Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth and her all-female brass ensemble are breaking new ground. The title, intentionally provocative and tongue-in-cheek, invites us to reflect on a time when the phrase ‘she composes like a man’ was seriously used by critics, notably for British composer Ethel Smyth.
However, the past lingers closer than we’d prefer, and even in the 21st century, female composers and musicians still face pressure to emulate men. This reality is highlighted by organist Anna Lapwood’s #Playlikeagirl campaign. In a field still dominated by men, Helseth’s ensemble stands out, blazing a trail with their latest album.
The album joyfully explores a vibrant program of short works by female composers, arranged by Jarle Storlokken and Sebastian Haukas. It spans from the late 18th-century Maria Theresia von Paradis to contemporary composer Sally Beamish, featuring the buoyant works of Bacewicz, the lyrical compositions of Lili Boulanger, and the mellow tones of Florence Price. Fanny Mendelssohn’s Schwanenlied, with its brass interpretation, adds a nostalgic twist.
Beamish’s In the Stillness transforms from a Christmas carol into a serene, wordless hymn. Agathe Backer Grondahl, a Norwegian pupil of Liszt and a prominent pianist of her time, is represented by her fluent Three Morceaux, Op. 15. Ruth Crawford Seeger’s lively Rissolty, Rossolty, while somewhat subdued compared to its orchestral version, still captivates. Joy Webb’s Share my yoke, a Salvation Army favorite, is simple yet compelling in this arrangement. Smyth is featured with Voices Sing of Immortality from The Prison, but the album concludes with Mel Bonis’s La Toute Petite s’endort, ending on a melancholic note.
