About the album
Most Norwegians associate Sølvguttene primarily with Christmas. No wonder, we have sung carols to mark the beginning of Christmas since the 1960s. We are, however, active all year round. When we toured the West of Norway in the late summer of 2015, it would have been untimely to sing Christmas carols, likewise when we visited the USA a few months later, and when we performed in Rome in the spring of 2016.
Any choir that is active throughout the year must have a broad repertoire well suited for all seasons and occasions, and as we have approximately 150 performances throughout the year, spanning from weddings to funerals, receptions to masses, and long concerts to short stunts, our repertoire extends from pieces from the Early Middle Ages to contemporary works, by Norwegian and foreign composers, both sacred and profane.
After concerts we have often been asked by members of the audience whether the repertoire of the evening’s concert is available on CD, and too often we have had to say no. Finally, it is here: Sølvguttene’s own favourites. Enjoy!
Jeder Chor, der das ganze Jahr über aktiv ist, muss ein breites Repertoire haben, das sich für alle Jahreszeiten und Anlässe eignet. Da wir im Laufe des Jahres rund 150 Vorstellungen von Hochzeiten, Beerdigungen, Empfängen, Messen, langen Konzerten bis hin zu kurzen Stunts geben, reicht unser Programm von Stücken des frühen Mittelalters bis zu zeitgenössischen Werken, sowohl von norwegischen als auch von ausländischen Komponisten.
Artist(s)
SØLVGUTTENE
Sølvguttene (the Boys of Silver) is a Boys' choir founded by Torstein Grythe in June, 1940. He would hold the position as conductor until 2004, when Fredrik Otterstad took over. The choir had its first rehearsals in his apartment in Oslo, but were soon offered to rehearse in Norwegian Broadcasting’s (NRK) facilities. The thought was that the choir would be permanently linked to NRK, and the first radio performance was held in December 1940. Conditions during the German occupation soon made it impossible to continue the cooperation with NRK, and the choir was for the remainder of the war years managed by the founder/conductor. Sølvguttene got its name primarily because of the shiny, silvery uniforms that were acquired in the beginning (for lack of other, more subtle materials). Later the name has been attributed to the special sound and clarity of boys voices, voices of silver.