It is said that Herbert von Karajan greatly enjoyed listening to a recording of a rumbling Formula 1 Ferrari. It was “music for his ears”, an expression that has a different meaning for each individual. But if you don’t love music, it can seem to be just noise. So what is noise for us? Across an array of sound universes – featuring Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Mahler, and Bob Dylan – Mario Brunello leads the reader on a surprising journey in which noise reveals a remarkable variety of meanings. The very evolution of humankind can be understood as a sequence of adaptations to the different noises created by nature and the changing world. Noise creates space, dramatizes it, and generates actions and ideas. What would a storm be without the sound of thunder? Noise is not the opposite of music along a dimension contrasting pleasantness with unpleasantness, nor does it have less value than silence. Noise is a basic element of our consciousness. This book will persuade us to listen to and appreciate it.

Mario Brunello is a world-renowned cellist who, besides performing in concert halls and international festivals, loves to bring music to non-traditional sites and unusual communication venues.