Ears travelling the world

The sound treasures of our planet - as a daily companion. Journalist and radio author Stefan Franzen has been exploring sounds beyond rock, pop, and classical music for many years, delving into the musical peculiarities of various cultures. On his travels to Brazil and Ghana, Istanbul and Catalonia, the Norwegian ice, and English folk festivals, he immersed himself in the local music culture but also discovered astonishing things in his own neighborhood. Through hundreds of conversations, he met stars and unknown talents. Now he has compiled his encounters and insights into a calendar: Based on global short stories, it creates an exciting companion throughout the year, seasoned with vivid interview quotes and enlightening anecdotes.

Why did Bossa Nova emerge in the bathroom? What is an Indian raga, an Arabic maqam? How did rumba get to the Congo? What does Inuit singing sound like? And is Portugal's Fado really that sad? Such questions are casually answered on this journey around the globe, complemented by artists' birthdays and cultural and political world events. 366 mosaic pieces form an alternative music history of the Earth: featuring Bobby McFerrin, Anoushka Shankar, Gilberto Gil, and Angélique Kidjo, as well as George Harrison, Kate Bush, and Caterina Valente!

"When I discovered music in the 1960s, I was struck as if by lightning. My whole body became an ear. Today, music is so readily available everywhere that we hardly notice it anymore. We need to relearn: what we are hearing right now has never reached us like this before. I want to be surprised by music again." - Bobby McFerrin

"The voice is not just something physical or territorial. I don't think in genres like classical music or rock. Rather, I think in feelings. When I hear a song, I can immediately grasp the beauty within it." - Sílvia Pérez Cruz, Catalan singer.