Libera Dreams

Luxvenit,

I could be wrong but i think Tiarnon is about 15 years old, as i seem to recall in a video from the japanese concerts in 2010 that he said he was 13 years old, its just he seems to have 'matured' at that age and maybe could pass for a bit older, he is quite tall.

With all the hustle and bustle last night i did not realise that Barney Lindsell is no longer with the group as Dani pointed out, nor that Song of Life had gone from the set list for these concerts. Well there are just so many other great songs to hear, now its unto Belfast for me to find St Peter's Cathedral

Hello Libera people.

Never thought I'd see the day that Voca Me would be performed live. Definitely the advantage of having a large and talented back row of older boys. That was particularly evident in the truly special performance of Be Still. Where the deeper voices partnered the younger ones perfectly. The first part of BSMS was a capella and flawless. Stunning. Can't wait for tonight. Honestly beg, borrow or steal to get to Belfast, you don't want to miss this

Yorkie wrote:Never thought I'd see the day that Voca Me would be performed live.

Yes, I thought that would make your day. I think only a slow procession with flame torches would have been the icing on the cake, but Health and Safety probably wouldn't have cleared that. I hope they keep it on the setlist for future concerts, i'm dying to hear it myself. Interesting that songs have been introduced specifically to represent and highlight the older voices in the choir. They always provide grounding and support for the trebles.

Thanks for the reviews. Libera go from strength to strength. Josh at 18 still there, wonderful. Another magical night for those attending.

Thank you to everyone who has posted reports on the concert. My family really enjoys following the choir vicariously, and appreciate your postings. It is nice to hear how the new boys do, as well as "old" favourites. I agree with Kay - Libera does go from strength to strength.

I would just like to comment that I am really impressed with Matthew Rangel-Alvares. He has been a reliable, consistent, and somewhat overshadowed, soloist for the choir since the Canadian tour. Always there with a ready smile and that incredible Libera poise that the boys seem to acquire. He is a wonderful member in the way all of boys are and I thank Matthew, and all of them, for the hard work they put onto their training for our collective enjoyment of their music.

Heather

Well another wonderful concert at St Peters tonight. I think everyone i talked to agreed that tonight was even better than last night. The time for me in the small queue from 4pm til doors opened went along quickly. The sound was more powerful, the boys appeared closer to me than last night (I was in the second row both nights) Visually it came together better and i was able to see most of who was doing what parts. And the place was a lot warmer. Don't know what happened in Armagh but it was cold in there last night, tonight i could take my jacket off comfortably and relax more to enjoy the concert.

I must single out Thomas Delgado-Little for special praise. He does some of the soaring high parts on songs like 'Be still my soul' and 'How shall i sing' and 'Exultate' His voice is so pure and powerful and you can see he puts such effort into his performance. I was really blown away by him tonight.

Sadly and surprisingly, the crowd tonight was down on last night. It was really disappointing to see that this concert did not get the attendance it deserved. A look on the cathedral's website earlier gave no indication that Libera was performing this evening, despite having an 'events' and 'notices section'. Also, unlike last night, nobody came forward at the interval to say anything or welcome the boys or to say that some CDs were on sale at the end of the church. I thought that Libera and team deserved better than that. The Cathedral is located in a 'rougher' part of town, but i am not sure if that had any bearing on the numbers that came.

But let nobody be in any doubt as to the quality of tonights performance. From beginning to end it was exhilarating and uplifting and perhaps even the best i have seen them at to date. The people attending St George's are in for a real treat. Thank you Libera and team for an amazing night!

Yes, Choirfan is spot on about it being a fantastic show - I did tell you that this would be a show not to miss & you know by now that Yorkie is never wrong

Every one of them deserves praise because they all nailed it tonight and seemed to enjoy it too. The lighting & sound were great as well. Yesterday I was so stunned that Voca Me was on the list that it passed in a blur. Tonight I luxuriated in its beauty and even better was the fact that I was directly opposite Mr Thomas D- L as he created vocal magic.

Of course all the attention goes to the young guys at the front who do the exciting bits. But truely was this a concert built on the strong foundations of a legendary back row.

Jude raised a big laugh when he was doing his usual introduction of the musicians. He forgot RP but realised his mistake and turned to Robert and said 'oh, I've forgotten you haven't I'. Robert took a bow to cheers & applause with a huge smile on his face. Really funny and a great save by Jude!

Yorkie wrote: But of course all the attention goes to the young guys at the front who do the exciting bits. But Truely was this a concert built on the strong foundations of a legendary back row.

Absolutely, in fact Libera would not be Libera without the back row harmonies in songs like 'Be still my soul' , 'I vow to thee my country' and 'Glory to thee'; they are just stunning. I can't recall if it was at Arundel in May that many of the back row were missing due to exams and the show was the poorer for it.

I think poor Jude was ill tonight. He kept coughing at various points, yet still he managed his solos well. But yes the look on his face was priceless when he realised he had forgotten to mention Robert

I feel an onset of depression now that it may be 6 months before i see them again

smiley_pinder wrote: I would just like to comment that I am really impressed with Matthew Rangel-Alvares. He has been a reliable, consistent, and somewhat overshadowed, soloist for the choir since the Canadian tour. Always there with a ready smile and that incredible Libera poise that the boys seem to acquire. He is a wonderful member in the way all of boys are and I thank Matthew, and all of them, for the hard work they put onto their training for our collective enjoyment of their music.

I felt the same about him after Arundel. Glad to see he still has an important place in today's line-up.

maartendas wrote:I'm surprised that Ralph and Stefan have no solos anymore.

Well, I guess both of them are big boys now, with changing voices. Ralph in particular is a huge loss as soloist, as he was just getting himself established as the #1 artistic force. What he did on the Song of Life video was unbelievably good. I shall miss his gentle, beautiful and very expressive voice as well as his whole demeanor. There is not a lot of kids his age capable of artistic expression but he was one. Hopefully, he will follow through with an education and career in the arts.

I wholeheartedly agree with you, Scarbo. Your first post and already spot on! Welcome to the Forum btw

Thank you so much for the reviews, everyone! Really glad to hear that all went well, and that Josh is still there
I'm getting awfully impatient, with not having seen the boys in almost a year and a half, but I'm still hoping for a US or Canada tour within the next year

George from Russia has updated his blog which has a few pictures and impressions of Belfast concert

JimmyRiddle wrote:George from Russia has updated his blog which has a few pictures and impressions of Belfast concert

A good point raised on why they actually went to Ireland as it was never gonna bring in the crowds and its hardly a holiday the boys would of been that excited about as Ireland in winter is not exactly a barrel of laughs .

dani wrote:

JimmyRiddle wrote:George from Russia has updated his blog which has a few pictures and impressions of Belfast concert

A good point raised on why they actually went to Ireland as it was never gonna bring in the crowds and its hardly a holiday the boys would of been that excited about as Ireland in winter is not exactly a barrel of laughs .

For us fans, the concerts where great. The turn out was utterly disappointing though and I think St Peters Belfast was a very poor choice as it was slap bang in the middle of a very republican area. At times, I have to admit that I did fear for my safety. Maybe that contributed to the poor turnout along with the shambles of ticketweb?