Brunhild Ferrari, one of the most important yet criminally underrecognized figures in electroacoustic music, returns with Errant Ear, a deeply personal composition that stands as both artistic statement and emotional autobiography. Created at the end of 2024 and emerging through Persistence of Sound, this remarkable work represents Ferrari's most intimate exploration of memory, sensation, and the profound act of listening that has defined her decades-long career. Composed with what Ferrari describes as "this feeling of wandering, of strolling in my memories," Errant Ear transcends conventional electroacoustic practice to become something more akin to sonic archaeology. Drawing upon sounds captured through all her senses - "my ears, my eyes, my nose, all my sensations" - Ferrari has crafted a work that treats memory not as static preservation but as living, breathing material that can be "rediscovered" and given "new life."

The composition's architecture reflects Ferrari's generous collaborative spirit and her deep connections within the experimental music community. Sound contributions from Luke Fowler, Chris Watson, and her late husband Luc Ferrari are woven seamlessly with her own recent recordings and archival material spanning from the 1970s onward, creating what she poignantly describes as moments of "painful joy." This temporal collapse - where past and present exist simultaneously - mirrors the way memory itself operates, making Errant Ear both deeply personal and universally resonant. Ferrari's approach to composition has always been distinguished by its emotional directness and refusal to subordinate feeling to technique. Here, she speaks of feeling "free to enjoy surprises," an attitude that has allowed her to create work that is both technically sophisticated and immediately accessible to the heart. The result is music that operates on multiple levels simultaneously - as rigorous electroacoustic composition, as emotional document, and as philosophical meditation on the nature of experience itself.

A co-commission between Kunst zum Hören ORF Ö1 and Radiophrenia, Errant Ear benefits from the curatorial vision of organizations committed to pushing the boundaries of radio art and electroacoustic music. Mastered by Nima Aghiani and featuring design by Matthew Young and Louisa Mason, the physical presentation matches the work's artistic ambitions. Errant Ear arrives at a moment when Ferrari's contributions to electroacoustic music are finally receiving the recognition they deserve. Having worked alongside Luc Ferrari for decades while developing her own distinct voice, she represents a bridge between the pioneering generation of musique concrète composers and contemporary practitioners who continue to expand the form's possibilities.

This is music that treats sound as both material and metaphor - each gesture carrying the weight of lived experience while pointing toward new possibilities for what electroacoustic composition might become. Errant Ear confirms Brunhild Ferrari's position as one of the medium's essential voices and offers listeners an invitation to wander through their own sonic memories with renewed attention and wonder.