Lyrical pictures of nature vol I -
Song of silent waters
16 soundscapes, total time 71'56"
This CD contains 16 soundscapes from Finnish nature. This CD contains 35 species. CD is clear nature recording without manmade sounds and mixed recordings.
As a result of five years work and hundreds recording trips, I have collected the most beautiful and relaxing water recordings for this CD.
Kuopio 30.7.2002
Lauri Hallikainen
Recorder / producer
1 Sparkling spring stream. 2´15´´. April 1999, Karttula
(Eastern Finland), Lake Hirvijärvi. It is that phase of the
spring when snow can still be found in shady spots around the
edges of the forest. Underneath the snow, a small stream is
twisting and winding its way between moss covered rocks. The
first rays of sunrise are reflecting off the water. The air is
filled with jingling brightness. Robin, Common Chaffinch,
Yellowhammer, Redwing.
2 A forest stream and a Common Cuckoo. 5´24´´. May 2002,
Maaninka (Eastern Finland), Haatala. It is a crisp late spring
morning in the forest by a stream flowing in the shadow of
spruces. Down in a wooded hollow, hidden underneath the spruce
twigs, the water is still feeling its way forward. The forest is
resounding with melodies heralding the arrival of spring. Tree
Pipit, Common Cuckoo, Common Chaffinch, Redwing, Willow Warbler,
Crow, Siskin.
3 By the sea. 2´38´´. July 2001, Kalajoki (Western Finland),
Letonnokka. In the small hours after midnight the wind is still
asleep and a profound peace has descended over this large expanse
of water. Only small ripples quietly brush against the shore.
Emerging from the northeast, the light of dawn starts to push
aside the dusk of the summer night. Arctic Tern, Black-headed
Gull.
4 Stream and whooper swan. 2´06´´. April 1998, Kuopio (Eastern
Finland), the bay of Kaislastenlahti. When the nights are still
freezing and the ice has yet to break, the landscape is shrouded
in mist in the mornings. While the mist keeps hanging over the
still of the morning, birds are already busy doing the things
birds do. The silence is broken by the clear sound of silver
horns in the air. In the background, a gently tinkling stream
adds its own tranquil tones in the soundscape. Black Grouse,
Robin, Whooper Swan.
5 Late summer evening on the beach. 3´37´´. August 2001, Kaavi
(Eastern Finland), Lake Sivakkajärvi. A shallow beach lined by a
belt of reed and club rush. A gentle evening breeze coaxes small
ripples to the shore. In the young pine forest next to the shore,
birds have already fallen silent.
6 River and willow tit. 4´45´´. May 2001, Kuopio (Eastern
Finland), Suovu. A valley folded between wooded ridges hides a
small winding river in its bosom. Next to the riverbank, which is
densely covered with bushes and small trees, there is a forest
with dense stands of spruce overshadowing a few dead alders here
and there. At one point on its way through the valley the river
has to skirt around large mossy rocks. The song of the gently
flowing river and the upbeat tones of a willow tit are heralding
the signs of new growth. Robin, Great Tit.
7 Lapland mountain brook and cascade. 4´28´´. June 2002,
Pelkosenniemi (Lapland), Pyhätunturi, the pond of Pyhä kaste. A
gorge cuts its way through the mighty countours of treeless
mountains, with huge rocks scattered along its bed. A small brook
is coaxing its sparkling waters along the gorge. At one point,
the brook tumbles over a cliff edge, falling into a small pond
underneath. On its banks, tall Lappish pines are like sentries,
protecting the sacred peace of this spot. In the stillness of the
pond, the water has a chance to lie in peace for a few minutes
before being swept up into the brook, which disappears and then
reappears beneath piles of jagged rocks. Willow Warbler,
Brambling, Wren, Pied Wagtail, Common Cuckoo.
8 Autumn evening by the lake. 1´35´´. September 2000, Karttula
(Eastern Finland), Lake Hirvijärvi. The pale glow of sunset is
lingering over the western skyline. In the autumn evening, a
gentle zephyr is blowing on the lake, at times gaining strength,
and just as quickly dying away, driving the waves out to the
horizon. Futher off in the distance, the waves break against a
rock jutting out of the lake surrounded by submerged reefs.
