Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FREE, yet beyond price, 18 Oct 2004
There has surely never been singing quite like this. Robert Prizeman has created a unique instrument with his south London singing group, Libera. We have already witnessed the power and magic of this instrument in the earlier albums, Libera and Luminosa. There is further enchantment in this latest CD, "FREE". Within the genre, it includes a wide range of material - the wistfully sweet solo ('Song of Enchantment', 'Do Not Stand at My Grave', 'Stay With Me'), the beautifully re-worked hymn-tune ('Be Still my Soul', 'I Vow To Thee', 'Twilight', 'When a Knight'), the intense, baroque-style mini-cantata ('Voca Me'), and the new-age-mystical ('I Am The Day', 'Ave Verum'). But there is more - wonderfully more - as Prizeman seems to experiment with the boundless capabilities of his choir. 'Lament' is a darkly mysterious meditation on traditional plainsong, 'New Heaven' a deeply soulful reflection on ancient words, while 'Adoramus' is a dynamic and multi-coloured finale that exploits all the choir's many virtues, combining intimate solo introspection with dazzling, exuberant choral climaxes. Accompaniments, both acoustic and synthesized, are stylish and well judged throughout, offering more variety than the previous albums. And yet, magical though Prizeman's arrangements and compositions are, it is the singers' own voices that make this CD so remarkable - there is a youthful freshness and energy and directness, there is a technical command so mature that it goes unnoticed, and there is age-old wisdom in the sheer musicality of it all. Yes, the singers are young boys, but do not be deceived - their artistry is fully grown. The whole experience is exquisitely beautiful, and will touch all but the hardest of hearts. There has surely never been singing quite like this.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another superb 'Must Have' from Libera, 4 Oct 2004
Once again, Libera delivers an amazingly addictive top quality listening experience. Both their previous CDs, Libera and Luminosa, displayed their youthful talents to breathtaking effect. Now with FREE, they deliver their best CD yet. The compositions and arrangements by choirmaster Robert Prizeman are the work of a musical genius - with the benefit of being able to write the music for each individual boy clearly adding so much to the overall effect it has to be heard to be believed. The beautiful angelic voices of all the boys, individually and collectively, are a joy to be entranced by. Soloists Ben Crawley, Joe Platt, Chris Robson, Raoul Neumann and Anthony Chadney help provide an exquisitely moving atmosphere.
It is virtually impossible to choose any favourite tracks. Though my personal favourites include Voca Me, Ave Verum, I am the Day, Lament, Adoramus and Twilight.
Those who have seen Libera on Songs of Praise and Classic FM TV and heard them on Classic FM radio will discover a vast range of their talents in a marvellous combination of different yet similar "Libera sound" tracks. For those not yet familiar with Libera, this is an excellent opportunity to discover how magical music can be.
A CD to savour every note of every song. It has been a long 3 year wait since their previous CD, but this more than makes up for it. Excellently engineered and mixed. A much improved insert as well. Faultless.
Buy it. You can't fail to be disappointed. You'll find yourself listening to it many many times and enjoying it just as much as the first time.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Serene, 22 Aug 2005
The music of Libera was brought to my attention via Classic FM and was awe inspiring. Despite other critics of music, I found the music to be serene and meaningful. A mix of new age, vocal and choral together with subtle instrumental composition, Libera is well balanced and appealing. I have no hesitation in recommending this music, as being somewhat fresh on the scene and differentiating from the likes of Enya or Clannad. I particularly bought Libera Free and was pleasantly surprised with the composition.
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