Carol of the Bell

Performed by LIBERA, from the 2019 album ‘Christmas Carols with Libera' Conductor - Robert Prizeman Music - M Leontovych

Salve Regina

Solo - Rocco Tesei

Ave Maria

This recording was made in Pieterskerk in Leiden in the Netherlands

Libera : Forever

A global sensation across the last two decades, the 30-voice choral group Libera returns with Forever followed by a world tour - to renew the worldwide popularity of this unique vocal ensemble and its reimagining of the game-changing sound of English boychoirs. Libera's magical rendition of The Beach Boys' early rock classic "God Only Knows" is one of the highlights of Forever, in an arrangement by Sam Coates, Libera's new Musical Director. "When I heard them sing, I said, 'It does remind me a lot of The Beach Boys," Brian Wilson said about Libera's arrangement of the sweet harmonies in the song he wrote for the group's iconic 1966 Pet Sounds album, adding, "but actual boys - it took me to tears." Forever also features new songs written by former members of Libera - an ensemble with many grateful alumni since it features the ethereal, time-sensitive beauty of young boys' voices - as well as the last works of the group's founder and guiding light, the late Robert Prizeman. Classical fans will appreciate Libera's versions of "Be Still My Soul" (from the hymnlike melody at the heart of Sibelius's Finlandia) and a choral "Ave Verum" using the haunting melody popularly known as "the Albinoni Adagio."

Songlist: Beati Quorum, God Only Knows, Far Away, Ave Verum, The Lighthouse, O Beata, Anima Christi, Come My Way, At Sea, Sing For Ever, Be Still My Soul, A Grateful Heart, Love Shine A Light

The beautiful full-color liner notes of "Angel Voices" fold out to show us a panoramic portrait of white-clad boy singers, ages 7 to 14, members of renowned 23-voice, South London-based boy's choir, Libera. Libera's repertoire is wide, from classical and cathedral pieces to works for pop and media productions. The backlit photo makes the boys appear to be angels, and that impression is not at all diminished by the sweetly soaring music. "Far Away," "Sanctus" (based on Pachelbel's "Canon"), "Ave Maria," the touching "Going Home" (based on Dvorak's "From the New World"), the lovely hymn "Be Still My Soul," the stunning "Salva Me," "I Vow to Thee, My Country," "Voca Me," the poignant, "Always with You," "We Are the Lost," the marvelous "I Am the Day" and "Recordare" are favorites, but all 15 light-to-heavily-accompanied tunes are very fine. Pure soprano leads and harmonies, a touching, well-chosen song selection - "Voices" is a choral treat that lifts us up from the earthbound mundane to the bright, clear, rarified air of angels.

Songlist: Far Away, Sanctus, Ave Maria, Going Home, Be Still My Soul, Salva Me, I Vow To Thee My Country, Voca Me, Always With You, We Are The Lost, I Am The Day, Recordare, Abide With Me, Silent Night, Going Home

Libera, the celestial-sounding, chart-topping boy choir, brings its distinctive blend of innovative textures, meditative solos and shimmering, ecstatic choral harmonies, embedded in atmospheric instrumental arrangements, to a combination of religious and secular music. The group recorded a live concert for DVD in Washington, D.C. at the spectacular Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. With Libera in America, the young Londoners pay tribute to their host country and church with a characteristic blend of sacred and secular music in both the classical and popular traditions, bringing together innovative textures, meditative solos and shimmering, ecstatic choral harmonies. The album opens with Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee, inspired by Beethoven's 9th Symphony, and among the following tracks are some of Libera's greatest hits - including Sanctus, inspired by Johann Pachelbel's famous Canon, and Song of Life by the Japanese composer Takatsugu Muramatsu. These numbers are complemented by such universal sacred favorites as the haunting Amazing Grace and Schubert's soaring Ave Maria

Songlist: Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee, How Can I Keep From Singing, Morning Has Broken, America, The Beautiful, Poor Wayfaring Stranger, Amazing Grace, Wonderful World, The Prayer, Be Still My Soul, How Great Thou Art, Rest in Peace, Sanctus, Song of Life, Ave Maria, Voca Me, How Shall I Sing That Majesty

Boys from South London with 65 million views on YouTube make up the choral group Libera and are normal kids aged 7 to 16 years. The music they produce is truly extraordinary. In addition to their annual tour to America, Libera appearances include The Today Show, Tonight Show, PBS, NBC, Kennedy Center Honors, Yankee Stadium Papal Mass and many more. Their new album 'Christmas Carols With Libera' is available on CD plus digital formats. Taking on the mellow and the more upbeat songs in this collection, the boys of Libera had great fun. The likes of 'Ding Dong Merrily On High' require real precision, as well as purity. Many of the tracks were recorded during a group 'retreat' to a rehearsal space in an old school, this allowed a true live feel to the process. The boy who took the lead vocal on 'The Snowman' had just turned 9 years old, whilst the introductions to the French 'Noel Nouvelet' and the Irish 'Wexford Carol' are both handled by native French and Gaelic speakers, Libera is as polyglot as ever. The distinctive sound of Libera has travelled the world in the last few years. The group's albums have topped both mainstream and classical charts in many countries, and their recordings hold their place in top 10s alongside major artists. Libera's unique sound has endeared the group to fans all over the world, particularly in the USA, the UK, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan, where their CDs top the mainstream and classical charts and where they pack concert halls appearing in their trademark flowing white robes on imaginatively lit stages. "When I heard them sing... It does remind me a lot of The Beach Boys, but actual boys" - Brian Wilson

