Re: Ely Cathedral 29th April 2017
Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 5:34 pm
I finally returned home after my short vacation in the UK and I'd like to share my impressions from my very first Libera concert.
I am writing the review prior to reading other ones, so please apologize, if some details are repeated.
When I arrived to Ely and had a city walk I was slightly disappointed by the lack of announcements for the Libera concert. Previously, Filiarheni reported that she couldn’t find a single Libera poster in Cambridge. It was not much better in Ely. I saw only one big poster at the Cathedral’s entrance and 3 or 4 small ones in some shops’ windows. What more, when I attended a guided tour to the Cathedral’s Octagon Tower on Saturday at noon, one of the tourists asked the guide about the concert and the guide actually didn’t know too much either. At that moment I stepped forward and did a little advertisement for Libera and their concert. People got really interested when I said I had come such a long way from Poland just to attend the concert. Hopefully some of them decided to attend too.
The venue for the concert was perfect. One could not imagine a better place for a Libera concert than that beautiful, massive, gothic cathedral. I think, Libera’s music fits perfectly into the medieval interior and together with beautiful lighting they provide the best possible ambience to enjoy the concert – much better than any concert hall or an open-air stage. On the other hand it may be a real challenge for the sound engineers to ensure a perfect sound for the whole audience.
On Saturday afternoon we were lucky to experience Libera’s soundcheck, as the Cathedral was open to public. At about 3.30 p.m. the boys entered the stage in their blue shirts. It was great for me to see them all live from such a short distance. I noticed, that many of the older boys were missing. Actually, there were only Isaac and Alessandro there, accompanied by younger ones and many of the previous mini-boys, who became regular choir members. The boys sang five songs and did some voice exercises. Some of the younger ones practiced their speeches too. I had the impression, that some of the boys were somehow tired. While stretching the arms may be considered a warm-up for singing, yawning was quite possibly something else. I was wondering, if they had such a long rehearsal or maybe a party the previous night. The soundcheck was the first taster of the concert to come and I was the more excited.
The soundcheck was short – only about 30 minutes, as there was another choir waiting for a rehearsal before the Evensong. I managed to quickly move to the side door and could see Libera walking out of the Cathedral. It was so nice for me to see them all just a few meters away.
I am a new Libera fan and I was so happy to meet other fans in person. So, I met Filiarheni, fan_de_LoK, maartendas, Yorkie and few others, whose nicks I am not quite sure about. Thank you so much for your warm welcome. It was really very nice to chat with you and to exchange thoughts and impressions.
Before the concert we could purchase the official programs – normal and pre-signed by the boys. Then, it was obvious, that a M&G is not planned this time. The concert started as planned at 7.30 pm with a beautiful flute melody. While the flutist was on the stage, Libera walked in and the concert went on with San Damiano. To be honest, I can’t remember many details from the first part. I was sitting in the third row, close enough to hear the voices coming directly from the stage. I was just listening and watching and experiencing the music all over myself. I was overwhelmed by the sounds and I just let them flow through my soul and hart. It was so very special. I am only asking myself, why I discovered Libera so late.
What I remember from the first part is Sacris Solemnis with Taichi on the vocalizes. I liked the song very much. And Taichi seemed to be the happiest boy on the stage – always with a smile and making the impression of enjoying the singing very much. It was such a joy to watch him sing. Other boys looked more concentrated and some of them – especially the youngest ones made the impression of being nervous and having a stage-fright. Robert Prizeman tried to make them smile, sometimes by putting his baton into the mouth. I liked Wonderful World with Gregor’s solo and Libera with Alex G and Rocco as soloists. They all did a great job. I noticed as well, that Alex M did not sing any solos and remained with Alessandro and Isaac in the back. Well, the voice break must have caught him recently. Good, that we will be able to hear him sing solos on the new CD ‘Hope’.
The second part started with Dies Irae – an old song, which has not been sung by Libera for a while. It is a beautiful song. Then it went directly to Joyful Joyful – without a break between the songs. Very interesting. In the meantime, I noticed, that Mr. Prizeman showed a sheet of paper to the choir from time to time. I can only assume it was a sign to smile and/or look happy, as some younger boys still looked somehow a bit nervous. I enjoyed Angel with Camden as a soloist very much. Of course, I was used to Isaac’s voice at this song, but I liked Camden’s rendition very much as well. Camden has a different voice, and a beautiful one in my perception. An then came Salva Me with Taichi on the high Salvas. What a joy to watch him sing so effortlessly and happily. I hope we will hear more solos from Taichi soon. He is amazing.
The next song was Amazing Grace – a beautiful protestant hymn, yet sung so often everywhere and by everyone, so people could be somehow fed up with it. But not, when sung by Libera. It is amazing, how a well-known and overdone song can be made interesting again. Huge thanks to Robert Prizeman and Libera for this.
