Phoresy

I have a feeling that Johannes Geworkian and LarsEmil Öjeberget were destined to make music together, regardless of what instruments they might have played. As it happens, it’s hurdy-gurdy and accordion. They are fine musicians who were awarded Newcomer of the Year at the Swedish Folk and World Music Awards 2016, and their pedigree includes studies at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and at the Royal Swedish College of Music.

I would have been tempted to sequence the tracks on Phoresy in a different order, leading the listener in via the beguiling and more panoramic sounds of ‘Ciron’ or the gentle playfulness of the title-track, rather than the high–speed opener ‘Noir Animal’. The real delight of their playing comes when the listener can hear the spaces and the many facets each instrument can show.

There is something about their playing that prompts me to think I’d love to hear them play Bach or Scarlatti alongside their own tunes. But for now I’m happy to smile along to the very elegant ‘Godnattsång’, which really shows off their sensitive playing and delightful humour.