Christine Ott is french composer, pianist and ondist……..a what? well a Ondes Martenot is an early electronic musical instrument invented in 1928 by Maurice Martenot with which she has played for opéras and bands such as Yann Tiersen, Radiohead, Tindersticks or Oiseaux-Tempête. ‘Only Silence Remains’ is her second album and is a blend of Modern-classical, Cinematic and Contemporary music.
On ‘Only Silence Remains’ we have many rich flowing piano pieces accompanied by a range of complimentary instruments such as the aforementioned Ondes Martenot and Harmonium, interspersed are compositions that use more modern abrasive layers such as white noise and electronic effects with the piano used sparingly. The character of the tracks are varied and are emotively different throughout almost like they are representing different scenes within a story, we have the playful opener of ‘A mes Etoiles’, the melencholy spiraling of ‘Szczecin’ and the nightmarish depths of ‘Temple’.
What could have been left as very simple piano pieces have been carefully thought through and given more creative elements within the layers, allowing the music to develop its own unique personality. The blend of classical and modern instruments are masterfully balanced throughout, never over shadowing each other, an accomplishment I feel mainly to do with the perfect positioning of the tracks, which can sometimes be an art in itself. The use of spoken word is a welcome element on ‘Disaster’ as well as the use of archive NASA samples on ‘Sexy Moon’, the addition of a human voice to these pieces could have been disastrous had they felt unnecessary but they sit well on the album and add even more depth of colour to the work.
For your listening pleasure:
The rise of classically trained artists who are developing their sounds with new technology and ideas is finally getting to a wider audience, and if your open to a bit of Classical Contemporary with an edge ‘Christine Ott’ should be on your list.
Side Note: Some great drum work on Track: Raintrain
Track List:
- A mes Ètoiles
- Szczecin
- Sexy Moon
- Raintrain
- No Memories
- Danse Avec La Neige
- Tempête
- Disaster
Out Now on Gizeh Records
Format : Vinyl / CD / DL
