Saudades was the culmination of Brazilian percussionist Naná Vasconcelos’s dream of hearing the berimbau in an orchestral context. It was made possible through the creative input of Egberto Gismonti, here the arranger of the material for strings, as well as co-composer and supporting soloist. The Gismonti-Vasconcelos creative partnership was highlighted on a number of recordings, but never again in this magical orchestral weaving of musical expressions.