After Sempiterna came two songs, I was especially waiting for. The first was Wayfaring Stranger with Alex G as a soloist. I wanted to hear Alex sing a solo very much. He has been in Libera for so long and actually he has sung only a few solos. Well, I was really impressed. Alex has now such a strong, deep voice. Very beautiful. I still hope, we will be able to hear more solos from him, before his voice breaks. I also liked it very much, when the song ended and Alex stood there in the middle surrounded by the older boys: Alex M, Camden, Alessandro and Isaac, with the other ones on both sides. This was actually the only moment, when Isaac was in the front. Alessandro was also in the front at the next song: Smile. Actually, he stood few steps behind Gabe, who sang the solo part. I loved the song and especially the parts, when Gabe sang a solo accompanied only by Alessandro on the second part.
Then came Exultate with Merlin as a soloist and the concert came suddenly to an end. What? How? Why was it so short? Well, I looked at the watch and realized, that the concert had lasted for 2 hours – it was already 9.30pm! This is unbelievable how the flow of time can be influenced by Libera!
Libera received a well-deserved standing ovation. We were happy to hear one encore. They sang Libera again (or actually only a part of it). The concert was irrevocably over. As the boys were leaving the stage, I noticed four of them going in another direction – towards the main entrance to the Cathedral. I thought, they wanted to meet some family members who were possibly present in the audience. But to our surprise, they appeared few minutes later handing out flyers promoting the new CD ‘Hope’. So, we had a chance for a ‘mini’ (or rather ‘nano’) M&G! The boys were Emanuele and Arthur plus two younger ones, whose names I don’t know (yet). I thanked them for singing a great concert and told them it had been worth coming such a long way to see them live. Another surprise was to see Finn Wood, but not on the stage. He was sitting in the audience, apparently with his parents, and watching his little brother Theo sing.
It was a great evening. I am so happy to have been at the concert and I am looking forward to the next one. I am also very happy to have met other fans and have chatted with them. Thank you again. It was a great day for me. And I am, for sure, not cured from the Libera-disease, quite the opposite.
Thank you for reading. I know, it has been a long post, but I am happy to have expressed my thoughts (which, BTW is not always easy in English for me).
And one more surprise at the very end. On the next day – on Sunday – I visited Cambridge. While I was visiting the King’s College Chapel, I was noticed by Yorkie, who happened to be there at the same time. Then, Yorkie said, there were three Libera boys visiting the Chapel with their families as well. In fact! They were (at least I think so) Oliver W-R, Alexandre M and one more little Libera boy, who’s name I didn’t know. What a surprise!
So, my trip to England was more than successful. I had such a wonderful time there and got much more then I could expect. Thank you Libera, thank you Filiarheni, thank you Yorkie, thank you all I met there.
I am writing the review prior to reading other ones, so please apologize, if some details are repeated.
When I arrived to Ely and had a city walk I was slightly disappointed by the lack of announcements for the Libera concert. Previously, Filiarheni reported that she couldn’t find a single Libera poster in Cambridge. It was not much better in Ely. I saw only one big poster at the Cathedral’s entrance and 3 or 4 small ones in some shops’ windows. What more, when I attended a guided tour to the Cathedral’s Octagon Tower on Saturday at noon, one of the tourists asked the guide about the concert and the guide actually didn’t know too much either. At that moment I stepped forward and did a little advertisement for Libera and their concert. People got really interested when I said I had come such a long way from Poland just to attend the concert. Hopefully some of them decided to attend too.
The venue for the concert was perfect. One could not imagine a better place for a Libera concert than that beautiful, massive, gothic cathedral. I think, Libera’s music fits perfectly into the medieval interior and together with beautiful lighting they provide the best possible ambience to enjoy the concert – much better than any concert hall or an open-air stage. On the other hand it may be a real challenge for the sound engineers to ensure a perfect sound for the whole audience.
On Saturday afternoon we were lucky to experience Libera’s soundcheck, as the Cathedral was open to public. At about 3.30 p.m. the boys entered the stage in their blue shirts. It was great for me to see them all live from such a short distance. I noticed, that many of the older boys were missing. Actually, there were only Isaac and Alessandro there, accompanied by younger ones and many of the previous mini-boys, who became regular choir members. The boys sang five songs and did some voice exercises. Some of the younger ones practiced their speeches too. I had the impression, that some of the boys were somehow tired. While stretching the arms may be considered a warm-up for singing, yawning was quite possibly something else. I was wondering, if they had such a long rehearsal or maybe a party the previous night. The soundcheck was the first taster of the concert to come and I was the more excited.
The soundcheck was short – only about 30 minutes, as there was another choir waiting for a rehearsal before the Evensong. I managed to quickly move to the side door and could see Libera walking out of the Cathedral. It was so nice for me to see them all just a few meters away.
I am a new Libera fan and I was so happy to meet other fans in person. So, I met Filiarheni, fan_de_LoK, maartendas, Yorkie and few others, whose nicks I am not quite sure about. Thank you so much for your warm welcome. It was really very nice to chat with you and to exchange thoughts and impressions.
