JAZZ & WORLD MUSIC
Pedro Ayres Magalhães’ Madredeus are preparing their return to the music scene with a new line-up that intends to revisit the legacy that they originally offered to the world, exactly when a series of initiatives are being prepared to signal 25 years of a brilliant career.
The success of Madredeus cannot be measured only by numbers: be it by records sales (more than 3 millions of records sold worldwide), neither by mesmerized audiences in countless tours around the world, nor for the standing ovations or even the number of awards that marked the unique character of their music over these 25 years. Madredeus success has to be measured by other standards: the world range and the persistent remembrance of their music confirming their universal vocation.
Pedro Ayres Magalhães prepared Madredeus return to the music scene with a new line-up intended to revisit the legacy that they originally offered to the world, exactly when a series of initiatives were being prepared to signal 25 years of a brilliant career. It’s the return to active duty of the most successful project on the contemporary Portuguese music scene, with a recovery of the aesthetic line that, as well as leading them to a special place in the hearts of the Portuguese people, allowed them to achieve that success way beyond Portugal. Together with the keyboards of long time member Carlos Maria Trindade, and the strings of Jorge Varrecoso, António Figueiredo and Luís Clode (two violins and cello, respectively), Pedro Ayres Magalhães reactivates the Madredeus project with the discovery of an amazing new voice: that of Beatriz Nunes. Both the strings and the voice come from a classical background. The musicians have the experience of being part of the Symphonic Orchestra of the National Opera, and of the highly respected Lusitânia Ensemble, and are therefore used to mixing the classical and popular spheres; so they are capable of responding to the highly demanding standard set by Pedro Ayres Magalhães and Carlos Maria Trindade. The young Beatriz Nunes also brings a unique talent to the project, having studied both classical and jazz music formally, and she fits into the strict vision that never forgets the great history of the group. Pedro Ayres reveals the plans for the new Madredeus formation: “We intend to present a show that travels through our entire published repertoire”. The musician that has run Madredeus since the beginning already claims to have more than 30 pieces, visiting each era of the band, ready for the stage.
A new record “Essência” was out in May in several countries, a collection of some of their most emblematic themes here rearranged for the new voice and formation. April was the date set for this new line-up of Madredeus to begin a World Tour that started at the Barbican in London and that will go on through 2013. “We want to show the diversity of our repertoire”, reveals Pedro Ayres Magalhães, using the image of a multifaceted prism in movement to describe the work of Madredeus. “We want to travel with our music”, he concludes.