Klangforum Wien / Peter Rundel / Wolfgang Mitterer - coloured noise (2006), 7/10

A fierce combination of disruptive glitch, electroacoustic sound, and spurts of jazz make coloured noise a pleasure to experience, a piece intended for the combination of twenty-three musicians and electronics. Wolfgang Mitterer is an important Austrian composer known for contributions to electroacoustic music and his work as an organist. This particular piece is exceptional for its execution, and there is not a dull moment in this recording. It embraces noise while examining its intersection with intermittent space quite well and experiments with sound simultaneously. This back-and-forth continues through much of the recording, but it does not get tiresome or formulaic, rather embracing improvisational causality. There is a surprising quality of amusement that rarely subsides, likely because of the sheer number of individualized passages and how rapidly they change direction and intention. The first track is the most holistic representation of the record’s ambitions before successive passages primarily operate in a handful of different modes. Even “attacca” accomplishes less than the opener despite its length, yet it is still an entertaining set of ideas. Each part of “scherzo” subsequently paints a different picture with substantially different colours and they all build narratively towards the closing section. If nothing else, it will keep your attention for the entirety of the recording. In quick summation, a brilliant blend of jazz and electronic experimentation in a supremely entertaining package.