SONG OF THE BLACK SWAN celebrates the meeting of two renowned artists on the classical music scene, at the height of their extraordinary careers.

Claudio Cruz is a conductor and violinist, awarded by the Latin Grammy and by the São Paulo Association of Art Critics (APCA), owner of an acclaimed discography; Marcelo Bratke is an internationally renowned pianist, presenter of classical music programs on several radio and television channels. It was precisely in the production of a series about Villa-Lobos for TV that Bratke met Cruz performing in the duet Song of the Black Swan, by Villa-Lobos. The musicians immediately noticed a rare musical affinity between themselves, which started an exceptional partnership, culminating in the recording of this first album together, named after the title of the work that first connected them.

These inspiring violin and piano duets demonstrate the fluidic connection and synergy between the musicians, performing a repertoire of works by great composers, such as Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Kreisler, Mignone, Massenet, Chopin and, of course, Villa-Lobos. Among the pieces executed with distinction and elegance, the sensitive tribute to João Cruz – Claudio’s father – in the composition Sentimentos de um Luthier stands out.