New Album "If" (Oct 2021 release)

[filiarheni]

So I will do the rest of my review homework, before hopefully in May the next duty is waiting for me.

After the combined review about the SJSS Christmas concert 2021, which I explicitly link here ...

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… not much more than half of the album remains. In order to not get anyone lost in a labyrinth of scrolling back and forth, I will quote in spoilers what I said there about the album songs.

First of all, a short note on the sound technology of the album: Initially, I was very enthusiastic, but meanwhile I’m not so sure anymore, whether the sound isn’t already too clear for me. Perhaps I’m deluded, but I think to notice a softer overall sound in “Hope”.


Once an Angel

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Once an Angel
Music & words: Robert Prizeman
Arr.: Sam Coates

Album
It's the album's starting song and I like this choice. It's like a preface Robert took. To lay down his sorrow and his wishes for Libera to persist also after him and then, with the following Let Me Make Songs for the People say: "And now let us dive deeply into the music and enjoy!" The song is wistful, but I do find comfort, I have to say, in seeing it in the analytical way of directly relating it to Robert's situation. I also think that Robert couldn't have expressed his true love for Libera better than through this song.
Once an Angel is much more beautiful and less sad than I had expected and Sam did a wonderful arranging job. He uses those liberaesque features such as mystic sounds, the way how the voices are led, and the flourishing harmonies, especially later in the song - but all of this in a more restrained way. Very adequately done and certainly a good sign for the future. Thank you, Sam!
I especially love those percussive notes, which bring tiny balls before my inner eye, glowing like stars and floating through the air. It is a contemplative song that provides a haunting duet by Victor and Daniel W. (I presume that's Daniel on the album as well - I have to complain once more that the second voice soloist remains uncredited in the booklet. ) It was absolutely appropriate to give the solos of this important song to two long-lasting, firm pillars of Libera.
Plausibly, it's a minor key piece, but at the "long ago" bit yet another shadowing happens by the change to a semitone, which once more adds to the resigned mood. And still the song as a whole sparkles and certainly conveys hope and brightness aside from the sad cause for its existence. It is a goosebumps song.
Victor has definitely improved his technique. I prefer the clear to the breathy voices and I like it that his voice is more direct now. It sounds beautiful.

Let Me Make Songs
Music: Robert Prizeman
Arr.: Sam Coates
Words: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
In terms of the composition, there is not much in it. It is, as I said back then after its premiere, very predictable in melody and harmonies so that it was possible to sing along already at the first listen. But I believe that it wasn’t Robert’s intention to create a superbly sophisticated composition, but a “song for the people” indeed. Music that doesn’t place itself on a pedestal, but music that speaks to all, that’s understood by all, that is catchy enough to make it singable for all and thus includes everybody, just following what the lyrics say. Maybe composed under the impression of the pandemic, which globally brought people together, but sadly also apart; or maybe a view back by Robert on what made his life actually be his life.
Composed as an anthem, Sam arranged it accordingly: with a rich orchestral and choral tone, colourful and warm and even though the song belongs to the category “conventional” for once, it successfully causes goosebumps. A song to turn up really loud in volume! The first two lines („Let me make songs for the people / Make songs for the old and young“) with the chords strongly emphasised seem like a statement that directly clarifies what the song is about. It’s reinforced when it’s repeated later on.
There are no solo parts. Instead we have diverse constellations in the number of singers and voice groups along the piece, which maintains the listener’s interest. The choir sings the song with emphasis, streaming legato and, again, in a very accentuated way where it’s necessary. Greatly sung!
In any case, it’s a very pleasant song that I like, even though I don’t listen to it very often. I also like Harper’s lyrics a lot. Here’s the part that move me in particular:

„... where music soothes all our sorrows
‘til war and hurt shall cease
and hearts of men grow tender
and girdle the world with peace”


If

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If
Music: Michael Nyman
Words: Roger Pulvers

Album
If - I already wrote earlier about how poignant this song is and how intensely it moves me.
There's one association I get. That distinctly palpable ongoing regular beat by the orchestra and the way it is set already in the original composition by Michael Nyman had me think of the human pulse. Just for curiosity, I measured the bpm which is ca. 70. As far as I know, this is more or less the average of what is considered the norm range for an adult. I cannot be sure, how could I. But here we do have a song of philanthropy, and I find this closeness to a heartbeat interesting. It also has something of "go on, don't give up your hopes".
Daniel sings If by worlds better than in the concert last year, and it makes me so happy! His voice is very soft and reminds me of cotton flocks. It has a stable and straight core, enfolded in that cotton gentleness. I also like the way he sings it: unexcited and simple. Total enjoyment. I don't remember to have heard Daniel any better anywhere. He was good, but not in the same way as here. Of course he is older now. My impression is that he treats this song with a particular care. As if he felt responsible to do its deep meaning justice. With this album, If is perfect for me.