Songlist: In Dulci Jubilo, Walking in the Air, Ding Dong Merrily on High, In the Bleak Mid-Winter, Noel Nouvelet, Once in Royal David's City, I Saw Three Ships, What Child Is This (Greensleeves), Sing Lullaby (The Infant King, Carol of the Bells, Wexford Carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem, The Angel Gabriel, Poor Little Jesus, Gaudete, Silent Night, Do You Hear What I Hear?

This Christmas, boy choir super-group Libera bring their angelic voices and inspiring music to the holiday season with a new CD and DVD: Angels Sing - Christmas in Ireland. The program features beloved carols old and new, sacred and secular, joyful and tender - all recorded live in the radiant ambiance of St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh, Ireland. This inspiring concert features favorites such as 'Carol of the Bells,' 'Joy to the World,' 'Silent Night,' 'Danny Boy' and more, and the DVD also contains behind-the-scenes documentary extras. Six of the tracks are previously unreleased, and the remaining songs all feature brand-new arrangements made especially for this recording. The distinctive music of Libera has traveled the world, with chart-topping albums and sold-out performances across the globe. The group has performed in front of the Pope during a visit to Yankee Stadium and at the Kennedy Center during a ceremony honoring Beach Boy Brian Wilson. Their signature sound shimmering, mystical chords and harmonies atop traditional and electronic instruments has captured the hearts of music lovers everywhere, and their passionate, dedicated fan base (including over 5 million YouTube views) attest to the enduring power and appeal of this unique group.

Songlist: Joy to the World, God Rest You Merry Gentlemen, The Wexford Carol, In Dulci Jubilo, Angels We Have Heard on High, Sanctus, Music Based on 'canon' by Pachelbel, Danny Boy, Carol of the Bells, Holy Night, Still, Still, Still Gaudete, Away in a Manger, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Silent Night, What Child Is This?

Libera's latest chart-topping album 'Free' has an alluring atmosphere of its own, with Libera sublimely blending traditional hymns, plainsong and modern compositions that instill an incredible tranquility and freedom that awakens the soul. Soaring high notes, entrancing voices, blissful harmonies, ethereal sounds and striking chords are the essence of Libera Robert Prizeman composed the songs unearthing and developing the natural vocal characteristics of each of the boys, both as part of the ensemble and as soloists. Along with its predecessors, 'Free' has a global appeal that transcends all others.

Songlist: I am the day, Stay with me, Voca me, A song of enchantment, Ave verum, Do not stand at my gate, When a knight, A new heaven, I vow to thee my country, Lament, Twilight, Be still my soul, Adoramus

Libera, the South London choral group of boys aged 9 to 15, brings a uniquely mystical and transcendent sound to their first live concert recording. Robert Prizeman, founder, arranger and director of Libera, has taken the simple purity of boys' voices and, with great care and respect for classical vocal tradition, has created a new sound. To hear them do it live is a real treat as Prizeman knows exactly what to feature about a boy's voice and how to blend textures, creating an etheral sound that envelops you. Excellent musicality, and the choir has such confidence.

Songlist: Adoramus, Going Home, Far Away, Prayer, Libera, Sanctus, Salva Me, Lacrymosa, Abide With Me, I Vow to Thee My Country, Stay With Me, Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep, I Am The Day

This recording, combines sacred texts, familiar tunes and a choir and fuses it with new age and techno styles. The Sanctus is arranged from Pachelbel's Canon and Te Lucis uses the Canon by Tallis. The texts were adapted from the Latin Mass, Requiem, Stabat Mater, Compline and the Psalms. The pure and perfectly blended sound of Libera adds depth to this music. Composer Robert Prizeman, who is also Libera's director, has created a whirlpool of sound, which attempts to create a freedom of the mind.

Songlist: Salva Me, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, Libera, Mysterium, Jubilate, Beata lux, Dies Irae, Te Lucis, Sancta, Angelis, Lux Aeterna

A beautiful swan extends its wing against a pastel blue background on the cover of "Luminosa," and it sets the mood for the first cut, "Vespera," which begins with a Gregorian-type chant, picks up soaring synthesizer and sweet soprano harmonies, and returns to one of the loveliest solos we've heard. This is sacred choral music crossing over into New Age, the Leslie Garrett Show is big in England, and so is Libera who has had several highly successful songs in the British charts. There is a picture of the group in the center of the liner notes, 13 young boys, probably 6 to 8 years old, dressed casually, hanging out with each other. There are 12 songs here, occaisionally accompanied, but the focus is on the amazing, perfect voices of the boys. On "Ave Maria" (based on Ave Maria by Caccini), "Lacrymosa" (based on Carnival of the Animals by Saint Saens), "Sacris Solemnis" (based on Symphony No. 7: Allegretto by Beethoven) and "Semele" (from Semele by Handel), we hear these classical pieces in a new light. The title tune, based on "Clair de Lune" by Debussy, is a haunting, dreamy masterpiece, "Stabat" beautifully continues the mood, as does "Veni Sancte" and the final cut, "Sanctus II," based on Pachelbel's "Canon." Highly recommended and simply lovely throughout.

