Madz ’89 - The Reunion Concert

Last Sunday, I watched the reunion concert of the legendary Batch 89 of the Philippine Madrigals (back then, they were still called the University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers). The Madrigals are generally hailed as one of the best, if not the best, choral groups in the country. I've seen them perform live before and they definitely lived up to that reputation. Thankfully, my friend Pia asked me if I wanted to watch with her because I wouldn't have known about the show otherwise.

The 1989 batch is one of the choir's most decorated, winning every competition in which they participated. Their list of awards is impressive:

• First prize - International Kammerchor Wettbewerb (Marktoberdorf, Germany)
• Two First Prizes - VIII Festival International De Musica De Cantonigros (Spain)
• First prize - Festival Choral Internacional de Neuchatel (Switzerland)
• Two First Prizes - XXVI Internationaler Chor Bewerb Spittal An Der Drau (Austria)
• Three First Prizes - XXVIII Concorso Internazionale Di Canto Corale (Gorizia, Italy)

The reunion concert started a bit past 7pm and Madz Batch 89, despite not having performed together as a choral group in what must be decades, demonstrated exactly why and how they earned legend status. In true Philippine Madrigals tradition, they all performed while sitting down in a semi-circle and had no conductor. And as if the degree of difficulty wasn't high enough, none of the same voices sat next to each other. Incredible! In the first half of the show, they performed classical and competition pieces that showcased their technical mastery and brilliant artistry. They wowed the audience with an impressive selection of madrigals. They performed songs that received critical acclaim during their competition days, including Trauergesang by Mendelsohn and Gloria by Ryan Cayabyab (who was actually in the audience with us).

The second half of the show featured more mainstream music. They delivered very memorable renditions of OPM classics such as Ikaw ang lahat sa akin, Sana'y wala ng wakas, and a surprising and exceedingly entertaining Beeh... Buti Nga. Their repertoire also included a couple of Beatles classics - Let it be and Yesterday and their final encore of the night, Italian Salad, had everyone laughing (check out the first soloist in this link, amazing range and control!!). While I still think back to so many of their incredible performances, my favorite of the night is probably their heart-stirring rendition of L'important c'est la rose by Gilbert Becaud. Here is a video of their August 3 performance of this song:


video uploaded in youtube by kesowantstolearn

Now that I think about it, it's still probably a toss up between L'important c'est la rose and Let it be. And maybe Italian Salad for entertainment value. Then again, why do I need to decide which one I enjoyed the most? The important thing is that I enjoyed all their songs! :) So in the interest of being equal opportunity, here's a video of their Let it be performance the night that I watched (Aug 4):


video uploaded in youtube by kuangchien

While Madz Batch 89 is one of the most awarded in the choir's history, the biggest shame is that due to budget issues, they couldn't return to Europe the next year to compete in the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing in Tours, France. This competition, which is widely considered to be the most important in the choral circuit (i.e. the Olympics of choirs), is open only to the grand prize winners of the six member European choral competitions in the previous year.

The Madrigals did eventually win the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing. Twice. In 1997 and then again in 2007. They are the first choir in the world to win the European Grand Prix twice. The Madz have also been recognized globally outside the choral competition environment. In 2009, the Madrigals were designated as a UNESCO Artist for Peace. A year later, they received the prestigious Guidoneum Award 2010 by the Fondazione Guido d’Arezzo in Italy. According to Foundation President Francesco Lusi, the Madz were honored  “for the artistic and choral promotion activity that they carried out after they won the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing in 2007.”

The show, fittingly and nostalgically set in the UP Abelardo Hall, was part of their 50th anniversary celebration which kicked off last June. It also served as a tribute to National Artist Andrea O. Veneracion, the founder of the Madz who passed away last July 9. I couldn't get enough of the show that once it was over, I got their CD that was on sale at the auditorium entrance. It was an absolutely incredible, almost spiritual experience and I'm really glad I got to be part of it.