‘Seraph’ by Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth is above all a creamy record ★★★☆☆

Last winter, Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth was forced to stop working because she had to undergo cancer treatment. Declared cured, Helseth has been back on stage since spring. Now her latest album is also available (recorded for the diagnosis) with the Ensemble Allegria: Seraphnamed after it Concertino for trumpet and strings by James MacMillan.

The Scottish composer wrote Seraph in 2010 for trumpeter Alison Balsom. It is not his most striking work, but the strings bite Shostakovich-like, while Helseth shoots the casual Haydn notes in all directions in the trumpet part. Above the unruly rhythm in the strings in the third movement, she floats clear and lyrically.

Seraph is above all a smooth record: like it Trumpet Concerto by the American composer Eric Ewazen, with the strings as a neoclassical, down underlay for the lilting trumpet. Helseth flies and spins, and finally kisses you softly with Satie.