Celebrated Portuguese musician to perform at Athens’s Roman Agora
“I am very pleased about performing my work in Athens, especially as it is during the Olympic Games,» said the famed Portuguese composer and musician Rodrigo Leao at a recent press conference for his upcoming concert in the Roman Agora in the city center on Sunday. The concert, which has been organized within the context of the ongoing Cultural Olympiad and in cooperation with the Portuguese Embassy, marks the common links between the cultures of Greece and Portugal. It will be attended by A-list guests, including Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio who is in town to attend the Olympics. The founder and soul of the celebrated bands Setima Legiao and later Madredeus, Leao is an inspired composer who draws his material from his personal experience. Sunday’s concert – which, unfortunately is open only to invitation holders – consists of an anthology of Leao’s most popular pieces. «The concert is in two parts,» explains the versatile composer. «The first, which is orchestral and very esoteric, contains mostly classical pieces, while the second consists of songs from the Mediterranean in Latin, English, French and Portuguese.» The songs will be performed by Anna Vieira and Angela Silva. In addition to forging a significant career as a solo artist the past few years, Leao has also written some of the songs that made the Madredeus group famous, such as «O Pastor» or «Tardes de Bolonha.» His music blends classical melodies with stylized bossa nova, tangos and fados, even introducing industrial inflections and electronic sounds. On his latest album, «Cinema,» the composer pays tribute to the great music of the cinema, with the participation of great performers such as singers Rosa Passos from Brazil, Beth Gibbons from the popular British trip-hop band Portishead, Helena Noguerra and Sonia Tavares, while the piano solos are performed by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