Cum Dederit

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Cum Dederit
Music: Antonio Vivaldi
Arr.: Sam Coates
Words: Trad.

Album
The story of the ballad which was no ballad. This song purely musically reminds me of Three Ravens, due to the somehow eerie mood, the same dotted strings rhythm which pushes the song ahead, the building drama by the rising and falling of the choir part, a certain underlying threatening atmosphere, the treatment of lead and choral parts. There is a certain gloominess already in Vivaldi's composition, which is reinforced here, while I'm not sure if the words actually provide that mood.
Anyway, this Libera rendition is simply electrifying in each regard. There's Sam's breathtaking arrangement! I can only repeat myself: How lucky we all are to have him! An enigmatic component in Dominik's voice fits the music in an outstanding way. Actually, in the direct comparison I prefer the live version. Dominik's voice has a darker timbre now, which is good for the song. Also, the recorded version sounds more restrained.

Total Praise
Music & words: Richard Smallwood
Arr.: Adam Sztaba, Robert Prizeman
This very short song tends to be overlooked by me. But when it comes my way, I like a listen. Starting with an a cappella solo by Daniel W., it slowly develops up to the maximum of sound. There the song radiates a wonderfully peaceful joy and this feeling is the reason why I do like this song every time. Melodically inconspicuous, Total Praise musically lives on its harmonies solely. The coda, where the word “Amen” keeps spiralling upwards, is highly beautiful.


Ave Maria (Schubert)
Music: Franz Schubert
Arr.: Robert Prizeman
Words: Trad.
Although I usually love Schubert otherwise, his Ave Maria – which originally was no Ave Maria – doesn’t appeal to me. However, I enjoy Robert’s choral and instrumental arrangement.
Tadhg has well developed since the online concert in 2020, while I’d like to encourage him to - rightfully - forget about all nervousness, as this has consequences for an overall balanced sound of his voice. It is a very demanding piece to solo though, and his legato is fabulous.


Sing for our World

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Sing for our World
Music & orig. words: Elwin Hendrijanto
Translation & addit. words: Robert Prizeman & Dominic Ferris

Album
Hey, that's the second song which will definitely make you rock along, and be it while sitting on your couch! It is just so vigorous! I supposed before that it's more a live than a studio song, so although the recording is already very animating, let's go straight to the ...

Concert
... and get really overwhelmed by all that energy which came across! The song is full of variety and they could show off its fantastic choral arrangement. Great groove, boys!

Nearer My God

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Nearer My God
Music: Lowell Mason
Arr.: Robert Prizeman
Words: Sarah Flower Adams

Album
Probably no song has me as ambiguous as this one. Generally spoken, the tune doesn't appeal to me. Oddly enough though, I can relate to the comfort that it may bring in harder times. But who would wonder: What no other version has managed, has successfully been achieved by Libera! It won't become a favourite of mine, however their rendition is the only one which I enjoy and which makes me listen from the beginning to the end. With a very restrained instrumental accompaniment, it features an amazingly written quintet building up intensity from one soloist up to the full five and at the end withdrawing to the first soloist. On the album we have an enchanting performance by Luca, Victor, Mathias, Dominik, and Benedict B.

Vespera

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Vespera
Music: Robert Prizeman
Words: Trad. & Robert Prizeman

Album
Vespera + I = friends forever! I had been anxious before. The 2001 version radiates 100 % positive energy; would the new one change that? To my joy and relief, my worries were unfounded. I fully affirm this version, it doesn't take anything off my previous feelings. Its arrangement is still marvelous and so very beautiful, deeper, wider, more expanded and still it's the old, uniquely atmospheric Vespera! The keyboard's sound which for me essentially contribute to this mood was not touched, so glad. I couldn't help smiling due to the pleasing listen and a feeling of complete comfort spread out in me.
One melodic element was modified, seemingly a bagatelle, but it does affect the mood there: It's the change in the Gregorian chant intro from originally being a whole step to a semitone now, which causes a moment of woe. It sits on the word "clementia", which has me wonder if this was a very subtle sign from Robert, a mix of hope and resignation in the face of his illness. It is my very own speculation, but as artists do express themselves in their art, who knows and there must have been a reason for this strange change.
Luca and Daniel C. are the ideal team for this song. Luca with his natural singing skill and his crystal clear voice does the song justice, and Daniel C. is simply terriffc on the vocalises! The production of Vespera is brilliant as well, such as the transition to the first refrain which feels like a smooth landing, oh wow, and wonderful, how Daniel takes the note over from Luca for his final vocalise.
All in all, the 2001 version is more ethereal and lighter, remote, while today's version is more grounded, more real, closer. So yes, they are different, but the specific atmosphere, that's what I've learnt now, can't be taken away from this song, because it is inherent to the composition.
[...]
Vespera hasn't lost one bit of its fascinating translucency.

