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Rodrigo Le\u00e3o 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.<\/p>\n[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1467990042644{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column][be_beforesection title=”Biography”][\/be_beforesection][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces_content” section_container=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1448356011743{padding-bottom: 50px !important;}”][vc_column el_class=”desciption_about”][vc_column_text css_animation=”left-to-right”]Rodrigo Le\u00e3o 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.<\/p>\n
Yet, Madredeus was only one of the many stops of an incredible 30-year journey that has seen Rodrigo Le\u00e3o invite internationally acclaimed singers such as Portishead\u2019s Beth Gibbons, The Divine Comedy\u2019s Neil Hannon or Tindersticks\u2019 Stuart Staples to sing on his albums and live shows; and perform with Ryuichi Sakamoto or Ludovico Einaudi, with whom he toured in Portugal, Spain and Italy.<\/p>\n
Rodrigo remains, though, the same quietly spoken, modest and talented Lisboner who started out as a bassist in indie-rock band S\u00e9tima Legi\u00e3o before moving into Madredeus\u2019 chamber-pop,\u00a0 the neoclassical textures of his own early solo material and his own unique, wistful pop songs, with guest singers like alt-Fado singer Lula Pena, Brazilian star Adriana Calcanhoto, the S\u00e3o Paulo newcomer Thiago Pethit. Joan Wasser aka Joan as Policewoman, or the Australian singer Scott Mathew.<\/p>\n
This quiet man has extended his talents into new and unexpected territories over the past few years. While performing live in some of the most legendary venues of the world – London’s Barbican Centre, Barcelona’s Palau de la Musica, the Parisian theatres Alhambra and Grand Rex, Amsterdam’s Melkweg, Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro or Washington’s Kennedy Center, he has also found the time to create three major film soundtracks, including for Lee Daniels’ Oscar-nominated historical drama \u201cThe Butler\u201d starring Forest Whitaker.<\/p>\n
He was invited to lead the artistic festivities of the 40th anniversary of the Portuguese Revolution of 1974 with a free concert on the steps of the National Parliament in Lisbon, resulting in the live CD\/DVD \u201cO Esp\u00edrito de Um Pa\u00eds\u201d, and created music for an installation by the late Japanese artist and aquarist Takashi Amano, \u201cUnderwater Forests\u201d and for the Lisbon Gulbenkian Museum exhibition \u201cBrain \u2013 Vastet than the Sky\u201d, as well as producing limited-edition electronica album \u201cA Vida Secreta das M\u00e1quinas\u201d.<\/p>\n
In 2015, the prestigious classical label Deutsche Grammophon released \u201cO Retiro\u201d, a collaboration with Lisbon’s acclaimed Gulbenkian Orchestra and Choir. Rodrigo followed it by recording a whole album of songs with the New York-based singer-songwriter Scott Matthew. 2016\u2019s \u201cLife Is Long\u201d followed after the two men recorded together a couple of songs and they realised their sensibilities matched perfectly.<\/p>\n
For 2018, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his solo career, Rodrigo showed off the amazing versatility of his work, with the release of \u201cO Anivers\u00e1rio\u201d, a double-CD retrospective of his greatest hits and favourite compositions, and the reissue of \u201cOs Portugueses\u201d, the soundtrack he wrote for the Portuguese TV documentary series Portugal \u2013 A Social Portait<\/em>.<\/p>\n At the same time, Rodrigo toured with a smaller band and started testing the material for his next studio project. This is \u201cO M\u00e9todo\u201d, his new album of all-original material being released worldwide by BMG February 21, 2020.<\/p>\n \u201cO M\u00e9todo\u201d was co-produced by the acclaimed Italian composer and musician Federico Albanese, who helped Rodrigo find the leaner, cleaner sound he was looking for. More atmospheric and enchanting, while also simpler in its sound landscapes: mostly created around acoustic piano and electronic ambiences, with the presence as needed of a small string section, the 20-element youth choir of Academia Musical dos Amigos das Crian\u00e7as, and assorted acoustic and electric instruments.<\/p>\n The album also features guest vocals from Efterklang\u2019s Casper Clausen on \u201cThe Boy Inside\u201d and Rodrigo\u2019s regular violinist Viviena Tupikova on \u201cO Cigarro\u201d.<\/p>\n Rodrigo\u2019s own daughter Sofia sings on the album\u2019s first single \u201cA Bailarina\u201d, a gentle, uplifting lullaby sung in a made-up language, designed to fit in with the record\u2019s more mysterious, spiritual sound.<\/p>\n