No news is good news, no sound is a statement in itself.
What else would lead someone to do this, leaving for a deserted frozen water’s edge on a silent and dark November night? In my case, it was the curiosity – what is there where no one ever sane or busy enough would hardly ever go, is this worth to be documented?
What it feels like standing still in a place on the verge of the town, so lively in summer and so desolate at this time of year, listening to the faint sounds coming from miles away? With no one around to say a word, or even to make a squeaky step in the snow, or throw a stone to the ice-covered water, not even a bird to sing, nothing. How could I resist going there?
Korovka is a small lake by the pine woods in Sergiyev Posad stuck somewhere between Kozikha, the rural part of the town and the tower-blocks estates of Rabothcka and Severny. Normally, it is not allowed to swim in Korovka in summer but the place is still popular with the picnic-goers or just those with a desperate need to crack a bottle or two.
It’s all different now. These are the seven minutes spent in an environment that is so bland in terms of sound so that the silence becomes the main character.
I would suggest listening to this recording at a low to moderate volume in a quiet room. Since it is not a binaural recording wearing headphones is not essential but it may benefit the overall perception.
Recorded November 15th, 2011 (CA-14 omni mics + STC-9000 preamp)
Published November 21st, 2011.
