"Miracle of Life" - 2 album covers!

So there's the answer! There are 2 album covers! Thank you Libera for explaining on your new and improved website that your "Miracle of Life" mini-album has a white rose cover for the actual CD...

and a pink rose cover for the digital album. How cool is that?!  :D

Libera also wrote,

We are looking forward to the release of a mini album called "Miracle of Life" in Japan during April. This album features "Song of Life" - which has been selected as the theme music for a TV Drama called "Madonna Verde". "Song of Life" was composed by Takatsugu Muramatsu, who also composed "Far Away" and "You Were There." We were honoured to meet Mr Muramatsu in Tokyo when he joined us to perform "You Were There" at a concert in 2009.

So here's 2 pictures from when 8 of the boys got to meet Takatsugu Muramatsu in January 2009. These are from a photo shoot they did for Chopin Magazine at Christ Church of Shinagawa. They also did a TV interview here. You may have seen that on YouTube.

I love both of these pictures! Zach, Tom, Ed, Michael, Josh, Sam, Liam and Ben got to go to Japan for a whole week!

Hagy just gave us the translation of the Japanese on these pages. Thank you, Hagy!

Tom - "I am glad to finally meet Mr. Muramatsu, because I like his work very much since he wrote 'Far Away" which we sang."

Tom - "The harmony is the best, and the flow of the tune is very beautiful, and it is easy to sing. The combinations with Robert are also wonderful."

Mike V. - "There are a lot of similarities between his and Robert's music."

Impressions at being with Mr. Muramatsu for the first time -
Ben - "He has a lot of talent, and he is a very proper man."

Libera's New Website!!!

Libera has finished changing their website! The whole thing looks really really great! I LOVE the changing header at the top of the Home page. There is a nice little section About Libera and the boys that are in it. There is the most recent News (although there isn't too much in that section right now). There's a REALLY awesome Events page where you can purchace tickets, print out the poster for each concert, or share on facebook or twitter with just one click. There is also a section for the Blogs that Libera writes, a nice Music place where it shows all of their albums in order of release date, and a great photo Gallery with some never-before-seen pictures! (more on that later) Then the most recent Videos and, last but not least, the easiest way to buy the Libera CDs ever in the Shop section! It's so great! If you haven't been to the new site yet be sure to check it out right away! www.libera.org.uk

But I can't get past the new pictures in the Gallery! Here's the ones I've never seen before.

Yeah, you know this one has to go first. lol USA Tour pic from Ft. Worth similar to the one in their video. Love it!!! <3

USA Tour pic from Ft. Worth that was in the UK programs.

 USA Tour in Dallas in front of the organ pipes.

USA Tour in St. Louis. Great colored lights!

USA Tour in St. Louis. Love the "star" lights!

USA Tour in St. Louis. This is a really neat one!

USA Tour in Nashville. My first concert!!! :D

USA Tour in Atlanta. Ugh, Atlanta Braves hats. :p lol.

USA Tour in Atlanta.

USA Tour in Atlanta. I finally figured out that the reflection was off of the piano. lol.

USA Tour in Atlanta, I think. They all look REALLY cute (look at Daniel!), but I LOVE the look on Alex's face! Say wha?!! And how'd he get the cool black glasses?! :)

USA Tour in Atlanta. This one is adorable! Although some of the younger boys look like they've been running around outside. :)

UK Cathedral Tour pic of mini James. So cute! And such a great singer!

UK Cathedral Tour - looks like Chester.

UK Cathedral Tour - looks like Bristol. Cool lighting!

Great job on the new and improved website Libera! Love it!

"The Great Miracle" Movie Soundtrack

Well, the Libera boys are at it again! As if they don't have enough going on with the concert that they just did in Epsom, the mini album "Miracle of Life" for Japan and the Canada Tour coming up, turns out they also found time to work on a movie soundtrack for "The Great Miracle!" All the music is composed and orchestrated by Mark McKenzie for full orchestra, choir and boys choir, and it is getting great reviews.

"The Great Miracle" (El Gran Milagro) is a 3D animated movie produced by Dos Corazones Films in Mexico. It was directed by Disney writer Bruce Morris (Pochahontas & Hercules) and is set to release in the US, Europe, Central and South America in October 2011. It tells the story of 3 characters who are facing different life struggles and end up attending daily Mass at a Catholic cathedral. All kinds of amazing and miraculous things happen that result in hope, love and redemption.

