Home » Stories » Libera's new festive entry shakes up this week's CLASSIC fM: top 10

Stories for December 15, 2019

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    DePue Brothers drum rolls / Bellefontaine Examiner
     
    Posted At : December 12, 2019 12:00 AM

    Don Liuzzi, left, chief timpanist and percussion chair for the Philadelphia Symphony, teaches approaches to drum rolls on the snare drum to Bellefontaine Middle School percussionists Wednesday during a visit by the DePue Brothers Band throughout the day with Bellefontaine High School and Middle School orchestra members and BMS eighth-grade band members. The musical ensemble also performs for Benjamin Logan Elementary School students today and conducts a workshop with Benjamin Logan High School band members prior to A Magical Grassical Christmas concert at 7 p.m. tonight at the Holland Theatre, where tickets are still available for $25 to $40. The DePue Brothers are highly celebrated group of four brothers originally from Bowling Green who have pursued professional careers as violinists. The ensemble is now eight members deep and also represents the Indianapolis Symphony and some of the top touring bluegrass bands. The local school performances were made possible by the Bellefontaine Rotary Club, Logan County Electric Cooperative and the Flo Ann Easton Sours Grant. (CHRIS WESTHOFF PHOTO) SEE THE Bellefontaine Examiner PAGE

  • Johann Johannsson - Arrival makes THE WRAP '10 best film scores of the 2010s'
     
    Posted At : December 12, 2019 12:00 AM

    Not all movie scores have the potency to stick with viewers long after the credits rolled. But a great film score not only stands out in our minds, it can bring back the emotions we felt during a particular scene. We can relive the thrill of danger or adventure, tears can well up in our eyes over romantic or mournful notes. Without looking, some scores can even conjure up images from the movie, clear and crisp as when we first watched it, because the music pinned those moments to our memories. There have been hundreds of scores that have had this effect on us over the decade. Here are just a handful of some of our most unforgettable favorites: "Arrival," Jóhann Jóhannsson For a movie about communicating with other lifeforms from outer space, some of the most poignant moments of Denis Villeneuve's "Arrival" are actually more terrestrial. As Amy Adams' character struggles to complete her mission -- figure out why aliens have landed on earth and keep the world's most powerful armies from attacking them -- she must also deal with the memory of losing her young daughter. Jóhann Jóhannsson's compositions melded the sounds of the visiting extraterrestrials into his music, complementing their attempts to communicate with his ambient score. Max Richter's stirring composition "On the Nature of Daylight," a pre-existing work, elevated the characters' emotional journey through loss and uncertainty to hope. SEE THE WRAP '10 best film scores of the 2010s' PAGE

  • 'Christmas Carols with Libera' goes #1 on billboard: Traditional Classical Albums chart
     
    Posted At : December 12, 2019 12:00 AM

    The  boys  who  make  up  the  choral  group  Libera  are  normal  South  London  kids  aged  7  to  16  years.  The  music  they  produce  is  truly  extraordinary.  Their  new album ‘Christmas Carols With Libera' through Invisible Hands Music, takes on both mellow and upbeat holiday songs in this collection including; ‘Ding Dong Merrily On High' which requires 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 ‘Noël Nouvelet' and the Irish ‘Wexford Carol' are both handled by native French and Gaelic speakers, Libera is as polyglot as ever. 'Christmas Carols with Libera' goes #1 on billboard - Traditional Classical Albums. See cover image

  • Jenny Lewis, Jackson Browne, Jonathan Wilson team for 'Lape Lanmou' from Haiti benefit album, 'Let the Rhythm Lead' / RollingStone
     
    Posted At : December 12, 2019 12:00 AM

    Jenny Lewis and producer/songwriter Jonathan Wilson have teamed with Sanba Zao, Paul Beaubrun and Jackson Browne for a new song, "Lapé Lanmou (Peace and Love)." The track will appear on the upcoming benefit album, Let the Rhythm Lead: Haiti Song Summit, Vol. 1, out January 31st, 2020 from Artists for Peace and Justice via Arts Music. The bustling song, whose title means "Peace and Love" in Creole, arrived with an equally lively video in which the musicians perform the song in Haiti alongside a crowd of revelers, dancers and singers. The clip captures the mood of the song, which Beaubrun described as "a spiritual awakening." "Haitians along with many others across the globe have been saying [‘Lapé Lanmou'] for a long time," Beaubrun added. "It's about peace, love and unity amongst us all and how we will never collectively move forward as one without it." Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) is a non-profit organization that encourages peace and social justice and addresses issues of poverty around the world. Our immediate goal is to serve the poorest communities in Haiti with programs in education, healthcare and dignity. We are committed to long-term, sustainable development in direct partnership with the Haitian people. Our model is simple: we believe in empowering local communities, fostering economic growth, and the power of education to change a nation. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL RollingStone ARTICLE & WATCH THE VIDEO

