the solo in Exsultate "We hear a distant music etc.". Gaudete and Exsultate are musical siblings; Sam sang both songs' solos and I don't think that this is a coincidence.

It was well done but I think Sam's voice suits more meditative and grounded music, versus this somewhat suspended and quick song.

This is what I've been wishing for several weeks now too, I hope he gets a lyric-style solo once as well, as I think it would be beneficial for his voice.

[...] the acoustics were really special with the last note of a song lingering in the air for a few precious seconds allowing the fullness of the piece to settle in. Wow!

Yes! I entirely share your feeling that this resonance belongs to a piece and should therefore not be interrupted by pre-mature applause. So I'd like to ask you if the audience admitted this settling in by waiting with clapping?

Yes they very much did which added to the magic. No one in the audience was rude enough to applaud or shout anything until the note had diminished which made the effect all the more pronounced.

This is wonderful to hear for someone who wishes so much for such a sensitive audience more often.


Thank you for your reviews, gingerthedog11, henrylonghorn, bachmahlerfan and gingerthedog12! Very interesting all of them, each of them focusing on different aspects of the night.

As I'm so convinced of Dominik, I'm enthusiastic to hear that he was so good, and I also take it that Luca must have been top-notch at the Voca Me vocalises, when I recall the ones he sang at Always With Me in Arundel. Last year in Ely, Leo's vocalises at Voca Me made me think of a needle, and so it was with Luca's vocalises in Arundel. His voice certainly is perfect for Voca Me. Only afterwards I got aware that he is so very young. Imagine, 9 years old! Amazing!

Not having done my homework of reading previous concert reviews

But ... that's fine, right? If this is homework, I have to be embarrassed, as I never do such kind until my review is done and posted. This in your and my defense and hopefully no teacher is watching now!

Cassius’ solo in Amazing Grace was another highlight of the show and won much applause.

Well-deserved I assume - Cassius is one of those who makes me curious the most. He seems mischievous to me (I mean that positively and hope it's the correct word) and it somehow was fun then to unexpectedly see him with Amazing Grace, as if just this surprise had been his very intention. And he was very good at it and seemed to enjoy himself, which was a joy to watch for me!

Poor Little Jesus was a touching piece also, however its position right after the uplifting Libera was strange.

It was sandwiched by such songs with Libera and Exsultate and honestly: I think it was a good idea. The big contrast between full choir sound / vividly rhythmic songs and Poor Little Jesus, whose arrangement is reduced to a minimum, in my opinion reinforced its impact by drawing the audience's attention to the sudden low tone in a very particular way. As the only Christmas song in a summer concert, it furthermore had a singular role; so where to place that song? I think Robert handled this difficult question in a very clever way.

Oliver WR then started on In Paradisum. His voice was so clear it reminded me of traditional cathedral chorister singing. Very pure head voice, light, little vibrato with no hint of breathiness. [...] He is able to communicate a lullaby like meaning to the song, and it sounded effortless.

Sam stepped forward to accompany Oliver for the second verse, and he did a great job as well. Oliver’s last note literally rang out in the cathedral and echoed for longer than usual due to its purity of tone and pitch. This was another one of my highlights for the concert.

This comes very close to how I experienced the song in Arundel. Good duet partners, the two of them.

I could comment on so much, but I don't want to be neverending again. There's only one question I'd like to ask those who attended and will be attending: How did you like Veni Creator as the very starting song into a Libera concert? This was a point of debate after Arundel, and while I did enjoy it for being so unexpected and so special, I'm eager to hear how you perceived it?

[john45]

I could comment on so much, but I don't want to be neverending again. There's only one question I'd like to ask those who attended and will be attending: How did you like Veni Creator as the very starting song into a Libera concert? This was a point of debate after Arundel, and while I did enjoy it for being so unexpected and so special, I'm eager to hear how you perceived it?

I think it is a great opening statement to demonstrate to the purist snobs that Libera's vocal skills are indeed equal to the cathedral/college choristers of traditional sacred music but, as their name implies, and the subsequent performance demonstrates, they have freed themselves, to wonderful effect, from the constraints of such music and no longer must roll their Rs, overemphasise their Ts and pronounce I as ”ee”.

[Padmachou]

During the signings, I asked Olver WR which was his favorite solo [...]

He performed "How Great Thou Art" in 2018, maybe he says he prefers "In Paradisum" to "How Great Thou Art" ? Other hypothesis, did he not sang a solo in "Exultate" ? I think he did in Arundel, so that is why I ask. But I would be surprised if he liked that small solo part to the main one "In Paradisum" ! So I'd go for the first hypothesis.

In Arundel, Sam sang the solo in Exsultate "We hear a distant music etc.". Gaudete and Exsultate are musical siblings; Sam sang both songs' solos and I don't think that this is a coincidence.