There are 14 songs on the CD. Yeah, you know I bought it! lol  Libera's biggest and best moment is on Track 5 "Benedictus Deus." It's only 1:38, but it's amazing! The opening solo sounds like Stefan, joined by Ralph and then the rest of Libera. You can hear the song on YouTube now! Thanks to Vivere for telling us all about it. 



Libera also sings a little on Track 7 "Offerings", 9 "I Miss You" and 10 "Ultimate Love."

In a review written by Jonathan Broxton here,  he says,

"The London Libera Boy’s Choir conducted by Robert Prizeman enters the fray in the astonishing 'Benedictus Deus', which grows from a solo boy soprano to a duet to the full choir and orchestra over the course of a mere 97 stunning seconds. Later, their angelic cooing gives the triumphant and turbulent 'Offerings' and the first half of the bold and vivid 'I Miss You' a sense of majesty and grandeur, while their more emotionally charged and tragic vocal performances during 'Ultimate Love' provides one of the score’s darkest moments of poignancy."

In another great review by Thomas Glorieux here, he says,

"The London's Libera Boys choir plays a large role in heightening the already liturgical quality of the story. And Mckenzie uses it so magical that you'll receive goosebumps during them. The choral song (and orchestral back up) in 'Benedictus Deus' is simply magical, whilst forming a magical unison with
the strings in 'Offering', another McKenzie career highlight.

The CD was released on February 14, 2011. It is available for purchase as a digital upload only. "Benedictus Deus" is only $0.99. If you want the whole album, it is $8.99. Here are some places to buy it -

     Amazon.com      here
     Amazon UK       here
     CDBaby              here
     TradeBit             here
     iTunes

You can read more about the composer Mark McKenzie here on his website. You can hear more of the beginning of the album on YouTube.



Thank you to Jimmy Riddle and Fan de LoK for information and links! :D

"Madonna Verde" TV Soundtrack CD

The soundtrack album for the "Madonna Verde" TV drama is now for sale at Tower Records Japan. The release date is April 13. The cover is a picture of the 2 actresses that play the mother and daughter. There are 15 songs, and song 1 is "Song of Life" TV version. It is a shorter 1:13 version. Song 2 is the main theme song. This may be the full version of "Song of Life." To see the details in Japanese click here. To see the details in English click here. 

"Madonna Verde" will air Tuesday nights at 10pm on NHK TV for 6 weeks - April 19 to May 24. Thanks to Fan de LoK for the info. 

Libera's Website

Libera tweeted this morning:

"Coming soon - a new look for our website."

This is great! It really needed updating. So have a look at it now and watch for any changes at http://www.libera.org.uk/ Can't wait to see what the new design looks like!!

"Miracle of Life" Different Album Cover?

Amazon.jp is showing a white rose album cover for the "Miracle of Life" Japanese mini-album. You can see it for sale here. Thank you to Inna for the info, and thank you to Fan de LoK for the high resolution picture. I'm not sure what happened to the pink rose cover, but they are both very beautiful. It also says the release date is back to the original April 13. That is very good news! :)

Canada Tour Poster - All Concerts

This is the official poster showing all 7 concerts for the Canada Tour.

Epsom Post-Concert Video

A video was posted on YouTube by FliegenerTeppich. It shows the stage before the concert and Tom Cully coming down the steps. Then it shows Daniel, Stefan, Ralph and Ben signing autographs and smiling for pictures with a few fans after the concert. Ralph walks away with a woman who may be his mom.

Ben made the girls giggle when he said, "Kon'nichiwa" to some Japanese fans. He's so nice! They say, "Mini Ben is Big Ben now," because he's so tall! lol I guess they asked him how he was because he says, "I'm splendid." :) Then he says, "No, I remember the face. I do. I remember all these faces," and "I'm so happy that you came."

Then we see Carlos, Liam, Matthew R-A and Alex getting on the bus. Someone says, "Good night" and "Thank you, Eleanor." Liam's laughing on the bus as they drive away home.

