Wunder: Philemon Mukarno’s Sonic Mirror for Violin and Electronics

A Dialogue of Reflection and Distortion

In 2018, at the experimental art venue WORM in Rotterdam, Philemon Mukarno unveiled a work that delves into the ghostly space between acoustic reality and digital memory. Titled Wunder, this forty-five-minute composition for violin and live electronics is a masterclass in subtlety and tension. Performed by the violinist Martine von Gleich, with Mukarno himself manipulating the electronics, the piece is not a duel but a symbiosis.​

Unlike the aggressive, “primal force” of his earlier works like DOG, Wunder inhabits a more mysterious, almost spectral realm. It is a sonic hall of mirrors. The violin does not just play; it triggers its own reflection. Mukarno creates a “voice-skin” around the instrument, a digital aura that blurs the boundaries of the sound. The listener is left wondering: Is this the wood of the violin, or the memory of the wood trapped in a circuit?​

The Uncompromising Aesthetic: Economy of Duration

A forty-five-minute duration for a duet is an uncompromising choice. It demands patience. Mukarno, known for his “strict control of Form,” uses this length to stretch time. He does not rush. He allows ideas to unfold with geological slowness.​

This “economy of means” is central to his style. He does not clutter the sonic landscape with unnecessary notes. In Wunder, a single violin gesture might be captured by the electronics, frozen, and slowly transformed over several minutes. This creates a hypnotic, ritualistic atmosphere. The audience is forced to slow down their internal clock, to breathe with the music. It is an invitation to deep listening, a challenge to the short attention spans of the digital age.​

Martine von Gleich: The Human Anchor

The role of the violinist, Martine von Gleich, is pivotal. In a landscape of shifting electronic textures, she is the human anchor. Her performance must be incredibly precise, as she is not just playing notes but interacting with a live, reactive system.

Mukarno’s writing for strings often emphasizes the physical reality of the instrument—the “rough, unpolished sounds” of bow on string. In Wunder, this tactile quality is essential. The grain of the violin’s sound provides the organic matter that the electronics consume and reshape. Von Gleich’s ability to maintain focus and intensity over forty-five minutes turns the performance into a feat of endurance, mirroring Mukarno’s other solo works like Outline.​

WORM: The Perfect Laboratory

The premiere at WORM is significant. WORM is Rotterdam’s institute for avant-garde, underground, and experimental art. It is a place that celebrates the weird, the “trash,” and the uncompromising. Mukarno’s work fits perfectly here.

Wunder is not concert hall music in the traditional sense. It is “sonic architecture.” It needs a space where the sound can be physical. At WORM, the audience is immersed in the sound. The electronics do not just come from the front; they surround the listener, creating a “sonic bath.” This immersive quality aligns with Mukarno’s multimedia philosophy, where sound is treated as a sculptural element.​

The Electronic “Wonder”

The title Wunder (German for “Wonder” or “Miracle”) suggests a sense of awe. But in Mukarno’s world, awe is rarely comforting. It is often mixed with terror or the uncanny. The electronics in Wunder likely explore this duality. They can be beautiful, creating shimmering halos of harmony around the violin. But they can also be alienating, distorting the familiar sound of the instrument into something unrecognizable.

Mukarno uses the electronics to question the nature of reality. If a violin sound can be stretched infinitely, is it still a violin? If a melody is fractured into granular noise, does it still carry emotion? Wunder poses these questions without answering them. It leaves the listener in a state of suspended wonder, floating in the gap between the physical and the digital.

A Ghostly Masterpiece

Wunder (2018) stands as a haunting addition to Philemon Mukarno’s oeuvre. It demonstrates his ability to create vast, immersive worlds with minimal resources. By pairing the intimate voice of the violin with the infinite possibilities of live electronics, he creates a work that feels both ancient and futuristic.

It is a piece that refuses to explain itself. It simply exists, like a monolith in a dark room, vibrating with a secret life. For those willing to enter its time-scale, Wunder offers a profound encounter with the mystery of sound itself.

Discover “Wunder,” Philemon Mukarno’s 45-minute masterpiece for violin and electronics. A spectral journey into sound and memory.