In the arms of weirs
"The field recording and the satellite timelapse I chose speak of hydro-power, energy and discontinuity, they tell the story of a voice fragmented, amplified and impeded. There is magic and mystery in the life of these ancient water-beings. Is a river a portal? Is the myth still alive? "Artist and researcher Elizabeth Gallon Drosde introduces us to the submerged at the beginning of the composi...
8m May 06
8m
Submerged
"Submerged is a music piece that focuses on the perspective of living organisms in Forggensee Reservoir. The work incorporates field recordings capturing gentle water surfaces, subtle shifts in currents, distant passing vehicles, and the faint presence of aquatic life. The field recordings are used throughout most of the piece as raw material with minimal processing. The composition is structur...
7m May 06
7m
49minLech
"After reading about the Lech and looking at the images, my first impulse was to change or add nothing - just let the sound be - like it is... It took a while until i thought: Ok Lech - I'll "visit" you and bring some silent sounds - like the sounds that might show up in your head, when you are in nature. "So I layered, spoken word, singing of different melodies that did not necessary fit, a b...
1m May 06
1m
Tukan
"Some years ago, when we were still living in Poland, my partner and I drove to Füssen to collect a second-hand canoe that we had found online. Its name was Tukan. I’m fairly certain it had frequently travelled the River Lech with its previous owners who were keen canoeists and most likely knew their way around the water. "These days, Tukan sometimes glides along the tidal rivers around Southa...
4m May 06
4m
Until the fall
"Assigned the section of the Lech that crosses from Austria into Germany, I decided to travel to the area (near the city of Füssen) to listen to the river myself. I visited on the last Saturday of January, when the sun was shining over the (still very present) snow on the banks of the river. "With a few microphones, two recorders, and lots of time to be with my thoughts, I recorded in six loca...
5m May 06
5m
Segment no.9
"In composing Segment No. 9 for the Flow project, I explored how to translate the satellite imagery into sound and blend it with the provided field recording. I began by converting the imagery into raw data, which I then mapped to MIDI to trigger synthesisers. "Listening to the field recording, I felt it told its own story, capturing the contrast between the free flowing River Lech and the sou...
4m May 06
4m
Braided memory (Lech)
"I approached the River Lech as a memory machine: wide air and landscape, close water detail, and the river’s vibrations. These hidden resonances became the harmonic spine of the piece. "The composition stays faithful to the original source while drifting into abstraction: selective time-stretching and spectral sculpting reveal submerged textures; granulation turns droplets and foam into a fin...
10m May 06
10m
Washing away our ragged lives
"A data sonification of the Lech River - the river as score "A river does not compose. It erodes, carries, deposits. Over centuries it traces a shape into the land — a shape that is the accumulated record of rainfall, geology, seasonal flood, and human intervention. This project begins with a simple question: what does that shape sound like? "Using computer vision applied to satellite imagery...
12m May 06
12m
Figures
"A crowded procession of singular figures, images and imaginaries, possible futures "“Figures” is built upon a field recording of a threshold zone where the mountains begin to yield to the plains, and where the river itself is divided since a part of its water is withdrawn into a side channel for hydropower production. The underlying approach draws on Steven Feld's proposition that attentive l...
7m May 06
7m
Rupuma
"What stood out for me in the data about the segment as well as in the sounds themselves, were two things: (1) the fact that the river was channelized at that segment, (2) the distant factory siren, very reminiscent of the sirens I have heard on my visits to Kyiv in these last years. The starting point was thus the anthropic forces, i.e. modifications of the banks, part of channelization proces...
5m May 06
5m
Aufpassen
"Upon first hearing the field recording, I struggled to locate the river in it — to connect the sound with the Lech’s path from alpine source to lowland plain. What I received seemed almost random: poor fidelity, heavy handling noise, footsteps as the dominant element. A crossing over a bridge in a gorge, vehicles faint in the distance, a fragment of a human voice. "Not a single drop of water ...