  • The Comet Is Coming - Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery makes Treble '10 Best Jazz Albums of 2019'
     
    Posted At : December 12, 2019 12:00 AM

    Comparing the year in jazz to that of 2018 is a little like comparing this year in metal to its predecessor-on the surface it seems hard to compete with 12 months of obvious ringers. After all, last year revealed the first set of unheard John Coltrane music in decades. I mean, this year also yielded a set of unheard Coltrane pieces, which was pretty cool as well, but they were still essentially alternate versions of pieces we'd already heard, and the novelty wasn't quite as strong. But if the strength of a jazz year can only be measured by the freshness of its rare Coltrane recordings, well, most years would be pretty disappointing. And honestly, to focus on 50-year-old outtakes when so much great new material is being recorded feels at best shortsighted and at worst intransigent. Jazz this year was dominated not by headline-grabbing archival music but by the sheer strength of new artists honing their craft. Some of them have made this list before (Yazz Ahmed, Shabaka Hutchings). Some of them are best known in other genres (Cochemea). And some arrived well out of left-field (Paisiel). But the one thing they have in common is that they all reveal something new about a 100-year-old style. Here are the best jazz albums of 2019. I've always been somewhat skeptical of anything described as "nu-jazz," as more often than not it's less jazz and more downtempo electronic music to pulse through the lobby of a trendy, high-end boutique hotel. The Comet Is Coming, however, are a proper jazz outfit who just so happen to sound like they're prepped to launch into hyperspace, thanks in large part to Danalogue's synth-heavy atmospheres. Yet saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings and drummer Betamax are what bring the project back down to earth with both an emotionally powerful presence and grooves that never relent. One need only give one spin to standout jam "Summon the Fire" to understand that this group is simply not fucking around-they're certainly headed for the cosmos, but they're getting asses shaking on the ascent. Trust In the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery is the group's Impulse! debut, putting them in the league of giants like Charles Mingus and John Coltrane (and Hutchings' other group, Sons of Kemet), and while those might be big shoes to fill, it's to the iconic label's credit that groundbreaking talent like this-making something truly innovative from an electronic/jazz combo that's been stuck in M.O.R. range for too long-is carrying their its forward into the 21st century. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} SEE THE Treble '10 Best Jazz Albums of 2019' PAGE

  • Rachel Barton Pine is back for day 2 with classical radio
     
    Posted At : December 12, 2019 12:00 AM

    Chart-topping, international violin soloist Rachel Barton Pine, joined by multi-faceted conductor Teddy Abrams and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, released Dvořák and Khachaturian Violin Concertos, on AVIE on November 1.  The album features Dvořák's Violin Concerto in A minor Op. 53 and Khachaturian's Violin Concerto in D minor, highlights each composer's prominent use of his own traditional ethnic music. The Dvořák and Khachaturian Violin Concertos marks Pine's 39th recording and fifth album on AVIE records (AV 2375).  In conjunction with the new release, RBP has made herself available for radio interviews on 2 consecutive days. Yesterday and today December 11 & 12. Watch for our tweeths throughout the day.

  • Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The book, the movie, and tonight in Philly an RBG songfest / Philadelphia Inquirer
     
    Posted At : December 12, 2019 12:00 AM

    She has already achieved icon status from a fan-girl book, a bio-pic, a documentary, and many dissenting opinions, and now Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being portrayed in music. "The Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Song" is a one-night-only event at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12, at Philadelphia's National Museum of American Jewish History, created, performed, and presented by those who know her well: soprano/composer Patrice Michaels (her daughter-in-law) and recording producer James Ginsburg (her son). The evening is based on a recording of the same name on the classical music label Cedille, with operatic music mostly written by Michaels. The Thursday event at the National Museum of American Jewish History will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Michaels and James Ginsburg.   PHOTO: JESSICA HILL / AP READ THE FULL Philadelphia Inquirer ARTICLE & LISTEN TO THE MUSIC

Top 10 for Dec

  • Alexandre Desplat :

    Little Women OMPS

     Sony Music announces the release of LITTLE WOMEN (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by Academy Award®, Golden Globe® and GRAMMY® Award-winning composer ALEXANDRE DESPLAT.
  • Bing Crosby :

    Bing at Christmas

     On the anniversary of the untimely death of the world's first ‘multimedia' star Bing Crosby, October 14th sees his longtime record label, Decca, together with his widow Kathryn and their children, Harry, Mary, and Nathaniel Crosby, announce the release of the brand new album, Bing at Christmas, via Decca/UMe.
  • Jon Batiste :

