22 June 2019 - Arundel, UK Concert

[Yorkie]

Well, it's good to hear that it was such a successful concert. I didn't think the set list was particularly surprising outside of the one Christmas song which I assume is a preview of one of the tracks for their upcoming Christmas album. Speaking of the song "Poor Little Jesus", I found several different tunes on Youtube with that title. So, could someone clarify which tune Libera performed? I'm glad to see "Always With You" back on the program. It's such a beautifully hypnotic song. As for "Salve Regina", I guess I'll accept it for the greater good, even if I personally find it boring. I'll see if a live performance endears me to the song. I knew that Luca Brugnoli must be a talented singer, but don't ask me how I knew.

They perform this regularly at their Festival of Nine Lessons at St P's. Having looked on YouTube this seems pretty close:

[Yorkie]

PART 1…

So, a return to Arundel. My last concert here was in 2012 having missed out on the trip in 2014 and it was nice to be back in the old town and this time with a car so I got to see a little more of the area and took in Evensong at Chichester Cathedral on the Friday in my quest to attend an Evensong in every English Cathedral. As has been mentioned on Twitter the weather was very cooperative for this concert; probably the best I have experienced for a UK concert.

We didn’t have to wait for the programme to find out what we would be treated to in the concert because during the rehearsal they sang the entire set list – we weren’t allowed inside but we could hear it from outside. Some late arrivals reported that they could hear some of the rehearsal from inside the castle grounds! I’m not sure how usual practicing the whole set list is but from the rehearsals I’ve listened to before they don’t usually do more than 6 or 7 songs + the speeches. The group consisted of 37 of which 30 were ‘full’ members and 7 were mini-boys who joined the group on stage or stood at the front right of the stage under Barbara’s guidance.

Don’t expect much here – I kept minimal notes so I can only give my general impression of how well each song was performed. Lights and stage organisation I’ll leave to others…

The opening song was Veni Creator Spiritus – they have done it before, certainly in 2016 in Vallendar which somebody has posted a bootleg video of on YouTube. With the lights down about 9 boys entered the very back of the Apse. It started with a single voice (Dominik I think) and then additional voices joined in. It was performed a cappella and without mics so it gave a beautiful, almost meditative Gregorian chant sound and it was a beautiful way to start the concert. I really love it when RP adds these little embellishments to the concert and this was performed excellently so we were of to a great start.

There was a nice extra intro added to Orinocco Flow to allow the Veni Creator group and the rest of the boys to assemble on the stage proper and then we were off. No soloists on O-Flow of course. Then into the new version of Sanctus with Samuel-Francis doing the bulk of the high note work (from what I could observe) and he has really made this role his own and was very good all evening.

Next up was the first speech from Joe & Koji who told us that Alex and Rocco were the youngest boys when they last performed in Arundel but tonight they were the oldest at 13. They then introduced Hal as the youngest on stage at 6. As they rearranged themselves for the next song I watched young Hal as he left the stage visibly pleased at the huge round of applause he got when his name was mentioned.

Angele Dei was a welcome return sung by Dominik who was introduced as being 12. I didn’t realise he was that old (well, you know what I mean) but he certainly nailed this song and he was very impressive all evening. Very nice voice and he lived up to Alex’s version in every way. I was impressed by Dominik.

The Prayer had the usual kneeling semi-circle formed around the fantastic Daniel. A year on from his debut at Ely he has developed a very pleasing richness to the tone of his voice and he certainly delivered a perfect version of this song. Is his version as good as Isaac’s? Yes, I think it is. I’m assuming Daniel is 10 so time is on his side and I still predict big things for him in the future.

A debut (at least I don’t think it has been sung live before) for Salve Regina and Tadhg got his big solo of the evening. He has a very light sweet tone to his singing and he finished the song very strongly.

The dynamic duo of Alexandre & Victor were next up for the speech about the ‘nice white robes’ that are shady in summer and warm in winter. After telling us about all the exotic places Libera have performed in the last year (and Bournemouth) Victor then went on to introduce himself as the singer of the next song.

The very smiley and always happy looking Victor’s song was the one he has taken over from (the now ex-Libera member?? Merlin) - From A Distance. You can’t help but warm to the way Victor goes about his work on stage but, more importantly, the boy can sing. His tone is different from Merlin’s whose voice was slightly husky by the time I last heard him in Brighton, but it is confident and controlled and very good. He could sing a lot of songs for Libera if Robert needs him to. The whole group vocal was perfect on this song, nicely balanced on the high and low notes.

