EDP, a company that operates in all segments of the electric sector and one of the sponsors of the Chamber Orchestra of the School of Communications and Arts of the University of São Paulo (OCAM), challenged maestro Gil Jardim, artistic director of the Orchestra, to create an unprecedented musical piece for the quarantine period. The result was an amazing audiovisual, designed to inspire people to maintain faith, resistance and unity in facing the pandemic.

At the opening, the conductor recites a carefully chosen paragraph from the last book by the indigenous leader, environmentalist and writer Ailton Krenak, alerting the public that, in order to fight the virus, “care and courage” are needed. The message ends by reminding us that we have someone to fight for during the confinement - the Brazilian people, with their rich ethnic and cultural diversity. The entire introduction happens with illustrations in B&W by the artist Gil Tokio, in a reference to the dark moment of the Covid-19 crisis.

 From there, the play, based on the work Trenzinho do Caipira, by Heitor Villa Lobos, begins a journey through the landscapes and faces of Brazil, in cities, in the countryside and forests, urging us to build a more sustainable relationship with our planet, with renewable energy sources.

Along the way, reference works by MPB punctuate the different moments of the composition. The quotes show the desolation of Asa Branca (Luiz Gonzaga); the hope of Canto de Povo de um Lugar (Caetano Veloso); the need to Walk with Faith (Gilberto Gil) or the final message that ‘any way of love is worth it’, from Paula and Bebeto (Milton Nascimento). There are also references to anthropologist Darcy Ribeiro and plastic artist Tarsila do Amaral. Finally, the passage through a tunnel reminds us that the darkness and uncertainties of the pandemic are fleeting, and that there will be a season of arrival.

“This unprecedented play, created by Maestro Gil Jardim and performed by OCAM, is a hymn of faith, courage and unity for this moment of struggle against Covid-19. For us, it is also a tribute to national music, literature and art and to the diversity of the Brazilian people, united around a single cause - to resist and come out stronger from this crisis”, says Miguel Setas, CEO of EDP.

To make the project feasible, an audio with a piano guide and a digital score were sent to the members of the orchestra. Then, each of the 45 musicians individually recorded their part of the piece with the help of a cell phone. From then on, the conductor gathered and synchronized all the passages digitally, covering the composition with images by Sérgio Roizemblit, illustrations by Gil Tokio and art direction by Anderson Penha. “We wanted to not only get together to play, but to put our music at the service of a more important message - that we can overcome this crisis together”, says Gil Jardim.

About EDP in Brazil

With over 20 years of experience, EDP is one of the largest private companies in the electricity sector operating throughout the value chain. The Company, which has over 10,000 direct and outsourced employees, operates in Transmission, Trading and Energy Services and has six hydroelectric generation units and one thermal power station. In Distribution, it serves about 3.5 million customers in São Paulo and Espírito Santo, in addition to being the main shareholder of Celesc, in Santa Catarina. In Brazil, it is a reference in areas such as Innovation, Governance and Sustainability, having been in the B3´s Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE) for 14 consecutive years.