Concert in St George, London, 16th November 2012

[maartendas]

Got home safely after a great trip to London. Last night's concert was fantastic, probably the best of all four I've been to. I had an amazing time and it was great to hear and see the full choir again. It sure was crowded on stage

I'll blog a full report later, but I couldn't resist posting already this pic of Jude and colleagues waiting to start their slow walk leading into Mysterium. (these fun sights are reserved for general ticket holders only )



Oh and there's a huge panorama picture of the full line-up on Yahoo Angel Voices, taken during the standing ovation:

http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/gLSnUAzpNg ... 35big2.jpg

[dani]

Is that Marc A in the background of the group photo , i wonder ?!

Haha - yes them walking down the isle spooked me as i suddenly turned and the boys were at my shoulder. I was not expecting that


Martin are you the one who spoke to me after the concert? .. if it was then it nice to put a face to the name and it was good chatting .

[maartendas]

Yeah it was me Hi

I had the same effect in Arundel at the start of Jubilate

[dani]

Yeah it was me Hi

I had the same effect in Arundel at the start of Jubilate

Hi


it was nice to speak to another fan even if i did have to run off and grab a left home.

It is so confusing as there are a few Martin's in the fanbase

[JimmyRiddle]

Standouts for me last night;

1) Be Still My Soul - stunning a capella, flawless execution. High notes by Thomas Delgado almost as perfect as Joe Platt from the CD version.

2) Voca Me - never expected it to sound as good as this live. A selection of boys singing the solo lines and Thomas on high descant. A testing challenge on the vocals which they all carried off in trademark 'libera' style.

3) Far Away - Isaac is getting really confident with this. He has such a nice singing voice. Very crisp and clear. Hopefully he will get more solo's further down the libera road. It's sometimes unfair to compare but as far as 'live' performances of 'Far Away'; he's equal to anything that's gone before.

4) anything Eoghan soloed - class act

There were a few imperfections but this is too be expected when such youngsters are performing live and before large audiences. The vast majority of moments when they get it right far outweigh the one or two minor off pitch/mis-timed/out-of-sync passages. Also a few songs didn't quite leave the same impression which previous concerts have, but lets face it Libera are having to rebuild again following recent voice changes by prominent frontline members. It was only last year when Stefan and Ralph were soloing the majority of the concerts

It was also encouraging to see Tom still actively involved with Libera concerts, playing keyboard although only visible when they took to their positions a few minutes before the concert began. Still it didn't stop some members of the 'fangirl' fraternity shouting out for him to wave which he rather sheepishly acknowledged lol

By the way the no recording rule appears to have contracted itself an exception amongst some fans, between standing ovation and encore many media devices were held aloft eager to capture what they can. In some ways you can understand why, after the no-return photo shoot was enforced at UK concerts, time is limited for fans to grab what they can. They must be careful not to share any live video, even if it's an encore.

Well I have witnessed 'Be Still My Soul' and 'Voca Me' performed live. Well worth the 8hr round trip drive. Just wish with the passage of time, there was a way of having your memories remain as vivid and clear as on the day itself.

[dani]

Jimmy you never introduce yourself

Yeah the weird creepy guy who is glued to his video camera was out in full force yesterday once again, the same weird guy who recorded them last year at the same venue when they was upstairs going to and from changing. He has completely no shame and is vile!!!


ETA - Sorry if people do not like me bringing this up and the mods can delete this. I just wanted to pint him out yet again for recording everything from when he arrived.

[viabuona]

Yeah the weird creepy guy who is glued to his video camera was out in full force yesterday once again, the same weird guy who recorded them last year at the same venue when they was upstairs going to and from changing. He has completely no shame and is vile!!!


ETA - Sorry if people do not like me bringing this up and the mods can delete this. I just wanted to pint him out yet again for recording everything from when he arrived.

At least one Admin agrees with you.

[viabuona]

Back at home and time to bring up some impressions.

After the concert Lumi, Yorkie and me sat together over a bottle of sparkling Thames Water and our nice guy asked me about my favorites of this evening.

Well, first of all: yes, there was some faults. But not because the boys was not trained enough - my opinion is, that on a concert in London they try to be better then 'best' and the reaseon is clear
- Parents are here
- Oncles and aunts are here
- Grandparents are here
- Friends are here
- Christmas is near...

What do you think, how nervous you would be in such a critical situation?

But now back to my three favorites of this concert.

Isaac with 'Far away'
I'm really surprised how he is increasing this song from concert to concert. Hope that Rob let doing him this song also next year. Great job Isaac.

