Name: Martina Bertoni
Occupation: Cellist, sound artist, composer
Nationality: Italian
Recent release: Martina Bertoni's Electroacoustic Works for Halldorophone is out via Karlrecords on February 21st 2025. Pre-order the album here.
Recommendations on the topic of sound: The writings of David Toop are incredible in the way that he manages to visualise sounds with words. As well, listening more, abundantly and better, with much dedication is the trigger for the rest.

If you enjoyed this Martina Bertoni interview and would like to know more about her music, visit her official homepage. She is also on Instagram, and Soundcloud. 



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

I also tend to visualise colours when I am listening, but what happens is very difficult to explain: I could compare it to something similar to a breathing movement inside my brain …

How do listening with headphones and listening through a stereo system change your experience of sound and music?

I am not particularly invested in pursuing the best possible listening experience all the time, I like to accept and flow with what the momentary listening experience brings me.

Indeed, I work a lot on headphones rather than monitors. When I am not working, I tend to listen with earphones when I need to isolate my brain from the context, when I have to think a lot.

Tell me about some of the albums or artists that you love specifically for their sound, please.

Ryoji Ikeda for the carving power of the frequencies that he uses, his music is so very soothing to me. Very much the same for Mika Vainio’s music.

Lucid Anarchy by Pyur is also an album that I love very much listening to, it contains an incredible visual power and transports me immediately into a different, indescribable metaphysical dimension.



[Read our Mika Vainio interview]

Do you experience strong emotional responses towards certain sounds? If so, what kind of sounds are these and do you have an explanation about the reasons for these responses?

I love big sounds in general, experiencing them lifts up my spirit and triggers a physical state of well being.

There can be sounds which feel highly irritating to us and then there are others we could gladly listen to for hours. Do you have examples for either one or both of these?

I hate the sound of the streets, or loud music in bars and venues (this is one of the reasons why I seldom go out).

On the other hand, I could (and I do) listen to Aphex Twin discography uninterrupted for days.

Are there everyday places, spaces, or devices which intrigue you by the way they sound? Which are these?

I get very attracted by empty or apparently silent places, like buildings, or places like at the doctor’s: usually it turns out these places contain plenty of micro/macro sounds that are very interesting.

I like the sound of trains.

Have you ever been in spaces with extreme sonic characteristics, such as anechoic chambers or caves? What was the experience like?

Once I experienced getting extremely close to an active volcano crater. The sound of it, even from far away, is something I have never experienced and I will never forget: a primordial ultra-low frequency that I could feel all over my body.

The sound of the lava splashing was something very specific, it has no comparison to anything else, so powerful.

What are among your favourite spaces to record and play your music?

I like recording my music in my home, I usually joke that I am a bedroom composer.

Do music and sound feel “material” to you? Does working with sound feel like you're sculpting or shaping something?

Yes, usually I feel like I am sculpting big clouds, or swarms of vibrations and frequencies.

How important is sound for our overall well-being and in how far do you feel the "acoustic health" of a society or environment is reflective of its overall health?

Sound is one of society’s core expressions, it’s one of its identification marks. There’s an ecology of it, which is extremely important since it’s the capacity of  a society of taking care of the acoustic development of places and spaces, their own resonances and interferences.

To answer the question, sound care is vital to our well-being as humans, since it is through sound that we can access, understand and articulate reality.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds?

One of the most precious experiences is the purring of our cats: to me it means home and family, it’s the sound of unconditional love, it grounds me to my own reality.

Many animals communicate through sound. Based either on experience or intuition, do you feel as though interspecies communication is possible and important? Is there a creative element to it, would you say?  

Indeed there is. Again, the daily life together with our three cats is a good example of interspecies communication: little chirps of excitement, purring of happiness or anxious howls.

All of us, humans and non-humans, learn to recognise each other’s frequency and react to it. Luckily, words are not the only carriers of meaning.

Tinnitus and developing hyperacusis are very real risks for anyone working with sound. Do you take precautions in this regard and if you're suffering from these or similar issues – how do you cope with them?

I get triggered by chaotic sound environments, I hate the way I feel! I don’t listen to loud music, and if I have to, I always try to wear protection. I hate loud chaotic noises so I tend to wear earplugs quite often, especially when I am in crowded places.

When I am working I mix with soft volumes, when I am playing live though, I need to listen to everything because that’s my performance radar.

We can surround us with sound every second of the day. The great pianist Glenn Gould even considered this the ultimate delight. How do you see that yourself and what importance does silence hold?

Silence is incredibly powerful, probably the most powerful compositional  and philosophical device that Mankind has. Indeed it holds a special place in my practice.

On the other hand when I am not working I feel the need to be surrounded with music: in this I agree very much with Glenn Gould, I feel very blessed when I can surround myself with my favourite sounds.

Seth S. Horowitz called hearing the “universal sense” and emphasised that it was more precise and faster than any of our other senses, including vision. How would our world be different if we paid less attention to looks and listened more instead?

To me, smell together with hearing both hold the same importance and strength. If we would listen (and smell!) more, I guess probably our creativity would be more unleashed and unbound, more fierce.

Looks holds a stronger power within society for a lot of reasons.