The works on this recording embrace ninety-nine years of European music history and are balanced by paradoxical opposites; the program is dominated by moods of the long, arctic winter night - grief, longing, absence - and the midnight sun’s unceasing orgy of light and life. Kolbjørn Holthe and his inspired orchestra display both playful virtuosity and extreme serenity in their interpretations of this repertoire. The Tromsø Chamber Orchestra is the only full-time professional chamber orchestra in Norway. The orchestra has become well-known as a modern and versatile ensemble of high international standard. The orchestra gives weekly concerts in Tromsø, and the musicians also serve regularly as a part of the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra.
