What meanings and memories are carried by sounds and soundscapes? What do different countries and cultures sound like? What sounds can different countries reveal to the European listener? Do they have unique sounds, unknown to and never heard by others? Do soundscapes and associated meanings exist that are common all around the world? The project's idea grows from the Evening of Sounds, a show broadcast on Finnish National Radio since 2012. It explores sounds from the past and present: from wall clocks to dissolving tablets, from wolf packs to croaking frogs, from the steam engine to the vintage car, from the planner to the dental drill. 15 May 22.00 – 24.00 Evening of Sounds on the First Program (host Mojca Delač)
22 May 18.00 – 19.00 Evening of Sounds on the ARS (host Anamarija Štukelj Cusma)
29 May 18.00 – 20.00 European Evening of Sounds on the ARS (hosted by Anamarija Štukelj Cusma and Saška Rakef) with live call-ins from the First Program (host Mojca Delač) and Val 202 (host Maj Valerij) in cooperation with the YLE Finland (host Jukka Mikkola with Helmi Järviluoma, Heikki Uimonen) and RTS Serbia (host Nikoleta Dojčinović). On Monday, 15 May 2023, between 22.15 in 24.00 hours, the First Program will hold its Evening of Sounds. We will take sound requests and discuss sounds that remind listeners of their childhood; sounds putting smiles on faces, stirring emotions, perhaps nostalgia, anchored deep in intimate memories. In the radio studio, show host Mojca Delač will be joined by Špela Loti Knoll, academic musician and music therapist, shedding light on how sounds affect our wellbeing, how they get to permeate our memories, and how they can unveil our profoundest feelings and experiences.
Mojca Delač: "I'm delighted the First Program is airing a great project that originated in Finland. Our radio colleagues there possess a rich sound library and the response from their listeners, we were told, has been excellent. I hope that the Evening of Sounds comes to life here, too, because sounds are a tremendously important yet often overlooked part of our lives. And where else to bring them back to life but on the radio! Each of us has a favorite 'sound antique' and I hope that with the help of our listeners we will create a wonderful evening where sounds speak as vividly as the words, if not more so." In May, radio Val 202 will be collecting sound memories on its answering machine at the number 051 202 202 202 and on all its multimedia platforms, and on 29 May, alongside colleagues from the First and Ars programs, in a shared broadcast with the Finnish and Serbian national radios. That day, the slot between 18.50 and 20.00 will be dedicated to audio memories. The host of the evening is Maj Valerij, who is also an avid collector and recordist of sounds: "As a radio host and musician, I have a special relationship with sound. My earliest sound memories are vague, I recall the soothing echo of my mother's voice while she was folding laundry. Since childhood, then, I have been fascinated by sounds and their recording. My collection for example includes various sounds from my old apartment, recorded before moving to the other side of town." European Evening of Sounds The idea of the European Evening of Sounds is to present emotional, spoken, diverse and interesting sounds to listeners; drawing attention to everyday sounds as well as lost sonic environments. One goal is also to highlight the basic building blocks of radio – specific sounds, and to build trust in radio's most iconic and historically essential role, that of using sounds to create recordings, speech, stories and conversations. So what does it sound like when sounds of a wider geographical and cultural area meet? Finnish, Serbian, and Slovenian radio will exchange sound puzzles and sound postcards, presenting stories related to each country and culture. In addition to playing sounds to one another, they will take listeners' requests for sounds they would like to hear. The in-studio conversation will also touch on the cultural significance of sounds and soundscapes, showing scientific data on the subject.