"Miracle of Life" CD Cover

The cover for the new "Miracle of Life" CD has been released. Thank you to Hagy for posting this. Hopefully this song will help to comfort the Japanese people. Libera also sent a very nice message through EMI Japan -

We have felt it especially of course, because we know the places, and, as you know, gave concerts in Sendai.

Very best wishes, thoughts and prayers from us all,

Robert and Libera

Canada Concert Posters 11x17

The Canada tour posters are so beautiful! I love the red and white with the maple leaves in the center! Canada can be very proud of these! These are the 11x17 ones with more pictures on them. Please feel free to copy these and spread the word about the Canada concerts. :)

Please see my March 17 posting for updated info on ordering tickets. Not all tickets have to be ordered through Ticketweb.ca.

Toronto

London

Islington

Kitchener

Chatham

Hamilton

Guelph

Epsom Concert

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't been on here till now! I've had a lot going on in the past few days with a music and speech competition to go to on Thursday and Friday. Then I had to babysit this morning. But now life can begin again, and I'm ready to write about the Epsom concert. :)

Thank you to everyone who wrote reviews of the concert, especially Fan de LoK and Yorkie. They were sooo detailed I felt like I was there (except I didn't get to hear their lovely music). I'll try to condense it all. There were some nice surprises!

There were 23 choristers. No Josh Madine, Sam Leggett, Sere & Mine Akpobome. Apparently the older boys are studying for big exams coming up in May (that's NOT one of the nice surprises, lol). Two newbies - Jude Collins (already known but now integrated into the main group) and Eoghan McCarthy (pronounced "O-in"). No Matthew Madine yet.

Chorister List - Henry Barrington, Jonathan Barrington, Tiarnan Branson, Jude Collins, Luke Collins, Liam Connery, Kavana Crossley, Jakob de Menezes-Wood, Dylan Duffy, Daniel Fontannaz, Freddie Ingles, Matthew Jansen, Stefan Leadbeater, Alex Leggett, Barney Lindsell, Eoghan McCarthy, James Mordaunt, Sammy Moriarty, Cassius O'Connell-White, Ben Philipp, Matthew Rangel-Alvares, Carlos Rodriguez, and Ralph Skan.

Musicians - Mr. Prizeman on piano and keyboard, Steven Geraghty on clarinet, string quartet and a percussionist.

The Program -

1. Jubilate (from the 1999 album "Libera") - The concert started with an empty stage and five boys slowly walking in from the sides. Ralph started singing a cappella then Jakob, Stefan, Carlos and Alex joined in. Eventually the others joined them on stage singing. Mr. Prizeman accompanied them on piano. Cool that it's a new song!

2. Libera - They transitioned so fluidly into this song that some didn't realize it was 2 separate songs. Stefan did NOT solo on the "Are you the key" lines, but sang in duet with Luke! Some are worried that Stefan's voice has changed, but other songs later make you think it hasn't yet. Mr. Prizeman again on piano.

Speech by Freddie and Cassius - They took turns speaking about Libera, South London, some are older choristers and some are new, one has his first concert tonight, some live far away (Ben) and some live closer and one lives in Epsom. Freddie got a laugh saying the last song, Libera, was written before he was born. :)

3. Eternal Light - Beautiful blue lighting plus here they started using a projector screen to show images of a starry sky, moving white-hooded figures, etc. Stefan was no longer solo on this song but sang with Ralph and Daniel. The last verse was sung by Ralph alone. Mr. Prizeman on piano.

4. Sanctissima - There was a blue-violet light glowing as Ralph sang the solo. He did an amazing job. His voice is rich and full of emotion. Ben seemed to be singing a counter-melody along to it. Mr. Prizeman on keyboard.

5. Sanctus - There was a musical introduction by Mr. Prizeman on the keyboard, the string quartet and Steven on clarinet. The boys stood in an arc with the tallest in the center being Jonathan, Liam and Alex. They all sang it perfectly with Ralph singing the final "Sanctus" at the end. Again great use of the projector screen.

Speech by Kavana - It was not the "Conductor's Speech", but told how Libera sings in 8-part harmony!

