Time to Die by Christine Ott

Time To Die is the work of French composer and multi-instrumentalist Christine Ott, her fourth solo album and sequel to 2016's Only Silence Remains, where matters of mortality are sombrely set to the gravitas that piano so poignantly facilitates.

At first it was the expressive piano playing that piqued my attention but later the dark and atmospheric drama underpinning the sections without piano stealthily took command, like the Timpani thunder that carries us through the opening title track so ominously or the delightfully plucked strings on Chasing Harp, tracing a path through the dark sky like a shooting star burning out its last, or the swooning choral chants on Landscape, like Richter's ode to sleep, subtly transportive, or the mesmerising melancholy of Comma Opening, or spooky adieu of Pluie where a bell tolls, sorrowfully signing off this fleeting life, all combining to form an evolving narrative that kept me gripped and returning again and again.

I was particularly fascinated by the Ondes Martenot, a rare and haunting/beautiful sounding instrument that Ott uses with subtlety and skill, adding depth and a unique stamp to her work. An extraordinary piece of work.