10m May 06
10m
A sense of place
"For the Flow project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the University of Padova, and the University of Würzburg, I composed an original piece of music based on a field recording made by researchers along the Lech River near Höfen, Austria. "Titled “A Sense of Place”, the composition brings together history, atmosphere, geography, and memory, reflecting the moment when the listener a...
7m May 06
7m
Crossing over
"A bridge suspended, a crossing over point. I decided to keep the idea of the river Lech as an abstraction. I live on the other side of the world so it took on this imaginarium. "The sounds of the hanging bridge floating brought to mind this liminal space of crossing worlds with the eternal flow of the river a metaphor for life itself . I thought about this being one of the first industrialise...
5m May 06
5m
Strands/textures
"In “Strands/Textures”, I weave together the field recording (as the main strand), with other strands of sounds inspired by the descriptive phrases and aerial images in the materials describing this section of the Lech. This piece was created in VCVRack2 using a combination of the original field recording, field recordings/foley sounds created specifically for this track, and modules available ...
7m May 06
7m
Lech bop
"When choosing our sources of inspiration, we allowed ourselves to focus exclusively on the sound of the river. We deliberately chose a very active track, rich in sonic events, in which the river sounds like a veritable orchestra. We spent hours listening to this natural improvisation, searching for melodic and rhythmic tendencies in the apparent chaos, as well as evidence of the interaction be...
5m May 06
5m
The rewilding melody
"For the beautiful Section 4 of Flow, I wanted to celebrate the rewilding projects that took place between 2016 and 2022 under the LIFE Lech “Dynamic River System Lech” at Elmen-Nussau and Vorderhornbach. "I was immediately inspired by the photo of the sound being recorded at the bridge. Imagining being in that moment, overlooking the meandering turquoise braids of water, the gravel beds and t...
7m May 06
7m
Hope carries us
Hope Carries Us | The moment I heard the section of the Lech that I ended up working with, I heard these beautiful overtones, and voices and decided I wanted to really bring that out in the piece. Listening to the field recording as I wrote the piece, it felt over time like a history of the river unfolding, the narrowing, the widening, the people using it for transportation in much earlier time...
7m May 06
7m
Confluencia lejana
"To create this piece, I used the completely raw recording of segment 3. Then, I cut a few seconds from it and layered them, processing them with different filters, delay, and equalizer to create distinct textures. I also wanted to layer my own recording from inside the Rio Negro (the river in my hometown) to give another perspective to the subjective listening experience, as well as to underst...
4m May 06
4m
Kaliwatu
"I used the data and story of the river section to structure my composition and build a narrative of the river's evolution through time. The composition is started with the sound of the field recording, which means to represent the river in it's free, unchanged state. "Then an attempt to manipulate the course of the river is being introduced, first through the coarse manipulation of the record...
6m May 06
6m
The river reflects our lives
"I was allocated a more traditional river recording of serene, meandering river (with agricultural sounds). This was the final “section” available in the allocation process after all other artists had chosen. A wild card approach. "My starting point was the splitting of the field recording into 16 evenly split samples. I then created using a Roland sp404 sampler, 16 x 1 minute loops where I co...
5m May 06
5m
Warth
"At the source of the Lech River near Warth, water and machinery sound together. "This piece grows from a field recording made close to the river, where flowing water blends with the steady drone and metallic clanking of a nearby ski chairlift. Rather than treating this as noise, it becomes the core of the music. The orchestra and percussion amplify its energy, unfolding wide harmonic fields a...
5m May 06
5m
The Lech and the Danube
We followed the Lech for its entire length, watching it change through different phases. Here we witness its latest step, as it joins the Danube in its long trip across ten countries until it reaches the Black Sea. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river through the power of sound. The project is a collaboration between the Universi...
1m May 06
1m
The river Lech in Augsburg
The city of Augsburg is crossed by 29 canals, which contributed to its textile industry in the 19th century. Now its lively city centre combines stunning architecture and modern lifestyle. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river through the power of sound. The project is a collaboration between the University of Padova and the Unive...