O Lord Support Us
Music: Robert Prizeman
Words: St. John Henry Newman
Its snippet had woken the most interest in me and I wasn’t disappointed. An impressive, extremely beautiful song!
The short text is a prayer which expresses the hope for God’s help during and after this life and the longing for rest with intensive pictures. Having Robert’s personal background in mind – no idea when he wrote the music, but I do think there was a reason for the choice of the lyrics – it is thought-provoking. However, the music is not sad, but rather unsettling and soothing at the same time ... surprising melodic and harmonic turns seem like an adventure that’s waiting, while you don’t know what it will bring and about which you are curious. In all of this, the piece has a clearly positive general attitude.
The choir beautifully sings the dreamy harmonies, which are well suited in the sense I described. A real goosebumps bit is “(until) the fever of life is over”.

With “Our work is done”, one would expect a definite final chord on “done”. Not so here: The words are harmonically turned into a different direction – the task is fulfilled, but there’s no ending here, somehow it will continue. Where it goes, that remains open. Another and more goosebumps follow from “a holy rest” to “peace at last”, where a new musical part begins that wasn’t there in the first verse. Here I believe to literally see the light, because the choir harmonies gleam incredibly.
While the choir plays the main role in O Lord Support Us, Dominik was the perfect choice for the solo parts, which he excellently executes. One reason lies in his somewhat mysterious voice, the other one is because the piece challenges the listener and somehow Dominik fits to that.

Together with Lux Aeterna, O Lord Support Us is the most typical Libera song of the album for me, and those two plus If, whose mood I can never escape, are my three album favourites.


Sacris Solemnis

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Sacris Solemnis
Music: Ludwig van Beethoven
Arr.: Robert Prizeman
Words: St. Thomas Aquinas

Album
A solemn arrangement, just according to its title, while I never warmed to it. I do enjoy the later part though, particularly towards the end when it becomes louder, the singing more committed and more dramatic; there the song can capture me. Freddie delivers fine solos at the beginning and the end, he sings them with diligence and his voice is strong.

Deep Peace
Music: John Rutter
Words: Trad.
I’m not fond of Rutters music. Too much crowd-pleasing is the one thing, but above all I find him to be stealing too much from himself. I like a few of his songs though, above all the simple “A Clare Benediction”. As for “Deep Peace”, came across Rutter’s only through Libera's album "Peace" and initially it was hard for me to engage in it, as, through my own choir, I had previously known the solemn Bill Douglas version and the two are completely different in mood. Rutter treats the passage “Moon and stars pour their healing light on you”, which in the Douglas setting touches me deeply, far too randomly for my feeling. Ultimately, it was the fascinatingly gentle Libera sound that made the song appeal to me. By which I mean the musical part, because I still think that Rutter's setting doesn't convey the words in the most ideal way.

Luca sings the first verse and his slender, meanwhile warmer voice really sounds like “shining stars”. When I first heard his singing, I became so relaxed that I almost fell asleep. But oops, after the choir refrain! A very different sound from Neo compared to Luca! Almost too heavy. But Neo’s voice is just so wonderful! It has a dark timbre, sounds exceptional and interesting, a voice that draws attention. It drew me so much into the song that since then I don't mind the change from Luca to Neo anymore, which had previously felt to me like a sort of break.
I had been hoping for an album solo by Neo. Luckily we have one now, although I would have preferred a more attractive song for that.


Nunc Dimittis
Music: Geoffrey Burgon
Words: Trad.
A spherical, delicate arrangement, with the voices of Tadhg and Dominik tenderly playing around each other, soloing alternatingly or singing in duet, above a sound carpet of the choir. The song, sung with plenty of feeling, conveys calm, humility and inner peace from its beginning to the end and I like it far better than the a bit colourless Angel Voices version from 1996.


