Toshio Hosokawa (b. 1955), who moved to Europe at the age of 21 and studied at the Berlin University of the Arts and the Freiburg University of Music, has seen his music, rooted in an Eastern spirit that seems to be two sides of the same coin with “silence,” highly acclaimed even at the forefront of European music. Night Sounds (Nachtklänge) was commissioned for the opening performance of Saitama Arts Theater, composed to commemorate the 70th birthday of his teacher Klaus Huber, and premiered by Ichiro Nodaira. Inspired by the tone rows of Webern's lieder, this work unfolds through six gradually changing scenes, making extensive use of extended techniques. Through various fermatas, sounds that constantly linger, or overtones, or “ma” (space/interval) emerge. The listener is required to concentrate intensely on hearing these elements. This likely reflects the composer's intention to “change, even slightly, the unheard, blank world (the ‘ma’ part) alongside the world where sounds resonate and are heard.” In this work, the unique listening mechanism characteristic of Hosokawa's compositions—experiencing silence itself by listening intently to sounds released into silence—is brilliantly realized.