They started from Portugal and conquered the world, with music that derives from the sweet melancholy of saudade, the sounds of fado and folk songs and made ​​it sound new and modern, stay in memory and offer the audience a thrill.

Three million records, countless tours across the world, applause, audience enchanted by the music and many prizes.

Madredeus celebrate this exciting journey of 25 years with a larger ensemble’s album, with additional strings and a new singer, Beatrice Nunez. They come to Athens for a concert - spectacle and remind us of the time, when two young musicians from Lisbon in late 80’s created their own sounds.

Pedro Ayres Magalhaes and Rodrigo Leao, Portuguese rockers who got bored with rock and pop, decided in 1985 to rediscover their traditional sounds in their own way. They wanted to go beyond the easy Portuguese pop, but not to resort to old fado. They were looking for something modern, but with roots, open to the world, but with a Portuguese stamp. They began to write and bring other musicians in their company, they found their sound, but a singer was missing. They discovered her accidentally one night in Bairro Alto in Lisbon, when they listened to an 18 years old unknown girl, who sang fado for her friends with a special amateur voice. They invited Teresa Salgueiro to listen to her in the old monastery Madre de Deus. Her pure voice and the elaborate compositions of Pedro and Rontrigo were combined in a unique style and the band got a recording contract.

Their first album “Dias da Madredeus” in 1987 was unusual and gave the young group as much critical acclaim as necessary to begin a long tour in Portugal. The success was huge and within five years Madredeus had acquired a large, loyal audience.

Wim Wenders invited them in 1994 to write the soundtrack of “Lisbon Story”, which was showed in Cannes and Madredeus obtained the passport to tour the world : from Tokyo to Sao Paulo and from there to London and Paris their fame spread and the audience grew.

Other albums followed with songs that left the feeling of the sorrow for the loss, the unfulfilled desire that characterizes fado and captured the love for beauty. Teresa Salgueiro left in 2007. For the next four years they withdrew from the scene and Pedro worked on a new plan titled “Madredeus a Bando Cosmica” with repertoire and music for late night .

In 2012 Madredeus found themselves again in their best with a new scheme: besides Carlos Maria Trindade, the keyboardist playing years with them, violinists Jorge Varrecoso and Antonio Figueiredo and cellist Luis Clode joined the group. The strings and Beatrice Nunez come from classical music and are members of the of the National Opera Symphony Orchestra and are capable to meet the high requirements of the Head of the group. The very young Beatrice offers her talent in the new venture with the precision of her classical education and her youthful clarity. She studied classical music and jazz and sings without forgetting the great history of the band.

“We want to present a show that crosses through our entire repertoire, to show its richness and variety, to travel with our music” says Pedro Ayres Magalhaes for this new project, which includes 30 pieces, each corresponding to respective chapters of their career. The new album “Essencia”, released last May, is a collection of the most iconic themes and their new international tour began in April, with the first concert in Barbican Centre,  London and continues throughout 2013.