Episode details

Radio 4,17 Sep 2023,28 mins
Izabela in the Forest
Available for over a year
Hear the marvellous sounds of Europe's primeval forest, Białowieża, in an immersive experience rich with all kinds of bird song and animal sounds, including that of the rare European bison. They're recorded by Polish field recordist, Izabela Dłużyk. Izabela is unusual as a young woman recordist, in a profession dominated by men, all the more so because has been blind from birth. She developed a special sensitivity to bird song ever since her family gave her a tape recorder at the age of 12, and she at once turned its microphone towards the sky. She identifies species entirely though her ears, with an extraordinarily detailed depth of field. Hearing the forest through Izabela’s acute ears we venture into her world as well as that of the wilderness she loves. Recorded all on location in Białowieża, including night and dawn recordings that bring all sorts of surprises to the microphone Produced by Monica Whitlock. Mixed by Neil Churchill
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