Failed hodgepodge
Sure, that's right: Cord Riechelmann, qualified biologist and philosopher, opens a sonic treasure trove with the publication of the first "Encyclopedia of Animal Voices" and even unpacks one or the other bioacoustic treasure. But the idea of an "anti-systematic conception" - as he says himself - failed completely.
The collection of native and exotic animal sounds and expressions pressed on six CDs seems rather lacking in concept. Only the sorting according to the continents Europe, Asia, Africa, America, Australia and the water worlds reveals a certain "plan". If one expects a specially prepared introduction in the inlets of the CDs, one will be disappointed in this respect as well. All six CDs have the same introduction.
The audio commentary spoken by actor Hanns Zischler, which is intended to provide "simple and understandable orientation in the tangle of animal voices between city, country and river", cannot hide the fact that both the selection and the sequence of the voices presented appear random. Is that perhaps due to the fact that the animal sound archive of the Natural History Museum of Berlin's Humboldt University was simply used and what was there was taken? And didn't even bother to prepare this selection, if not scientifically and systematically, at least "somehow"? The different sound quality of the recordings is also surprising, as is the sometimes very antiquated choice of words.
What is almost even worse is that there are no visual representations of the birds, monkeys, amphibians, insects and so on that can be heard. Even a trained biologist who works full-time to protect European animal species and their habitats will not immediately see an Asian fennec, a corsac or a siamang in their mind's eye. The Latin names don't really help either. How might it be for the interested layperson? But it gets even better: What exactly are stridulation sounds, arousal calls, or "agonistic calls to a prey animal"? Of course, you can listen to it; however, one waits in vain for an exhaustive explanation.
Scientifically exact or folksy popular - you couldn't decide. Even after enjoying the work, the willing listener still doesn't know why "birds sing in duet" and "wolves howl" if they have fought their way through the hour-long sonority. But if you've always wanted to hear the eating sounds of a squirrel or the drumming of a wolf spider on a leaf, the smorgasbord of animal sounds and other vocalizations is warmly recommended.
