Sølvstrøk

Sølvstrøk – the title alone drips with poetry and mystery. It translates as ‘Silverstroke,’ but hang on to that Norwegian word because in there is, perhaps, the key to this latest set from the Scottish/Finnish dream-team of Oslo-based Summers and Silvola. Their track record, as individuals and a duo, is impressive, drawing on Scottish heritage, folk traditions and deep dives into Baroque and contemporary music as performers, composers and producers. Now, in Sølvstrøk they reveal one of their most imaginative and compelling projects.

They formed their own chamber orchestra from some of Norway's finest folk and classical musicians to play string arrangements by Summers and Silvola of their new compositions and traditional tunes, which range from a heartfelt Shetland Christmas meditation and ‘Morning Prayer’ to the delicious dance rhythms of ‘Number 81’, while weaving in some Mozart to other compelling dance tunes. The playing is exquisite, the musicians revelling in the variety of chamber-like textures and attention to dynamics as musical narratives unfold. They had me at the first track, ‘Tune for Alistair’: never has a day in the life of a toddler sounded so magical, a musical stroke of silver.