Songlist: Vespera, Lacrymosa, Sacris Solemnis, Attendite, Gaudete, Silencium, Semele, Luminosa, Stabat, Veni Sancte, Sanctus II, Ave Maria

Enya's Orinoco Flow and Bach's Air on a G string; the disc also includes a track penned by Brian Wilson called 'Love and Mercy'. This is the song Libera performed to a star-studded audience in Washington DC before Christmas at the Kennedy Centre Honours, an audience which included President Bush, Robert De Niro, Cameron Diaz and Brian Wilson himself. The talented singers of Libera come from a variety of different schools and backgrounds in London and join together at a church in South London where they rehearse and perform for many hours each week. The youngest is seven and the oldest members are fourteen. 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. Libera is directed by Robert Prizeman, the well respected musical advisor to the BBC religious TV programme Songs of Praise. Robert arranges, if not writes all of the music that Libera perform. Sales of Libera's albums worldwide are now over 300,000 and the boys have a strong following of fans.

Songlist: Ornoco Flow, Ave Maria, Secret, Air, Gloria, Sancte, Rest in Peace, Love and Mercy, May the Road Rise Up, Never Be Alone, Jerusalem, Tallis's Canon, The Lamb, In Paradisum

The distinctive sound of LIBERA has traveled the world in the last few years, topping both mainstream and the classical charts around the globe. The boys in the group, under the musical direction of Robert Prizeman, come together to produce truly extraordinary music, with results unlike any other vocal group around today. Coinciding with a tour in Japan in April 2010, Libera return with their new album Peace. Familiar to audiences across the world, the boys have a stunningly original sound, which is at once both ancient and modern. Their distinctive flowing white robes symbolize the traditional origins of their style -- yet their music reaches across the generations to a new mainstream audience. LIBERA's success in album charts around the world bears witness to the extraordinary appeal of this unique `boy band'. Enchanting audiences wherever they go, they have attracted an enthusiastic fan base in many countries, particularly the United States following their appearances at the 2007 Kennedy Center Awards and the 2008 Papal Mass in New York, as well as their first US tour in the spring of `08.

Songlist: Sanctissima, Time, Ave Virgo, Faithful Heart, Gaelic Blessing (Deep Peace), Exsultate, How Shall I Sing That Majesty, Lacrymosa, Adoro Te, Lead Kindly Light, Panis Angelicus, Touch the Sky, The Fountain

Libera is as close as a boyschoir could ever be to be called a pop sensation but in a way that's exactly what this group is. With millions of CDs sold and touring world wide this ensemble has taken choral music to whole new audiences to great success. The singers of Libera who are aged seven to sixteen attend many different local schools in South London and come from a variety of backgrounds. Although they are boys and they sing, they do not think of themselves as choirboys, but rather as an alternative kind of boy band. This Christmas release, their first holiday album, is superb and you will listen to this recording season after season.

Songlist: Joy to the World, Still, still, still, Carol of the Bells, Veni, Veni Emmanuel, Once in Royal David's City, O Holy Night, White Christmas, Corpus Christi Carol, In Dulci Jubilo, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Sing the Story, Coventry Carol, The First Nowell, Jubilate Deo, While Shepherds watched their Flocks, Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)

The twenty-four boys aged seven to sixteen who make up the vocal band Libera, and who meet several hours each week at a church in South London to rehearse and perform, have been described as "normal" and "ordinary". However, as their new EMI CD amply demonstrates, the music the produce is truly extraordinary. With shimmering, mystical chords and ecstatic harmonies, they are unlike any other group you have ever heard. Of the twelve tracks on Visions, Libera's second album for EMI Classics, a few will sound familiar, including Locus Iste, which is based on the well-known Pachelbel Canon, the hymn Abide with me, and Ave Maria. The remaining tracks are entirely original, with titles like New Day, Sing for ever and Something sings. The singers of Libera attend local primary schools and come from a variety of backgrounds. Although they are boys and they sing, they do not think of themselves as choirboys, but rather as an alternative kind of boy band. While the unique sound of Libera may be impossible to pigeonhole, its universal appeal has endeared the group to fans all over the world, particularly in the US, the UK, Korea and Japan, where their previous CDs have topped the mainstream and classical charts.

Songlist: Locus Iste (Sanctus), Always With You, Ave Maria, Libera, Sempiterna, Prayer, Recordare, Wings Of A Dove, Something Sings, New Day, We Are The Lost, Sing Forever, Abide With Me