Before the concert we could purchase the official programs – normal and pre-signed by the boys. Then, it was obvious, that a M&G is not planned this time. The concert started as planned at 7.30 pm with a beautiful flute melody. While the flutist was on the stage, Libera walked in and the concert went on with San Damiano. To be honest, I can’t remember many details from the first part. I was sitting in the third row, close enough to hear the voices coming directly from the stage. I was just listening and watching and experiencing the music all over myself. I was overwhelmed by the sounds and I just let them flow through my soul and hart. It was so very special. I am only asking myself, why I discovered Libera so late.
What I remember from the first part is Sacris Solemnis with Taichi on the vocalizes. I liked the song very much. And Taichi seemed to be the happiest boy on the stage – always with a smile and making the impression of enjoying the singing very much. It was such a joy to watch him sing. Other boys looked more concentrated and some of them – especially the youngest ones made the impression of being nervous and having a stage-fright. Robert Prizeman tried to make them smile, sometimes by putting his baton into the mouth. I liked Wonderful World with Gregor’s solo and Libera with Alex G and Rocco as soloists. They all did a great job. I noticed as well, that Alex M did not sing any solos and remained with Alessandro and Isaac in the back. Well, the voice break must have caught him recently. Good, that we will be able to hear him sing solos on the new CD ‘Hope’.
The second part started with Dies Irae – an old song, which has not been sung by Libera for a while. It is a beautiful song. Then it went directly to Joyful Joyful – without a break between the songs. Very interesting. In the meantime, I noticed, that Mr. Prizeman showed a sheet of paper to the choir from time to time. I can only assume it was a sign to smile and/or look happy, as some younger boys still looked somehow a bit nervous. I enjoyed Angel with Camden as a soloist very much. Of course, I was used to Isaac’s voice at this song, but I liked Camden’s rendition very much as well. Camden has a different voice, and a beautiful one in my perception. An then came Salva Me with Taichi on the high Salvas. What a joy to watch him sing so effortlessly and happily. I hope we will hear more solos from Taichi soon. He is amazing.
The next song was Amazing Grace – a beautiful protestant hymn, yet sung so often everywhere and by everyone, so people could be somehow fed up with it. But not, when sung by Libera. It is amazing, how a well-known and overdone song can be made interesting again. Huge thanks to Robert Prizeman and Libera for this.
After Sempiterna came two songs, I was especially waiting for. The first was Wayfaring Stranger with Alex G as a soloist. I wanted to hear Alex sing a solo very much. He has been in Libera for so long and actually he has sung only a few solos. Well, I was really impressed. Alex has now such a strong, deep voice. Very beautiful. I still hope, we will be able to hear more solos from him, before his voice breaks. I also liked it very much, when the song ended and Alex stood there in the middle surrounded by the older boys: Alex M, Camden, Alessandro and Isaac, with the other ones on both sides. This was actually the only moment, when Isaac was in the front. Alessandro was also in the front at the next song: Smile. Actually, he stood few steps behind Gabe, who sang the solo part. I loved the song and especially the parts, when Gabe sang a solo accompanied only by Alessandro on the second part.
Then came Exultate with Merlin as a soloist and the concert came suddenly to an end. What? How? Why was it so short? Well, I looked at the watch and realized, that the concert had lasted for 2 hours – it was already 9.30pm! This is unbelievable how the flow of time can be influenced by Libera!
Libera received a well-deserved standing ovation. We were happy to hear one encore. They sang Libera again (or actually only a part of it). The concert was irrevocably over. As the boys were leaving the stage, I noticed four of them going in another direction – towards the main entrance to the Cathedral. I thought, they wanted to meet some family members who were possibly present in the audience. But to our surprise, they appeared few minutes later handing out flyers promoting the new CD ‘Hope’. So, we had a chance for a ‘mini’ (or rather ‘nano’) M&G! The boys were Emanuele and Arthur plus two younger ones, whose names I don’t know (yet). I thanked them for singing a great concert and told them it had been worth coming such a long way to see them live. Another surprise was to see Finn Wood, but not on the stage. He was sitting in the audience, apparently with his parents, and watching his little brother Theo sing.
It was a great evening. I am so happy to have been at the concert and I am looking forward to the next one. I am also very happy to have met other fans and have chatted with them. Thank you again. It was a great day for me. And I am, for sure, not cured from the Libera-disease, quite the opposite.
Thank you for reading. I know, it has been a long post, but I am happy to have expressed my thoughts (which, BTW is not always easy in English for me).
And one more surprise at the very end. On the next day – on Sunday – I visited Cambridge. While I was visiting the King’s College Chapel, I was noticed by Yorkie, who happened to be there at the same time. Then, Yorkie said, there were three Libera boys visiting the Chapel with their families as well. In fact! They were (at least I think so) Oliver W-R, Alexandre M and one more little Libera boy, who’s name I didn’t know. What a surprise!
So, my trip to England was more than successful. I had such a wonderful time there and got much more then I could expect. Thank you Libera, thank you Filiarheni, thank you Yorkie, thank you all I met there.