Stóri hver at Laugarvatn

Some weeks ago I found a photo gallery on the web. All those photos were taken by a Dutch photographer Willem van de Pool when he visited Iceland in the summer 1934. It was the year when my parents were born so it gave me a connection back to last century.

The quality of those photos is stunning. It looks like they have been taken yesterday. Most of the places are easily identified even though the surroundings have changed a lot.   Willem captured five pictures at Laugarvatn, a place about 75 km east of Reykjavik. At this time my grand grandfather was a landowner at Laugarvatn farm and a district administrative officer.
Following picture above shows some people relaxing in hot sand. This shore is just below a big hot spring named “Stóri hver” (not shown on the picture). Today this place between Stóri hver and the lake is so hot that the sand is used every day to bake a bread.
The following one piece recording was made 25th of July 2012, with BP4025 on a boom pole, moved close to the boiling surface between Stóri hver to Laugarvatn Lake. It starts at Stóri hver, then scanning the boiling sand and then to the lake surface.

 Download mp3 file  (192kbps / 30Mb)

Recorder: Sound Devices 744
Mic: Audio Technica BP4025
Pics. Sony DCS-P120 See more pictures. (See Willem van de Pool photos (gallery 1& gallery 2)

Hagavik at Þingvallavatn lake. Part 1

In 27th July I decided to cycle with recording gear out of Reykjavik. It was late in the evening when I left my house. Just after I left the street lights, I cycled into dark, wet fog.
I was both whet and cold when I passed the fog on the highest peak of the road in the mountain Hengill.
I waited there almost for two hours in a very calm weather, just to enjoy the prospect. Noise from nearby hydroelectric plant filled the air with a powerful rumbling noise. Below, all around me, was this thick fog and a clear sky above.
I was getting tired when I saw the sun rice above the horizon around 4 am.  After several photo shots I decided to find a place to sleep and feed my recorder with “early morning summer sound”.
On my way, was a place named Hagavik, a very nice cove in the southwest of Þingvallavatn lake. When I arrived, the fog was still very thick. I spread out my bivi sack on a place I remembered I put up my tent for about 35 years ago, when this place was not so popular. It was now a filthy motorist parking and fish hunting place. But, just as in the past, the soundscape was glorious.
Two MKH20 was placed close to the lake and I went to sleep 10 meters away.
The time was about 5:40 in the morning and the atmosphere was very quiet in the fog when the recording start.

Download mp3 file (192kbps / 35,2Mb)

Recorder: Sound Devices 788
Mics: Sennheiser MKH20. AB40 setup
Pics: EOS M (see picture from this bicycle trip)

Flying containers

 

In last week of August the first “real winter storm” arrived to Iceland, with strong cold wind and snow down to 300 m o.s. Luckily it was not as bad as weather forecast expected.
But for sure more and stronger storms will arrive in coming months. Sometimes it happens during high tide and with extremely low air pressure so the whole harbor is floating in deep seawater.
Last autumn 2012, we got at last two times a “real storm”, and both this storms arrived while I was at work. It was really dangerous to be outside so we spent most of the day inside. Regularly we heard loud “drumming sound” and got a taste of an earthquake when containers and reefers flew of the stacks to the ground.
Following recording was recorded in one of those bad weather situations 2nd of November 2012. It is mostly audible wind noises with flying garbage around when suddenly somewhere in the harbor one container take off from a stack and fells to the ground.

Download mp3 file (192kbps / 29,7Mb)

Recorder: Sound Devices 788
Mics: Sennheier MKH30/40. MS setup in Recote windshield
Pics: Nokia N82

The sound in Raufarhólshellir Cave

Early May I went into the Raufarhólshellir cave with a group of peoples. The tour was done to listen to the sound in the cave when water drops fall on ice on the floor. This sound can be really amazing when hundreds of drops fall in to all kinds of sizes and depths of holes in the ice.
But, most of the ice was gone, so the sound was not as expected.
Anyway, the experience and the sound was nice.

Download mp3 file (192kbps / 35Mb) Recorder: Sound Devises 744
See more and listen at: www.fieldrecording.net 

Mics: Sennheiser MKH8040 (ORTF)
Pix: Nokia N82

Christmas 1964

I was born in Germany while my father was studying and working there between 1954 to 1966.  My older sister was also born in Germany.
Probably in December 1964 my father recorded me and my sister singing the traditional song “O Tannenbaum”.
My mother’s voice is there also while she helps us through the text.
Later one I sing a short solo in my “southern German” I have completely lost today.
The text was composed by Ernst Anschütz, 1824

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!
Du grünst nicht nur
zur Sommerzeit,
Nein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
Wie oft hat nicht zur Weihnachtszeit
Ein Baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Dein Kleid will mich
was lehren:
Die Hoffnung und Beständigkeit
Gibt Trost und Kraft
zu jeder Zeit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!
Das soll dein Kleid
mich lehren.

Download mp3 file (192kbps / 2,2Mb)
See more and listen at: www.fieldrecording.net

Recorder: unknown open reel deck.
Transferred from Revox B77 MkII to Sound devices 744
Mic. Unkown
Pics: Syster and brother (Bergþóra & Magnús, picture taken at Christmas 1964)

Krosslaug pool at Barðastönd.

In Iceland it is possible to find many hot springs all over the country. Many of them have optimal temperature for bath and to relax. For centurys people have piled stones and turf around some of this known natural hot springs.
In the beginning of last centuries many of this natural hot springs were used to teach people to swim. Soon, many communities all over the country built real swimming pools of concrete near these springs.
One of these places can be found at Krossholt at Barðastönd, Southwest Iceland. There is Krosslaug, a 12 meters long swiming pool, built in 1948. There is also newly built natural hot tub, build on a hot spring in traditional style. It was the Youth Association of Barðaströnd County who piled this tub with stones, gravel and turf.
From the bottom through the ground of the tub comes the warm water with bobbles that gives relaxing sound while laying there with the ear below the surface. You can hear the bobbles moving upwards trough the gravel deep from the ground under the tub.
This recording was made with hydrophones at 15th of June 2012.
Another interesting recording from Krossholt, nearby place is: Opus for power line, bass, wind and birds.

(Download mp3 file (192kbps / 28,8Mb)
See more and listen at: www.fieldrecording.net

Recorder: Sound Devices 744
Mics: Aquarian H2a-XLR
Pics. Sony CyberShot DSC-P120 & Olympus 4040 & EOS 30D (see more pictures)

Walk through the city hall

Last spring was cold and windy and 26th of May was no exception when I cycle downtown Reykjavik with my recording gear. It was a accordion day and members of the Accordion club of Reykjavik was playing in the city hall. When I arrive it was overcrowded and the sound quality was poor from the amplified monitors. So I decided to stay outside and listen instead to the birds on the pound, close to the hall.
This recording contain my walk beside the pond, from the southeast side (as seen on the picture) trough the city hall to the northwest side, into very different atmosphere.

Download mp3 file (16Mb / 192kbps)

Recorder: Sound devices 744t
Mics: Sennheiser MKH8040 (ORTF setup) in Rycote Windshield
Pics: Canon EOS M