|
|
Libera
The distinctive sound of
Libera has travelled the world in the last two years. The group's albums have
topped both mainstream and classical charts in many countries, including the USA
where the current 'Luminosa' CD entered the top ten, and the UK, where the
recording spent several weeks in the top three alongside Bocelli and Pavarotti.
The talented singers of Libera come from a variety of different schools and
backgrounds and join together at a church in South London, where they rehearse
and perform for many hours each week. The youngest is seven. The oldest members
are fourteen, but many remain to sing with the lower voices of the group.
Alongside their unique Libera music, the boy singers enjoy a wide repertoire
from classical and cathedral pieces to works for pop and media productions. In
recent years they have sung on films like 'Romeo & Juliet' and 'Hannibal'
and with singers like Bjork, Elton John & Pavarotti. On TV and Radio they
have appeared with Dame Edna, Cliff Richard and Russell Watson, and even
recorded music for a Playstation game.
Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
Fans of Karl Jenkins' Adiemus
albums or of Enya's mix of voice and synth sounds will find much to admire in
this recording. On Libera, a boys-voice choir achieves ambient ethereal
effects by judicious close-microphone work and liberal use of distant-sounding
reverb programmes. The music is all by the choir's director, Robert Prizeman,
whose church-music background has served him well--the close-harmonisations are
rather graceful and are ably performed by the boys, even in the high ranges in
which they are often required to float. The only two pieces not by Prizeman are
arrangements of the famous canons by Pachelbel and Tallis, which he cunningly
works into two of the tracks. The vocal writing is supported by a modestly
trippy synth background and a light beat. The words are taken from traditional
devotional texts (Beata Lux, Dies Irae, Agnus Dei, and so on) but the overall
effect is less religious than chilled. --Warwick Thompson
Main Discography
2005
World of Gregorian | Alexander Vladimir Tzimisce