6. Always With You (from the 2005 album "Visions") - This was the highlight of the concert for Fan de LoK! In the darkness they started out facing the audience in 2 triangles with Freddie in the center. They slowly turned toward Freddie with their heads bowed and their eyes closed. Freddie sang solo, "Do you know Me, who I am? I am always with you." His voice was clear and strong. Jakob was in the back center on a raised block with white lights on him. He sang crystal-clear "Aah's." It sounds like they were amazing on this one! They describe it as perfection, and it got the biggest applause! Can't wait to hear it in person! Mr. Prizeman on keyboard.

7. Song of Life - It's the premier of the new song! Ralph sang it beautifully. The boys have a nice bridge of "Aahs" in the middle. It's apparently so different from any other Libera song that it's hard to describe, but it is highly recommended that we all buy it when it comes out. Mr. Prizeman on piano.

8. Salve Me - They stood in groups of 4 with Matthew R-A in the center on a raised block singing the high "Salve" notes. I remember in Nashville being amazed at how clear and high his voice was. Glad it still is! :) Mr. Prizeman on keyboard.

Speech by Barney - He has beautiful diction, very clear and articulate. He told about the song "Salve" being plainsong with a Libera twist and introduced all the musicians - the strings, Steven, percussionist (he did a drum-roll, lol) and Robert Prizeman as the "Music Director."

9. Lamentione (the "Lament" song from 2004 album "Free) - The song is taken from the Lamentations of Jeremiah, so maybe that's why the song name was changed. Mr. Prizeman was in the right front corner on the keyboard. The boys were in 3 semi-circles facing him. The first was Freddie, mini James and Barney. The second was Matthew R-A, Stefan, Ralph, Alex, Jakob and Daniel. The third had the 14 others. They looked very monk-like with most of them having their hoods up, and they stood with their hands held together inside their sleeves. The rhythm of the song is slow, the voices of different tones, but perfectly harmonized and synchronized. It is like a Gregorian chant of the highest quality. There was no soloist, but the high "Aahs" were done by Daniel and Ralph.

10. Exultate - This had the same staging as the Summer and Autumn concerts with the jumping forward and back to the bouncy music. The first part was sung by Stefan with Daniel and Ben supporting. The second part was Ralph and Stefan. Mr. Prizeman on the keyboard and Steven on clarinet.

Intermission

11. Mysterium - Since this was not performed in a church or cathedral, the introduction was played by violin instead of organ. It's pretty hard to top an organ though. With dark red lighting the boys entered from both sides with their hoods up. Ralph removed his hood and did all the high solo parts by himself without Stefan. Ralph did a really great job! Mr. Prizeman on piano.

12. Gloria - The strings played a musical bridge from Mysterium to this song while the boys formed a big arc on stage and removed their hoods 2 by 2 from the center out. When it came time for them to sing the first "Gloria in Excelcis Deo", a bright white light suddenly shone on them. Not sure if it was Matthew R-A or Daniel on the high parts. Mr. Prizeman on keyboard.

Speech by Freddie - "Hello. It's me again." He told about having to memorize a lot of words, music parts and finding positions blindfolded and then introduced the next song.

13. The Fountain - Mr. Prizeman did a beautiful piano intro to this piece. Ralph and Kavana sang a duet! (I can just hear Lala saying/singing Kavana's name! lol) Ralph sang the high part, and Kavana sang the harmony.

14. When a Knight Won His Spurs - This is an updated arrangement with Mr. Prizeman on piano and Steven on recorder. Ralph was in the center with all the other boys in 2 rows behind him with their hands in their sleeves. Ralph did an amazing job!

15. Stay With Me - The beginning has been changed with a piano and string introduction. Daniel was in the front with the others in a reverse arc behind him. He sang the solo, part of it a cappella, and his voice was really good! He was smiling as usual. :) Matthew R-A did the high "Aah" parts really well, too!

Speech by Liam - He, like Josh had done, talked about their voices changing and how it is exciting to sing with a new voice and learn lower harmonies. He said some boys could not come because of school exams. (I'm guessing that's Josh and Sam.)

16. Ave Verum - Jakob and Carlos were in the front with the others scattered randomly around the stage, turned at an angle toward the center. In perfect synchronization, they gradually moved into a V with Jonathan, the tallest, in the center going down to the smallest ones. Carlos sang the solo phrases with Jakob doing the echoes. Their singing, and the lighting that went with it, made it one big WOW! Mr. Prizeman on piano.