    Chronology Of A Dream - Live@The Village Vanguard

     The inimitable musician and bandleader, Jon Batiste, sets to release Chronology Of A Dream: Live At The Village Vanguard on November 1.
  • Idina Menzel :

    Christmas A Season Of Love

     Tony Award–winner Idina Menzel has a career that traverses stage, film, television, and music and in time for the holidays she releases an album of traditional and brand-new songs featuring Ariana Grande, Billy Porter, Josh Gad and her husband, Aaron Lohr.
  • Libera :

    Christmas Carols with Libera

     The  boys  who  make  up  the  choral  group  Libera  are  normal  South  London  kids  aged  7  to  16  years.
  • Ola Onabule :

    POINT LESS

     Socially conscious singer/songwriter Ola Onabule has built an enviable career as an international touring performer and has now turned his attention to the North American market with a newly recorded collection of original songs.
  • Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra :

    I Shouldn't Be Telling You This

     JEFF GOLDBLUM WITH BRAND NEW ALBUM  FEATURING - SHARON VAN ETTEN • FIONA APPLE • ANNA CALVI • INARA GEORGE • GINA SAPUTO In DUETS WITH JEFF GOLDBLUM  - OUT NOVEMBER 1 ON DECCA RECORDS "I'm crying with ecstasy over this new album.
  • Sultans Of String :

    Christmas Caravan

     Celebrate the season AGAIN!! with 2015 JUNO Award nominees Sultans of String, for an adventurous musical trip around the world! SOS deliver an exuberant performance featuring originals, world-music inspired classics, and seasonal favourites to warm your heart on a cold winter's night.
  • Cally Banham :

    Cor Christmas

     "Intimate, Warm, Plaintive, Whimsical, Fresh, And Full Of Heart, You'll Feel It To The Cor - " Los Angeles Stage And Cinema "The English horn is an instrument known for it's eloquent voice-like quality, perfect to express joyful lyrical lines, as well as peaceful and reverent emotions.
  • Ludovico Einaudi :

    Seven Days Walking - Day Seven

     Following his sold-out, seven-night residency at the Barbican in early August, Decca announces the release of ‘Seven Days Walking: Day Seven', and the climactic seven-volume collection from composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi – his most ambitious album project yet, with seven albums released over as many months.

Libera's new festive entry shakes up this week's CLASSIC fM: top 10

Posted: November 25, 2019 12:00 AM | By: Admin
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The Christmas countdown begins, as two albums head straight into the top ten of the Classic FM Chart. Shaking up the chart this week are two festive albums which have soared straight into the top ten. Christmas Carols with Libera is in at No. 9, sitting only a few places behind Christmas at Downton Abbey, which re-enters at No. 5.

Libera are one of the leading worldwide exponents of the British choral tradition and this special collection includes 16 popular carols and a bonus song from the ‘The Snowman'; the evergreen ‘Walking in the Air' is recreated Libera-style.  From the traditional‘Once In Royal David's City' and the haunting ‘Carol Of The Bells' to the popular ‘In The Bleak Midwinter', this new CD is packed with favourites but also imbued with the unmistakable atmosphere of a Libera concert. There will be a launch show on 3 December 2019 at 1930 at St John Smith Square, London.

Further down the chart, the festivities continue as the London Choral Sinfonia's rendition of O Holy Night enters at No. 22, along with a re-entry from the Choir of Trinity College at No. 18 with The Great British Carol Collection. Meanwhile, the top three positions in the chart continue to be dominated by Classic FM presenter Aled Jones and Russell Watson, Andrea Bocelli and Gareth Malone, who remain at No. 1, 2 and 3 respectively.

SEE THE CLASSIC fM CHART

Crossover Media Projects with Libera

  • Libera

    Christmas Carols with Libera

    The  boys  who  make  up  the  choral  group  Libera  are  normal  South  London  kids  aged  7  to  16  years.  The  music  they  produce  is  truly  extraordinary.  Their  new album  ‘Christmas Carols With Libera' is available on 15 November 2019 on  CD  plus  digital formats through Invisible Hands Music.  

    Libera are one of the leading worldwide exponents of the British choral tradition and this special collection includes 16 popular carols and a bonus song from the ‘The Snowman'; the evergreen ‘Walking in the Air' is recreated Libera-style.  From the traditional‘Once In Royal David's City' and the haunting ‘Carol Of The Bells' to the popular ‘In The Bleak Midwinter', this new CD is packed with favourites but also imbued with the unmistakable atmosphere of a Libera concert. There will be a launch show on 3 December 2019 at 1930 at St John Smith Square, London.

