tag:www.chriswatson.net,2010://4 2010-07-27T09:25:27Z Chris Watson is a sound recordist specialising in natural history. His work as a wildlife sound recordist includes both work for film and television documentaries, and experimental musical projects. Movable Type 3.35 tag:www.chriswatson.net,2010://4.2679 2010-07-27T09:10:20Z 2010-07-27T09:25:27Z

BBC Radio 4 Thursday 5th August 21.02-21.30 When he was 14 years old, wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson read about a bird that sings at night. The bird was a Nightingale; and since first reading about it, Chris has been fortunate enough to hear Nightingales both in Britain and Europe but always as part of a chorus of birds. Now, in this programme, he tries to get a microphone really close to a lone Nightingale to record its remarkable song; a rich, mellow series of notes. Of course, it’s not as easy as it sounds, and one bird in particular decides to play a game of Hide and Seek and switch song perches. But over the course of several nights, and using different microphone techniques, Chris is able to get closer and closer to a singing male bird. The result, after several sleepless nights, some unexpected recordings and a battle with brambles and nettles is the most astonishing clear, beautiful recording of the song of a Nightingale. Producer Sarah Blunt...

Field www.field.nu BBC Radio 4 Thursday 5th August 21.02-21.30
When he was 14 years old, wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson read about a bird that sings at night. The bird was a Nightingale; and since first reading about it, Chris has been fortunate enough to hear Nightingales both in Britain and Europe but always as part of a chorus of birds. Now, in this programme, he tries to get a microphone really close to a lone Nightingale to record its remarkable song; a rich, mellow series of notes. Of course, it’s not as easy as it sounds, and one bird in particular decides to play a game of Hide and Seek and switch song perches. But over the course of several nights, and using different microphone techniques, Chris is able to get closer and closer to a singing male bird. The result, after several sleepless nights, some unexpected recordings and a battle with brambles and nettles is the most astonishing clear, beautiful recording of the song of a Nightingale. Producer Sarah Blunt]]> tag:www.chriswatson.net,2010://4.2677 2010-07-24T15:51:17Z 2010-07-26T10:09:31Z

BBC 6 Music - Live from Port Eliot Festival, Cornwall "Sunday Service", presented by Jarvis Cocker from 1600 on Sunday 25th July 2010 You can listen here for 6 more days...

Field www.field.nu "Sunday Service", presented by Jarvis Cocker from 1600 on Sunday 25th July 2010 You can listen here for 6 more days]]> tag:www.chriswatson.net,2010://4.2676 2010-07-23T13:16:43Z 2010-07-23T13:18:00Z

Wednesday 28th July 2010 - 8:30pm - 10€ - Abbeystrewry Church Skibbereen Arts Festival is delighted to see the return of sound recordist and artist Chris Watson to present a selection of audio recordings in the atmospheric Abbeystrewry Church. As David Attenborough’s sound man, Chris Watson is frequently to be found in inhospitable parts of the globe, capturing the sound of monsoon downpours in tropical rainforests, or recording the sounds of activity inside termite mounds in the stifl ing deserts of Namibia. This year Watson has been in the North Pole and the Antarctic to record sounds for the television series ‘The Frozen Planet’. For this special live event Chris will be in conversation with Presenter Luke Clancy and Producer Kevin Brew from RTÉ Radio 1’s Sound Stories programme, to discuss the sounds, silences and unique atmosphere that is to be found at both ends of the world. “I was out in the midnight sun, standing on just two metres of frozen sea ice, 12 kilometres from land, with 750m of ocean beneath my feet, recording pods of killer whales surfacing to breathe in a narrow crack in the sea ice, just three metres away”. (Chris Watson) More info can be read here...

Field www.field.nu More info can be read here]]> tag:www.chriswatson.net,2010://4.2670 2010-07-17T14:56:15Z 2010-07-17T15:02:34Z

In 2001 Chris Watson contributed wind recordings to an album by Hazard (BJNilsen) Wind (Ash International # Ash 6.5) is now available on itunes You can read more about this album here...

Field www.field.nu In 2001 Chris Watson contributed wind recordings to an album by Hazard (BJNilsen) Wind (Ash International # Ash 6.5) is now available on itunes You can read more about this album here]]> tag:www.chriswatson.net,2010://4.2669 2010-07-14T14:00:20Z 2010-07-14T14:11:38Z

On the cover: Chris Watson - Ken Hollings meets the sound recordist and Cabaret Voltaire founder whose mic penetrates the wild places humans can't reach......

Field www.field.nu On the cover: Chris Watson - Ken Hollings meets the sound recordist and Cabaret Voltaire founder whose mic penetrates the wild places humans can't reach...]]> tag:www.chriswatson.net,2010://4.2662 2010-07-12T10:52:05Z 2010-07-12T10:53:02Z

Hunt for the Nightingale’s Song BBC Radio 4 Thursday 5th August 21.02-21.30 When he was 14 years old, wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson read about a bird that sings at night. The bird was a Nightingale; and since first reading about it, Chris has been fortunate enough to hear Nightingales both in Britain and Europe but always as part of a chorus of birds. Now, in this programme, he tries to get a microphone really close to a lone Nightingale to record its remarkable song; a rich, mellow series of notes. Of course, it’s not as easy as it sounds, and one bird in particular decides to play a game of Hide and Seek and switch song perches. But over the course of several nights, and using different microphone techniques, Chris is able to get closer and closer to a singing male bird. The result, after several sleepless nights, some unexpected recordings and a battle with brambles and nettles is the most astonishing clear, beautiful recording of the song of a Nightingale. Producer Sarah Blunt A Guide to Coastal Birds BBC Radio 4 Starts Sunday 8 August (for 5 weeks) 15.45 -16.00 With Summer here, many people will be heading towards the coast. Of course, it’s not only people you find around Britain’s coastline but also birds. Wherever you go, whether its sandy beaches or rocky shores, sea cliffs or off-shore islands, you can find birds feeding and breeding around...

Field www.field.nu Hunt for the Nightingale’s Song BBC Radio 4 Thursday 5th August 21.02-21.30
When he was 14 years old, wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson read about a bird that sings at night. The bird was a Nightingale; and since first reading about it, Chris has been fortunate enough to hear Nightingales both in Britain and Europe but always as part of a chorus of birds. Now, in this programme, he tries to get a microphone really close to a lone Nightingale to record its remarkable song; a rich, mellow series of notes. Of course, it’s not as easy as it sounds, and one bird in particular decides to play a game of Hide and Seek and switch song perches. But over the course of several nights, and using different microphone techniques, Chris is able to get closer and closer to a singing male bird. The result, after several sleepless nights, some unexpected recordings and a battle with brambles and nettles is the most astonishing clear, beautiful recording of the song of a Nightingale. Producer Sarah Blunt

A Guide to Coastal Birds BBC Radio 4 Starts Sunday 8 August (for 5 weeks) 15.45 -16.00 With Summer here, many people will be heading towards the coast. Of course, it’s not only people you find around Britain’s coastline but also birds. Wherever you go, whether its sandy beaches or rocky shores, sea cliffs or off-shore islands, you can find birds feeding and breeding around Britain’s coastline. In A Guide to Coastal Birds, Brett Westwood is joined by keen birdwatcher Stephen Moss on the north coast of Devon, and with the help of wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson they offer a practical and entertaining guide to identifying many of the birds which you’re likely to see and hear around the different habitats which make up Britain’s coastline. A Guide to Coastal Birds, complements three previous series A Guide to Garden Birds (2007), and A Guide to Woodland Birds (2008), and A Guide to Water Birds (2009). Producer Sarah Blunt]]> tag:www.chriswatson.net,2010://4.2616 2010-06-15T13:58:41Z 2010-06-15T13:58:59Z

On the 10th August 2010, as part of Chris Watson's Whispering in the Leaves project, Watson and Sir David Attenborough will be appearing together, in conversation, at The Royal Institution, London at an event entitled “Calls of the Wild”. Chris Watson’s wildlife sound recordings are perhaps best known through his work with Sir David Attenborough on BBC television series including The Life of Birds, The Life of Mammals, Life in the Undergrowth and Life in Cold Blood. In this discussion, illustrated with tropical rainforest recordings used in Watson’s Whispering in the Leaves installation at Kew Gardens, Chris Watson and Sir David Attenborough talk about the animals heard in the piece, their experiences of filming and recording them, and the changing environment of the rainforest through the day. For further information and ticket sales click here www.davidattenborough.co.uk...

Whispering in the Leaves project, Watson and Sir David Attenborough will be appearing together, in conversation, at The Royal Institution, London at an event entitled “Calls of the Wild”. Chris Watson’s wildlife sound recordings are perhaps best known through his work with Sir David Attenborough on BBC television series including The Life of Birds, The Life of Mammals, Life in the Undergrowth and Life in Cold Blood. In this discussion, illustrated with tropical rainforest recordings used in Watson’s Whispering in the Leaves installation at Kew Gardens, Chris Watson and Sir David Attenborough talk about the animals heard in the piece, their experiences of filming and recording them, and the changing environment of the rainforest through the day. For further information and ticket sales click here www.davidattenborough.co.uk]]> tag:www.chriswatson.net,2010://4.2600 2010-06-01T16:17:14Z 2010-06-01T16:28:16Z

Wednesday 3rd June 2010 I can hear the grass grow Resonance 104.4 FM www.resonancefm.com The echo of a rainforest going to sleep transmitted through ninety speakers in the palm House, Kew Gardens, last Saturday, 29th May. Featuring recordings of a tropical thunderstorm and ending with the deep, lush sounds of the nocturnal insect chorus. Brought to us by Chris Watson - sonic gardener extraordinaire. Have a look at www.whisperingintheleaves.org for further info and events. Sonic horticulture on Resonance FM presented by Mark Aitken. Wednesday 2nd June 5pm Saturday 5th Dec 3.30pm (repeat) Thursday 4th June 2010 BBC Radio 3 Night Waves: Landmarks Matthew Sweet and his guests explore Jacques Cousteau's The Silent World. Produced by Lisa Davies...

Field www.field.nu Wednesday 3rd June 2010 I can hear the grass grow Resonance 104.4 FM www.resonancefm.com The echo of a rainforest going to sleep transmitted through ninety speakers in the palm House, Kew Gardens, last Saturday, 29th May. Featuring recordings of a tropical thunderstorm and ending with the deep, lush sounds of the nocturnal insect chorus. Brought to us by Chris Watson - sonic gardener extraordinaire. Have a look at www.whisperingintheleaves.org for further info and events. Sonic horticulture on Resonance FM presented by Mark Aitken. Wednesday 2nd June 5pm Saturday 5th Dec 3.30pm (repeat) Thursday 4th June 2010 BBC Radio 3 Night Waves: Landmarks Matthew Sweet and his guests explore Jacques Cousteau's The Silent World. Produced by Lisa Davies]]> tag:www.chriswatson.net,2010://4.2579 2010-05-25T11:32:27Z 2010-07-20T14:08:20Z

Chris Watson's Whispering in the Leaves is an extraordinary sound installation, using recordings and natural history broadcast to transport us to the far-flung, dense rainforests of South and Central America. Throughout the summer festival, Kew Garden's Palm House will be diffused with the dawn and dusk choruses of the myriad of creatures native to these lush tropical landscapes. A highly sensory experience, Whispering in the Leaves is a remarkable demonstration of the power of sound to evoke inaccessible and captivating locations. Whispering in the Leaves is a powerful sound work derived from Watson's extensive archive of wildlife and on location recordings in Central and South America - habitats that host over half of the planet's wildlife. Diffused through the tropical foliage of Kew Gardens' iconic building the Palm House, the surround soundtrack of wildlife dawn and dusk choruses will be transmitted at hourly intervals throughout the day for 15-20 minute durations - the approximate time taken in the rainforest for the transitions from darkness into light, and from daylight to dark. The sound pieces feature the calls and voices of thousands of species, including the howls and shrieks of black howler and spider monkeys, the musicality of diverse birdsong and the shimmering and hissing of tree frogs and cicadas. A highly sensory and captivating experience, Whispering in the Leaves is a remarkable demonstration of the power of sound recordings and natural history broadcast to transport us to far flung, inaccessible...

Whispering in the Leaves is an extraordinary sound installation, using recordings and natural history broadcast to transport us to the far-flung, dense rainforests of South and Central America. Throughout the summer festival, Kew Garden's Palm House will be diffused with the dawn and dusk choruses of the myriad of creatures native to these lush tropical landscapes. A highly sensory experience, Whispering in the Leaves is a remarkable demonstration of the power of sound to evoke inaccessible and captivating locations. Whispering in the Leaves is a powerful sound work derived from Watson's extensive archive of wildlife and on location recordings in Central and South America - habitats that host over half of the planet's wildlife. Diffused through the tropical foliage of Kew Gardens' iconic building the Palm House, the surround soundtrack of wildlife dawn and dusk choruses will be transmitted at hourly intervals throughout the day for 15-20 minute durations - the approximate time taken in the rainforest for the transitions from darkness into light, and from daylight to dark. The sound pieces feature the calls and voices of thousands of species, including the howls and shrieks of black howler and spider monkeys, the musicality of diverse birdsong and the shimmering and hissing of tree frogs and cicadas. A highly sensory and captivating experience, Whispering in the Leaves is a remarkable demonstration of the power of sound recordings and natural history broadcast to transport us to far flung, inaccessible and often extraordinary locations. Chris Watson will perform a live sound mix in which audio recording of a three or four-hour period across late afternoon, sunset and into the night will be compressed into around twenty minutes. Featuring recordings of a tropical thunderstorm and ending with the deep, lush sounds of the nocturnal insect chorus, the performance will create an intense auditory narrative for the audience. Whispering in the Leaves is co-produced by Sound and Music & Forma. Originally commissioned by AV Festival 08. www.whisperingintheleaves.org www.soundandmusic.org www.forma.org.uk www.kew.org and you can read reviews in Gramophone The Daily Telegraph Culture24 and The Guardian audio piece by Pascal Wyse here and a review in Frieze by Daniela Cascella here]]> tag:www.chriswatson.net,2010://4.2575 2010-05-14T09:23:13Z 2010-05-15T09:51:45Z

[pic: Fabio Lugaro] Friday 14th May 2010 7-7:30pm Room 34 Admission free "Musician and leading wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson will discuss the sounds of wildlife and weather in The Cornfield and the changes in sound pollution since Constable’s time. He will end with a performance of the piece he has written in response to this painting for the new Sounds of the Gallery Tour." Chris writes: "Gazing through the woodland and out into the cornfield creates for me a wonderful and seductive sense of perspective. The mature trees frame a pastoral scene which is in turn bridged by clouds. I can hear birdsong billowing from the leaf cover and a great spotted woodpecker drumming on the trunk of a skeletal tree which temporarily distracts the Border collie from it's herding duties. Unseen and almost unheard a freshwater spring bubbles into the drinking pool, a resource that is shared by animals and people alike on days such as this. From behind, a gushing breeze ripples through the tree canopy and out across open fields where ripe corn heads swish and sigh on dry stems, their slow rhythm accompanying a skylark singing from high above, a pin point of silver sound lost to all sight, in a pewter sky. In the early 19th Century Constable could not only see into the distance but also hear it. From his memory no doubt the warm song of a yellowhammer and drifting tones...

Field www.field.nu [pic: Fabio Lugaro] Friday 14th May 2010 7-7:30pm Room 34 Admission free "Musician and leading wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson will discuss the sounds of wildlife and weather in The Cornfield and the changes in sound pollution since Constable’s time. He will end with a performance of the piece he has written in response to this painting for the new Sounds of the Gallery Tour." Chris writes: "Gazing through the woodland and out into the cornfield creates for me a wonderful and seductive sense of perspective. The mature trees frame a pastoral scene which is in turn bridged by clouds. I can hear birdsong billowing from the leaf cover and a great spotted woodpecker drumming on the trunk of a skeletal tree which temporarily distracts the Border collie from it's herding duties. Unseen and almost unheard a freshwater spring bubbles into the drinking pool, a resource that is shared by animals and people alike on days such as this. From behind, a gushing breeze ripples through the tree canopy and out across open fields where ripe corn heads swish and sigh on dry stems, their slow rhythm accompanying a skylark singing from high above, a pin point of silver sound lost to all sight, in a pewter sky. In the early 19th Century Constable could not only see into the distance but also hear it. From his memory no doubt the warm song of a yellowhammer and drifting tones and the church clock would carry far in the humid air. Noise pollution was yet to reach rural Suffolk revealing a quality of sound that has, like the landscape, passed into history."]]> tag:www.chriswatson.net,2010://4.2548 2010-04-24T16:43:28Z 2010-04-24T16:45:08Z

Chris has been interviewed by Line Up ("the only online resource dedicated to audio for broadcast") - click here to read....

click here to read.]]> tag:www.chriswatson.net,2010://4.2546 2010-04-20T13:32:45Z 2010-04-20T13:37:16Z

Chris Watson is featured in an article in this week's Radio Times magazine. At 83, David Attenborough has fulfilled a lifetime ambition - to reach the North Pole. As he films there for documentary series Frozen Planet, he talks about the effects of climate change on the region....

Chris Watson is featured in an article in this week's Radio Times magazine. At 83, David Attenborough has fulfilled a lifetime ambition - to reach the North Pole. As he films there for documentary series Frozen Planet, he talks about the effects of climate change on the region. ]]> tag:www.chriswatson.net,2010://4.2473 2010-02-22T06:04:58Z 2010-02-22T11:53:24Z

Caught by the River, in association with Heavenly Recordings, is pleased to make available for the first time a collaboration between Chris Watson and the aptly named Doves. This is a remix that Chris has done of the song “Birds Flew Backwards” from Doves' last album “Kingdom of Rust”. This remix can be heard over at www.caughtbytheriver.net...

Caught by the River, in association with Heavenly Recordings, is pleased to make available for the first time a collaboration between Chris Watson and the aptly named Doves. This is a remix that Chris has done of the song “Birds Flew Backwards” from Doves' last album “Kingdom of Rust”. This remix can be heard over at www.caughtbytheriver.net]]> tag:www.chriswatson.net,2010://4.2464 2010-02-05T17:19:01Z 2010-02-06T18:01:36Z

Chris Watson contributes his third piece for TouchRadio. 8.02.10 - A Journey South – 50:21 - 192 kbps Chris Watson journeys to the South Pole for the forthcoming David Attenborough series 'The Frozen Planet' (BBC, 2011). Here he reports back with his experiences... Photos by Chris Watson & Jason Roberts. McMurdo Sound, Cape Evans, Ross Island (approx 78º S). You can hear his earlier pieces from the Galapagos islands here. Subscribe to the TouchPod podcast of TouchRadio via the iTunes Music Store Play "A Journey South"...

Field www.field.nu A Journey South – 50:21 - 192 kbps Chris Watson journeys to the South Pole for the forthcoming David Attenborough series 'The Frozen Planet' (BBC, 2011). Here he reports back with his experiences... Photos by Chris Watson & Jason Roberts. McMurdo Sound, Cape Evans, Ross Island (approx 78º S). You can hear his earlier pieces from the Galapagos islands here. Subscribe to the TouchPod podcast of TouchRadio via the iTunes Music Store Play "A Journey South"]]> tag:www.chriswatson.net,2010://4.2458 2010-02-03T14:48:16Z 2010-02-03T14:49:18Z

You can read an online feature on Chris by Peter Sterling at Green Explorer...

Field www.field.nu Green Explorer]]>