17. Love and Mercy - Mini James and Freddie were in the front with Ralph, Stefan, Luke, Daniel and Jakob right behind them, and the rest in the back. Mini James sang the first sentences by himself, "I was sitting in a crummy movie with my hands on my chin. All the violence that occurs seems like we never win." Freddie sang the beginning of the next verse, "I was lying in my room when the news came on TV." Daniel joins him in harmony, "There's a lot of people out there hurting, and it really scares me." Mini James sang the final "Mercy and love." Mr. Prizeman played beautiful accompaniment on piano.

18. Going Home - If you use the Leiden DVD as a reference, Mini James did Josh's part (I've always thought mini James' voice had a Josh quality to it), Daniel did Ben's part and Jakob did Tom's part. Beautifully done. There was a string intro. Not sure about piano or keyboard.

Speech by Jude - "Hello. I'm Jude. I'm new." lol He told how he had to learn everything in 2 months. Long applause for him. He is very cute! :)

19. How Shall I Sing That Majesty - The stage was lit in purple with Stefan and Jakob in the front. All others formed an arc behind them. Stefan sang the first 2 sentences then Jakob joined him. On the second verse, Jakob sang the first 2 sentences then Stefan joined him. Stefan had no problems hitting all his high notes on this song! The audience gave a standing ovation.

Encore: a short portion of Exultate - Another standing ovation with some whooping and shouting from the fans. The boys waved good-bye as they left the stage.

There was no Meet & Greet, but some fans who stayed late were able to talk to a few of the boys and have pictures taken with them.

Here's a few thoughts from me:

1. Can't believe how many songs Ralph sang! Sounds like he's the next Tom Cully! And could Ralph's voice have gotten even better since the Summer 2010 Tour? It doesn't seem possible, but it sure sounds like it did! :)

2. What's up with Stefan? He didn't have a bunch of solos yet he could still sing the high notes on "How Shall I Sing." Was he just ill, and they were saving his voice? Or is this a permanent change? I really loved his voice last summer.

3. I am happy, happy, happy that Daniel's voice is still high! He turned 15 in December and is still hanging in there! :D

4. I doubt Josh and Sam will come to Canada in April if their exams are in May. :(

5. There were only 19 songs. Will the Canada Tour have the usual 20 with the 20th being another new song? Oooh! Can't wait til April 14th! :D

6. No Meet & Greet, so no one could tell Stefan "Happy Birthday!" So...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEFAN!!!!!!!!!!  :D

Song of Life Lyrics

The Epsom concert programs had the words to the songs in them including "Song of Life." Thank you to Yorkie on the dreams forum for posting them. The solo is sung by Ralph. You can hear part of it by going to my March 8 entry and listening to a sample of it. Those who heard it premiered at the Epsom concert said it is a beautiful song! The lyrics were written by Robert Prizeman, and the music was composed by Takatsugu Muramatsu.


There’s a whisper in the dark
As a new life comes to be.
Then a song begins to form
As it finds the harmony
With a chorus of sound
Of the world all around
Now it blends in the tune
Joining the endless song of life.

We shall never be alone
As we link our hearts in one
Joining voices from above,
All in the miracle of life.
Through the ages we will grow
Only time will ever know,
As our voices magnify,
All in the miracle of life.

Love plays along in our lives yet to come
As we join the song of life.

Now the music starts to build
As the words begin to rhyme
Then another lends a tune
As their voices now combine
With the chorus of sound
Of the world all around
Now they blend their tune
Sharing the endless song of life.

We shall never be alone
As we link our hearts in one
Joining voices from above,
All the miracle of life,
Through the ages we will grow
Only time will ever know,
As our voices magnify,
All in the miracle of life.

Love plays along in our lives yet to come
As we join in the song of life.

Canada Concert Flyer

Update: Turns out this is a smaller 5x7 concert flyer. I have these also if anyone needs one.

The first concert poster showed up on the Hamilton church website!

This is a beautiful poster! I love the red & white with the maple leaves in the middle! Yea for Canada!

Canada Concert Ticket Sales

1. Thursday, April 14 - St. Michael's Cathedral, Toronto

       Premium seats, front center                       $40.
       Adult, center behind premium                   $25.
       Student/Child, center behind premium    $15.
       General admission, side sections               $15.

