Dizzying procession of one-day winners

ALVIOLA. Managed to get into the semifinals.

TO TELEVIEWERS’ amazement and/or perplexity, the new “Tawag ng Tanghalan” singing tilt on “It’s Showtime” has turned out to be a procession of frequently changing one-day winners! Here’s a speeded up summary of the tilt’s first week:

The first day’s winner was given a near-perfect score of 99 percent! We surmised that the judges got carried away by first-day enthusiasm, excitement and euphoria. —And true enough, the previous day’s amazing champion was summarily trounced by another singing standout, who got substantially less than her “practically perfect” score—indicating that the perfervid jurors were settling and simmering down.

Then, on the third day, another winner kicked the one-day champ out—only to be summarily replaced by—etc.!

That’s how the enter-exit procession of winners went, until tenor Dominador Alviola Jr. won on a Wednesday, then again on Thursday—and on Friday—the first time that anybody had managed to stay in the saddle for three days.

The daily winners he sequentially dislodged were exceptional performers in their own right, but there’s “something” about the power, brilliance and stratospheric register of a tenor’s voice that “demolishes” the competition, and makes baritones and basses cry, “Uncle!”

So, what will it take to dislodge the current champ (as of this writing)? Perhaps a similarly classically trained soprano will pull the difficult feat off, because only female singers who hit the “high C” can impress listeners more than tenors who correspondingly do the same!

That’s why, this early, we’re urging female students and graduates of music schools and conservatories to give the new “Tawag” tilt a trill and gander.

New tilt

Time was when the original “Tawag” was won by nonclassical performers like Nora Aunor and Diomedes Maturan, but it looks like the new tilt has upped the ante in terms of register and decibels—so, hit the highest possible notes, one and all!

While we love listening to prodigious voices, we hope that the time will come on the new “Tawag” that musical power, volume and shock tactics won’t rule the roost all the time—and that less powerful but more versatile singers will have more than a one-day chance to stand out!

As for the singing tilt’s signature gong, it’s been used only sparingly and perhaps even nervously so far—so, could the new competition consider scrapping it altogether? Yes, it’s a good “defender” of quality singing standards, but it may no longer be “politically correct” for 2016, which may be why it’s been so “skittishly” enforced to date.

Moot and academic

It might be better to hold extra-strict auditions and eliminate musically deficient hopefuls out of camera view, rather than “nervously” holding on to a “traditional” practice that may have already been made moot and academic. —What do other viewers and listeners have to say on the matter?

(P.S. Last Tuesday, Alviola was able to “defend” his title for enough days to make it to the tilt’s semifinals, the first daily winner to do so.
He had to beat a really good daily champion, Mariel Montecillo. She was so good that we hope that she’ll audition again and keep winning—until she also becomes a semifinalist—she’s that exceptional.)

(“Breaking news” update: Last Wednesday, however, Alviola was finally trounced by a young belter, Pauline Agupitan, who scored 98 percent to his 93. —Looks like the judges are getting carried away again! —And, we’re back where we started.)