I will trust you about Sam singing that part, but I'm 100% positive that they both sang, maybe Oliver only did vocalises, but there definitely was a duet here.

[maartendas]

During the signings, I asked Olver WR which was his favorite solo, and he replied “the second one”. I think that meant “In Paradisum”, but I now am blanking on what his first solo was. Does anyone have a clue which was his first?

As a final comment, Victor looked quite shy when I congratulated him on his performance in ‘Wonderful World’. It seemed so out of character for such a confident and swaggerish young lad. I was happy that he enjoyed my compliment.

Thanks for part 2!
As others have said, Oliver might have been referring to Exsultate - but, the tour isn't over, someone can ask him again to make sure

As for Victor - the boys can sometimes surprise you by their off-stage interaction. A lot also depends on the moment. The exchanges are brief, but meaningful, and hopefully the compliments and positive attention stay with them for a long time.

[Egorbea2018]

Libera Concert – July 29, 2019
Cathedral Basilica of St Louis
St Louis, MO
USA Tour 2019


Veni Creator Spiritus
Only nine boys came out in semi –darkness and started singing a Capella. They did not stop for the next song.

Orinoco Flow
The big boys Leo Barron, Alex Gula, Taichi Shinokubo, and Peter Kielty were missing for this song and many others.

Sanctus

1st speech of the night was by Daniel White and Koji Shinokubo. Daniel talked about Orinoco Flow how the song says they sail away but he said they flew because it is too far to sail. Daniel said Luca and Laurence are the youngest at 9 years old and the oldest boys are 14 years old. Koji talked about Kings Cross Station and Hogwarts.

Angele Dei
Dominik Clarke did the first solo of the night. He has a nice, clear voice with sharp enunciation.

The Prayer
Daniel White did the solo, a spectacular performance. I read many fans say Daniel was better than last year. I agree. He is very passionate when singing this song. He has complete control of his smooth, warm, very mature voice. He has made this song his own. Of course, the dazzling harmonies of the choir make this song one of my favorites.

Salve Regina
Tadgh Fitzgerald did the solo. He was a little nervous but still did a great job.

2nd speech started with Alexandre Menuet talking about the hoods being shady in summer and warm in winter, while Victor Wiggin demonstrated wearing it. Victor Wiggin mentioned they visited Japan, Russia, and the Philippines and he introduced himself as the next soloist.

From a Distance
Victor Wiggin did a magnificent solo. Wow! What a night for Victor! He is very confident on his singing ability. He was calm and focused. His sweet, slightly raspy voice was so smooth and warm in this song. He sounded very different from himself, better if that is possible. For me, this was the best performance on the first half. Victor was fantastic on this song. And the choir made this song fabulous with their shimmering harmonies. Victor is a worthy successor to Alexander Montoro (which I never saw in concert) and Merlin Brouwer.

Stay with Me
Oliver Mycka did the solo with Samuel Collins on the descant. Oliver has a beautiful, delicate voice well suited for this song. Samuel was clear and sharp on his descant.

Angel
Daniel White did the solo. Maybe it is just me, but I think Daniel’s voice is not suited for this song. He can sing all the notes but somehow it does not fit. Oliver Watt-Rodriguez, Ben Bywater, or Victor Wigging would be a better choice. Angel is my favorite song of all of Libera’s songs. Isaac London’s videos and recordings cannot be compared to the only two I have heard singing it (Camden Stewart and now Daniel). Isaac’s voice is not smooth and gentle like Daniel’s but it has a texture and personality that is hard to match.

Voca Me
Descant by Luca. He sounded echoey. It was probably a fault with his microphone. I could not see him up there behind the choir but I figured out he was the only one I could not see and a fan confirmed it was Luca. The choir sounded great as ever. I did not see who did the final Voca Me.

3rd speech by VictorWiggin and Koji Shinokubo. Koji talked about being from Japan and said his brother Taichi was in the back. Taichi was jumping. Victor explained how Angel was filmed in Japan and that they get to the front of the queue on the rides.

Joyful Joyful
No soloist. It was the usual happy song full of wonderful harmonies and a great finale for the first half of the concert.

Intermission

How shall I sing that Majesty
Dominik Clarke did a majestic solo performance! WOW!!! He has an awesome, controlled voice, with a slight vibrato. The choral harmonies were breathtaking. For me this is the best song of the second half and the first concert where I hear Dominik’s solos. What a voice! He is intense! Of all the recordings I have heard of this song, in my opinion, he is the best (this is my first time to hear it live). I think Dominik is better than prior singers Stefan Leadbeater, Alessandro McKinnon-Botti and Lucas Wood and that is saying something.