Straight into that perennial favourite Stay With Me and it was a Oliver M singing a great main part (Ed Day) with the Sam-F on those high (Liam) parts. It was perfect, both boys doing their bit without error. Did there used to be arm movements on this song? Not any more as far as I can remember which is a shame, but at the end of the day it is the singing that counts and we could not have asked for better.

Angel was back, but of course there was no Isaac. Who would be the soloist? Step forward the master of his craft Mr White who again demonstrated his great range and ability. It could have been written for him and it is difficult to keep describing how good he is without repeating myself but those of you in the US who haven’t heard him since last year’s tour will be even more impressed by him now.

One of my favourite ever Libera songs was next in the form of Voca Me (new version). Sam-F went to the back for his spot-lit party piece high notes. I think he had a poor view of Robert and slightly missed his mark on the first go (most people wouldn’t have noticed but as I have listened to this piece countless times I’m probably too familiar with it) but he nailed it each subsequent time and he is certainly up there with the best of those who have sung this piece live (and it is a tough as they come). Sam had a very good night on stage. Now, the one piece of lighting that I do remember was on this song. As the tension builds and builds to the crescendo, the roof above the boys was illuminated by an intense white light that was quite spectacular. Then as the climax of the song is released in the final, lingering ‘Voca Me’ the lighting subdued to the most lustrous shade of iridescent blue. A stunningly beautiful effect and hats off to Luke Avery for the execution.

Speech next and Koji returned with Daniel to talk about Angel being used to advertise a Japanese theme park which meant they got to go on the rides without queuing – oh the perks of being a Libera member. I wonder if I start singing when I next visit Alton Towers if they’ll let me fast track on to the rides? The first half finished with Joyful Joyful and they retired to their refreshments without, hopefully, spilling their drinks down their nice white robes.

[ludwig1874]

Thank you Yorkie for this nice review!

[fan_de_LoK]

Wow! Wonderful review Yorkie

Looking forward for the part 2

[Yorkie]

Wow! Wonderful review Yorkie

Looking forward for the part 2

And here it is:

PART 2…

How Shall I Sing That Majesty was (thank you Furby) last sung by Lucas Wood in 2015. Welcome back old friend. In this incarnation the baton is passed to the exemplary Dominik. What a night the lad had but of course it takes a choir to sing these songs and they all performed magnificently. I hope some other reviewers can describe the lighting and staging for this one.

Back to speeches and it was the turn of Cassius and Tadhg introducing Moose and his travel exploits. But here I must report a most egregious error on Tadhg’s part. Now, you know I’m the most modest and least boastful/arrogant Yorkshire man on the face of the planet (I’ll assume your agreement here thank you). Well, in describing some of the videos they had filmed (such as In Paradisum in Essex) Tadhg then went on to say that the Wonderful World video was filmed in the grim mills of Lancashire (where life was anything but wonderful for the children working in the mills). Now, I wouldn’t wish to be viewed as a pedant but that video was filmed in Leeds which was very much in Yorkshire the last time I visited. I’ll forgive him

Victor, your on. I guess this is a song that you either like or you don’t but I happen to be in the former camp and I really question how you can’t like this song as performed with great assurance by Victor and the rest of the boys (and that Wonderful World video really has more than a touch of pathos about it).

The second video described by Tadhg in his speech was In Paradisum which was masterfully crafted by Rocco of course. Well, time moves on and whilst not officially a member of the back row he has passed this song on to Oliver W and Samuel-F. I have to say that Oliver did a great job with it with the first of his big two. Well done Oliver.

How Great Thou Art was performed by Alex G last year who has now progressed to the back line to provide the foundation of the group along with Taichi and Leo, which of course means an opportunity for somebody else. Step forward Mathias (ably supported by the team). He didn’t put a note wrong as he stepped up to take on his solo duties.

Next was the languages speech introduced by Joe – Oliver M (Poland), Alexandre & Victor (France), Oliver W (Spain or Andalucía to be precise), Tadhg (Éire), Koji (Japan) & Mathias (Italy); it’s a small world after all.

And then in to Always With You for the first time since Gabe at Guildford in 2015 which was done by the excellent Oliver M on the main part and, from nowhere, Luca Brugnoli on the high notes. To say he has launched his Libera career with a sensational performance would be an understatement. Wow, this lad absolutely nailed his high parts on this song; I mean this was album quality. Well done Luca. Watch out for big things from him.

