Rhizottome plays and expands upon themes of traditional music – exploding them into improvised flights in order to « re-compose » them in different and challenging ways. Armelle Dousset and Matthieu Metzger create a remarkable dialogue between the accordion and the sopranino saxophone, a soft and harmonious alliance of timbre and precision. Their music is at once both sensitive and energetic – jumping from sweet and subtle passages one moment to twisted and chaotic passages the next. Their fascinating exchange brings out a continuous flow of new stories and new dances.

Armelle and Matthieu started their duo in 2008. At first, they played in the streets, at dancing parties with a repertoire based on neo-traditional tunes and also some classical melodies (Rameau, Telemann, Schubert…). Through the years they have composed their own music, which they mostly perform nowadays, in concert halls, theatres, festivals, through Europe, Asia and Africa…

Rhizottome comes from an ancient French word which names the “root cutter”. Their music is deeply linked to lexical field of botany– a way to connect concepts such as roots and tradition, composing and cutting, weeds and improvisation…

They extend the duo with Japanese musicians during a Residence at Villa Kujoyama (Kyôto) in 2015.

Their album “Malherbologie” released on October 2020.