4th speech by Tadgh Fitzgerald and Cassius Collard. Cassius said Moose is the most travelled moose in the world because he goes to all their concerts around the world. He mentioned Moose has a Twitter account where he posted photos of himself at Niagara Falls and should be in the Guinness world records. Tadgh mentioned Moose was kidnapped by a fan on a concert last year.

Wonderful World
Victor Wiggin did the solo with his slightly scratchy voice full of feeling. He puts his whole being into his singing. That is what makes him so effective and his songs so emotional. I was too far to see his smile, but I suspect he was serious this time. Victor is becoming one of the top soloists of this batch of Libera boys together with Daniel.

In Paradisum
Oliver Watt-Rodriguez did the solo, replacing the marvelous Rocco Tesei. Oliver has a very high voice not as full and mature as Rocco but beautiful and gentle. Oliver did very well on an extremely difficult song.

How great thou art
The surprise soloist was Mathias Montoro. He has a sort of alto voice, like Alex Gula before him. Mathias has a beautiful voice. Good job Mathias!

5fth speech was about countries of origin by Peter Kielty. Oliver Mycka from Poland, Victor Wiggin and Alexandre from France, Oliver Watt-Rodriguez from Spain (Andalucía), Tadgh Fitzgerald from Ireland, Koji Shinokubo from Japan, Mathias Montoro from Italy and Peter himself from USA. People started clapping when Peter said he is half American. They did not let him finish his speech. He kind of forgot the end of it and ended it quickly.

Always with you
Oliver Mycka did the solo. Wow! Oliver’s voice is very soft, sweet, and very pleasant. This is his song. He did it perfectly. The very difficult descant was done by Luca Brugnoli. Luca was very impressive. We can expect great descants from him in the future, since he is only 9 years old. (I believe the only recording of this song was by Tom Cully on the solo and Liam Connery on descant).

Amazing Grace
Cassius Collard did the solo. It is a short solo but he did it well. He has a sweet voice which reminds me of James Mordaunt in Touch the Sky.

Libera
Duet of Neo Parson and Tadgh Fitzgerald. They were brilliant. What an unexpected combination of singers (for me the first time hearing both of them). I could not see which of them did the high parts but I suspect it was Neo. Neo was standing next to Daniel on most of the group formations and Daniel has been mentioned by some fans as one of the high note specialists. Leo was his boss, remember?

Last speech - Johnny Garner talked about Libera being their theme song. He mentioned that the next song, Poor Little Jesus is an American spiritual and will be in their new Christmas album. He said the last song is Exsultate. He thanked us for being at the concert and he said a sharp good night. His is such a funny guy.

Poor Little Jesus
It started a Capella and then with soft music. This is a gentle song. I could not make out the words. Luca Brugnoli did a short solo. He has a very mature, clear voice. He reminds me of Daniel’s first solo.

Exsultate
There was no solo at the beginning. Samuel Collins did the solo at the end of it. He has a great voice. I was a bit disappointed he did not do the Voca Me descant. Maybe he will get more solos. He comes from a line of outstanding soloists (His three older brothers Luke, Jude, and Gabriel which were in Libera also).

America the Beautiful
Great finale for a spectacular concert. It is a very emotional song for me. The public thought the concert was over. They sat down when the music started.

The Venue
The Cathedral Basilica of St Louis is an astonishing work of art. Covered with mosaics depicting both historical and biblical scenes it is so beautiful there are no words to describe it. The Libera boys were standing on a raised area in front of the altar. It was great because you could see them from any seat. A fan that was seating quite far mentioned he could see the boys and that the sound was amazing even that far away. I was in the fourth row. This is my fourth Libera concert. For the first time the musicians were at just the perfect volume. The acoustics in the cathedral made the Libera sound even more ethereal.

My thanks to Robert Prizeman and all the Libera chaperones and staff for training and taking care of the Libera boys whose musical talent is a gift to all fans around the world. It was a breathtaking concert. God bless you all!

[Egorbea2018]

Tonight, though the soloists were spectacular, it was the choir as a whole that wowed me the most. Perhaps it was the cathedral itself that contributed to their blend. But considering the acoustic blending manufactured by the sound professionals, It seems it is the boys themselves who were able to produce such a whole sound.

Thank you from your detailed review! I enjoy reading a review with all the musical details that only a musician or choir director would know. Are you one of those? I waited to read your review after I posted my own of the St Louis concert. I did not want to be influenced. I agree that the choir was unbelievably good.

[gingerthedog1]

Tonight, though the soloists were spectacular, it was the choir as a whole that wowed me the most. Perhaps it was the cathedral itself that contributed to their blend. But considering the acoustic blending manufactured by the sound professionals, It seems it is the boys themselves who were able to produce such a whole sound.

Thank you from your detailed review! I enjoy reading a review with all the musical details that only a musician or choir director would know. Are you one of those? I waited to read your review after I posted my own of the St Louis concert. I did not want to be influenced. I agree that the choir was unbelievably good.

