Didier Rotella — Zone Grise
Zone Grise brings together three pieces by French modern classical composer/pianist Didier Rotella, whose work shifts between the jagged/darting & the ambient. Two blend electronics with formal instrumentation, and one is for a string quartet.
The CD release appears on Kairos, the Austrian label that releases the best/ most interesting in modern classical composition. It comes in the company's house style digipak, with its stuck-on inlay booklet presentation. The booklet is a glossy/ colour picture-lined affair- with English/ German texts- regarding the pieces featured, Rotella himself, and the players of the pieces.
Didier Rotella has been actively composing since the early 2000s- his work moves from solo piano, piano with other instrumentation/ treatments, vocal and orchestral works, Ensemble, electronics, and for quartet.
The CD opens with the 2017-2018 piece “Catharsis”- which is spread over six tracks, and is for two percussionists, two pianos and live electronics. It’s the longest work here at just over the thirty-minute mark. It’s built around a blend of slowly churning/ warbling/bubbling electro ambience and darting-to-tolling keys with suddering percussion runs. The work seemingly shifts from a low simmer, through to sudden cascades of tone, onto sudden paring backs. Along the way, some quite playful percussive touches appear for an interesting counterbalance.
Next, we have "Fragrances", which was composed between 2015 & 2024 for string quartet. This is split over two tracks, with a run time of just over twenty-three minutes. It’s a taut & angular sonic map of bowing neck creaks, darting plucks, sour sears, warbling wails, and rapid/ violent saws.
Lastly, we have 2019-2022’s “Mogari“ for flute, saxophone, percussion, piano, and live electronics. This just over twelve-minute track is divided into five tracks. It blends almost tropical percussive runs, tense piano cascades, purring electronics, moodily forking to violently baying horn work.
Much of Zone Grise shifts between build, tension, and (sometimes) release. Of interest to those who enjoy pairings of formal instrumentation with low-key electronic elements.