Amazing Grace was Cassius' break out chance for the final verse and he grabbed it with some very nice work and some sweet sounds. No faults or mistakes just a very confident, full sound to his singing.

‘Libera’ was its usual self except…is that Neo along with Tadhg? Yes, but actually he performed excellently all night with his work on the high parts. He seems to be blossoming nicely and we can perhaps expect a song he can make his own soon. I certainly hope so.

Now, Poor Little Jesus. I think we know that this will be on the next Christmas Album. They sing it quite often at the St Philips Festival of Nine Lessons. It was introduced by Jonny in the final speech of the night who described it as an ‘Old American Spritual’ and thanked us for coming (he also told us how to correctly pronounce the name of Eimear the flautist). If you don’t know it, it follows roughly this tune. And the man to sing the final part of it for us was Luca. Did I mention he was good? I lied; he is far better than that. It was accompanied by just some gentle strings but was almost a cappella. Exultate made it’s return (again I assume for the up coming Christmas Album with, I hope, ‘I saw Three Ships’ from Brighton). Sam-F and Oliver W performed the frilly bits.

And then we were on to the encore of Smile. Victor is absolutely the right man for this one and the ever excellent Alex G provided the counterpoint to Victor’s Treble for a lovely finale. America, we pass them on to you for this summers tour in very good form. Beg, borrow or steal to make their concerts, you deserve to hear them and they deserve your support.

[Yorkie]

OK I wrote my review in Word but the links don't seem to have worked so here is the link to Furby's wonderful resource on our sister French forum of Libera Passion - Thank you Furby

And this is the poor Little Jesus Video I wanted to link to:

[john45]

Thanks Andy, you have brilliantly captured an unforgettable evening.

[Surpinto]

Excellent review, Yorkie. Thank you for your impressions and the set list and soloist information which preceded it. Salve Regina was sung live? Given that it was track 1 of the Hope album and did not use any sound engineering or other elements which would have made it untenable for a live performance, I wonder why they decided to add it to the repertoire only now? Regardless, given how much I took to that piece I am very optimistic that it will now be sung live on the US tour as well. And "Angele Dei" is back too? Excellent.

I'm also glad that the "Voca Me" was good and that Sam sounded good. I know that this is a favorite song of yours and that makes hearing it live, and performed well, all the more special.

And we have a surprising new soloist come out of the blue and with a new song? There is no end to the surprises in this concert.

Thank you, Yorkie! I enjoyed reading your review. It sounded like the choir sang beautifully in this wonderful venue and hopefully will sound just as good in the US this summer.

[Surpinto]

Now, you know I’m the most modest and least boastful/arrogant Yorkshire man on the face of the planet (I’ll assume your agreement here thank you). Well, in describing some of the videos they had filmed (such as In Paradisum in Essex) Tadhg then went on to say that the Wonderful World video was filmed in the grim mills of Lancashire (where life was anything but wonderful for the children working in the mills). Now, I wouldn’t wish to be viewed as a pedant but that video was filmed in Leeds which was very much in Yorkshire the last time I visited. I’ll forgive him

Very important that children these days know their geography.

[TrebleVoices]

That's a great review Yorkie, thank you.

[Surpinto]

So, Arundel topped a fantastic two days of treble singing for me, New College Oxford choristers, Canterbury Cathedral choristers and then Libera! All different, but all great, and the solos last night were really good!

Brighton probably still tops my list for favourite Libera concerts of the last few years, but Arundel was super.

Not a bad town either, although in the end I pretty much only saw the cathedral, chip shop, and pub...

My main concern had been the train times for the return journey! But in the end, although I missed my train, I got a lift from a friend all the way to Gatwick, so a perfect day in the end!

Also, it was nice to meet you filiarheni.

And, I got to talk to Sam Coates and told him what a excellent job I thought he did of the arrangement on I Saw Three Ships!

Glad it worked out for you and that you got to hear so many fantastic choirs in such short order. It's alsodefinitely a positive turn of events that you were able to catch a ride after missing your train.

Cathedral, chip shop, and pub? That's all you need, right?

Did any particular songs stand out for you?

[TrebleVoices]

Cathedral, chip shop, and pub? That's all you need, right?

Did any particular songs stand out for you?

Damn right! Saveloy and chips washed down by two Badgers. Really hit the spot. Especially as I'm on a diet at the moment, so this was something of a treat.

