Ludwig Koch and the Music of Nature

Sean Street tells the story of Ludwig Koch, a German refugee from the Nazis who pioneered nature broadcasting in Britain. He became the first person to harness new technologies to record the sounds of birds, mammals and insects and went on to be a household name in Britain after the Second World War through his work for BBC radio.

Featuring Koch's recordings and contributions from those who worked with him, and an attempt to record curlews as he did with such success. Today, sound recordists use tiny digital machines and sophisticated microphones, but they also encounter modern-day problems: traffic, planes and people as well as fewer, shyer, curlews.

Broadcast on:

BBC Radio 4, 9:00pm Wednesday 15th April 2009

Duration:

30 minutes

Available until:

12:00am Thursday 1st January 2099

Categories:

• Factual,
• Pets & Animals,
• Life Stories,
• Science & Nature