Madrigal Singers let hair down in 60th anniversary concert

The winkingly witty title “Sisenti—Sumesenting Funny sa Aming Sixty” convinced us not to miss the concert of the Philippine Madrigal Singers, aka Madz, held recently at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater.

Through the years that we’ve seen the highly acclaimed choral group perform, it’s concerts like this that we look forward to the most because they allow us to see the group’s “lighter” side. They veered away, even temporarily, from their signature way of singing, seated in a semicircle and just letting their hair down, so to speak. The show’s title gave us a hint of what we were about to see, and it did not disappoint.

With the roller-coaster realities of love and relationships as the main theme of the concert, what better way to start it than with Depeche Mode’s “Somebody”? The mellow tune captured the essence of longing for someone, and the Madz’s haunting rendition easily reaffirmed how ready they were to share the rest of their performing lives with their captive audience.A string of enduring romantic OPM (Original Pilipino Music) hits followed, with the male members of the ensemble crooning “Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin,” while their female counterparts belted out “Dadalhin.”“Marry a Woman Uglier than You” drew laughter from the crowd as the men sang the cons of marrying a pretty lass and the pros of marrying someone “unattractive.”

“A pretty woman makes a husband look small/ And very often causes downfall/ Soon as she marries then and there she starts/ To do the things that will break your heart…

Madz2 CONTRIBUTED.

“An ugly woman gives your meals on time/ And tries to make you comfortable in mind/ At times, when you lie sick in your cozy bed/ She will both caress you and scratch your head.”

Not to be outdone, the female chorus brought the house down with a comical take on DJ Alvaro’s famous song, “Papa Ka Ba?”

After a string of rib-tickling showstoppers, the Madz segued to songs about unrequited love and letting go that truly tugged at concertgoers’ heartstrings. These included Vincent de Jesus’ “Ako Lang ang Nagmahal,” Moira dela Torre’s “Paubaya” and Saunder Choi’s “There’ll Always be That Someone Else,” performed solo by choirmaster Mark Anthony Carpio, no less!

Most applauded

Other notable numbers in the repertoire included the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun,” Laufey’s “Must Be Love” and Michel Legrand’s enduring tune “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” although the Madz version had a female soloist singing all the parts that we were used to hearing as a duet—such a welcome treat!

But the most applauded and well-received number by the audience was the group’s riotous performance of the “TikTok Medley.” With members split into groups, each team tried to outdo each other with their funniest antics and versions of the social media platform’s trending hits.The concert ended fittingly with “Come What May” as the theater resonated with the lyrics, “Listen to my heart/ Can’t you hear it sings/Telling me to give you everything…”

Yes, Madz, we listened and heard your heart sing and, that night, you gave your audience everything—love, laughter and, perhaps, even tears—that would linger in their hearts until the end of time. -By Sharon Robas-Macawile