El León de Oro
One of Spain's leading choral ensembles, El León de Oro sings repertory from the Renaissance era to modern works. It has been heard both a cappella and in performance with several leading Spanish orchestras.
El León de Oro ("The Golden Lion") was formed in 1997 in Luanco in Spain's Asturias region when a group of friends who already enjoyed singing together were assembled into a choir by director Marco Antonio García de Paz. He remained the choir's director as of the mid-2020s. The group won awards both within Spain (the Grand National Prize of Choral Singing, in 2003 and 2006) and beyond, with top prizes at the London International A Cappella Choir Competition, the International Choir Contest of Flanders, the International Competition of Tolosa, and the International May Choir Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. The group is a substantial one, with about 35 members. Gaining recognition outside Spain, El León de Oro collaborated in England with The Tallis Scholars and their director, Peter Phillips. He directed the group on its first recording, the a cappella Renaissance recital Amarae Morti, which was recorded in 2016 and issued in 2019 by the Hyperion label. The album featured works by little-known composers Dominique Phinot and Manuel Cardoso, as well as more familiar figures.
El León de Oro has been especially visible at early music events in Spain, including the Ancient Music Festival of Aranjuez, the Early Music Festival of Logroño, and the International Festival of Sacred Art in Madrid. A notable feature of the choir's activity is that it extends beyond Renaissance music, and the group has performed with traditional Spanish orchestras, including the Asturias Symphony Orchestra, the Oviedo Filarmonía, and the Symphony Orchestra of Bilbao, in repertory ranging from Bach to Mozart, Beethoven, and Fauré. El León de Oro returned in 2021 with an album of works by Francisco Guerrero (recorded in 2019), with Phillips once again as conductor. Phillips and García de Paz were co-directors on the choir's next release, George de la Hèle: Missa Praeter rerum seriem, which also included a variety of other works by Flemish composers active in 16th century Spain.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Discography
8 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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La Hèle: Missa Praeter rerum seriem & Works by Manchicourt, Payen & Rogier
El León de Oro, Peter Phillips, Marco Antonio García de Paz
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Apr 5, 2024
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Amarae morti: Lamentations & Motets from Renaissance Europe
El León de Oro, Peter Phillips
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Feb 1, 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Guerrero: Magnificat, Lamentations & Canciones
El León de Oro, Peter Phillips
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Mar 5, 2021
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
La Hèle: Missa Praeter rerum seriem: I. Kyrie
El León de Oro, Peter Phillips
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Mar 22, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
La Hèle: Missa Praeter rerum seriem & Works by Manchicourt, Payen & Rogier
El León de Oro, Peter Phillips, Marco Antonio García de Paz
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Apr 5, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Amarae morti: Lamentations & Motets from Renaissance Europe
El León de Oro, Peter Phillips
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Feb 1, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Payen: Virgo prudentissima
El León de Oro, Marco Antonio García de Paz
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Mar 1, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Guerrero: Magnificat, Lamentations & Canciones
El León de Oro, Peter Phillips
Classical - Released by Hyperion on Mar 5, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo