Soundscapes of Switzerland

Due the the Coronavirus pandemic Switzerland banned all public firework displays, a few families held their own private celebrations with fireworks being let off from their gardens. Here is a short recording made just outside Zürich in the town of Eglisau.

A recording Made inside Zurich international airport during the last day of closed boarders in Switzerland (June 14). On June 15 the Swiss boarders opened again after their closure due to the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020, I made this recording to capture the last days (we all hope) of an almost silent ambiance within. recorded on June 14 2020 using USI Pro microphones and a MixPre 6ii by Christopher Astbury

An early morning (05:00) recording of gentle rain in a local forest here near Eglisau Switzerland made in early April 2020.  You hear the birds start to wake and sing about half way through. Recorded in Switzerland using a Tascam DR-100mkiii by Christopher Astbury.

This is not a recording from Switzerland but an interesting recording nonetheless. The Hindenberg Arrival in Lakehurst NewJersey as Reported by Herb Morrison of WLS Radio recorded May 6,1937 The disaster was the subject of newsreel coverage, photographs, and Herbert Morrison's recorded radio eyewitness reports from the landing field, which were broadcast the next day. A variety of hypotheses have been put forward for both the cause of ignition and the initial fuel for the ensuing fire. The event shattered public confidence in the giant, passenger-carrying rigid airship and marked the abrupt end of the airship era. An interesting old time radio recording from 1937.

City of Gap situated in the Hautes-Alpes department and Provence region, in the south-east of France - it is the prefecture (capital) of the Hautes-Alpes department (general information: Gap is 556 kilometres from Paris). A walk around the weekly summer street market using a handheld Tascam DR-100mkiii as discreetly as possible to record the busy street vendors hawking their wares.

Anti-racism marches mobilise thousands across Switzerland. 10,000 marched In financial hub Zurich. Demonstrators there also donned black clothes and carried banners that read “white silence is violence.” Police initially tried to dissuade them from marching on account of public health restrictions in place to counter the coronavirus pandemic. The march could finally go through on condition that it stayed peaceful. Audio & Photo: Christopher J Astbury Zurich Switzerland June 13 - 2020 Black Lives Matter Recording was made using a Sound Devices MixPre 6ii with a stereo pair of EM 172 microphones hidden on each side of a backpack for low profile recording. The audio in this episode was also used in the Mass Files project in Zurich Switzerland, created by Veronika Spierenburg. Visit Veronika’s website for more information and other recordings from cities around the world: www.massfiles.net

The marsh frog is a water-dwelling, generally green-coloured frog species. It can reach a maximum length of 17 centimetres, but males remain smaller (around 12 cm). The head is proportionally large and the hind legs are long, which gives them excellent jumping abilities. i was up early to get the recording of the Marsh Frog only to find that on the opposite bank to our nature reserve on the German side of the Rhine a group of people were having a rather loud party (at 04:30)... I was still able to move a few kilometres down river to get this short recording.

The dawn chorus recorded on the bank of the Rhine river near Eglisau Northern Switzerland. Early mornings in this area are not usually so of so quiet but due to the COVID-19 pandemic vehicle and air traffic are missing.