9 Bird concert by a mountain brook in Lapland. 3´50´´. June
2002, Savukoski (Lapland), Tulppio. Down in a hollow, there is a
brook flowing through a dense thicket and this provides good
shelter for many birds. Further off, a hillside covered with a
mighty pine forest. The midnight sun is already past its lowest
point on the horizon. As the pale arctic night turns into
morning, birds are finding their voice and bursting into song.
Willow Warbler, Brambling, Common Cuckoo, Bluethroat, Reed
Bunting.
10 Autumn moods by the lake. 5´45´´. October 2001, Kaavi
(Eastern Finland), Rovevaara, Lake Louhijärvi. Hoar-frost is
lingering in shady spots after a cold night, but the shallow
water by the shore remains open. Light breezes rising from the
north-east are rippling the water further out on this wilderness
lake. An autumn silence rests over the landscape. The only sounds
heard are the distant rustling of the forest and the rhythm of
the ripples as the waves brush against the pebbles on the shore.
11 Dawn by the forest stream. 5´53´´. May 2001, Kuopio
(Eastern Finland), the bay of Kaislastenlahti. The first rays of
a spring daybreak give the tops of the spruce trees a gilded
tint. Birds are already busy with their chores - principally
marking out their territories by song. On the edge of a pine bog,
a stream shifts the flood waters on towards the larger rivers.
Goldcrest, Black Grouse, Willow Tit, Robin, Siskin, Great Tit.
12 Song thrush and stream. 1´55´´. April 1998, Kuopio (Eastern
Finland), the bay of Kaislastenlahti, Lake Lammasjärvi. The
first warm spell of the spring is setting the melt waters in
motion. Also inspired by the warm weather, birds start to sing. A
song thrush has chosen a mixed stand on a slope as its breeding
range. Sitting on the top branches of the spruce, this bird
ceaselessly chirps out its song against a background of
whispering water. Black Woodpecker, Robin, Redwing, Song Thrush.
13 Autumn atmosphere by a river in the wilderness. 1´50´´.
September 2001, Kuopio (Eastern Finland), Palonen. The Autumnal
silence has already fallen over the vaults of a primeval forest.
The rains have yet to come and the water is low in the river as
it meanders through the forest. The mighty trees stretch out
their branches high above the stream hiding it under a canopy of
green.
14 By a meadow stream. 1´36´´. May 2000, Maaninka (Eastern
Finland), Haatala. A peaceful spring mood in the meadows, the sun
just rising over the landscape with alternating patches of trees
and fields. The freshly sown furrows give off an earthy smell.
From the brushwood on the bank of a ditch, an Ortolan Bunting is
piping its tunes into the air. The weather is calm and the gentle
gurgling of a small stream carries across the meadows. Eurasian
Curlew, Common Snipe, Ortolan Bunting, Yellowhammer, Yellow
Wagtail, Wood Pigeon, Pied Wagtail, Magpie, Northern Lapwing.
15 On the shore of a great lake. 5´46´´. July 2000, Nurmes
(Eastern Finland), Lake Pielinen. In the evening, as the wind is
already easing, waves are still roaming across the wide open
lake. The forest standing by the lake is still, while the waves
throw themselves against the stones on the shore.
16 By the small lake in the wilderness. 17´15´´. June 2002,
Pelkosenniemi (Lapland). The calm surfice of the small
crystal-clear lake is almost unbroken, only a couple of small
widening circles left here and there by fish coming to the
surface. The scene on the opposite side of the lake - a belt of
forest and a white-capped mountain behind it - is reflected by
the water. A tinkling sound is coming from a brook hidden between
the trees standing by the lake. Willow Warbler, Song Thrush,
Common Cuckoo, Spotted Flycatcher, Common Bullfinch, Velvet
Scoter, Common Crane, Wood Sandpiper, Whooper Swan, Crow, Siskin.
Translated by Kirsi Komonen and Ewen Macdonald 2004