Review – Sonata for Sine Wave and White Noise

Sonata for Sine Wave and White Noise
Label: Sonore
Media: CD
Format: Album
WorkNameSort: Sonata for Sine Wave and White Noise

Patterns always emerge from a distance. Japanese electronicist Satoru Wono generates such patterns — binary in his case — and then hones in on them over the course of this “Sonata.” And, as in any good classical composition, those patterns are both discrete and hypnotically enchanting. Like the title says, this composition was created with just two sounds, yet unlike many other post-concréte composers, Wono’s search for patterns and parallels means that this piece is rather intricately crafted. The result is sparse and surprisingly organic.

This article appears in Sep 24-30, 2003.