Nono wrote ... sofferte one serene ... for his friend Maurizio Pollini after their 1971–1972 collaboration in Como una ola de fuerza y luz.

Nono used the sounds of his native Venice, notably its bell towers, which he heard from across the Venetian Lagoon at home on Giudecca.

After Al gran sole carico d'amore (1972 and 1975), which was inspired by women's revolutionary struggle, ... sofferte onde serene ... marked a final introspective shift within Nono's overtly leftist œuvre.

Pianist and musicologist Paulo de Assis prepared a prototype critical edition at the Orpheus Institute [nl] (2009, unpublished).

[7] He composed the live and taped piano parts to blend in uniform textures, distinct from his previous violent and contrasting style.