The Canções de Amor – by Claudio Santoro and Vinicius de Moraes – are a precious encounter between Brazilian music and literature, representing the fusion of sounds and aesthetics that traversed between popular music and classical music in the late 1950s. Gathering references that immediately take us to the sounds of bossa nova and the aesthetic refinement of composers from this period, the album presents a selection of 15 songs.

The work developed by soprano Sheila Negro and pianist Pablo Marquine, presents a renewed and sensitive interpretation of these songs. The chosen treatment for the voice departs from the sound of chamber music, opting to embody the narrative brought by the poetry of the songs. The first-person perspective, sung in the feminine, validates the only necessary change in relation to the original score, providing naturalness and a lighter touch to the interpretations. In this context, the voice positions itself closer to a popular sound, while the piano delicately describes the underlying subtexts of Vinicius de Moraes’ poetry.

The recording also includes two more pieces: the song Meu Amor me Disse Adeus by Santoro, with poetry by his wife Gisèle Santoro, and an unpublished composition by Marquine titled Só with poetry by Fernanda Quinderé and dedicated to Sheila Negro.