       Buy through Ticketweb.ca here or call 1-888-222-6608.


2. Friday, April 15 - First-St.Andrew's United Church, London

       Premium seats, main floor         $35.
       Premium seats, balcony              $35.
       Adult                                             $20.
       Student/Child                              $10.

       Buy through Ticketweb.ca here or call 1-888-222-6608
       or through Amabile Choirs of London at (519) 641-6795.

       This concert is hosted by Amabile Choirs of London.


3. Sunday, April 17 - Islington United Church, Islington, Toronto

       Premium            $35.
       Adult                  $20. 
       Student/Child   $10.

       Buy through Ticketweb.ca here or call 1-888-222-6608 or
       call church office for cash only sales at (416) 239-1131.


4. Monday, April 18 - The Centre in the Square, Kitchener

       Limited box seats   $60.
       Premium                 $40.
       Adults                     $24.
       Student/Child        $12.  

       Tickets on sale March 23 at 10 am from the theatre box office
       at (519) 578-1570.

       This concert is hosted by Lyrical Lines Educational Network and
       Music Plus Corporation.


5. Tuesday, April 19 - St. Paul's Congregational Church, Chatham

       Premium           $30.
       Adult                 $15. 
       Student/Child  $10.

       Buy through Ticketweb.ca here or call 1-888-222-6608
       or call church office for cash only sales at (519) 436-0255.


6. Good Friday, April 22 - West Highland Baptist Church, Hamilton

       Premium           $35.
       Adult                 $20.
       Student/Child  $10.

       Buy through the church office with cash or credit card at
       http://www.westhighland.org/ or (905) 387-5385.
       You can also buy through Ticketweb.ca here or call 1-888-222-6608.


7. Easter Sunday, April 24 - Church of Our Lady Immaculate, Guelph

       Premium            $35.
       Adult                  $20.
       Student/Child   $10.

       Buy through Ticketweb.ca here or call 1-888-222-6608
       or Gordon Taylor Music for cash or credit at (519) 824-8630
       or call the church office for cash only sales at (519) 824-3951.
              

"Miracle of Life" CD Delayed

EMI Japan has posted that they are delaying the release of the "Miracle of Life" CD until after April. You can read about it here. I think this is very understandable given all that the country of Japan is dealing with right now. We're keeping them in our prayers.

Canada Tour Venue Details

7 concerts!!!! I tried to be as accurate as possible with the addresses, phone numbers, websites and pictures. Libera will be releasing ticket information shortly.

1. Toronto
          Thursday, April 14, 7:30 pm
          St. Michael's Catholic Church
          200 Church Street, Toronto
          (416) 364-0234
          http://www.torstm.com/
          Seating - 1000

2. London
          Friday, April 15, 7:30 pm
          First-St. Andrew's United Church
          350 Queen's Avenue, London
          (519) 679-8182
          http://www.fsaunited.com/
          Seating - 600

3. Toronto
          Sunday, April 17, 7:30 pm
          Islington United Church
          25 Burnhamthorpe Road, Islington, Toronto
          (416) 239-1131
          www.islingtonunited.org/
          Seating - 400

4. Kitchener
          Monday, April 18, 7:30 pm
          Centre in The Square
          101 Queen Street North, Kitchener
          (519) 578-1570
          http://www.centre-square.com/
          Seating - 1369 Orchestra
                            393 Mezzanine
                            285 Balcony

          *Tickets not available until March 23*

          This concert is hosted by Lyrical Lines Educational Network.

5. Chatham
          Tuesday, April 19, 7:30 pm
          St. Paul's Congregational Church
          450 Park Avenue West, Chatham
          (519) 436-0255
          http://www.spcchurch.com/
          Seating - 900

6. Hamilton
          Good Friday, April 22, 7:30 pm
          West Highland Baptist Church
          1605 Garth Street, Hamilton
          (905) 387-5385
          http://www.westhighland.org/
          Seating - 850

7. Guelph
          Easter Sunday, April 24, 7:30 pm
          Church of Our Lady Immaculate
          28 Norfolk Street, Guelph
          (519) 824-3951
          http://www.churchofourlady.com/
          Seating - 1200