Search - Robert / Tilley, Ian Prizeman, Robert Prizeman, Takatsugu Muramatsu :: Angel Voices: Libera In Concert

Par for Libera

kelsie | Plainview, Texas United States | 05/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Libera's live performance at St. Peter's Church in Leiden, Holland, showcased a broad cross-section of their work. Despite the similarity in titles, the track listings for this live CD and the studio "Angel Voices" (the white cover) are not exactly the same.



The fleet-footed, dexterous opening, "Adoramus" (first heard on "Free"), is almost the only number of its kind; immediately afterward, "Going Home" (based on Dvorak's "Largo" from the New World Symphony) slows the ambience down to spotlight the serene warmth of the soloist's (Joshua Madine) voice. The music for the Leiden concert is weighted toward Libera's meditative, even more melancholy work. "Lacrymosa," first heard on "Luminosa," is based on the "Aquarium" from Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals, and is a remarkably mature piece--the shimmering, twistingly chromatic textures of the top voices contrast strikingly with the almost desperate pleading of the soloist's line.



The group's eponymous "Libera" is given a rousing, powerful performance that's as good or better than any of their studio cuts of the piece; the popular "Salva Me" and "Sanctus" are also sung with verve and energy. The best of Libera's solo talent is put on display in "Going Home," "Salva Me," and the closing "I am the Day," which alternates between gentle lullabying for the soloist and the full power of the ensemble.



"Do Not Stand," featuring one of Libera's greatest talent in Tom Cully, is peerless--the group's most moving and mature performance, ever.



The recording at Leiden was made live, and includes all the trademarks of a live performance: applause especially, and a few passages where the singing wavers. The benefit of the live nature, though, is the spontaneity and human quality that can be felt throughout the whole disc. The "Adoramus" begins almost tenatively; as the concert progresses, everyone is audibly becoming more secure, leading to a rousingly uplifting ending on "I am the Day."



And finally, for skeptics (or those pesky "ultrapursists") who have parroted their line about the "Libera sound" being more the product of very clever sound engineering and manipulation than the ensemble's talent, here's definitive proof to end that debate.



First timers would be better to start with "Luminosa"(Luminosa) or the studio disc "Angel Voices" (Angel Voices), as these are just slightly superior in terms of balance (the live disc trends very distinctly toward the melancholy and meditative). However, the magnificent performance at Leiden is definitely par for Libera.



Once again, Robert Prizeman and a group of English schoolboys prove, beyond any doubt, that the human voice is the greatest instrument of them all. God bless Libera!"

Totally Speechless!

Joel Kovacik | Brooklyn, New York USA | 03/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been playing this inspired album repeatedly...obsessively and have no idea when I'll finally be able to tear myself away from it.



I wish the whole world could come to a sudden standstill, open its collective heart, and receive the divine gift of peace and serenity these wondrous voices bestow upon their listener.



Without doubt, this music is the expression of humanity's eternal yearning to unite with its own godliness.



Don't miss it for the world!!



Joel Kovacik

JoelBklyn@AOL.com



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