One-time Moog salesman turned soundscape ecologist, Dr Bernie Krause tells us about his listening pleasures
FIRST
The Quintet Of The Hot Club Of France
‘The Quintet Of The Hot Club Of France’
(Victor, 1945)
“When I was four or five, I used to listen to the types of controlled sound we refer to as music. Acoustic ensembles were my favourite and guitar performances were my most preferred of all. Friends of my parents were deep into jazz and, in particular, Django Reinhardt. When they gifted me some of his 78s, I couldn’t believe an instrument could sound so enchanting. I guess the first thing I heard was probably The Hot Club Of France with Stéphane Grapelli. I do remember the track ‘The Man I Love’, but it was 75 years ago!”
LAST
Vancover Chamber Choir
‘Once On A Windy Night: The Choral Music of R Murray Schafer, Volume 2’
(Grouse, 2000)
“The last recording I bought, before the northern California fires wiped us out completely in October 2017, was ‘Once On A Windy Night’, an a capella choral piece wrought by my favorite 20th century composer, Canadian and naturalist, R Murray Schafer. Schafer has a way of capturing and transforming aspects of natural world soundscapes into stunning performance pieces.”
ALWAYS
Biophonies
‘Artist’s own recordings’
(1968-present)
“In moments of stress, when trying to navigate this very uncertain world, I often turn to natural soundscapes – biophonies – to stem the anxiety and sadness I feel. The habitats I’ve recorded over the past half century were captured at times when many sites in the natural world were still sounding vital and hopeful. Those are rare now that I’ve turned to replications to regain that sense of possibility.”