Cassius with 'Stay with me'
I had the impression that he was 'one step more in front'. He was still supported by other voices, but less then in the last two concerts in NI. So I think on the next concert (if the song stays in the setlist) he is doing a 'full' solo on this song and Daniel will be proud to have such a follower.

Matthew J with 'The Fountain'
He starts to 'play' with his voice, the changements between the higher and the lower parts, between smoothness and powerfull - amazing. Of course not perfect at the moment, but the emotion in the song and the expression on his face while singing - for me,on this evening he lived this song. Definitively my top favorite of this evening.

To clarify: I'm not saying that this three boys are 'the best'. They was maybe in a top form but also supported by a top choir. So without the rest of the 'crew' - well ....


Let me end with another point, queuing can be boring, but it's not a must. While queuing I had a chat with people from the following countries:
France, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, New Zealand, Finland, USA, Sweden, UK and even Yorkshire

A great day and a great concert

[Malibu]

Just got back to my home-away-from-home in Germany.

London was a blast, but I think my feet are bloody stumps now. Since I had never been to London before I decided to make a short weekend of it before the concert, and on Saturday. I was on my feet pretty much the entire time except when waiting for, and watching, the concert (basically from 7:30am until I sat down to wait at 6pm). Speaking of waiting for the concert, apparently Germany is 1 hour ahead of the UK, and my phone never updated, so I got to the church an hour earlier than I thought. But at least they had an indoor spot for us to wait.

Anyway, my thoughts are pretty consistent with the others. There were a few more flaws than I have witnessed in previous concerts, but that's to be expected, and like I've said before, I almost prefer it to prove they are human I wonder if being extra nervous in front of parents is the issue? I know I could never do what these boys do, especially at their age, so no qualms from me.

One of the highlights for me was Far Away, I couldn't tell who sung it, I've lost track of the newbies a little bit, and I sat in the general section so I couldn't see, but I thought it was fantastic. It's one of my favorite Libera songs, and I thought it was great yesterday.

I also enjoyed I Vow to Thee My Country. That song gives me the chills, and being in England listening to it made it that much better.

I also thought Ave Verum was extra-ordinary last night.

I had never heard Dies Irae before, but I must say it was great. I might have to buy the CD that it's on.

The last few times I have seen Libera Stay With Me was always sung by a soloist, but last night it was with a group. I think it was ok last night, but I prefer it being sung solo.

Anyway, does anyone have a list of the soloists for each song.

Jimmy, I agree that the no photography rule doesn't seem to apply to some fans unfortunately. One "fan" sitting one row in front of me and across the isle (we were both sitting on the isle), tried multiple times to get some photos with his DSLR during the first 3 songs but it wouldn't focus (try manual focus ). So then he tried with his iPhone, and I finally tapped him on his shoulder to tell him to stop. It was incredibly annoying to see the screen go on and off while trying to watch the concert. Is getting a photo that important?

Anyway, overall it was a good time. I had another short conversation with Mr. Philipp after the concert. He evened remembered me from the Chicago concert last year. Incredibly nice guy. Hopefully he continues to stay with the group even though Ben no longer sings.
P.S. I don't know how my posts end up so long...

[qaqwex]

Oh and there's a huge panorama picture of the full line-up on Yahoo Angel Voices, taken during the standing ovation:

http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/gLSnUAzpNg ... 35big2.jpg

The moderator for the Yahoo AV group has removed this file and the small version of it because they will not allow pictures taken during the concert which includes during the standing ovation. If it is permitted on this forum then I will post the small version here and provide a link to the large version which is about 8Mb. Note - it is not a panorama but a cropped image taken with one shot with a camera whose images are 7360 x 4912 pixels.

Please let me know if it is OK to post the small image and provide a link to the larger.

David

[dani]

I love Dies Irae and i am glad its on the set list as i had been asking for ages for it to be added to the set list but i dont know ifs its the right song to open with.


So to clarify it should remain on the set list but maybe not as a opening song


Alos maybe time to switch the Peace album songs around as we always get Sanctissima , Exsulate and The Fountain but we have never heard Ave Virgo , Adoro Te or Lead kindly Light or bring back Time.

[maartendas]

As promised

http://choirfan.wordpress.com/2012/11/1 ... in-london/

Be warned, it's a long read.

Two points to add: I said this was probably the best of all four concerts I've been to. That's strange to say since my favourite soloist is now in the back row. What I mean is, this night was exciting throughout, with many different highlights. So yes, as far as individual songs go, Ralph's Do Not Stand in Arundel topped the game for me. But in terms of overall performance, this was the night.
Btw, flaws? Not much more than the other concerts I attended.

