Product Reviews
Norwegian trumpet player Tine Thing Helseth emerged toward the end of the first decade of the 20th century as of the leading international soloists on her instrument, and in 2011 signed an exclusive recording contract with EMI Classics. For her debut solo album for the label she decided to forego the traditional concertos and virtuosic showpieces and play transcriptions of vocal music, primarily art songs. The result is an appealing collection of music that puts Helseth's lyrical sensibility on display. The pieces don't make the technical demands of, say, a Baroque concerto, but they require the ability to communicate expressively with the simplest means, and that is no less an achievement. Helseth plays with exceptionally well-supported legato phrasing and her tone is sweet, burnished, and mellow. The trumpet, especially played as musically as it is here, works beautifully in these pieces, many of which have soaring Romantic lines. For the most part they are not arrangements but straightforward transcriptions with the trumpet taking the vocal part. Helseth's lyricism is especially impressive in the most passionate selections, such as "Marietta's Lied" from Die tote Stadt and "Mon coeur s'ouvre ta voix" from Samson et Dalila, the latter of which beautifully exploits her rich lower register. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra led by Elvind Aadland and pianist H vard Gimse provide supportive accompaniment. EMI's sound is clean and warmly atmospheric, with a good sense of presence. ~ Stephen Eddins, Rovi
Product Notes
2012 debut album from the young Norwegian trumpeter. On Storyteller, Tine Thing Helseth tells stories of love and loss. She performs a program of songs by Grieg, Strauss, Sibelius, Ravel, Canteloube and Weill, among others, transcribed for trumpet with either piano or orchestral accompaniment. Tine's musical collaborators are pianist Håvard Gimse and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Eivind Aadland.