3m May 06
3m
Rain on the river Lech
The river runs its last few kilometres, going through a stretch of forest and one more dam. This sound is the river Lech's quiet goodbye. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river through the power of sound. The project is a collaboration between the University of Padova and the University of Würzburg, with support from Cities and Mem...
2m May 06
2m
Mandichosee
Reservoirs are artificial: they only exist because there's a dam to control the flow of the river. But most of them turn out to be hosting pristine nature, especially this one, which can be only reached by foot Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river through the power of sound. The project is a collaboration between the University o...
2m May 06
2m
Litzauer Schleife
After driving along a dirt road marked by a "verboten" sign - thanks Google Maps! - we reach the last true natural part of the river Lech, before it gets tamed in the more densely populated stretch preceding the Danube. From up here the view is stunning, few sun rays pierce the clouds over a meander that looks like it's never changed for hundred of years. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. -----...
4m May 06
4m
Epfach
 | We stopped in Epfach for lunch, and visited one of the many fish passages built around dams. It's noon, and the nearby church chimes to perfectly recreate the atmosphere of this charming village Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river through the power of sound. The project is a collaboration between the University of Padova and ...
4m May 06
4m
Landsberg
Our arrival in Landsberg is met with four enormous steps over which the Lech flows, so loud and powerful my microphone could not handle it. I decide to record the lively sounds of a cafe in the Altstadt. Luckily, the bells start ringing, even though I wasn't expecting the kind of concert I was in for. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of...
2m May 06
2m
Lech old power station
As we leave the city of Augsburg, the river can take its space again, inviting people on its banks to enjoy some leisure time. Here the river snakes between alternating gravel banks, and a family plays with pebbles. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river through the power of sound. The project is a collaboration between the Univers...
2m May 06
2m
Stadtwald Augsburg
The Augsburg Stadtpark is an enormous green area just south of the city of Augsburg. The calm waters of the canals criss-crossing the park are accompanied by the sound of families enjoying the Sunday afternoon at the park, while exotic animals from the nearby zoo make the atmosphere slightly surreal. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of ...
5m May 06
5m
Scheuring
The fish passage on this dam isn't particularly spectacular, it's a channel carved into the concrete under the road, but I found it particularly symbolic. The water is lapping peacefully, only the echo hints at the artificial nature of this structure, built to recreate conditions as natural as possible for the fish. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telli...
1m May 06
1m
Forggensee
 | Of the many reservoirs along the Lech, Forggensee is the largest. In summer it can get very busy, and the cruise boats are a controversial topic. When we visited, the holiday villages around its shores were deserted and a serene atmosphere dominated the area. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river through the power of sound. The...
3m May 06
3m
Dornstetten
During our trip along the Lech we stopped, I believe, at every Wasserkraftwerk along the way. Each of them had something particular, either to the eye or to the ear. This sound of water could be a little mountain waterfall, but the humming of the power station in the background is telling us otherwise. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story o...
2m May 06
2m
Hohenfurch
Hiding between dense forest, in a narrow stretch of valley, we find a reservoir that looked like a secret, secluded place. One man unmoors his boat and rows away, barely rippling the tranquil waters, while birds sing all around us and a couple of swans loudly announce their take off. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river through t...
4m May 06
4m
Geigenbauer
Füssen, a beautiful town nestled along the Lech, is famous for its proximity to the Neuschweinstein castle. What most of the tourists don't know is that it's also famous for its Geigenbauer, the violin makers. One of them, Gabriel Reinhold, was kind enough to invite us into his workshop and showed us how a slate of wood becomes a violin. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a crea...
1m May 06
1m
Staumauer Lech
Of the many hydropower stations we found along the way this is the most impressive. Behind the enormous building towering over the Lech waters, a Y-shaped pipe collects and funnels the water used to generate electricity. The power of the water running under our feet, as the sound suggests, is terrifying. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story...
1m May 06
1m
Forest Experience Centre Ziegelwies
 | On the border between Austria and Germany, a forest centre dominates the riverine landscape with its treetop walk. With this recording we're walking along the wooden trail. It's the weekend, so families are enjoying their time here. The sound at the end is the walking stick of a visually impaired visitor. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the s...
