It's good that we now have the CD's release date. While there was no fear over here that they'd postpone it to a year when a Japan tour is possible. It wouldn't make sense to irrevocably link the release to a tour taking place, as unforeseen things can always happen. I guess that they have a corresponding clause in their contract to exclude such a disadvantage for Libera.
And we also have the complete track list, okay, I hope more information is being held back for some more time to have room for speculation and maintaining surprises until the end and I wish they'd tease us! With some nostalgy I remember how we found the song titles of "Hope" step by step and how Libera kept us entertained through the waiting time by throwing out teasers in form of sheet music and lots of snippets, which we tried to assign to the song titles. Do you remember? I wish they would do so again! At least, they didn't reveal the composers yet.
![Mr. Green :mrgreen:](./images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif)
And this fact confronts us with a jungle of possibilities for now.
It's striking that a bunch of titles, yes: at first only titles, from the very past can be found.
Vespera,
Lux Aeterna,
Nunc dimittis,
Ave Maria,
Sacris Solemnis. But while
Vespera has already proven to be a new recording and with regard to
Ave Maria we can presume that Schubert will now complete the previous Libera Ave Maria trilogy, we have to speculate about
Lux Aeterna and
Nunc dimittis.
So Robert either explicitly intended to dig out songs from long passed periods, practically as a block. In this case
Lux Aeterna and
Nunc Dimittis are actually revisits of their old songs.
Or they are not, and that would be very interesting. As part of the liturgy, the Nunc dimittis text was set to music uncountable times. Here is for example a very new
setting by Paul Smith / Voces8 . The name "Lux Aeterna" is well-known to us as the vocal version of "Nimrod" from Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations, posted already above.
Apart from all of that, it always remains possible that Robert sat down to compose by himself. For me this is doubtlessly the most desirable option!
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Even if it may not seem too probable and they just went back to their previous songs.
And I feel exactly that new composition hope for
Cum dederit. There only seem to exist the afore-mentioned
Vivaldi and a
Händel, and I think both are less suitable for a Libera CD. However, Robert might also have actually selected songs dominated by a soloist, such as
Ave Maria or
If to make rehearsing easier. In that case,
Cum dederit could really be Vivaldi or Händel with an added chorus.
Padmachou wrote: ↑<span title="Fri Jul 09, 2021 7:02 pm">2 years ago</span>
I keep listening to Vivaldi's "Cum Dederit" and the more I listen to it the more I can picture a Libera arrangement. Something a bit like Sacris Solemnis, voices replacing the cords. It could be amazing.
It does have a mystic touch. Anyway, I'd prefer the thought of a new composition.
The pandemic placed Libera into a long exceptional state: messed up the rehearsal routine, reduced the concerts to an absolute minimum, no tours to be prepared. And this in turn makes it conceivable that Robert used some of the gained time to compose. I'd love it. I really find that it's time for many new songs, like on "Hope". "Beyond", in contrast, had too many revisits and had me suspect that simply for fulfilling a contract they went back to so many older songs.
Home. Well. Filling material? That is 1: 1 repetition like
Mother of God on "Beyond"? Or more like
Salve Regina and
Benedictus Deus from "Hope" to "Beyond", so more or less the same arrangement or even a takeover with only a new soloist?
With
Once an Angel I don't get any further. Neil Young doesn't fit, as others already pointed out. So I rely on this being a new composition.
Obviously, I must come to the conclusion that a title alone doesn't mean anything.
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
Let's recall
Salve Regina. Who would have thought during our "Hope" speculations that it would be a song based on a famous classical piece again? Btw, this could also be the case with
Cum dederit. We can count on everything and nothing.
I am eagerly waiting for
If and am excited for a wonderful solo by Daniel. The song is very impressive, only I wasn't fully convinced by Daniel's solo at the concert. His voice was not flowing as freely as usual, which was certainly due to the fact that with this song a huge load weighs on the soloist: Such an extended, song-dominating solo for such a serious and poignant song, performed for the first time, that's an enormous task! So I'm all the more looking forward to the recording, where he surely was relaxed.
Vespera, how exciting that is! First the new recording with Aled Jones and then including it on their new album, that's a strong hint that this song is finally getting prepared for its appearance in concert! Our todo? Prepare how to fill the time when crying for
Vespera is history.
Ok, if we group it:
a) New, but possibly no new compositions, at least unclear
Once an angel
Cum dederit
O Lord, support us
b) Unclear whether new or old
Nunc dimittis
Lux aeterna
c) New in the last concert
Let me make songs
If
Sing
d) Not yet on CD, but sung in concerts
Total Praise
Nearer My God
e) Alt
Ave Maria
Vespera
Sacris solemnis
Deep Peace
Home
The record label announced "five brandnew songs". Assuming that
Let me make songs,
If and
Sing are brand new in this sense, which are the other two?
Once an Angel?
Cum dederit?
Surpinto wrote: ↑<span title="Thu Jul 08, 2021 12:31 am">2 years ago</span>
O Lord support us
No idea about this one! Found several versions with this title on YouTube but that gives us no defining hints.
Rather excluding hints, maybe.
bachmahlerfan wrote: ↑<span title="Thu Jul 08, 2021 3:45 am">2 years ago</span>
O Lord Support Us: However, the one by Gary Davison seems like a good candidate. It's the only one that seemed to be written for a treble choir.
Here are a few settings of "O Lord, support us":
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0mubkYli8M (David Briggs)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA772zqzUoQ (Bob Chilcott)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkfpDBWib2Y (Gary Davidson)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RWcYumP4HE (Allen Pote)
The Pote setting to me sounds like a Libera arrangement can be created. The Gary Davison one is calm and nice, but somehow doesn't seem to lead anywhere in terms of typical Libera arrangements, whereas I'm able to picture a grand dynamical development in Pote with a fine lead solo and interweaving choral voices. Again: It's solely speculation and perhaps we actually get a new, fresh composition?
I am hoping for some solos by Freddie and Neo. Daniel is safe, and we can probably also count on Dominik, Luca, Victor, in case the voice change didn't strike too early. Oliver WR? However, I would love to have a couple of new soloists, especially since you never know to what extent the boys are given a chance in time. This is something the pandemic has taught. So such a chance should be used as soon as it opens.
As for the album cover: We know that
If will come with a video and saw some photos by Libera where they find themselves in a gloomy environment. The title song
If deals with a wishful situation, which has not become truth yet, so it rather expresses being caught in darkness as of now, but feeling a ray of hope in all of that darkness. I find that an ideal relation between song lyrics, song video and album cover.