I was impressed across the board at this concert. But as for stand out songs, I particularly enjoyed Oliver M's Always With You, Cassius in Amazing grace and Poor Little Jesus.

[fan_de_LoK]

Cassius in Amazing grace and Poor Little Jesus.

The soloist at the final of 'Poor Little Jesus' is Luca, not Cassius
Luca was mini-boy at Westminster and Brighton, and he already was gived the responsability of a solo, on a new song, for his first full concert on stage. The kid has nerves despite being only 8-9 yo, and a beautiful assured voice. Hopefully the song will be on the new Christmas album to come

[TrebleVoices]

Poor Little Jesus and I saw Three Ships, would make the album for me. I'd buy it for those two alone.

I did ask Sam Coates about whether I Saw Three Ships would get a release, but he didn't commit to an answer just said "hopefully". But it would be a crime not to include it, in my opinion!!

[maartendas]

Thanks for all the reviews and impressions so far. Keep them coming! Here's my review.

I enjoyed visiting Arundel again after seven years. The beautiful weather made it into a small holiday. Also I enjoyed meeting up with fans from all over the world.
The concert itself, especially the second half, felt just like my first ever Libera concert: from highlight to highlight, it went by in a flash. It seems that with every concert they go by faster and faster. When the last song was announced I felt such regret!

As promised, there were many surprises, in the choices of songs and soloists. I liked the fresh mix of old and new songs and all new soloists did really well. The only boy I really missed was Ben Bywater. I hope he is still with Libera or at least still singing, as I think his voice is a wonderful instrument that was developing beautifully last year. I missed other voices too but Ben's in particular (and the other ones were replaced by new great voices).
Also, I hope the back row will increase in size again as they do add so much to the overall sound.
These points aside, the whole experience was wonderful and the second half was impeccable.

I never mention the speeches in my reviews, but I liked that there were some changes there as well (for instance a little background on the making of music videos) and that 6-year-old Hal was introduced, who had his first ever concert!

On to the songs.

Veni Creator Spiritus
Not listed in the program. Nine boys stood at the very end of the altar. The first notes immediately gave me goosebumps. It always moves me in a special way when Libera sings prayers to the Holy Spirit. Tadgh conducted the 'Amen'.
 
Orinoco Flow
From the solemn beginning of Veni Creator to a cheerful, colourful follow-up. Daniel alone summed up the joyful nature of this song with his beaming smile

Sanctus
We stayed in the luminous, colourful atmosphere and I closed my eyes to enjoy the harmonies. For some reason the strings sounded clearer, more crisp than usual. A wonderful sound.

Angele Dei
Dominik caused the first tears to well up in my eyes. He sings so earnestly, full of purpose and feeling. Even thinking back about it, I can feel the emotion. The group parts are amazing, the way they build up - just like the way the cathedral is shaped, the Gothic forms, pointing upwards - enhanced by the light. Mesmerising. I'm happy that this song is back on the setlist again.

The Prayer
Wow, Daniel's voice has grown! Fuller and rounder than before. He really owns this song. I think it was during this song that I suddenly noticed a statue of Jesus on the right of the nave, as if it just appeared at that moment as part of the song – quite spectacular!

Salve Regina
My first time hearing Libera sing a melody by Schubert...! Tadgh sang with lots of emotion and sincerity. A promising solo, one that he can grow into, and I hope this makes it to the Japan tour. The choir as a whole sounded so smooth and gentle. I could see a statue of the Virgin Mary from my seat and that made this song into a real prayer for me.

From a Distance
I felt some regret that we won't hear Merlin sing this in concert anymore, but Victor stepped up to the game with ease. His friendly, slightly airy voice and natural charm fit this song very well. As usual I let my eyes wander to enjoy the group effort. They were convincing and this has become a really familiar song for the boys.

Stay With Me
Oliver just keeps improving every single time. His voice has more weight and shine to it now. A joy to hear and he can be really proud of himself. I wonder if he will hold the record of longest running soloist of the same song?

Angel
Daniel sang this with complete ease and visible joy. Although to my taste the tempo was just a little bit too rushed but I now think this might have been due to his total ease with the song, gliding along in the singing. Again, as with so many songs, the choir sound as a whole was so lush and rich – I keep reminding myself it is like that all the time with Libera and yet it never fails to overtake me (as the Germans say: überraschend).

Voca Me
The beginning gave me goosebumps and the climax, as already described by Yorkie, was a visual highlight.