Home
Music: Takatsugu Muramatsu
Words: Robert Prizeman
I hope that Luca will forgive me, but regarding this song I’ll stick with Ciaran’s solo despite Luca’s flawless singing. The reason may partly be that we’ve heard so much from Luca already. Above all, however, I actually prefer Ciaran’s particularly soft voice for this song.


Lux Aeterna
Music: Robert Prizeman, plainchant of the requiem mass
Words: Trad.
Wow, this rendition turned out so beautiful! I had loved the song also before, especially in the "New Dawn" version, because it expresses so much peace. Now it just sparkles, much more than before.
In the song, Robert summarised everything that is characteristic for Libera, see e.g. the newly added Gregorian chant part. Ok, almost everything: The bilingual element is missing. But otherwise everything is there. The song is a dream!
In this version, this world and the beyond are connected in a unique way, I find. The solo verse, in which the path is described, is simple and clear, very down-to-earth. Then in the refrain, the heavens seem to open up to let the beaming light come through. I get the feeling of something unearthly floating here, the choir sounds soft and at the same time strong and convincing.
I am more than happy with Oliver WR as the soloist! A non-Christmas solo from him, this has been a wish come true for me. His clear, gentle voice has a friendly timbre which contributes greatly to the effect of this piece. Who is his duet partner?


It is the closing song of Robert's last Libera album and therefore it’s of outstanding importance. To me it seems like he kind of took stock with "if". With Nunc Dimittis up to completely new songs, it comprises the entire time span of his work with the choir. It contains a wide variety of pieces, the new recording of the three Ave Marias was completed, he has looked out to Libera's future , emphasised music as the very purpose in his life, expressed his pain about the upcoming need to let go and then, filled with hope, focused on what lay ahead and said goodbye.
And so it is striking that Lux Aeterna ends in unison on the root of the tonic, which can be interpreted as “having arrived at home”, which is backed by the fact that it's set to the word "Jerusalem". It's the last word of the song and thus of the entire album as well. Since the endings of all three versions differ in lyrics and accordingly music, the choice of “Jerusalem” as the final word was, without doubt, intended. (If you then have a curious glance at the first word of the album’s opening song, you will find "Remember". Quite meaningful, too, but here it probably wasn’t more than a coincidence that it fits so nicely.)

Lux Aeterna is an immensely soothing song that sets a real, proper ending to the album, but with all the sadness associated with it conveys a peaceful feeling of having arrived and agreeing. And even though it’s valid for the whole album, exactly this piece and exactly this arrangement have a decisive part in the fact that directly at the first listen, I felt the album to be healing. Maybe and hopefully, Robert's working on the songs had a similar effect upon himself.

Thank you, Libera. But above all: Thank you, Robert.

[Surpinto]

Thank you so much for your detailed as always review! Contrasting the concert and the studio album performances is always an interesting thing to do. Listening to Nunc Dimittis and Lux Aeterna, while reading your review, I cannot help but agree that these are excellent songs to have towards the end of the album. I would have preferred the last song to be the Nunc Dimittis with its "now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace" which is made more poignant with Robert's passing.

[swalker2001]

Sabine--

On Facebook there is a Libera-related group called "The Music of Libera." It was created specifically to discuss the music itself and I would like to, with your permission, post your review of Lux Aeterna in that group (with proper attribution of course). As always, your reviews of the choir's music are heartfelt and thought-provoking.

Thank you for the time you take crafting your analyses of Libera's performances.

Steve

[filiarheni]

Thank you both!

I would have preferred the last song to be the Nunc Dimittis with its "now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace" which is made more poignant with Robert's passing.

I see your point and agree that it could have been this one as well. But don't you think that this very album could only have a composition by Robert as the final song? The words of Nunc Dimittis do indicate the leaving (as talked about earlier), but with this ending song the album listen would have left me personally more saddened, because it is just SO restrained. Lux Aeterna, in contrast, leaves that peaceful and healing feeling in me, my heart gets wide, and therefore I am so grateful that it's this one. Also, if we had seen the track list with Nunc Dimittis placed at the end, then some things would have become even clearer and would have caused increased unrest among us, I'm afraid. And somehow the chronological order is maintained: Leaving ("though lettest go"), then being received and accompanied by the angels into paradise.

On Facebook there is a Libera-related group called "The Music of Libera." It was created specifically to discuss the music itself and I would like to, with your permission, post your review of Lux Aeterna in that group (with proper attribution of course).

Thank you for this flattering inquiry! I'm not familiar with the FB group, but sure, if you like, you can post it there.