Libera

I know you're all anxiously awaiting, with bated breath, the third and final installment of my Roman Chronicles. But that is yet to come; soon enough, though. In the mean time, there is an unrelated post I want to write while the inspiring experience that prompted it is still fresh in my mind, less than two hours old, actually.

As those of you who know me with any intimacy are aware, I've kept A List of “Things I Need to Do Before I Die” since I was a young high-schooler. At the ripe, young age of 15 I developed a fear, if you will, of 'not getting everything done before it's too late' and , thus, I felt the need to packed every second of my time with some meaningful activity. It was at this time I started to hate sleeping, for instance...eight hours wasted every night?! Not worth it! One or two hours is plenty, for me...the rest of that time can be spent running!! 

It was also at this transitional point that I started carrying books with at all times me so that there was never an idle moment; I could just whip through a few pages at the first hint of unfilled time. Being the organizational fanatic that I am, as well, you can imagine my need to organize and track all these important activities, to quantify them in some way. A List was in order, A List of those activities and accomplishments. The first List outlined, in a lovely flowing script, 100 goals I decided I needed to accomplish for me to be satisfied at the end, looking back on my life. And I'm happy to say I have moved through that list quite comfortably, (using the original document, still, I might add) and have actually accelerated in my 'goal completion' since my move to London 3 months ago. That relocation, itself, eliminated one of the original 100. And today I crossed off yet another item:

St George's Cathedral

I grew up listening to classical music, predominantly. It's all my parents listened to and during my 12 years of piano lessons that's all I played. My appreciation for classical music is deeper than it is for any other genre (though I'd have to say I prefer alternative indie and punk music these days). Somewhere along the way, during my classical upbringing, I was introduced to a choral group called Libera. I can't, for the life of me, remember how I discovered them. This is distressing, in it's own right, because I never forget anything. Early-onset dementia?...Hmmm, good thing I started keeping lists early, just in case...

Anyway. Seriously, now. Libera: they are an all-boys choir based here, in South London. The boy choir thing is much, much more popular in Europe (and Asia, in this case, oddly enough) than in the US, so my obsession with this group went undiscussed outside my immediate family, entirely. I suppose it's a bit of a niche genre that appeals to fewer people these days than it used to, as well. However, I think boy choirs have the most angelic, pure sound of any other vocal music that exists. Period. And this particular group of English boys that make up the Libera group are the best of them all.

That's why, from day one, seeing Libera perform live was on my List.

And today, I did. I saw them live.

And it blew my mind. I thought their recorded music sounded so pitch-perfect, so coordinated, so in sync that it had to be edited to some degree, at least. No performer, forget a whole group together, can be that unified to sound like every note is originating from a single voice in some magical way. But I swear on my life, this group is that united. These tiny boys, who barely came up to my waist (yes, I stood next to them) have a really, truly, unbelievably flawless sound. And the soprano voices are only seven or eight years old.

Members of the current group I saw today (they get new, younger voices every year or two)

What were YOU doing when you were eight years old?! Probably still playing in a sandbox with your trucks and/or Barbies.

I think part of what I like so much about young male voices (yeah, females just can't even compete vocally) and what, in my opinion, makes the sound superior to trained adult voices, is the fact they're perfectly on pitch without using the vibrato technique and they hit even the highest notes with such accuracy. It's such a distinctive clarity and anyone with any musical/singing experience knows how incredibly difficult that is. And not just that but these boys have mastered dynamics; the crescendos and the delicate floating descants. They punctuate their consonants, carry notes for their full length, and cut off all together in perfect unison...which many adults never do. The can carry multi-part harmonies and sing at admittedly difficult tempos, all memorized. It's really, really incredible. That's all there is to it. 

Libera sings traditional classical and religious music, mostly in Latin, but interestingly their director re-composes these songs (or writes his own music paired with common/traditional text) to make all Libera's music very original, with a slightly new-age twist, from time to time...which doesn't sound like it would be a good thing, to alter the good, old, traditional stuff, especially since “new-age” often has a somewhat negative connotation, but for them it works.

During their sold-out performance tonight, which took place inside St George's Cathedral on the South Bank, the boys were accompanied by live musicians, of course. The conductor also functioned as the pianist. I sat midway up the aisle during the first half, which was a mistake. Small children, likely the same age as those onstage (and clearly not equally disciplined), sat behind me and talked the whole time. Why do parents do that, bring untrained kids out in public to annoy people? Plus, I couldn't see anything in front of me...which (and this will sound weird) gave me the distinct impression I wasn't listening to a live performance BECAUSE they sounded so perfect. So without being able to see the conductor or the movement on stage, their mouths moving, etc., I felt like I was just listening to a CD over loudspeakers. That's why, after the intermission, I moved to the back of the cathedral and stood in a spot where I could see everything, the whole scene. Standing was much better, though I cursed myself for basically “missing out” on the whole first half of the performance. Live and learn.

Vespera by Libera, video

I also have to say I started freezing in that cavernous cathedral, which exacerbated my distracted condition. Curses, Emily. You're smart enough to know you're always cold! Plan ahead!

And they're just cute as can be!

But they only perform in London once a year, apparently, despite the fact all the boys are from South London (not even greater London, aka the rest of the city). Typically their single UK performance is at this cathedral, they said, and its usually around Christmas time. So it was sort of Christmas themed with the addition of songs off their new album, which I hadn't heard before. Not a bad alternative to Black Friday shopping to get in the holiday spirit. And missing a USA Thanksgiving to be here in London the day after to see these guys, not too bad either.

So. Today was a good day.