2m May 06
2m
Stanzach
Here the Lech creates stunning heart-shapes, only visible from high up. This is called string of pearls, and here the river takes its space and its time, slowing down. The sound is taken where the river bed is at its largest, and the water caresses the vegetation around it. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river through the power o...
4m May 06
4m
Hoefen
While the first part of the river has been mostly pastoral, further down its course the water is also used for heavy industry, and this is the first we come across on our path from the source towards the Danube. It's noon, the factory siren and the church bells are beckoning workers to go home for lunch. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story...
3m May 06
3m
Forchach hanging bridge
The hanging bridge is a stunning construction overarching the string of pearls. People love walking across it, and cycling too (even if it's forbidden), and their passage makes the steel cables vibrate and sound like the strings of a giant instrument. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river through the power of sound. The project is...
3m May 06
3m
Nikolausbruecke
Wooden bridges are a common sight in this area, where the river is still narrow enough for this type of structure. Over this one a conspiracy of ravens is interacting with some smaller, but no less fierce, birds. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river through the power of sound. The project is a collaboration between the University...
3m May 06
3m
Ulrichsbruecke
 | Looking for Ulrichsbrücke we got lost and ended up in an enormous, sci-fi looking gravel factory. This is where the gravel dug up from the river bed is processed and mostly used for construction. I walk along the river banks, and by now the gravel I treaded might be a road, or a building. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river t...
1m May 06
1m
Wasserkraftwerk Hoefen
As the mountains start to give way to the plains, the human impact gets more visible. The river goes through several Wasserkraftwerk - hydropower stations - that create reservoirs where birds find their home in a stark contrast (or cohabitation?) between artificial structures and nature. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river throu...
14m May 06
14m
Dumau
Without any tourists in sight, water and birds are all you can hear in the valley where the Lech gradually grows from a mountain stream to a large river. A tractor intruded into my bucolic recording, but it's a realistic representation of the strong agricultural nature of this area. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river through th...
3m May 06
3m
Naturpark Tiroler Lech
 | As we move down the Lech valley, the river grows, collecting water from the streams it finds along its way. Under this specific bridge the water changed its tone, growing a darker timbre. Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ------- Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river through the power of sound. The project is a collaboration between the University of Padova and the Uni...
1m May 06
1m
Warth
The first section of the Lech is as close as possible to the idea of an alpine paradise: ice-cold waters running through bright green meadows and dark pines, and people wearing dirndl and lederhosen walking through the quiet, sleepy towns. But the silence was deceptive. October, when we visited, felt like a moment of repose between the busy summer season and the even busier winter season. The c...
2m May 06
2m
Life glitches
Cities and Memory: "Through the golden evening sunshine, this local market closing down for the evening was tinged with a certain feeling of sweet melancholy, as another day winds down. Using the chimes of the bells as a rhythmic centre, locked in time with a piano part, I created this piece to evoke the mood I felt while making the recording. "And yet in the spacious ambience left between the...
6m May 06
6m
Oldenburg market in the golden hour
The local market in Oldenburg, Germany closing down for the day at 6pm on a golden, sunny evening. with stalls closing up and the chatter of stallholders and locals. During the recording, the Lambertikirche bells chime the hour. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
4m May 06
4m
Birds sing on a summer evening in Yakutsk
I recorded this sound on the balcony at home. At the very beginning you can hear the sound of my cat named “Count”. The sky was lit up by sunset, very warm and pleasant. Recorded in Yakutask, Russia by Marina Dragan.
3m May 04
3m
June drizzle at dawn: a chorus of woodpecker drumming
This recording captures a rare early-morning moment on Mt. Nokogiri in June, where multiple Grey-headed woodpeckers drum simultaneously, their distinct rhythms responding to one another and forming an emergent chorus across the forested slopes. The mountain’s steep rock faces, softened by light drizzle and humid dawn air, shape the sound through natural reverberation, revealing how weather and...
10m May 04
10m