Rodrigo Leão

Rodrigo Leão is a Portuguese musician and composer. He was born in Lisbon in 1964. He became known for his musical compositions and participation in Portuguese bands such as Madredeus and Sétima Legião. Leão was one of the musicians and composers behind the extraordinarily successful Portuguese ensemble Madredeus; he was in the band for nearly 10 years before leaving to focus on his own solo career.

In 1982, Leão was one of the founding members of Sétima Legião, one of the most influential rock bands in Portugal's mid-1980s indie scene thanks to their judicious use of Celtic influences. In 1986, he started Madredeus with Pedro Ayres Magalhães and Sétima Legião's Gabriel Gomes as a sideline acoustic project – one that gained a life of its own and snowballed into international success. In 1993, Leão showed yet another side of his creativity by releasing a mostly instrumental solo album in a neo-classical, minimalist mode, titled "Ave Mundi Luminar." With Sétima Legião on a long break, in 1994 he left Madredeus to devote himself fully to his solo career; in it he explored the edges of modern classical music and contemporary pop, marrying electronics to string and horn sections, using a separate project, Os Poetas, to set to music words from some of Portugal's greatest poets.

But throughout all these roles two things kept reappearing in his work: film and songs. Madredeus had written the music for a Wim Wenders movie and many of his own instrumental pieces seemed like soundtrack music in search of a film; Leão 's 2004 album was called "Cinema", and from then on his backing group became the Cinema Ensemble. And, as he moved further in his explorations of instrumental textures, he felt the need to return to the simplicity of the pop song.

Over the past ten years, Leão has invited others to lend their voices to his music. Portuguese stars such as The Gift's Sónia Tavares or alt-Fado singer Lula Pena; Brazilian up-and-comers Rosa Passos and Thiago Petit; and internationally acclaimed singers such as Beth Gibbons, Neil Hannon, Stuart Staples and  Joan Wasser (Joan as Policewoman) have enriched Leão's songs and taken his work on voyages to new and more exciting places.

Leão's discography includes: With Sétima Legião - A Um Deus Desconhecido (1984); Mar d'Outubro (1987); De um Tempo Ausente (1989); O Fogo (1992); Auto da Fé (Live 1994); and Sexto Sentido (1999). With Madredeus - Os Dias da Madredeus (1987); Existir (1990); Lisboa (Live 1992); O Espírito da Paz (Live 1994); and Ainda (soundtrack album 1995). With Os Poetas - Entre Nós e as Palavras (1997). Solo albums - Ave Mundi Luminar (1993); Mysterium (EP) (1995); Theatrum (1996); Alma Mater (2000); Pasión (Live 2001); Cinema (2004); O Mundo (compilation with new material 2006); Portugal, um Retrato Social (soundtrack album 2007); A Mãe (2009); A Montanha Mágica (2011); and Songs (2004- 2012 compilation with new material).

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