Joyful joyful
What a contrast to Voca Me. It closed the first half in the same way it began: bright and cheerful. One of the songs where the new mini-boys participated and I took the chance to watch them. They seemed to be trying to take it all in as well as sing in the best way they could. Who knows where they will be a few years from now?

INTERVAL

How shall I sing
Dominik started out completely on his own. Just seeing him walk to the front all by himself was impressive. He has a strong stage presence and sings with such sense of purpose, carrying the words into our hearts. The overall sound was amazing and it was fantastic to hear this song again. 

Wonderful world
Victor is an ideal soloist for this song. His friendly voice is utterly charming and his intepretation was totally natural and believable. I fell in love with this version right from the start. 10/10.

In Paradisum
Oliver WR stepped into Rocco's shoes with calm musicianship and a voice that reached the heights with ease. A sharp voice, like a bright flash of light. The crescendos in the chorus were stirring and enveloped me in their warmth.

How great Thou art
The song I wished for the most and I felt very pleased to see Mattias get this solo. He had made such an impression in Brighton and has been leading the third trebles for some time now, so it was appropriate that he now got a full solo in a much loved song. There was an air of confidence in the way he sang, yet at the same time his singing radiated some of the humble sense of wonder conveyed in the lyrics. His lovely round voice was very pleasant to hear. For personal reasons this song was the emotional highlight for me. 

Always with you
Pleasantly surprised that this song was back after so many years (it is one of the songs I still remember the most from the concert in Epsom). Also a wonderful surprise to see Oliver M get another solo! Fully deserved. He sang earnestly, gently and with perfect diction. It's a mysterious song and yet Oliver made it sound fresh and bright like the breaking of dawn.
Luca on the high notes also made an impression - crystal clear and sensitive. He was one of the few other boys to deliver high notes besides Sam, who had a full-time job all night. On a side note, I just realised that both Oliver M's solos are of songs where the main solo is paired with a high note vocalise, a very nice combination that works wonderfully well with his voice.

Amazing grace
Not everyone's favourite but the lyrics get me every time and to see the boys kneeling adds an extra layer of meaning to the song for me. Cassius charmed me with his wonderful solo. He has a pure and radiant voice and sang very calmly, seemingly without any nerves at all.

Libera
This one made some fans jump as it is associated with the end of the concert. Luckily there were still two songs left, plus the encore I admit I don't usually have a lot to say about this song in reviews, it's always convincing but doesn't really move me. This performance was different, it felt lighter somehow. In both meanings of the word: less heavy and also more luminous. Tadgh and Neo were definitely responsible for this change Neo had a particularly good night, apparently.

Poor little Jesus
What a gorgeous arrangement. It was a capella but almost sounded like it was accompanied, with all the soft harmony parts (correction: there was some accompaniment there, as Yorkie pointed out. But it was all so softly blended I didn't even notice ) A deeply moving song, fragile and overwhelming at the same time. Luca's short solo was like a gem in the middle of a piece of precious jewelry.

Exsultate
The Irish flute, the rousing drums and the dancing voices made this into a real party. Sorry Yorkie, I can't help but keep shouting my praise for this song

A standing ovation followed with cheers from the audience, who were very appreciative all night. Yet some of the best was saved for the very last, the final glow of the concert.

Smile 
Victor on solo and Alex Gula backing him up. I felt so happy to hear Alex G's voice again - it was like a halo around Victor's. Again, Victor won me over completely.

So there we have it. A concert that to me proved what is now growing out of the very strong group we had last year, with new promises for the future as well. It's been ten years since my first Libera concert and it just keeps going...!

P.S.:
Some astronomical bonus notes
After dinner on Friday, our company of fans did a little star gazing. The first star we saw (appearing above the cathedral) was Vega, in the constellation Lyra, which is Latin for lyre or harp - very fitting, for this constellation symbolises the harp of Orpheus, the mythical musician and singer. Also, Libera sang about harps in Poor little Jesus ('Come down, all you holy angels, sing round him with your golden harps').

We also saw Jupiter, and there is a link with Libera there as well: Gustav Holst's composition Jupiter was the basis for the hymn I Vow to Thee - so beautifully sung by Matthew Jansen in Arundel in 2012

Finally, from my b&b I could see the constellation Leo right in front of me - no need to explain the Libera connection to that name

Ah, and this brings me back again to seven years ago... When Ralph sang about 'the soft, soft starlight at night', his last solo, in Arundel...