The partnership between violinist Claudio Cruz and pianist Rafael dos Santos goes back a long way: Nearly two decades ago, the instrumentalists met at classical music festivals, where they were teachers and participated in various presentations. In 2003, Cruz, as the conductor of the Campinas Symphony Orchestra, invited the pianist to write arrangements of Brazilian music for some of the orchestra’s performances. This happy collaboration gave rise to the desire to record an album in piano and violin format, which finally occurred in 2019.

Featuring songs that marked an era in the early 20th century, the album brings pieces by great composers of Brazilian music, such as Pixinguinha, Zequinha de Abreu, Ernesto Nazareth and Garoto, among others. “It is a repertoire that transports us to a time of great hope. The world evolved quickly, the arts followed this same path, and little by little these songs, this very gallant style of music, was left aside” – Claudio Cruz

The duo does not hide the motivation behind the new work: A lovely journey through time and the affective memory of the musicians, rescuing such a rich period of Brazilian popular music. If, on the one hand, part of this repertoire fell into oblivion, on the other, it has been rediscovered by new generations, who get surprised by the beauty and powerful lyricism of the compositions.