So I thought I’d pen a few words on the concert although John and the other posters have done a good job on that already to be fair.
As the day grew closer rumours abounded of a potential new album and, of course that means new songs so expectations were high. The first inklings of the changes were to be heard in the rehearsal which, as last year, was open to us fans and those members of the public lucky enough to have been visiting at just the right time (not that this is free mind, it costs us £9 entrance fee to the cathedral for the privilege).
We got to hear the return of Mysterium (hurray) and I must confess at first I was disappointed that it was reduced down in length, had the lyrics removed (just the ooohhh and aaahhh atmospheric parts remain) and merged with Joyful Joyful but it does kind of work as an opening number. Would I like to see the full version with exciting choreography back to open the second half? Of course! But it is interesting, it’s a unique sound that only Libera has and it does set the scene nicely for what is to come.
We of course heard the new version of Sanctus and that worked very well to freshen up this long standing classic. Everybody really liked it. Merlin was shown to be the soloist on Ave Maria and he did it very well. I think he was a little nervous of seeing us all sitting there but hopefully that helped him for the main event later. This is the RP version of AM from the Visions album.
The new song, In Paradisum, was another hit amongst the gathered fans and set us off trying to track it down as some people had seen the BBC tv show or heard it on the radio and recognised it. Rocco has really developed in to a good soloist and has a very good voice.
We also got to see some of the speeches and I think Taichi teased his brother as he sort of walked forward to do the languages bit (which was Koji’s part this time) and getting the position of the mics right for Victor and Alexandre (and Alexandre declared that he was the most French of the two!). They are a great team those two and clearly good friends.
The staff at Ely are rather pleasant and laid back so they never actually ended up kicking the fans out, everybody just gathered at the inside entrance and started buying the merchandise from Andy and Lawrence (pens, bags, photo books, CD’s, LP’s, white hoodies, fridge magnets). It was all well organised and they also had extra signed programmes this time I think.
So, on to the concert. The first thing to say is that the whole performance was well polished, they sounded great both from a singing point of view and also from the sound system generally. I have been to a few concerts where the instrumentalists have been too loud (in my opinion) and drowned out the boys but here they complimented but never dominated. Alex G mentioned they had been recording the new album for the previous couple of weeks and clearly they have spent a lot of time together because the whole group was working well. The lighting at Ely is a little more restrained than other venues but that is not a negative, they used colours to highlight the natural beauty of the building and used the fog machine to get that refracted light affect when needed. I can’t remember much about the choreography and in all honesty they didn’t do much but I suspect that was mainly due to the number of boys on a relatively small stage.
Eimear started off the show alone on stage, spot lit against the overall darkness, with a hauntingly beautiful, even mournful, flute solo which carried on to intertwine with the usual Mysterium backing music. The boys filed on stage from both left and right to supply the ooh and ahh affects with Leo doing particularly well on the high call part of the song. I was able to thank him for a great concert the following day after Evensong at King’s College in Cambridge.
In Paradisum is not, in my opinion, an easy song to sing but Rocco settled into it really well and this will be a great track on the new CD. He is certainly a main performer in the group at the moment and a good one too. Gabe provided supporting vocals but after his prime role in previous concerts, he did lower (although not deep) parts in this concert.
What can you say about Daniel? First concert gets a speech (Westminster Cathedral) which he did confidently, next up a full solo of The Prayer. Aged nine. And honestly, it didn’t even phase him to pick up where Isaac left off. He has a very mature (I generally think the younger voices sound a bit thin and ‘childish (for want of a better term)) and beautiful sounding voice. This boy has it all and certainly has a bright future as a soloist if they can keep hold of him. I can describe his performance in one word. ‘Wow’. Isaac knelt down for this but I think Daniel remained standing with the rest of the boys kneeling around him.
Stay With Me is a classic but we had a slight surprise when not Taichi but Samuel- Francis made his way to the pulpit to deliver the high notes. A great job he did too and he is another one to look out for in coming years (edited to add that young sam tends to sing with his head inclined to one side, very much like big brother Gabe). Oliver Mycka, free of the mic problems that hampered the song at Christmas, delivered to us a confident and exemplary main vocal. He also has a good voice and they certainly have strength in depth at the moment.
Ave Maria, is reworked with the addition of a new chorus for the new album and Merlin always looks happy to be on stage with his shy smile as he approached the mic to sing. A song that has been a mainstay of the Libera catalogue over the years with some big name singers and Merlin has added his name to that roll of honour. Many people had this as one of their favourite numbers on the night.
How Great Thou Art, Alex Gula, How Great Thou Art. He keeps on producing the vocals despite his deep (and very pleasant) speaking voice. He is nearly 13 now so is in the prime of his treble voice if perhaps not quite as high as it once was. He will undoubtedly feature on the new CD and I hope that you get to hear him through the rest of this year’s concerts (to be clear his voice is strong and pure at the moment and he didn’t struggle once on the night).
Voca Me is one of my all-time favourite Libera songs and it gets messed about with at your peril. Fear not, RP is safe from my wrath as his rearrangement for the new album works well, retaining the same tune. I speculated with Patrick before the concert that it would be a new arrangement because it was one of the songs listed for the new album and we knew from rehearsal that the others had been given a work over. I was right
Leo ascended the steps to the pulpit to deliver some confident high notes in the TDL class and he is certainly developing a reputation as the big note specialist of the group but I also hope we get a solo from him on the new album. Orinoco Flow closed the first half.
I Am The Day was executed fantastically well with Alex G on the main vocal not putting a note wrong and Peter and Oliver M doing the whispering that was perfectly balanced to Alex’s singing and had a nice bit of reverb. From A Distance was introduced by Tadhg and Alex G after their talk about ‘The Moose, The Real Moose’ and his Twitter account and Korean exploits. Merlin is the perfect singer to pick up the baton from Alex M* for this song and it has really grown on me.
Salva Me was next and young Oliver W-R got his chance to show us what he could do and he didn’t disappoint. After making his way to the pulpit he knocked those Salva’s out of the park (poor Robert had to stand up to cue him in with his conductors baton so far away was he). Amazing Grace featured Peter who ‘saved a wretch like me’. Another good voice who could easily pick up many solos based on his performance here. The boys were in two semi-circles behind him.
Sanctus has had a bit of a nip and tuck this year and has come out fresh faced and ready for the new album with, as Maarten mentioned, a very pleasant melodic rising Hosanna addition. Wayfaring Stranger was Alex G again but his now richer, fuller voice leant a new twist to this fantastic song. They had to do a double ‘V’ line for Alex to walk through and he was back lit through the smoke for a great visual effect. Alex is just so accomplished right now his singing is effortless. I’ve said it a lot throughout this write up but they really have a lot of boys capable of delivering top class solos at the moment and here comes another, Ben, in the long line of legends of that name. Eternal Light has been off the rota for a while and Ben is the right man to bring it back, with secondary vocals by Oliver W-R; they sounded great together.
Now, probably my favourite song of the evening – Nearer My God To Thee. I think they should do more a cappella songs to be honest because everyone they do is sublime and is a real wow factor for the audience. The haters can keep snarking about recorded vocals and auto-tune but anybody that is lucky enough to see them live knows what nonsense that is; NMGTT is everything that I love about Libera – harmonies, purity, entertainment, tear inducing – I found myself holding my breath as we were bathed in its glory and when it finished and the silence held sway I let out a little sigh before the longest applause of the evening took over.
The lyrics are not in the programme as the song was unlisted but I’m pretty sure they sang the first two verses and then the last:
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me;
Still all my song shall be nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
Darkness be over me, my rest a stone;
Yet in my dreams I'd be nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
Or if on joyful wing, cleaving the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upwards I fly,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
Using Patrick’s breakdown of the singers (thanks Patrick!) Merlin started the song with the first two lines on his own. Then Ben joined him for the second two lines of the first verse. The singers sing in slightly different keys and sometimes delayed from each other so you get layered and beautiful harmonies that are quite spectacular.
Next Alex G added his voice to Ben and Merlin for the first two lines of the second verse before Alex M, Rocco and Leo joined for the last two lines of the second verse, with Alex M’s deeper voice really balancing and supporting the other five.
As we get to the last verse singers drop out after the first two lines so that the last line drops to just Merlin & Ben, then Merlin and eventually Rocco sings a repeat of the last line alone. Perfect. I really hope this is included on the CD, perhaps as a hidden track if it does not fit the style of the rest of the album or as part of a ‘deluxe’ version.
Libera makes the last official song of the night with Rocco and Alex G doing excellent work on the calling parts before the encore of Smile. As has been written many times already, Victor exudes happiness on stage and he smiled throughout the night, not least in this one. And what a voice too! He was able to covey the emotion of the song perfectly, another rising star. Mustn’t forget that Romeo also featured his recorder playing and he still has to sing the other parts too!
Earlier in the day I asked a few people what their favourite Libera concert ever was (hard for some who have many, many to pick from). I can safely say that for many of the reasons I have listed above, this was certainly amongst the best I have experienced. I wish it was on DVD so that we could all relive it again.
Cheers.
If I’ve got owt to say I says it, and if I’ve got owt to ask I asks it.
Mercy & Love
But I'm also very excited to read about the new soloists, new songs, new arrangements and of course the new album! 