    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 ‘Noël Nouvelet' and the Irish ‘Wexford Carol' are both handled by native French and Gaelic speakers, Libera is as polyglot as ever.

    Libera are a phenomenon with 65 million  hits  on  You Tube,  they have performed  for  Popes  and  Presidents and  gained 3 Classical  Brit  nominations. With  shimmering,  mystical  chords  and  ecstatic  harmonies,  they  are  unlike  any  other  group  you  have  ever  heard.  The  distinctive  sound  of  Libera has  travelled  the  world  and 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 and  Cathedrals  appearing  in  their  trademark  flowing  white  robes  on  imaginatively  lit  stages.  

  • Libera

    Beyond

    The boys who make up the choral group Libera are normal South London kids aged 7 to 16 years. The music they produce is truly extraordinary. The group release their new album ?Beyond' on 12 October 2018 on CD plus digital formats through Invisible Hands Music. Libera make beautiful, progressive albums in the classical and the ambient/new age style, and ?Beyond', their eagerly-anticipated new album, is a transformative and spiritual musical experience. ?Beyond' comes hot on the heels of their globally successful 2017 ?Hope' album. On 17 October 2018, Libera will unveil ?Beyond' with a concert at London's Westminster Cathedral, which is followed by live dates in Japan and then concerts in the UK and Russia.

  • Libera

    New Dawn

    The British boy band Libera has recorded its fourth CD for EMI Classics, New Dawn. The program includes arrangements of well-known works such as Jerusalem and Bach's Air on the G string as well as less familiar melodies and new compositions. One of the CD's highlights is Love and Mercy by former Beach Boy Brian Wilson, which Libera performed at the 30th annual Kennedy Center Honors in December 2007, America's national celebration of the arts.

    2 New 'ON' this week: 39 Total
    SYND:     Music Of Your Life
    Direct: Sirius/Spa, XM/Audiovisions, Music Choice/Classical Crossover, Spafax
    Markets include: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Kansas City, Berkeley CA, Wichita

  • Libera

    Visions

    Unlike any other group you have ever heard, the twenty-four boys, aged seven to sixteen who make up the vocal band Libera, have now released Visions, their second album for EMI Classics. Libera's hard work has payed off, as they meet several hours each week in a South London church to rehearse and perform. Visions has , mystical chords and ecstatic harmonies and with Free topping both the mainstream and classical charts in many countries, Visions is a shimmering CD with a future

    1 New "ON" this week: 47"Total Stations/Shows"
    Syndicated includes:     Hearts Of Space, Echoes
    Direct: XM, Worldspace
    Markets include: Los Angeles, Washington DC, Philadelphia(ADI), Baltimore(ADI), Cleveland, Long Island NY, Berkeley CA, Albuquerque, New Orleans, Orlando FL, Memphis, Columbus OH, Honolulu, The Netherlands
     

  • Libera

    Angel Voices

    The inspirational quality of Angel Voices, the latest release by Libera, displays the uniquely talented, and best-selling 24 piece British vocal group. Following the success of Free and Visions, Angel Voices presents new & newly-arranged material. Libera is an eclectic group of 7-16 year old's, who assemble each week at a south London church to rehearse and perform.

    5 New 'ON' this week: 101 'Total Stations/Shows'
    SYND:     NPR:Hearts of Space
    Direct: Music Choice, DMX
    Markets include: Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta, St. Louis, Kansas City, Houston, Baltimore, Portland, Cincinatti, Nashville, Honolulu, New Orleans, Salt Lake, Orlando, Columbus OH, Buffalo, Albuquerque, Chattanooga, Madison

  • Libera

    Angel Voices / Concert

    Angel Voices – The Concert, CD & DVD showcases the pure and inspirational quality of a truly unique vocal ensemble. Filmed live at the Pieterskerk, St. Peter's Church in Leiden, Holland, earlier this year and broadcast nationally on Public Television stations throughout the U.S., The double release sets the stage for Libera's U.S. tour in Spring 2008. Profiled in Time Magazine For Kids and already wildly popular in their home country, Libera is poised to take North America by storm. 

    5 New 'ON' this week: 41 'Total Stations/Shows'
    SYND:     NPR: Hearts of Space, Music Choice: Soundscapes
    Direct: XM: Boundaries
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, St. Louis, Kansas, City, Indianapolis, Honolulu,

  • Libera

    Free

    Libera, a group of all-male singers aged between seven and fourteen, are releasing Free, their first release under their new contract with EMI Classics. Their sound is a unique and original mixture of traditional choral, spiritual and new age music and over the last two years this distinctive sound has travelled the world.

    1 New "ON" this week: 28 "Total Stations/Shows"
    Markets include:     Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Wash DC, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Tucson, Berkeley CA, Santa Fe, Germany, Romania