On pictures: there are some shots in my blog of the boys starting their procession into Mysterium and a shot of them taking the applause. These I consider to be the 'outer edges' of the actual concert. Glimpses, not the real thing. I'll wait and see how people in general will respond. If anyone can convince me that they actually do harm, I'll remove them.
Cheers.

[kay]

Just to clarify the position of Angel Voices regarding pictures mentioned here. Craig there says that Libera themselves ask for them not to be taken and published not the group. He took it down in deference to their wishes. It's a difficult subject because for a lot of us it's the closest we'll ever get to seeing the boys 'live' but the organization have made the request so.....

[Yorkie]

Please let me know if it is OK to post the small image and provide a link to the larger.

David

I'm not Admin or moderator but we have posted photos taken at the end of the concerts for the last few years so I can't see why yours would not be allowed to be posted.

[Yorkie]

So, that’s it for the Libera 2012 concert calendar. The last few years has seen a major increase in the boys work schedule and whilst 2012 wasn’t as busy as some (no gigantic Canada and US tours for instance) I don’t think we can complain at 12 concerts and one new country.

In addition to the concerts we have had the excitement of film (the girl with the big ‘hands’) and a slew of compilation albums – the only thing missing is a brand new ‘Libera’ album but despite pestering any Libera adult I could find they were all keeping quite about if or when we could expect a next album!

Looking back at the set list and singers from 2011 (not including the Christmas concerts) we can see the evolution that has been in play. Here is the 2011 summer tour line up (courtesy of Mini Angels):

1. JUBILATE - Ralph, Alex, Jakob, Barney and Carlos singing, then joined by the others.
2. LIBERA - solos by Eoghan and Luke. Ralph did the high parts at the end.
3. SONG OF LIFE - Ralph sang a solo with Daniel and Kavana.
4. SANCTISSIMA - Solo also sung by Ralph. He has such a great voice!
5. SANCTUS - Jakob sang the high parts, and Luke sang the "Sanctus" at the end.
6. ALWAYS WITH YOU - Freddie sang the solo, Jakob sang the high bits.
7. ETERNAL LIGHT - Josh sang the solo 8. SALVA - Matthew R-A sang the high parts.
9. LAMENTIONE - Daniel, Jakob, Carlos, Ralph, Matthew J., Matthew R-A, Dylan, Eoghan, Barney and Freddie.
10. EXULTATE - This song was changed up a bit. Ben's solo was sung by Freddie, eoghan, Ralph and I think another boy.
11. TE LUCIS - Ben, Sam, Josh, Alex, and Tiarnan!
12. MYSTERIUM - Ralph and Luke
13. GLORIA
14. THE FOUNTAIN - Ralph's solo was
15. WHEN A KNIGHT WON HIS SPURS - Ralph soloed again.
16. STAY WITH ME - Daniel sang the solo, Matthew R-A did the high parts.
17. AVE VERUM - Carlos solo with Jakob harmonizing.
18. LOVE AND MERCY - Cassius sang Mini-James’ duet with Freddie!
19. GLORY TO THEE - - Eoghan sang the solo at the beginning
20. HOW SHALL I SING THAT MAJESTY? - Eoghan, Jakob, Ben and Jude sang the solo parts.
Encore – EXULTATE

Now compare that to the final concerts of 2012, just a little over a year later:

1. DIES IRAE - Matthew RA,Ciaran
2. GLORIA - Matthew RA (high notes)
3. ETERNAL LIGHT - Jude,Thomas
4. VOCA ME – Ciaran, Thomas on high notes
5. SANCTUS
6. I VOW TO THEE - Dylan,Matthew J,Thomas
7. SALVA ME - Matthew RA (High notes)
8. BE STILL MY SOUL - Matthew J, Thomas
9. HOW SHALL I SING- Eoghan
10. MYSTERIUM - Jude
11. ORINOCO FLOW
12. FAR AWAY- Isaac
13. THE FOUNTAIN - Matthew J,Thomas
14. GRATEFUL HEART - Thomas,Michael U
15. AVE VERUM - Dylan,Matthew J,Ciaran,Henry
16. SANCTISSIMA - Eoghan,(Thomas)
17. STAY WITH ME - Cassius
18. GLORY TO THEE - Eoghan
19. EXULTATE - Thomas
Encore: Libera: Eoghan

So, eight or so different songs but look at the soloists. It’s a bit of an eye opener when you think just how quickly the group evolves and changes. But you know what, Robert and Eleanor (and probably a few others that we don’t really get to hear about) have done it again. If you haven’t been lucky enough to hear them in a concert this year (and I know most of you haven’t) then you are in for a treat because we have some really great voices in the group but, more importantly, a real great blend and balance too.