Yes, I guess I am a musician as I sing in choirs myself! I am glad you enjoyed it.

[Surpinto]

Thank you Egorbea2018 for your excellently detailed review. I agree with you that all of the soloists and the choir as a whole sounded very good on this tour and it sounds like certain songs were more polished in St Louis than in Saint Paul; and that incredible basilica in St Louis is spectacular when they can minimize sound equipment problems.

Angel
Daniel White did the solo. Maybe it is just me, but I think Daniel’s voice is not suited for this song. He can sing all the notes but somehow it does not fit. Oliver Watt-Rodriguez, Ben Bywater, or Victor Wigging would be a better choice. Angel is my favorite song of all of Libera’s songs. Isaac London’s videos and recordings cannot be compared to the only two I have heard singing it (Camden Stewart and now Daniel). Isaac’s voice is not smooth and gentle like Daniel’s but it has a texture and personality that is hard to match.

I think it's important to remember that Daniel is much younger than Isaac was when Isaac recorded "Angel" - that makes an enormous difference in how a treble will sound. Isaac's voice was also a touch thinner than Daniel's which actually worked to his advantage in a big way on the more emotional songs and added feeling to them. Without meaning to overstate it, I think it's fair to say that Isaac was one of the best soloists they ever had and so a comparison between 10 year old Daniel, who is already very very good and is only improving, and 12 or 13 year old Isaac at the height of his treble career just seems like a bad idea. Obviously this is a matter of individual taste so I hope you do not take what I am saying as quarreling with you somehow, I just wanted to point out why you may have been disappointed. And obviously I am biased as Daniel's singing unexpectedly renewed this song for me.

[maartendas]

Always with you
Oliver Mycka did the solo. Wow! Oliver’s voice is very soft, sweet, and very pleasant. This is his song. He did it perfectly. The very difficult descant was done by Luca Brugnoli. Luca was very impressive. We can expect great descants from him in the future, since he is only 9 years old. (I believe the only recording of this song was by Tom Cully on the solo and Liam Connery on descant).

Thanks for your review, you even put in all the speeches

I wondered who did the original descant on Always with you and couldn't figure it out. Maybe this is off topic but can you confirm it was Liam?

As for Daniel on Angel, I think it's also a matter of personal taste on the listener's side. I have written reviews where I said that a certain soloist, although singing great, did not match that particular song. However, I tend to think now that this opinion comes from my personal idea of what a song should 'feel like', so to speak. Maybe if I could hear a certain interpretation several times, my inner ear can get used to the sound that Robert chose for the song and I can appreciate that choice better. But alas, such treats are very rare, unless you are able to attend several concerts in a row - or if a certain soloist stays on long enough to get to hear them more than once.
In any case, I get the feeling Daniel is very pleased with his solo in Angel and that must tell us something about how comfortable he himself feels with this song. This adds to the pleasure of listening, even if our own inner ear was thinking of a different voice for the solo.
I guess all I'm trying to say is: well done, Daniel - you're filling some big shoes and can be proud of your progress so far

[bachmahlerfan]

As for Daniel's solos, while I liked his solo performance of The Prayer more than Angel, I still thought the Angel solo was good. I think he can further improve his rendition of Angel. One more thing about Poor Little Jesus, which I thought sounded fantastic at the St. Louis concert. I'm hoping that the studio recording of that song will come close to capturing what I heard at the concert, and not sound too much like it's coming from a studio.

[Egorbea2018]

so a comparison between 10 year old Daniel, who is already very very good and is only improving, and 12 or 13 year old Isaac at the height of his treble career just seems like a bad idea.

I think you misunderstood my comment. I am not saying that Daniel did not sing well. Daniel is an extraordinary singer and every single song he has done has been awesome. I am not comparing his ability to Isaac's either. Daniel's performances have been flawless, including in Angel. The type of voice Daniel has is different and more suited to other songs like The Prayer for example, where he is spectacular (another Isaac song) and I actually like Daniel's version better.

[Surpinto]

so a comparison between 10 year old Daniel, who is already very very good and is only improving, and 12 or 13 year old Isaac at the height of his treble career just seems like a bad idea.

I think you misunderstood my comment. I am not saying that Daniel did not sing well. Daniel is an extraordinary singer and every single song he has done has been awesome. I am not comparing his ability to Isaac's either. Daniel's performances have been flawless, including in Angel. The type of voice Daniel has is different and more suited to other songs like The Prayer for example, where he is spectacular (another Isaac song) and I actually like Daniel's version better.

Ok, fair enough! My apologies for misunderstanding what you were driving at. I was trying to give my own reasoning regarding comparing voices. Regardless, I am so glad that you enjoyed the show.