Libera

Libera, the decade-spanning, revolving-door-style boys’ choral ensemble, clearly fulfils several different roles for both listener and artist. It’s a non-profit organisation that fosters the talents of young Londoners from all backgrounds. Broadly, you might describe Peace as a hybrid of New Age and classical – the instrumentation is sparse and largely electronically manipulated, but takes its source material from a light classical and choral canon. Consequently, we hear recognisable and unchallenging melodies from the Adagio from Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, an almost-obligatory John Rutter number and several traditional works, mostly arranged by Libera’s mastermind, Robert Prizeman.

Niccolò Jommelli was one of the most sought after composers of his time, but finally accepted to become musical director at the court of Stuttgart in 1753. Three years later he composed his Requiem to commemorates the recent death of the Duchess von Württemberg, mother of his patron, the Duke Carl Eugen.. Despite the fact that Jommelli owed his fame almost exclusively to his operas during his lifetime, the Requiem became his most famous work after his death; the almost one hundred handwritten and printed copies of the entire work or fragments of it that have survived in some seventy libraries throughout Europe, some also in the USA, bear witness to this. Whilst the score and parts of the first performance have been lost, we can still form a reasonably good idea of the original instrumentation thanks to a surviving list of payments made to the musicians. We know that there were eight singers (one female and seven male) in addition to Jommelli.

Libera - Angel Voices (2006)
EAC | FLAC+cue+log | full scans | EMI 3 79523 2 | 1CD | 307 MB

There's very little to say about this recording of ethereally beautifully singing by the 24 young English lads who make up the group Libera. There are a couple of pieces here by well-known composers–Pachelbel, Sibelius, Holst, Dvorak–but to their music have been added words and, of course, it's all been "arranged." Texts, translations from Latin, and arrangements as well as original music are by Robert Prizeman, the choir's director, and some of the numbers are accompanied by quiet synthesizers, organ, and/or drums. There is something new-age about this project and some might find the effect syrupy, while others might long for the "real" thing, that is, boys with this talent singing some Renaissance or later music that is not designed simply as balm for the ears. But for what it is–a perfectly pitched choir with some outstanding solo work as well, singing easy-to-listen to short numbers–this is just lovely. –Robert Levine

Director Mauro Bolognini inserts this story in Fascist Italy, with careful attention to details. The couple formed by Matteo Zannoni (Bruno Cirino) and Libera Valente (Cardinale) can't bear fascism. They move constantly between cities, settling down in Modena, where Libera quickly collides with the fascist political commissar Franco Testa (Philippe Leroy). Libera has to suffer awful moments due to her attachment to the resistance, and to the political and sexual harassment from Testa.