September 1st marks the beginning of the new academic year in Russia. One is very likely to hear the loud shows held at the schools yards and all sorts of indoor and outdoor venues on that day. The teachers occasionally sing at the school parties – they often opt for modifying the lyrics of some well known Russian/Soviet pop song making it school-related.

The day’s agenda also includes the teachers and headmaster’s awe and trepidation for the ‘high guests’ – the guests of honour who attend the event, the over-expressed public recitations from the first formers, and their parents being overwhelmed with emotions.

To celebrate this day I’m drawing out two archive recordings. The first depicts Ferma urban district school teachers singing goodbye to their class on the last day of the academic year recorded in May 2010. Scripts for those kind of events (including the modified lyrics) could be easily found on the internetь, and this particular song was originally introduced in 1980 as the Moscow Olympics closing tune.

The similar approach to songcrafting is found on the second track. It’s 2008, preschool teachers trio proclaims their credo delivered a form of a popular musical. The sound quality is far from perfect but it doesn’t mean much here.

Published September 4th, 2010.

I wanted to record the landing troops ex-servicemen annual outdoor fête but finally ended up with a lady and her swimming dog at the other bank of the Lesnoye lake.

Recorded August 2nd, 2010 with SP-TFB-2
Published August 3rd, 2010.

There are three things that might be suggested to be of particular value in the future – food/water, information and silence with the latter becoming more and more valuable every day.

I’ve been tracing this ever-elusive phenomenon – the samples of silence that used to be found in everyday situations in Sergiyev Posad, Russia on World Listening Day 2010.

Seven locations were planned before the soundwalk. They were put on the map, general direction is South to North, starting at 8.40 am. Recorded “as is” with a few or no outtakes or alternative attempts made in order to retain the sense of everyday life to the sounds.

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Semkhoz field, 8.40 am.

This field was sowed with wheat once, now its all thistle and chamomile with a few wheat ears in between. Normally pretty quiet with sporadic railroad noises, it is now approached by the new cottages, some are in the process of construction. Traffic, trains, bees, grasshoppers, birds, disk saws.

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Temp Stadium, 10.22 am

When not in use the lane is occupied by the local parents strolling with prams. There a few of them on a Sunday morning, the football ground is vacant. Helicopters up in the sky, loud radio from across the field.

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Zvezdochka bench, 12.21 noon

Zvezdochka was known as one of the quietest corners of Sergiyev Posad. Except for the large block of flats, little has appeared there since, only a few minor shops and beauty salons. Also, this is the only area of Sergiyev Posad covered by CCTV. A small public garden with only three benches. A small lorry, swallows, unidentified sounds.

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Chitay-Gorod bookshop, 12.57 noon

Located at the city centre this bookshop (like many others) normally provides an alternative to the bustling Karl Marx Street sounds. Traffic noise, the door being opened, shop assistant talking over the mobile phone, moderate volume disco music, doors and traffic again, footsteps. Conversation partially muted/faded.

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Trinity-Sergius Monastery, 1.30 pm

Not exactly the quietest location but is really worth exploring. People prefer to speak in a low voice while being there allowing other sounds to show up. Distant voices, hand cart over the pavement stones, chimes.

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Art Gallery, 1.50 pm

The art gallery (Shlyakova st, 2a) was expected to be the quietest place within this soundwalk. The silence was affected by traffic noises from the open window and the inspector’s steps. No visitors in the hall.

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Deserted building site, 2.28 pm

Abandoned building, no works in progress. White brick tower-block, suspended for many months. Wind, car alarm, traffic, loose doors and windows.

Recorded July 18th, 2010

Published July 20th, 2010

Webcams are nothing new to the internet, they are extremely handy if you are missing your latest holiday destination or homesick or just curious. But there is one particular quality that remains largely neglected over the years – the sound of it.

Finding an outdoor webcam with live audio stream is not an easy task. There are a few of them though – but not many. I wish there were more with better audio and here’s a good reason for that – the World Football Cup.

Apart from being an introduction to the updated links section at www.oontz.ru, this is the illustration of how technology, sound and global events blend together. There is a link to the Amsterdam cam – home of the second best football team in the world as you already know (the football fever is as pushy as the vuvuzelas sound, you can’t miss the news even if you’d like to).

Watching the final game and listening to the live stream at the same time is a thrilling experience even for a non-fan. But first let’s press the imaginary rewind button and hear what was happening a few hours prior to the game.

Hear the yelling, the trams and the vuvuzelas. A game is to begin soon and if the only knew…

This one sounds like dome avant-garde piece:

Footbal fans in Russia utilize the same rhythmic pattern to cheer themselves up known as “Spaar-tak-cham-pea-on” chant:

As the game begins the streets get empty but the silence was broken by a company of men singing… They did sing, eh?

And this is what Amsterdam sounded like on the night after the game as the Dutch team lost 1-0 in extra time to Spain:

Or even this (hopefully nothing serious):

And this:

So let me point out to the wonderful phenomenon of live audio travel cams. It is way beyond the pre-recorded sound in terms of ‘being there’ effect – think of it as canned vs. fresh – an unconventional way for some sound hunters to get inspired too.

Go to the link section to find more live sounds from Germany, Estonia and Scotland. It you know any interesting scenic audio webcam anywhere in the world I would be happy to hear from you.

Sounds courtesy of Terena Association and the good people of Amsterdam.

Recorded July 11th, 2010
Published July 15th, 2010

Walking in the St Patrick’s Day parade in Moscow.
Here’s a longer version of March 22nd post.
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